Adam didn't expect to wake up the next morning with his mind occupied by a strange image: the smile of the girl in the wheelchair, and the white rose she had held in her hands.
He tried to convince himself it was just a coincidence, a fleeting moment he happened to see and would never repeat. Yet he couldn't deny that there was something in her that had brushed away a layer of dust clinging to his heart for years.
He left his apartment reluctantly, carrying an old pack of cigarettes in his pocket, and a familiar emptiness in his chest. As he walked along the same street where the shop stood, he found himself suddenly stopping in front of its glowing window.
There she was… arranging flowers with the same care, filling the space with a calm spirit unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"Why am I here?" he asked himself.
"I don't believe in coincidences… and I don't need anyone else in my life."
But he stayed there, staring. Until she noticed him. She lifted her head, and her eyes met his. For a moment, he hesitated, then nodded slightly in silent greeting, while she lifted her hand and waved lightly.
He didn't think much before finding himself stepping into the shop.
The scent of flowers flooded his senses—a mixture of roses, jasmine, and lilies—making his heart race in a way he hadn't felt in years.
She smiled at him warmly:
— "Hello… are you looking for a specific bouquet?"
He paused for a moment, then answered awkwardly:
— "Actually… I don't know. I haven't been in a flower shop in a long time."
She laughed softly, her voice like a small bell ringing in a closed space.
— "Flowers don't always need an occasion. Sometimes we buy them just to remind ourselves that life is still beautiful… despite everything."
Her words pierced his heart. He wanted to reply, but he just watched her hands arranging a small bouquet. He noticed faint scars on her wrist, but didn't ask.
She handed him the same white rose he had seen yesterday.
— "Try taking this. The white rose is a symbol of new beginnings."
He froze in place. It was as if she knew his story without saying a word. He took the rose and left without looking back. Yet his heart screamed:
"Why does it feel like she's speaking to me alone?"
---
At night, he sat on his balcony, watching the rose placed in a glass of water in front of him.
It was supposed to be just a flower… yet it felt as if it had stolen a piece of his soul.
"I shouldn't go back to her. I don't want to drift… I don't want to betray the memory of someone who's gone."
But despite his inner struggle, he knew that tomorrow would lead him back to the shop again…
To that girl, whose smile held something enchanting, confusing his heart and returning a spark of the life he had lost.