CHAPTER 891: A LOVE STORY IS BORN WITH A MOONLIGHT SOUNDTRACK

Downtown Catadrid, the film and television capital of the world, presented a scene of considerable activity on Wednesday night. It was the fourth day of the Bloom Week holiday, a period designated for public leisure, and its citizens were actively engaging in recreational pursuits. The thoroughfares of the city were well-populated. Within the establishments catering to evening entertainment, a high density of patrons was evident. Bars, pubs, and nightclubs across the downtown district were filled to capacity. Music, emanating from these venues, blended with the general hum of conversation and the sounds of commerce. Outside, street vendors offered a variety of consumables, their stalls illuminated by temporary lighting. Individuals moved between locations, some in small groups, others singly.

The weather was clear, facilitating pedestrian movement and outdoor socializing. In a specific establishment known as "The Silver Screen Lounge," a popular haunt for those connected to the entertainment industry, the atmosphere was particularly energetic. The air inside was thick with a mix of perfumes, spilled beverages, and the aroma of food from a nearby kitchen. Patrons occupied the available seating areas, their conversations punctuated by laughter. A live band performed on a small stage, playing a set of popular contemporary songs. Waitstaff navigated the crowded space, delivering drinks and clearing tables.

Across town, at "The Dream Weaver Studios," a film production facility, the lights were dimmed, save for essential security illumination. The day’s shooting had concluded hours prior, leaving the sound stages and editing suites empty. A few security personnel conducted their routine patrols, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous spaces. The absence of the day’s creative output created a stark contrast to the vibrancy of the city’s entertainment districts.

Back in the downtown area, in a smaller, more intimate venue called "The Director’s Cut Cafe," a different sort of gathering was taking place. A group of individuals, identifiable by their casual attire and the scripts scattered on their table, engaged in discussions. Their conversation, though low in volume, indicated a focused exchange of ideas. They were reviewing storyboards and analyzing character motivations. The cafe staff, aware of the patrons’ dedication, maintained a quiet efficiency, ensuring their needs were met without disruption. The collective mood of downtown Catadrid on this holiday evening was one of enjoyment and social interaction.

The city’s role as a global hub for film and television was reflected in the diverse population present, from industry professionals to casual observers, all participating in the shared experience of the Bloom Week festivities. The night’s activities were proceeding as anticipated, a testament to the city’s established reputation for its dynamic nocturnal environment.

Our story happens in one of the many of these Catadrid’s pubs, the Pilox Pub. This was a normal pub that had a decent number of faithful clients. And on that, Wednesday night, the pub was receiving more guests due to the holiday. And among the crowd was a group of four friends.

The four of them were in their mid-30s, and they had been friends for years already. And the Pilox Pub was their usual location to enjoy some drinks when they wanted to go out.

At a corner booth in the Pilox Pub, Leo, the accountant, gestured with his beer mug, recounting a particularly mundane audit he’d completed. "Honestly, Kai, you wouldn’t believe the amount of paperwork. Pages and pages of stapled receipts. It’s enough to make a man question his life choices." Beside him, Ben, a software developer, chuckled. "At least you’re not staring at lines of code all day, wondering if a misplaced semicolon will crash the entire system. My brain feels like it’s been defragmented." Across from them, Mark, a middle school teacher, chimed in, "Try explaining fractions to a class of twenty eleven-year-olds who’d rather be anywhere else. The highlight of my day was when one of them actually got the concept of a numerator."

Kai offered a weak smile, his gaze drifting towards the busy bar. He’d agreed to come out, a small victory for his friends, but the weight of the past two years pressed on him. He observed his friends’ easy camaraderie, their shared experiences of predictable careers, and the comforting rhythm of their routines. He knew they were trying, their efforts a palpable shield against the persistent ache within him. He focused on their words, a mental anchor to the present, to the sounds of the pub, to the taste of the drink in his hand, anything to push back the encroaching silence of his own thoughts. He appreciated their presence, their unwavering loyalty, even if he felt like a muted instrument in their otherwise harmonious gathering.

Leo, noticing Kai’s brief withdrawal, leaned forward. "Remember that time we tried to build that IKEA shelf, Kai? The one that ended up leaning like the Tower of Pisa?" Ben added, "And you, Kai, were the only one who could decipher the instructions, even though they were in Swedish. You were muttering about torque ratios while the rest of us were just trying not to lose a finger." Mark laughed, "We almost used it as a modern art installation. But you, you kept at it, fixing it, making it stable. That’s the Kai we know." The shared memory hung in the air, a small spark of genuine amusement, an attempt to remind Kai of his own resilience, his own competence, a facet of himself that felt so distant these days.

