It was 9 a.m. on a Monday, and Maeve awoke to a cloudy day. She stretched while sitting up from her bed; her red hair was slightly disarray. Memories flooded back on what happened during the weekend. She, Patrisha, and Laoise went to Long Beach Towne Center, where many people did early shopping or snooping. Maeve remembered how the center was getting decorated, and it was something she enjoyed seeing.

The trio decorated Maeve's rental house, did more shopping, and celebrated more times together. Maeve slowly returned to the Christmas spirit and was determined to move on.

Maeve felt happy when remembering the previous days. Yesterday morning, she sent an urgent message to the school regarding her absence and the need to use a week of her sick time. She knew that the Principal would not be happy, but Patrisha wasn't afraid to speak her mind to the Principal. The Principal and other teachers respected Patrisha and feared her; she was a force to be reckoned with.

The young woman eventually got out of bed, dressed, made pancakes for herself, and began eating them. Then her phone rang; it was her mother. "Hey, Mom."

"Good morning, Maeve. *Cough* I was calling to see how you were doing."

"I'm good, Mom. I told you often that you don't need to call me constantly. I'm going to be fine." Yesterday, Laoise insisted she sleep over to ensure her daughter wouldn't be alone. However, Maeve eventually convinced her mother that she would be fine and that she would be going to an event using the app that Patrisha recommended to her. Last night, Maeve looked through the app and was amazed by the many events happening in different cities, especially since Christmas was close.

"I'm going out to an event today."

"So, which event are you going to?"

"A group event is happening at the Botanic Gardens at Palos Verdes. I heard that the gardens are beautiful, especially during the holidays."

"I'm so happy and proud of you. I want you to go and have fun. Be open-minded."

Maeve chuckled; she knew her mother meant well, but she was still healing from the breakup. "Don't worry, I will. I will call you when the event is over." The duo hung up, and Maeve continued eating until she was done. She washed the dishes and then looked up the directions to the Botanic Gardens. Maeve always wanted to visit, but Stephen always seemed uninterested. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Stephen wasn't interested in what she enjoyed or wanted to try. That should have been a red flag for her, but love blinded her from the truth.

When she finished reading the directions, she looked through her messages—nothing from Stephen. "What am I doing? How could I expect him to message me back?" Yet, Maeve had some hope that he would text or call her. She shook her head as she went to her email and downloaded the ticket she had purchased online the previous day. "Well, it's time to go."

Maeve left her home, got in her car, and drove off on the open road. Palos Verdes was close to Long Beach, which would take her twenty-seven minutes to arrive. While driving, the radio played Christmas songs, making her feel the holiday spirit. She sang along and believed that her voice was heavenly. Whenever stopping at a red light, Maeve didn't notice that some people around her heard her singing; some looked annoyed or amused.

When she finally arrived at her destination, many people were trying to find parking. As Maeve drove by, security guards guided drivers to different parking lot sections. A female security guard motioned for Maeve to stop, went by the window, and smiled. "Hello there, welcome to the Botanic Gardens. Are you a wedding guest?"

"Wedding guest? Oh no, I'm here to tour around the gardens. I have my ticket here," Maeve said while motioning out her phone.

"No problem. You can park around this area; the other parts are for wedding invites only. Have a wonderful time in the gardens."

Maeve drove to parts of the parking lot and found an available spot in five minutes. She turned off her car and checked the app for messages. A couple from the event organizer said she had already arrived and was by the entrance. She took a deep breath. "Alright, this is the first step to moving on. I'm just here to meet people and have fun."

Maeve walked to the garden's entrance, where four people were standing and talking with one another. She looked at her app to see if they were part of the event. "E-Excuse me, are you guys from the Friends & More app?"

A woman who looked in her early to mid-fifties stopped talking with the others. "Why yes, it is. You must be Maeve Connor." The older woman smiled, showing slight yellow teeth.

"Yes, I am, and you must be Joanna. Your profile made me think you looked familiar. It's nice to meet you." The women shook hands. Maeve noticed the other three people in the group, who looked in their fifties and sixties. "I saw on the profile that twenty people are coming. Are we going to wait a while longer?"

"Yeah, we still have another forty minutes to wait. We all came here early since the parking can become packed since it's a popular area. We also didn't know that a wedding was happening today, a Monday to top it off." Joanna huffed as she saw people in suits and beautiful dresses going to the right side of the Botanic Gardens entry.

"Well, people have time to do a wedding on a Monday; I heard it's cheaper that way."

