Chapter 25
Seraphina stood near the large display table in her office, reviewing a spread of floor plans while sunlight filtered across the marble samples arranged beside them.
One of the fabric selections had been switched.
She spotted it immediately.
"This was not the velvet I approved," she said, lifting the sample between her fingers.
Her assistant glanced down at the board and immediately grimaced. "That was from the Beaumont project delivery this morning. I'll have them resend the correct one."
"Please do. If I wanted something that looked like hotel curtains from 2008, I would have requested it."
The woman quickly grabbed the sample and apologized, then hurried out of the office.
Seraphina sat back down at her desk turning her attention toward the blueprints again, scanning over room dimensions and lighting placements while voices carried faintly from the hallway.
A soft knock came from the open doorway.
"Come in."
One of the junior designers stepped inside, holding two material boards against his chest. "I wanted your opinion before I finalized the west lobby palette."
He laid both options across the desk carefully while Seraphina leaned in closer.
"The darker wood," she decided instantly. "The lighter one washes the entire space out."
"That's what I thought too. Thank you, Ms. Monroe."
After he left, Seraphina picked up her coffee again, only for her phone to buzz beside the blueprints.
Another reminder.
Another meeting.
She closed the project folder neatly and finally reached for her coat draped across the back of the chair before stepping out of the office.
?
After a morning full of meetings, it was finally lunchtime.
Normally, that made Seraphina relax a bit. The thought of a small break.
But today she was anything but relaxed.
Elowyn hadn't contacted her.
Seraphina had text her a simple reminder earlier about not forgetting to eat breakfast and to call her when she was ready to be picked up.
And yet, there were no signs of the girl.
Seraphina let out a deep sigh, leaning back into her chair. She was overthinking it. For all she knew, Elowyn was probably still asleep. After all, she did know for a fact that the girl was not a morning person at all. Miss Loretta had already confirmed that much.
But if she wasn't asleep?
What if she lost her phone again or something happened to her while she was all alone in that house?
Calm down.
"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," Seraphina murmured as if the hazel eyed beauty was in the room.
Trying to clear her irrational thoughts, she shifted her focus to the night before.
To see if I have a crush on you.
Those words have been playing in her head nonstop, never failing to make her smile.
It was quite obvious that Elowyn had a crush on her. Seraphina had known this for a while now.
She wasn't arrogant enough to assume every pretty girl who looked at her twice had romantic feelings. That would be ridiculous.
Elowyn, however, had the subtlety of a flashing emergency sign.
Most people did not ask to monitor their heart rate after touching someone.
And then there was the "magic" theory.
Apparently, causing increased heart rate within a five foot radius qualified as suspicious behavior.
A quiet laugh escaped Seraphina as she reached for her coffee again.
Elowyn truly did not know how transparent she was sometimes.
And now William is somehow involved in all of this.
What an idiot, Seraphina thought.
Not entirely useless, unfortunately.
William had clearly picked up on it too. It would have taken genuine effort not to.
Still, Seraphina disliked the idea of him filling Elowyn's head with absurd little "tests" and theories, especially when the girl already approached emotions like they were puzzles meant to be solved correctly.
She didn't want Elowyn forcing herself toward an answer before she was ready for one.
If the girl liked her that way, she would figure it out eventually in her own time, through her own understanding of it.
Seraphina had no interest in cornering her into a realization just because someone else thought it would be entertaining to interfere.
And if Elowyn eventually decided it was nothing romantic at all, Seraphina would survive that perfectly fine.
Because the truth was, regardless of what conclusion Elowyn reached, Seraphina simply enjoyed her.
The girl brightened every room she walked into without even trying. She was strange in the most fascinating ways, endlessly sincere, unintentionally funny, and somehow capable of making Seraphina's worst days feel lighter within minutes.
Friendship would never be a disappointment where Elowyn was concerned.
Though if Seraphina was being honest with herself, she already knew she wanted more than that eventually.
Thankfully, patience had never been something she lacked.
Though her patience had been tested in other ways when the person in question casually wandered across the city alone at night carrying pasta.
Seraphina rubbed a hand lightly against her temple, the earlier fondness in her expression fading into frustration all over again.
