chapter 57
Chapter 57 - Two Years Later
Two years later~
.......
Spring arrived quietly.
The morning sunlight spilled across a small flower shop tucked between a bookstore and a bakery.
A wooden sign swayed gently above the entrance.
"Petals Promise."
Fresh flowers filled every corner.
White lilies.
Soft pink roses.
Baby's breath.
Sunflowers.
Lavender.
The air carried the comforting fragrance of fresh blooms.
It was peaceful.
Warm.
Alive.
Just the way someone had once wanted a home to feel.
Behind the counter, Kavya carefully wrapped a bouquet for an elderly customer.
"There you go."
She smiled gently.
"I hope your wife likes lilies."
The old man chuckled.
"After forty-three years of marriage, she couldn't help but smiles and hug me every time I bring her flowers."
Kavya's smile widened.
"I'm sure she will love them."
After he left, she watched him through the window.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
Then she returned to arranging flowers.
There was no heaviness in her movements anymore.
No quiet exhaustion.
The dark circles beneath her eyes had faded.
Her face looked healthier.
Brighter.
Healing hadn't happened overnight.
Some nights had still been difficult.
Some memories still lingered.
But little by little...
Life had become lighter.
The sleepless nights that once lasted until dawn had grown fewer.
She rarely needed sleeping pills now.
Sometimes she still woke in the middle of the night.
But instead of crying herself back to sleep...
She would make warm tea.
Read a few pages of a book.
Listen to the rain.
And eventually...
Sleep would return on its own.
For the first time in years...
She was beginning to trust tomorrow.
The bell above the shop door chimed.
A familiar voice followed.
"I knew I'd find you surrounded by flowers."
Kavya looked up.
A genuine smile appeared.
"Arjun."
He walked inside carrying a paper bag from the bakery next door.
"I brought breakfast."
She laughed softly.
"You always do."
"And you always forget to eat."
He placed the bag on the counter.
"Some habits never change."
Kavya smiled sheepishly.
"Maybe."
Arjun had become one of her closest friends over the past two years.
They had met through a community volunteer program shortly after she separated from Aarav.
He never asked questions as she wasn't ready to answer.
Never pitied her.
Never tried to fix her.
He simply stayed.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Like a good friend should.
He tried many time to be more than just friends but he don't know why it didn't worked out.
Maybe he was not good enough....
As for kavya, she knew it all along. She also wanted to move on and have a family with a person as humble and kind as Arjun.
But her heart never give her permission.
She was scared.
Scared of getting hurt again.
Scared of hurting someone else as she knew she can't love someone as much as she did to that person.
So she give up.
And for arjun, even though he can't have kavya but he never wanted to loose such a great friend as kavya.
.......
He picked up a sunflower from a nearby bucket.
"So..."
He examined it thoughtfully.
"How many people have you convinced to buy flowers they didn't plan on buying this week?"
Kavya laughed.
"I don't convince anyone."
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Then why did that gentleman leave with three bouquets instead of one?"
She looked away, trying to hide her smile.
"Maybe flowers make people generous."
"No."
Arjun grinned.
"You do."
She rolled her eyes.
"Haa.....that's why I don't like you coming here"
"And yet you still let me visit every Saturday."
"Because you bring breakfast."
"Ah."
He nodded seriously.
"So my friendship has been reduced to sandwiches."
She laughed again.
A real laugh.
One that reached her eyes.
For a brief moment, the shop felt even brighter.
Arjun watched her quietly.
Not with pity.
Not with hidden expectations.
Only relief.
Two years ago...
She had smiled politely.
Now...
She smiled because she genuinely wanted to.
There was a difference.
And he was grateful to witness it.
Outside, a little girl stopped in front of the display window.
She pointed excitedly at a bouquet of daisies.
Kavya immediately walked outside.
"Would you like to smell them?"
The little girl nodded enthusiastically.
Kavya knelt to her height and handed her a single daisy.
The child's eyes sparkled.
"They're beautiful."
Kavya smiled.
"They are."
As she watched the little girl skip away holding the flower carefully, a quiet warmth settled in her heart.
Once...
Flowers had been her way of keeping love alive.
Now...
They had become a way of sharing hope.
Without expecting anything in return.
Back inside the shop, Arjun looked at her and smiled.
"You look happy."
Kavya paused.
She glanced around her little shop.
At the flowers.
The sunlight.
The peaceful silence.
Then she answered honestly.
"I'm getting there."
Not completely.
Not perfectly.
But she was no longer surviving.
She was finally...
Living again.