A woman in the group heard a huff. "Well, if one wants to make their wedding memorable, they should go to the full extent! A wedding should be done on the weekend so more people can attend. I wonder if the groom was so cheap that he couldn't afford to give his bride a wedding to remember."

Joanna, Maeve, and the two older male members of the group eyed her. Joanna motioned herself closer to Maeve. "Don't mind, Jilian. She's my cousin, who went through a divorce eight months ago. She's still angry and bitter since her ex-husband was the one who initiated the divorce." Maeve nodded as she looked at Jilian, who crossed her arms and ignored the other men who tried to converse with her.

Joanna then motioned the young women to the group, where Maeve introduced herself to the others. Two members, Jacob and Nat, were friends who loved photography and nature. Jilian didn't bother introducing herself; she eyed Maeve with disdain. "Ah, she is one of those types. I can see why her ex divorced her," she thought. However, Maeve decided to be the better person and tried conversing with the others in the group until more members arrived.

Only twelve group members arrived, and Joanna believed it was time to go inside the gardens. Each member showed their ticket and entered the building. Maeve was excited and imagined flowers in bloom, ponds, animals, and magnificent trees. Once she entered, she saw workers putting Christmas lights on trees and statues. A garden worker sat by a small table with pamphlets and maps; she noticed Maeve. "Hello there, is this your first time in the gardens?"

Maeve slowly walked toward the table. "You noticed?"

"Yeah, I can tell by your facial expression. Are you here to explore?"

The young woman nodded.

The worker chuckled. "You should come by again around nighttime in mid-December; we tend to light up the gardens."

"Wow, you don't say. I should have worn appropriate attire for a long walk."

It was quiet between them, and the worker handed Maeve a garden map. "I sense that you went through something tragic. I hope the gardens can not only bring you a sense of relief but also guidance. Enjoy, young one."

Maeve was surprised but moved along when she realized that people were waiting for a map. She went to the group that was deciding which lane to go to. While waiting for the decision, some men from the group tried to converse with her, and she gladly spoke. However, Maeve realized that the people in the group were photographers and hikers, making her feel that she didn't belong.

The young woman decided to explore the gardens independently. Looking behind her, the group took the opposite path, which suited her perfectly. Maeve went to the desert garden with piles of cactuses and other desert flowers. The flowers were beautiful and intriguing, but when she approached a road, a sign said, 'Road Closed.'

Maeve approached another road leading to the Dorthy and John Bohannon Rose Garden. Beautiful roses of different colors were placed in groups in the small garden section. There were also wooden benches, small wooden house roofs, and miniature water fountains.

The flowers were beautiful, and Maeve took some pictures. She continued to different paths with endless paths of trees and small patches of flowers. It was interesting at first, but it was slowly becoming a bore. Many of the flowers were partially in bloom, and many of them lacked vibrancy. It was winter, and the skies were cloudy, so it did make a difference. Maeve had been in the gardens for thirty minutes, and she knew that there was more to see but believed the rest would be similar. However, she decided to go to one last part of the gardens: The Sakura Meadow.

While walking, Maeve noticed many families and couples walking together or taking pictures. She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous, but she shook her head and continued. When walking under tree branches, a soft cherry-like scent hit her nose. That was when the young woman knew she had finally arrived at the meadow. Upon arrival, there were Sakura trees, where the flower petals slowly fell like pink snow, a beautiful sight.

A few people in the meadow were taking pictures or sitting on the wooden benches, looking at the trees. "So beautiful." When a couple finished standing in the meadow's center, where the trees covered the skies, Maeve walked to the center. The petals flowed down, making her feel like she was standing on cloud nine. She took out her phone and was about to take a selfie, but from the corner of her eye, a man stood by the entrance of the meadow.

The handsome man wore a black Kiton suit, black dressy pants, and black dressy shoes. He also wore a white buttoned shirt with a black tie and a dark red diamond at the top. He also wore a dark red vest. The man looked youthful, with a hint of maturity and light wrinkles. He had dark blondish hair that was nicely slicked back and a dark blondish beard that was nicely trimmed, which showed his square-shaped face. His clothes clung to his body, hinting that he was muscular. What was noticeable of him were his glowing, beautiful green-blue eyes. The man looked like he was in a trance-like state. He slowly walked into the meadow and toward Maeve, who couldn't get her eyes away from couldn't help but feel a pull that prevented her from walking away from him. The mysterious man stopped before her; the Sakura petals still flowed down on them.

"Mate."