What in the world possessed Elowyn to walk that far by herself?
And not only walk there, but stop repeatedly for a stranger.
A stranger she then fed.
The memory still sounded ridiculous no matter how many times Seraphina replayed it in her head.
"He brought his own plate," she muttered under her breath, repeating Elowyn's deeply flawed defense from the car ride home.
Apparently, in Elowyn's mind, access to kitchenware made a man trustworthy.
Seraphina dropped her head into her hands, staring at the desk.
The worst part was that Elowyn genuinely had not understood why any of it had been concerning. There had been no recklessness behind the decision, no thrill-seeking, no carelessness. She had simply met someone who seemed nervous and hungry and decided to be kind to him.
That was what unsettled Seraphina most.
Elowyn moved through the world with a level of openness that invited softness from good people and danger from the wrong ones. And somehow, despite all of that, she still kept choosing kindness first.
It made Seraphina want to put the girl in an armored vehicle and assign her a security team.
"I swear, if she's even thinking about pulling that crap again," Seraphina scoffed, already reaching for her purse.
But before she was able to even exit the office, a message came in.
A sigh of relief escaped Seraphina before she could stop it.
Her thumb hovered over the screen before she answered; she could almost feel Elowyn's nervousness through the screen. The message was short, clipped with the kind of politeness that always hid something else.
Of course Elowyn had asked, "Are you busy?" She always had a way of thinking that she was being an inconvenience to everything and everyone around her.
Seraphina didn't wait for a response. She was already making her way out of the building, stopping to tell her assistant by the door that she'd be gone for the hour, leaving instructions with the clipped authority of someone used to being obeyed.
?
Seraphina parked outside Elowyn's house and stepped out of the car, closing the door behind her as she walked up the driveway.
She rang the doorbell once and waited where she stood.
Footsteps came quickly from inside, light but hurried, moving straight toward the door. They stopped right on the other side.
The door opened only a small gap.
Elowyn stood there in the narrow opening, holding the edge of it peeking just her head out.
"Can you go back to your car, please, and thank you."
Then she shut the door.
Seraphina didn't move right away. She stared at the closed door for a while, expression unreadable. Then she stepped back once, glanced toward her car, and returned to the door, pressing the doorbell again.
Footsteps came again, quicker this time.
The door opened once more, still only partway.
Elowyn appeared in the gap again, holding it with the same careful grip, her face angled up toward Seraphina but keeping everything else guarded behind the doorframe.
Seraphina didn't speak immediately. She just looked at her, waiting for something to make sense of what she was being asked.
Then she spoke, calm and direct.
"Explain."
"I need you to go back to your car, please."
Elowyn was about to close the door once more, but Seraphina shot a hand out, keeping it open.
"Elowyn, what's going on?"
"You can't see what I have. It's a surprise."
Now that made more sense.
"Why didn't you say that instead? I thought you wanted me to leave." Seraphina explained.
"You're not very good at reading between the lines, are you?" Elowyn tilted her head.
"Elowyn, are you really one to say this," Seraphina raised a brow.
"It's just advice," Elowym shrugged with a small smile. And with that, she abruptly shut the door, leaving Seraphina standing there again.
"This girl," Seraphina shook her head in both fondness and disbelief, walking back to her car.
A minute later, the front door opened again, and Elowyn stepped out gesturing for Seraphina to roll down her windows.
"Close your eyes," Elowyn called out once the windows were opened.
"They're closed," Seraphina reluctantly obeyed. Letting Elowyn have fun with whatever "surprise" she planned.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise?" Seraphina muttered to herself.
"Do you pinky promise?" Elowyn called out louder.
"Yes. I pinky promise."
Only then did Seraphina hear the girl's soft, clumsy steps rush to the car, along with a rustling of some sort.
Then she heard a bang followed by a soft "Ouch."
"What happened?" Seraphina's concerned voice rang out.
"Your stupid door hit me."
"How does-what are you doing?"
"None of your business."
Seraphina went silent for a moment, processing the girl's words.
"Excuse me?"
"You're excused," Elowyn replied.
"Elow-
"Okay, you can open your eyes now, but you're not allowed to look in the back seat," Elowyn cut the woman off.
