Chapter 8: Sunflowers at Noon

Adrian never really cared much for office gestures. Birthdays, welcome lunches, farewell cakes - they all felt rehearsed. But when his manager mentioned a new team member joining today, he found himself suggesting , almost without thought, “Let’s get some flowers for her desk.”

Now walking through the glass doors of the office, the sunlight chasing his steps, he wondered why it had felt so necessary.

He’d picked sunflowers - bright, unapologetically alive. He told himself it was because they’d add warmth to the space, but something about the choice lingered in his mind. Maybe it was the way they reminded him of that morning - the small cafe tucked away on the corner, the scent of roasted beans, the soft clatter of mugs, and her.

He’d only seen her for a moment, framed by sunlight like a secret the morning wanted to keep. He didn’t even know her name, but the image wouldn’t leave.

“She looked like a story I wasn’t supposed to read,” he thought again, half smiling at his own ridiculousness.

He placed the sunflowers in the vase on the new desk, near the window where light pooled across the surface. Someone from the next cubicle called out teasingly,
“Adrian, you romantic fool. Flowers for someone you haven’t met?”

He just smiled faintly. “It’s not about romance. It’s about starting right.”

Still, as he adjusted the vase, the sunlight hit the petals just so - and for a moment, his chest tightened with something he couldn’t explain.

He shook his head, pushed his glasses up, and went back to his desk. Work waited.

Kaia stood before her mirror, fastening the thin chain around her neck. The same one she’d worn for years - a small token of constancy in a life that never stopped changing.

Her reflection looked different today. Not because she’d tried, but because she felt different - somehow lighter, as if something unseen had quietly shifted.

She chose a soft beige blouse and charcoal trousers, her wavy brown dark brown hair falling naturally to her shoulders. A hint of pink brushed her lips; her eyes, large and dark, held a quiet purpose.

Her watch - the one she never left home without - ticked steadily against her wrist. She checked the time, smiled to herself. “Let’s begin,” she murmured.

The city was already awake, restless and alive . Kaia walked through the familiar lanes, the world moving in its rhythm - vendors setting up, morning traffic spiling its noise, sunlight catching on car roofs.

She passed by her cafe - where Mrs. Alder waved through the glass with a flower in her hand, and Elena shouted something about “Don’t forget to make us proud!”

By the time she reached the building, the afternoon light was spilling down the glass facade like gold. She paused for a moment. looking up at it. Something about the place felt unfamiliar and full on promise - like the first page of a story she didn’t know she’d been writing.

Inside, the cool air hummed quietly. A polite greeting at the reception, a nod from HR, a quick check-in.

And then the words that would unknowingly tie her day together.

“Kaia, you’ll be joining the NYC’s team. Let’s meet your lead.”

She smiled, calm but curious, her fingers tightening slightly around her bag.
“Alright,” she said softly.

And as she followed the corridor to ger new workplace, the faint scent of sunflowers drifted through the air.

She didn’t think much of it.

Not yet.