[Tarot Love Series · Chapter 3] The Unread Message on a Rainy Afternoon

The rain outside hadn’t stopped.

Aling sat by the window of the tarot café, her phone screen lighting up and going dark, lighting up and going dark again. Last night, Ziyan had sent her a photo — no words, just a dawn shot of Zhinan Temple in Muzha, stone steps glistening wet, a single raindrop hanging from the railing, about to fall. She’d stared at that photo for a long time, unsure how to respond. *What is he trying to say?* She’d asked herself that question for the seventeenth time. Raven came over from the bar with two cups of hot oolong tea, sat down across from her, and said softly, “It’s chilly out today. Have a warm sip first. No rush — let’s talk it through.”

—

⚡ Stop here. Close your eyes for three seconds. Which card number just came to mind? Hold that number (1–5), then scroll down to that card’s reading — that’s the one the universe has a special message for you today.

—

Raven placed the cards down one by one, five of them lined up quietly on the table, the tea’s fragrance drifting between them.

**Card 1: Current State — The Hermit**

“Aling, whenever The Hermit appears, I like to ask one question: are you in solitude because you need quiet, or because you’re hiding from being hurt?” Raven’s finger gently tapped the card. “Your Life Path Number is 9, and that resonates deeply with The Hermit’s energy. Nines have a natural gift for turning inward — for seeing things others can’t. But sometimes, that same sensitivity makes you tuck yourself away so deep that even you can’t find your way back in.”

**Card 2: How They Feel — Knight of Cups**

“Ziyan sent you that photo — do you know what the Knight of Cups means?” Raven smiled. “He rides forward slowly, holding a cup in both hands, carrying his most precious feelings inside it. He doesn’t not want to speak — he’s just searching for a way to carry that cup without spilling a drop. People who say little, who choose every word with precision, they’re usually like this. That photo *was* his language.”

**Card 3: The Connection Between You — Two of Cups**

The Two of Cups again. Aling remembered drawing it last time too. “This is the second time,” Raven said. “Did you notice? The cards aren’t prophecy — they’re just gently saying out loud what your heart already knows. The Two of Cups is a balanced, mutual flow of feeling. Both of you have it. Both of you are waiting. The only difference is who’s willing to let the other one inch a little closer first.”

**Card 4: What to Watch — The Moon**

“With The Moon in this position,” Raven’s voice softened, “I want you to remember something: the uncertainty you’re feeling right now — some of it is real, but some of it is your own shadow projected outward. Life Path 9s are incredibly intuitive, but sometimes that very intuition leads you to read your own fears as signals coming from the other person. Under the Moon’s light, ask yourself: is this coming from him, or is this coming from me?”

**Card 5: Advice for You — Strength**

The last card turned over — a woman, tenderly cradling a lion’s face in her hands. “Strength isn’t about becoming hard,” Raven said. “It’s about being flexible on the inside. You don’t have to pretend you don’t care. You don’t have to make yourself smaller. You deserve to be seen — exactly as you are, right now.”

—

The warmth faded from the tea cups. Aling held hers in both hands and said nothing.

Raven didn’t push. He simply waited.

After a long silence, Aling spoke. “Sometimes I think — if we get too close, he’ll find out I’m not actually that special.”

Raven didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gently slid the Strength card closer to her.

“Did you know the Sun moved into Taurus today?” he said. “Taurus energy, at its very core, longs for stability, for realness, for being well and truly loved. But the Moon is in Gemini today, so the mind starts looking for exits — maybe he doesn’t care that much, maybe getting closer will just mean getting hurt, maybe it’s safer to take a step back first.”

“That’s why I’ve just been waiting,” Aling said, barely above a whisper.

“I know,” Raven nodded. “That’s called fear of intimacy. It’s not that you don’t want to get close — it’s that you want it so much that you’re more afraid of losing it than anyone. But Aling: pulling your hand back doesn’t keep you safe. It just keeps you lonely.” He paused. “You deserve to be seen — not because you’re perfect, but because you’re real.”

Outside, the rain had stopped somewhere along the way. The stone steps of Zhinan Temple must be slowly drying by now. Aling looked at the five cards on the table, and for the first time, she didn’t feel the urge to pull her hand back.

—

*Next chapter preview:* After the exhibition closes, Ziyan messages Aling out of the blue — he wants to see her again, and he’ll choose the place. Aling stands there, finger hovering over her screen, unable to press send. Is she ready this time? We’ll find out in Chapter 4.

Feel free to draw a card for yourself whenever you need one — before the answers become clear, the cards will speak the truths your heart already knows.