Opening her eyes, Seraphina saw the girl was already buckled in the passenger seat, her excitement radiating off her.
"What's got you so excited?" Seraphina smiled, deciding to play along.
"Nothing," Elowyn looked out the window, no longer being able to hide her grin.
"Nothing?" Seraphina repeated, clearly unconvinced, but she let it go with a knowing look as she pulled out of the driveway.
The rest of the drive settled into an easy rhythm, with Elowyn occasionally glancing at the woman beside her and Seraphina pretending not to notice.
Seraphina slowed as she pulled up to the company, guiding the car into her reserved spot near the front entrance.
Elowyn immediately looked up. "Wait."
Seraphina killed the engine and glanced over. "What?"
"That's your spot?"
"Yes."
Elowyn stared at the painted letters for a moment, then back at her. "You have a reserved parking spot."
"I do," Seraphina opened the door.
Elowyn stepped out after her, still looking shocked. "You're so extra."
Seraphina shut the door and started toward the building. "Mm, so enlighten me on the whole scene you caused at your front door, Miss Gray. What would you call that?"
"That was for your surprise."
"And you don't think any of that was extra?"
"It was needed," Elowyn said confidently. "Okay, now go into the building before me, please."
"Elowyn," Seraphina sighed, "I just won't look at what you have in your arms."
"Please?" Elowyn begged, giving the woman her best helpless look.
?
Seraphina was now sitting at her desk, waiting for Elowyn to walk into the office.
And when she did, she again only peeked her head in, telling Seraphina to turn around.
"Come eat before you start whatever it is that you're doing," Seraphina called out, hearing the girl shuffle in.
"I didn't bring any food."
"I did," Seraphina reached into her purse and pulled out two sandwiches, setting one in front of Elowyn and keeping the other for herself.
Elowyn stared at hers silently before lifting the top slice of fancy looking bread to peek inside, her expression shifting immediately.
"It's just turkey breast and cheese," Seraphina confirmed.
Elowyn looked surprised, the next question already forming on her face.
"Oven roasted," Seraphina added before she could ask. "And muenster."
Elowyn went still while Seraphina placed a water bottle in front of her.
"Is this your only job?" Elowyn asked suspiciously.
"Pardon?"
"Working here as the CEO. Is this your only job?"
"Yes," Seraphina furrowed her brows.
"Are you sure?" Elowyn pressed.
"What is this about Elowyn?"
"Are you like a secret assassin or something? Or maybe you work undercover for the government..." she rambled.
"What?" The woman chuckled.
"How do you know what I like in my sandwich?" Elowyn pointed an accusing finger at her.
Seraphina let out a quiet breath, leaning back in her chair. "You've got quite the imagination, don't you?"
"I asked Miss Loretta yesterday about your food preferences while you were in the kitchen," she clarified.
"Oh..." Elowyn dropped her hand. "Well, that still doesn't explain everything else!"
"And what else needs explaining?"
"You always pop up everywhere I am. Like at the mall. And yesterday at Miss Loretta's. That's suspicious," Elowyn narrowed her eyes.
"The mall was merely a coincidence, we were shopping for Nadia's wedding. And I told you about Miss Loretta's."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did. At the mall, while treating your hands, I was speaking, though you did seem a bit... distracted," Seraphina smirked, recalling how the girl had openly-though probably unconsciously-stared at her chest while she cleaned the scratches. Like a deer caught in headlights.
"I don't remember that," Elowyn mumbled.
"I'm sure you don't," Seraphina teased.
"Okay, well what about my birthday? And Will's last name? I never said anything about that."
"Again, Miss Loretta told me. And for William, I did a background check," Seraphina casually admitted.
The look Elowyn gave Seraphina was sharp and almost offended.
"You what?" Elowyn's eyes narrowed. "Why would you do that?"
Seraphina's expression didn't change. "Because I wanted to know who I was dealing with."
That seemed to make Elowyn even more suspicious, which was almost impressive.
"He's not dangerous."
"I didn't say he was."
"Then why would you check on him like that?"
"Because I'm thorough."
Elowyn opened her mouth, clearly ready to object, then stopped. Whatever she'd been about to say seemed to catch on the edge of something else.
