On a quiet evening, Adam closed the flower shop door after finishing work with Layla. The soft lights glimmered over the carefully arranged flowers, as if the whole place were breathing new life.
They sat together amidst the fragrance, the sounds of the street outside fading behind the glass.
He looked at her for a long moment, then spoke hesitantly:
— "Layla… sometimes I feel trapped… not just by my old memories, but by my fear of losing you. I'm afraid I might cause you new pain."
She smiled faintly, but it was a smile that carried deep ache:
— "Do you think I haven't been afraid? Since I was placed in this chair, fear has been following me. I fear people's glances… my hands' occasional weakness… the thought that you might leave me if you lose patience."
He moved closer, until there was only the distance of a single breath between them, then held her trembling hand:
— "I am no longer the man who runs from pain. If you are a burden… I choose to carry it. If you are a chain… I do not want freedom without you."
Her eyes trembled with tears, and she placed her other hand over his, saying:
— "And I… want to be your legs when you stumble, your soul when darkness chokes you. Adam, you don't understand… you are the one who brought meaning back to my life."
In that moment, words fell silent, and their eyes spoke alone. There were no eternal promises, no plans for a perfect future. There was only a genuine feeling, a sense that each had found in the other a refuge they could not deny.
Suddenly, the lights went out due to a power outage, leaving only the moonlight spilling through the window. They sat in the darkness, surrounded by flowers that seemed like witnesses to an unspoken vow… a vow woven by hearts weighed with wounds, yet still capable of love.
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