30. FLOWERS

The lively flower market buzzed with chatter, its air filled with the sweet, heady scent of freshly picked blooms. Alina stood near a stall, her fingers gently brushing the petals of various flowers as she frowned, unable to decide what would suit the upcoming university event. Emma, her close friend from the book club, lingered beside her, chatting enthusiastically with the vendor. Alina stared at the array of colors, biting her lip.

"I’m thinking lilies, but maybe roses would make more of a statement?" Before Emma could answer, a deep voice interrupted.

“Lilies might be too formal for a university event, don’t you think?” Alina looked up, startled, to see Caelan standing nearby, his hands casually in his pockets, observing the flowers with a quiet interest.

For a moment, the lively market seemed to fall away, leaving only the quiet conversation between them.

"Caelan, what are you doing here?" Alina asked, slightly flustered by his unexpected presence.

"Just passing through," he replied, his usual stoic expression softening as he glanced at the flowers.

"But I couldn’t help noticing you were having some trouble deciding."

Alina shifted, still unsure and mumbled, "I guess I’m overthinking it. Flowers for a literary event shouldn’t be this hard to choose."

Caelan smirked, a rare glint of amusement in his eyes, "overthinking? You? Never."

She rolled her eyes but smiled, grateful for the lightness of his tone. Emma watched the exchange curiously, but stayed silent, sensing the connection. Caelan stepped closer to the flowers, pointing to a simple but beautiful arrangement of white chrysanthemums and sunflowers.

"These are bright, warm, more welcoming than roses or lilies. What do you think?" Alina reached out to touch the sunflower, her fingers brushing against Caelan’s for a brief second. Her heart stuttered, and she quickly pulled her hand back, her fingers suddenly feeling unsteady.

“I-I like them,” she admitted, voice quieter than before.

“They remind me of... home.” A rare smile tugged at Caelan’s lips.

“Sunflowers always remind me of the summers I spent at my grandmother’s house. She had a whole garden of them.” Alina smiled.

The two fell into a peaceful silence, sharing a brief, almost unspoken connection over the flowers, their memories lingering in the air like the sweet floral scents around them. Alina couldn’t help but smile, her nerves momentarily forgotten.

“I didn’t think you’d have a thing for flowers.”

Caelan shrugged lightly. “We all have our softer sides.”

Just as Alina’s fingers began trembling again, Emma noticed. Clearing her throat, she tugged Alina by the arm.

“We should get going, Alina. The event prep is piling up.” Emma dragged her away, glancing at Caelan briefly before turning her attention back to Alina, who seemed suddenly distracted, her fingers still shaking.

Once they were a few stalls away, Emma stopped and gave her friend a concerned look, “Okay, spill. What’s going on with you? You looked like you were about to drop something back there.”

Alina shook her head, trying to act casual.

“Nothing’s going on, Emma. I was just—just overthinking the flowers. That’s all.”

Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced but deciding not to push further.

“Uh-huh. Well, whatever it is, you better get your head straight. We have a lot to handle before the event.”

Alina forced a smile, her heart still fluttering from the unexpected encounter.

“Right. I’ll be fine.”

But as they walked away, her thoughts kept drifting back to Caelan, his quiet presence lingering in her mind longer than any flower scent could.

As they walked back through the bustling streets, Alina’s thoughts remained tangled with the moment she shared with Caelan. His presence had been calming, yet it stirred something within her that she couldn’t quite explain. The trembling in her fingers hadn’t gone unnoticed by Emma, but how could she admit that it wasn’t the flowers causing her nerves? It was the way Caelan had quietly understood her, almost too easily.

Emma’s voice snapped Alina back to reality. “Hey, you’re not still thinking about that guy, are you?”

Alina’s steps faltered. “What? No, of course not.”

Emma shot her a knowing glance, her arms full of the flowers they’d purchased for the sample. “You were all shaky back there. You don’t get that way over flowers. Trust me, I know you.”

Alina opened her mouth to respond, but instead of words, there was only a sigh. She hated that Emma could read her so well. “It’s not a big deal. I was just… distracted.”

“Yeah, by him,” Emma teased, grinning. “I saw the way you two were looking at each other. It was like some rom-com scene waiting to happen.”

Alina rolled her eyes, forcing a laugh. “You’re imagining things.”

“Am I?” Emma nudged her playfully, her grin only widening. “Come on, Alina. He’s, well, he’s kind of mysterious, don’t you think? And don’t even get me started on that whole ‘soft side’ he showed. Who knew Caelan of all people had a thing for sunflowers?”

Alina remained silent, her gaze shifting to the colorful blooms in Emma’s arms. She wasn’t ready to admit it, especially not to herself, but something about Caelan had caught her off guard.

By the time they reached the university grounds, the bustling preparation for the event was in full swing. Volunteers were setting up tents, arranging tables, and hanging banners for the literature festival. Alina and Emma dropped off the flowers at the main table, where the event coordinator, Mrs. Helen, greeted them with a wide smile.

“Perfect timing, girls!” Mrs. Helem beamed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the flowers. “These are going to look beautiful. Thank you both for handling this.”

Alina managed a polite smile, her thoughts still lingering on the earlier conversation. “No problem, Mrs. Helen. Anything else we need to help with?”

Mrs. Helen waved them off, clearly already overwhelmed by the preparations. “We’re almost done here. Just enjoy yourselves. You’ve earned it.”