"Is that illegal?"
"No."
Elowyn's brows pulled together. "You're weird."
"Aren't we all."
That got a small laugh out of Elowyn.
"Anything else you need to know?" Seraphina asked.
Elowyn thought for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Has- has Miss Loretta told you anything else?"
"No. Just your food preferences and a few stories about how you hate mornings."
"Okay," Elowyn sighed in relief.
"Is there something I should be aware of?" Seraphina asked curiously, watching Elowyn go quiet.
Elowyn looked down at the sandwich in her hands, then back up again, her fingers tightening around the wrapper. For a second, Seraphina thought she might brush it off. Instead, Elowyn's shoulders drew in a little, like she was bracing herself for the reaction before she'd even said anything.
"You don't need to say anything you don't feel comfortable sharing," Seraphina said after a while.
"I have autism," Elowyn said, the words coming out small and careful, almost like she was expecting them to land badly.
Seraphina didn't react outwardly. She only set her sandwich down and looked at her properly.
"I know," she replied.
Elowyn's eyes lifted immediately, searching her face for any sign of explanation.
"Is it that obvious?" Elowyn whispered.
"I overheard your father mentioning it once," Seraphina continued, keeping her tone light.
That information seemed to settle slowly, though Elowyn didn't speak right away.
"It's okay if you don't want to be my friend anymore," Elowyn glanced away, the shame clear on her face.
"That's not something you need to worry about," Seraphina rebuked, immediately hating the way Elowyn expected the worst.
Elowyn didn't respond right away. Her gaze dropped back to the sandwich, fingers still lightly holding the wrapper.
"That's it?" she asked after a moment.
"That's it," Seraphina said.
Elowyn's shoulders loosened, though her expression stayed cautious.
"You're not... acting different," she said.
"There's no reason for me to do so," Seraphina replied, returning to her sandwich. "Eat your food, and if you don't like it, I'll order you something else."
Elowyn took her first bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly, then kept eating at an easy pace, clearly liking it.
Seraphina glanced over. "Good?"
Elowyn let out a small hum in response, too focused on the sandwich to give a proper answer.
Seraphina didn't press her for one. She went back to her own lunch, one hand resting near the folder beside her, letting lunch continue in comfortable silence.
When Elowyn finally stood, Seraphina had already begun sorting through paperwork again.
"Thank you for the food," Elowyn said.
"You're welcome."
"You can't come over here," Elowyn announced as she walked over to the couch.
"Okay," Seraphina smiled, watching Elowyn sit down.
Seraphina let her gaze linger on the strange little sight longer than she should have.
Elowyn sat there in the middle of the floor facing the opposite way, shoulders hunched slightly as she fussed with whatever she had brought in with her. Small rustling could be heard now and then, followed by a few soft muttered words Seraphina couldn't quite make out.
The girl had the look of someone who was absolutely convinced she was being subtle.
She wasn't.
Seraphina hid a smile, then returned to her work with a quiet shake of her head.
For the next two hours, the office settled into a peaceful kind of silence.
Papers were sorted, emails were answered, and the steady scratch of Seraphina's pen filled the room in between the occasional movement from the floor.
Every so often, Seraphina would glance up and catch a glimpse of Elowyn still sitting there, still fully facing away, still determinedly occupied with whatever secret project she had decided was worth this much drama.
Eventually, Seraphina leaned back in her chair stretching, just as a shadow fell across her desk.
Elowyn was standing directly in front of her now, smiling like she'd been waiting for this exact moment.
"May I help you?" Seraphina asked, smiling back.
"I'm done," Elowyn said.
Seraphina's brow lifted slightly. "Done with what exactly?"
Elowyn just tilted her head toward the coffee table behind her. "My secret. Wanna see?"
Feeling the excitement in the girl's tone, Seraphina stood without argument and followed her area.
When they reached the coffee table, Seraphina's eyes flicked over it immediately.
Small empty bags littered the surface.
She glanced back at Elowyn, but the girl was already moving, crouching down beside the sofa...
Then she pulled something out from behind the couch.
A red Lego bouquet of roses in her vase.
"Ta-da," Elowyn whispered, gesturing to the vase that was now on the coffee table.