With his friends’ efforts and the help of 3 cups of beer, Kai was finally able to briefly forget his own pain and genuinely started enjoying the evening with his friends.

At a certain moment of the night, Kai was already tipsy and was talking loudly with his friends when the music at the pub shifted to a new song.

’Perfect’ by Moonlight started playing at the pub. After winning the Sapphire of Song of the Year, ’Perfect’ became even more popular, so it wasn’t a surprise that Moonlight’s song was being played at this pub.

It was Kai’s first time listening to this song, as for the past two years, he had been avoiding listening to any kind of romantic songs, as they would only make his pain bigger.

But the moment that this song started playing, he noticed a woman on the other side of the pub. It seemed like the stars aligned at that moment. Even his tipsy mind seemed to be rebooted as he became stunned as he observed this woman.

She was in a group of four girls, and they seemed to be friends as well. They were laughing as they had fun while drinking. She couldn’t be called the most stunning woman; she had average and normal features. But as he looked at her, Kai could swear that she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

At that moment, Kai’s broken heart seemed to come back to life as it started beating faster and faster for this girl. He seemed to have forgotten his past broken heart, and he felt an overwhelming desire to talk with this woman.

Kai’s friends noticed his starstruck expression, so they followed his gaze and noticed that he was looking at another girl. Their eyes shone with happiness as they noticed that, ever since the divorce, Kai didn’t even look at other women, and now it seemed that finally he had eyes for other people. They smiled at each other before they said, "Kai! You should go talk with her!"

"Really?" Kai asked with an uncertain voice, "It has been so long since I talked with another woman...."

"Don’t worry, we’ll be your wingman. We’ll distract her friends, and then you can talk with her." Leo said.

Kai was still uncertain for a moment, but soon after, he seemed to have made a decision, "How do I look?" He asked as he tried to adjust his clothes and hair.

Kai’s three friends laughed and assured him he looked good, and with their help, Kai gathered his courage and walked toward the other side of the pub.

"Girls, you four look especially stunning tonight," Mark said with a charming smile.

The four women looked at Kai’s group of friends, and one of them replied with a smile, "Really? Then which one is the prettiest?"

"Beauty in the eyes of the holder is my answer," Ben replied.

Kai’s friends distracted the three girls, but Kai had only eyes for one of them, and she noticed.

"H-hello, my name is Kai." He said nervously, but at the same time, he looked at her with a piercing gaze.

And this fact intrigued this woman.

"Hello, my name is Mae." She replied simply.

The melody of "Perfect" wrapped around Kai and Mae like a warm embrace, a shared soundtrack to their nascent connection. As Kai stammered his introduction, his genuine nervousness was palpable, a stark contrast to the effortless charm he usually possessed. He fumbled slightly with his beer mug, his usual eloquent demeanor momentarily lost in the sheer novelty of speaking to a woman again after so long. Yet, beneath the awkwardness, a flicker of his inherent kindness shone through, a warmth that mirrored the glow of the pub’s ambient lights. Mae, on her part, felt an unusual pull towards Kai. His gaze, as his friends had noted, was intense, almost as if he was seeing something extraordinary in her, something she herself often overlooked. She appreciated his honesty, the raw vulnerability that peeked through his attempts at composure. It was a refreshing change from the performative confidence she sometimes encountered.

Kai, emboldened by Mae’s gentle smile, decided to lean into the moment. "It’s, uh, it’s a beautiful song, isn’t it?" he managed, his voice still a little shaky. He cleared his throat, mentally kicking himself for sounding so unsure. "This artist really captured something with this one." He watched her reaction, hoping for a shared appreciation of the music, a small bridge to build upon.

Mae nodded, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "It really is," she agreed, her voice soft. "It makes you feel... hopeful, somehow." The word hung in the air, resonating with the optimistic tone of the song and the budding possibilities between them. Kai felt a surge of courage, a whisper in his mind telling him this was his chance, his moment to break free from the shadows of his past.

He took a breath, deciding a direct approach might be best, given his current state of discombobulation. "Mae," he began, his voice gaining a touch more steadiness, "I know this is a bit forward, and it’s been... a while for me. But I’d really like to get to know you better. Perhaps we could grab a coffee sometime? Or, or something less structured than that? Whatever works for you, really. I’d be happy to... well, to exchange numbers, if that’s okay?" He offered a hopeful, slightly lopsided grin, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He knew he wasn’t as smooth as he once was, but he hoped his sincerity would shine through, a beacon of his renewed spirit in the vibrant hum of Catadrid’s night.

She looked at him and said with a simple smile, "Sure, let’s exchange numbers."

Just like that, with ’Perfect’ as soundtrack, a beautiful love story started on that Wednesday night in Catadrid.