adela nods along, motions visible in the mirror. she wonders too, of course, but reserves her questions for the time being. but her client doesn’t catch the way her eyes flit to look outside the window of her cosy shop- she wants to meet the new person too. 

and there she sees it. out of the corner of her eye- a woman with purple hair, outside her shop. she’s looking around, presumably trying to find her new home. 

and then, her eyes settle on adela’s shop. they drift from the sign, to the glass, and finally, adela herself. but before they can lock eyes, adela quickly looks back at her client- she doesn’t want to be caught staring. 

“-you think they came here for? gosh, hopefully they arrive before i have to start on dinner!” her customer finishes rambling.

adela takes a few seconds to respond. “...i hope i see them, too.”

________________

“thank you miss adela! i’ll see you in a couple of months!” the girl waves goodbye to her, bell clinking as she leaves the shop. adela smiles and waves back. just as the door closes, the belltower rings. 

6pm, she thinks. time to clean up. 

she first moves to clean up the tea off her counter. 

…mm. there’s still some left over.

perhaps a cup of tea is enough to greet her neighbour.

cup steady in her hands, adela leaves the salon. she walks over to the shophouse next to hers, and peers in the same, glass windows that her own shophouse has. there she sees her- the beautiful woman, inside, pulling clothing out of a suitcase. 

a new neighbour, adela smiles. the shophouse has been empty for ages. she pushes the door open. without even missing a beat, the woman turns sharply to face her, with incredible reflex. her eyes are wary at first, but she recognizes her- the hairdresser next door- and loosens up just a bit.

“hello there.” adela starts, with a smile. “i heard someone was moving in today. that’s you, i assume.” 

the smile is returned. “that’s me. moved from somewhere near 5th avenue. here to set up my tailoring business” she puts down the fabric she held in her hands. “i saw you. you’re the hairdresser next door, yes?” 

adela nods. she moves forward to hand the cup of tea to the woman’s now free hands. “for you. figured you’d want something to drink after travelling here.” 

“i appreciate it.” the woman accepts it gratefully. “my name is garofano.” 

“i’m adela.”

pretty name, both of them thinks, but neither of them let it show on their faces. 

“thank you for the tea, adela.” garofano giggles.

“you can return that back to me tomorrow- i’m sure you’d like to rest now.” 

garofano hums in agreement. “indeed. perhaps you’d like to come over tomorrow instead? i’d love to get to know more about the neighbourhood.”

the invitation is warm- like a bright light in the fog. 

adela agrees. 

perhaps this is a new mundanity she could get used to.

________________

adela finds herself standing in front of garofano’s shophouse. just for the teacup, she thinks. that is, until she sees the warm smile through the window. she goes in.

garofano is humming something, a tune unfamiliar, while moving fabrics around. the creaking of the door makes her turn her head.

“adela! you’re here.” garofano beams. “is your work day over? how would you like to spend more time here?” she’s bustling around the shophouse, moving supplies here and there. “as you can see, i still have a lot of work before my shop is set up- i’d love a little company.”

adela agrees, without hesitation (much to her surprise), and soon finds herself rearranging needles in a container. she glances back, every so once in a while, to observe the older woman arranging furniture. a certain feeling blooms in her heart- she’s not quite sure what it is- but she figures that it’s all part of the new mundanity. 

they exchange little conversation, accompanying each other in a comfortable silence, occasionally broken by garofano’s humming. both of them move about, but there’s only so much work that can be completed in a day. 

the sky outside is dotted with stars when they decide to rest for the day, laying on garofano’s couch conveniently in front of the windows. adela’s brought over tea once again, steam rising in front of their faces as they sit next to each other under the calming moonlight. 

they’re close to each other- so close, their shoulders are almost touching, but adela doesn’t dare move closer, though her heart tells her to do so. 

“i wonder, what will life here be like?” garofano giggles, staring up at the sky. “it’s been such a long time since i’ve had the time to relax like this."

adela nods, following the conversation. “well, i do quite hope you enjoy your time here… perhaps, the belltower will be the only thing disturbing your relaxation.” she teases lightly, earning a laugh from the older woman. 

“it wouldn’t, for the most part. after all, when it rings six times, that’s when i know that you’re free to come over.”

it’s a subtle comment, sure, but lights a certain spark in the fog nonetheless. adela lets out the palest blush, thankful that garofano doesn’t turn her head to witness it.

by the end of the night, adela bids garofano a goodbye, and a goodnight. she stays outside the shop until she sees her disappear into the back.