Chapter 9: The Morning Follows Him

Adrian was in the middle of explaining a campaign report, when the HR manager’s voice broke through the background hum.
“Adrian, your new relationship manager is here. Would you mind introducing her to the team?”

He nodded without looking up, still scrolling through the figures of his tablet.
”Sure, send her in.”

He didn’t notice the first click of her heels on the polished floor.
Not until he heard her voice - soft, steady, threaded with quiet grace.

“Good afternoon.”

He looked up.

And for a moment, the world went still.

There she was - the woman from the cafe.
The sunlight, the faint curl of hair brushing her cheek, the same calm that had stopped his thoughts earlier that morning.
Except now, she stood under the sterile office lights, her warmth bending the edges of the room into something softer.

Her hair framed her face in waves that caught light when she moved. Her eyes - those same deep brown eyes - met with polite curiosity. Her lips curved in a professional smile, soft pink against her warm complexion.

And there it was again-that unexplainable pull, the one that made the air between them feel heavier and alive.

“Adrian?” HR prompted lightly.

He blinked, collecting himself. “Ah,- yes. Sorry.” He rose from his chair, his composure returning as fast as it had slipped.

“Welcome”, he said, offering his hand. His voice was calm, but softer than usual, the kind of tone that betrayed a thought he didn’t say.

“Kaia,” she said, shaking his hand. Her palm was cool, her grip confident. “Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” he replied. His gaze flicked - just briefly - to the desk near the window. The one with the sunflowers.
She didn’t notice.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team had returned to their work, and Kaia stood beside him as he walked her through the project board.

“So,” he said, gesturing to the timeline, “this is the upcoming campaign, I’ll send you the brief, but i thought you want to see the bigger picture first.

She nodded attentively. “It’s quite structured. I like that.”

He glanced sideways at her, catching the faint focus in her expression. “You like structure?”

Her lips curved slightly. “After running a cafe for three years, I’d say yes. Order saves chaos.”

His brow lifted, intrigued. “A cafe?”

“Yes,” she said, smiling a little, eyes on the screen. “Small one. Coffee, books, flowers… peace.”

He looked a bit away and smiled, he felt something shift in his chest.
Coffee, flowers. Her.

He tried not to react, but inside, realization settled quietly, like a secretly blooming.

She was her.

The woman from the morning.

He looked at her again, and for the first time, she noticed the faintest trace of wonder in his eyes.

“You must really love mornings then, “he said finally, his voice gentle, thoughtful.

Kaia turned to him, her expression unreadable, “Mornings are honest. They don’t hide much.”

Adrian smiled faintly, holding her gaze for a moment longer than he should have.
I couldn’t agree more.”

The clock ticked softly in the background. The office went on, unaware that two lives had quietly found their intersection - woven by coffee, sunlight and a bouquet of sunflowers that still waited on he desk.