On the third day, Adam could no longer resist. His steps led him once again to the flower shop, as if his heart was guiding his mind.
When he opened the door, he was greeted by the scent of roses and lavender, along with soft music flowing from a small radio in the corner.
She was sitting behind the wooden counter, writing something in a small notebook. When she looked up and saw him, her smile lit up her face as if she had been waiting for him.
She said gently:
— "Hello… I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
He answered, flustered:
— "Nor did I… really."
She laughed, closing her notebook:
— "Then maybe this is what they call a beautiful coincidence."
He approached slowly, then looked at the scattered flowers in front of her.
— "Do you work here alone?"
She nodded:
— "Yes, this shop belonged to my father… and now it's my little world. The flowers are my companions, and my wheelchair and I are old partners."
There was a strange lightness in her tone, as if she had turned her weakness into strength.
He hesitated for a moment before asking:
— "Your name?"
She smiled shyly and replied:
— "Layla."
He repeated the name to himself several times… Layla. It was like music he had never heard before, both unsettling and strangely warming.
Suddenly, she looked into his eyes and asked:
— "And you?"
— "Adam."
She studied him for a moment, then said calmly:
— "Adam… your name sounds like a beginning, and you seem like an ending. A strange combination."
He froze for a second; he hadn't expected anyone to describe him that way. He felt as if she had seen what he hid behind his silence.
But he pretended to be composed, replying with a faint smile:
— "And perhaps… I need someone to give me a new beginning."
He couldn't believe the words as they left his mouth, yet they came out unconsciously, as if his heart had spoken for him.
Layla didn't comment, but she extended her hand with a new white rose, saying:
— "Take it… to remind you that life isn't measured by what we've lost, but by what we can still plant."
He took the rose and looked at her deeply, as if seeing something that could save him from himself.
At that moment, he realized this girl wasn't just a florist… she might be the beginning of his new story.