"You made these?" Seraphina asked softly, looking at Elowyn with open admiration.
Elowyn nodded enthusiastically, clearly very proud of herself.
Seraphina's smile deepened. "You made me Lego flowers."
"I made you Lego flowers," Elowyn repeated, as if Seraphina had somehow misunderstood the obvious.
Seraphina let out a quiet laugh and reached out, brushing her fingers lightly along one of the plastic petals. "They're beautiful."
Elowyn smiled even harder.
"You said you needed to replace your other ones," she said simply, "the dead ones."
"So, instead of living ones, I got you Lego ones.
Now, when you buy flowers and they die, you won't have to rush into getting new ones since these will be here.
Granted, you may need to dust them off once in a while.
.. I also glued the pieces together, so it shouldn't break if you accidentally drop them. "
Seraphina went still, her hand hovering near the bouquet as Elowyn finished speaking.
At that moment, she didn't seem to know what to do with the tenderness of it.
The logic was so unmistakably Elowyn. This wasn't just a random gift, it was a solution to a problem Seraphina had only mentioned in passing.
She looked at the red roses again, then at Elowyn, and something warm and helpless moved through her chest.
Elowyn had listened and remembered. She had taken the thing Seraphina said and turned it into something lasting, and thoughtful, something made with her own hands and her own strange, beautiful way of caring.
Her throat tightened.
For a second, she just stood there, quietly overwhelmed, staring at the roses like they were the loveliest thing she had ever seen.
And maybe they were because Elowyn had made them for her.
Seraphina kept her eyes on the flowers for one more second before turning back to Elowyn.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Her hands lifted almost at once, instinctive and careful, as if she meant to pull Elowyn into a hug-
Then she stopped herself.
Elowyn was still looking up at her with that same innocent, clueless little smile, clearly unaware of the battle happening in Seraphina's head.
Seraphina let out a quiet breath. "May I try something?"
Elowyn blinked, tilting her head. "What?"
Seraphina hesitated just enough to make it obvious she really did mean it. "Will you allow me to try something?"
"...Okay," Elowyn said slowly, still looking confused.
Seraphina stepped forward gently, careful not to rush her. She placed her hands softly on Elowyn's shoulders first, giving her a chance to pull away if she wanted to.
When Elowyn didn't, Seraphina eased her closer into a hug.
Seraphina felt it all happen against her chest, how Elowyn immediately tensed up at the contact, then slowly relaxed.
After a few seconds, Seraphina felt Elowyn's arms slowly lift from her sides and settle against her back, followed by a light, uncertain patting that didn't quite seem like Elowyn knew what to do with the feeling of it all.
Seraphina gave a soft chuckle at that, the sound brushing against the top of Elowyn's head.
Then she squeezed her tighter, pulling her in more fully, not yet ready to let go.
Seraphina held her just a little longer, one hand resting between Elowyn's shoulders and the other cradling her head.
"Thank you," she murmured again.
Elowyn let out a tiny giggle against Seraphina's chest. "You already said that."
Seraphina's smile deepened. "I know. I just wanted to make it clear that I really am thankful."
Elowyn made a soft hum in response, the sound muffled against Seraphina's shirt as she settled more fully into the hug, feeling like she could fall asleep right there.
For a while, they just stayed there, breathing in the familiar scent of each other before breaking apart slowly.
Elowyn stayed smiling up at the woman, a little dazed and flustered while Seraphina gave her a small, fond look and lifted a hand to gently tap the tip of her nose with her finger.
"Come sit," she said softly, turning to her desk.
Elowyn followed instantly, sitting in the chair across from her.
Seraphina glanced at the bouquet again once she was seated. "Is this what you've been hiding the whole time?"
Elowyn nodded. "You had roses before."
Seraphina let out a quiet laugh and shook her head, resting one elbow on the desk as she looked at her.
That was when Elowyn's gaze drifted, eyeing the stack of folders arranged in neat piles on the edge of the desk.
Then she very seriously said, "That's a lot of folders."
"I had a lot of paperwork to do today." Seraphina agreed
Elowyn's eyes narrowed a little as she kept looking at the folders, seeming as though she was trying to count them all.
"Like Mike Wazowski?" She asked.
"Your friend? Mikey?"
Elowyn just stared at her for a few seconds, the silence stretching between them.
And then Elowyn cracked.
It started as a sudden little snort she seemed to try and swallow, but that failed almost immediately. She bent forward in her chair, shoulders shaking, and then the laughter just spilled out of her all at once.
Seraphina looked utterly lost, trying to understand what had just happened.
Then her lips twitched.
Elowyn was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. The sound was so contagious, so helpless and delighted, that Seraphina's confusion gave way to a grin she couldn't quite hide.
Until eventually, she was laughing too.
Which in turn, made Elowyn laugh even more, leaning back in the chair like she needed space for it.
Something in Seraphina's expression softened before she could register it. She hadn't heard that sound from Elowyn before-nothing close to it, actually.
Elowyn glanced up mid-laugh, caught sight of her expression, and somehow that made it worse. She laughed harder, breath uneven, wiping at her eyes like she was annoyed with herself for not stopping.
Seraphina exhaled quietly through her nose, shaking her head once as her focus dropped back to the desk, though the smile stayed.
"I'm assuming this Mike you're talking about isn't Mikey," she said.
Elowyn tried to answer, but all that came out was a wheeze followed by a small snort.
"Elowyn!" Seraphina laughed.
"I'm sorry, I can't-"
Not being able to get that sentence out either, Elowyn slid off her chair and onto the floor, still laughing hysterically.
The laughter died down slowly after a while, settling into a few last breathless chuckles before the office went quiet again. Elowyn was still smiling when she finally managed to catch her breath, one hand wiping her tears.
"Mike Wazowski," she said, still grinning. "From Monsters Inc."
Seraphina frowned faintly, clearly missing whatever was still so funny about it. "What's that?"
"You've never seen the film?"
"No."
Elowyn's smile dropped completely.
It happened so fast Seraphina almost missed it - the way Elowyn's expression went from bright and amused to absolutely horrified, like the funniest thing in the world had just stopped being funny altogether. A strangled sound left her, half-laugh and half-disbelief.
"Are you serious?" She asked, clearly hoping Seraphina would change her answer.
"I don't even know what it's about," Seraphina answered.
Ekowyn stood up from the floor, now pacing back and forth.
"There's no way," she whispered to herself, then suddenly stopped and faced Seraphina.
"How old were you in 2001?"
"Nine."
"So you were still a kid," Elowyn tapped her chin. "Did you have a good childhood?" She asked bluntly.
"Are you seriously debating whether I had a good childhood based on a film?"
"Yes! I wasn't even born yet when the movie came out and I've watched it. It's a cinematic masterpiece!"
"It's that good?"
"It's my favorite."
"Okay. We're fixing this," Elowyn suddenly announced.
"Fixing what?"
"Your life."
"...My life?" Seraphina asked, thoroughly entertained by how serious Elowyn was taking this. "When are you planning on fixing this, exactly?"
"Today."
"That soon?"
"Yes. You've gone thirty something years without knowing who Mike Wazowski is. Are you not ashamed?"
"Not in the slightest," Seraphina grinned.
"Do you have Disney plus?" Elowyn asked, deciding to ignore the woman's blasphemous remark.
"No."
Elowyn ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Fine. You can come to my house and watch it."
"And we're doing this today?"
"If you have nothing else to do, then yes. This has gone on long enough."
"It's rather early," Seraphina checked her watch. "And I still have work to do."
"Oh, um..." Elowyn pressed her hands together.
"We can watch it tonight. If your offer still stands," Seraphina reassured, getting up to stop the girl from scratching at her hands.
"The offer still stands..." Elowyn tilted her head, watching the woman walk towards her.
Seraphina placed her hand over Elowyn's gently, stopping the movement without making it a thing.
Elowyn didn't seem to notice at first-she just shifted her fingers instead, naturally starting to fiddle with Seraphina's rings while she kept talking like nothing had changed.
"So," she continued, still focused, "we start with Monsters Inc. No interruptions or anything. You have to pay attention..."
"Actually, do you mind if we stop at a store first?" Elowyn abruptly asked.
"I don't mind," Seraphina said, smiling softly at her, already looking forward to tonight.