Salut people! Here is an update! Happy reading!

{ Here's the update aesthetic }

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"Hello, may I have a bouquet for my girlfriend?" The voice seemed familiar.

She turned around to see Abhimanyu standing there.

"Ammu?" he asked, taken aback.

"Abhi?" She was shocked as well.

"Umm... I didn't expect you to be here. Anyways, Emma is in. I'll call her so that you can tell her your order," she said and, without waiting for his reply, went in to call Emma.

She informed Emma that she would tidy up the place while she took the order and completed it. Then, she stayed back and sent Emma back to Abhimanyu.

On the other hand, Abhimanyu was waiting for her. Seeing Emma come out instead of Ekantha, he was disappointed. He ordered his usual yellow rose bouquet while looking at the door, hoping she would come out, but she didn't.

Sighing, he moved away, waiting outside the store leaning against his car. He couldn't quite understand why she wanted to hide from him.

Was she still afraid that he wouldn't accept her profession? He never made her feel that way, directly or indirectly. He kept staring at the bouquet in his hands.

Meanwhile, Ekantha hesitated to go out. She wasn't prepared to face him or reveal this to him today. Of course, she knew she would have to tell him eventually, but today wasn't the day. She felt overwhelmed.

What if she hurt him? What if she spoiled his special day? Her overthinking mode of brain was activated.

After an hour, she completed her shift. She was nervous to talk to him. What if he didn't expect her to do something like this? But he always said that he would support her no matter what she chose to be, as long as she was happy.

"I'll leave now, Emma," Ekantha said.

"Yeah, remember to be on time tomorrow as usual! See you, Ekantha!" Emma said.

"See you, Emma! Take care," Ekantha said and put her bag on her shoulder. She moved out, and turned back to see Emma turning off the lights and closing the shop.

"Emma, if it's not too much trouble, can you please make a bouquet of pink and white tulips, please?" Ekantha asked.

"Now? Sure! Give me a few minutes," Emma said, picking a few white and pink tulips and other materials to make a bouquet.

After some time, she handed the bouquet to Ekantha and gave a small smile. Ekantha paid for it.

"I hope whatever it is, you solve it," Emma said. Ekantha looked at her, amazed. This lady in front of her was reading her like an open book. She didn't know if she should be scared or what.

"How did you know, Emma?" she asked.

"My dear, these flowers represent asking for forgiveness and living with these flowers, I have grown to know what each flower represents. I see my younger self in you, Ekantha," Emma said, patting her cheek.

Ekantha was at a loss for words. She turned around and walked out of the store with a bouquet in her hand.

She was lost in her thoughts, walking on the streets without noticing Abhimanyu.

He shook his head in disappointment and took long strides to catch up with her.

He walked along with her, waiting to see when she would notice him.

They walked and walked. After about ten minutes, Ekantha realized she had strayed far from her usual route. She panicked and looked around, finding him standing right beside her, looking at her.

"Abhi?" The word came out very unsurely from her.

"Done with the walk? Shall we go back?" he asked. She nodded.

He held her hand. As soon as his cold hand touched her warm one, a shiver ran down her spine. He entwined their hands and walked as if nothing happened.

She kept looking at him and was about to slip when she stepped on a small rock. He pulled her towards him, their hands still entwined.

"Careful, Ammu," he said and she nodded.

They walked back to the store, and she realized she hadn't given him the bouquet she bought. As he was about to open the car door, she put the bouquet right in front of his eyes, not having the courage to tell him about it.

"Are you mad at me, Abhi?" she asked.

"If I was, I wouldn't be here, Ekantha," he said, and she bent her head low. He never called her that after giving her the nickname, but that wasn't the matter now. The matter was something else, something else that they had to talk about.

"No, Abhi. I was just... I was not prepared to tell this to you or reveal this to you today. I just escaped from the situation to think about what I could do," she said truthfully.

"Ekantha, I appreciate that you took your time and didn't say or act impulsively. But, try to understand, Ammu, I am not going to stop you, ever, no matter what you do. Did you think that I would be ashamed of you for working in a florist shop? Then let me tell you, no, I would never be. Every profession has its value, and yours is equally valuable and important," he said while cupping her face and looking into her eyes.

"Thank you, Abhi. It might take some time, but I will understand that. It's not easy for me to do all this, but trust me, I'm trying," she said, her voice cracking as she broke down into tears.

She held onto him while fisting his collar as her tears freely fell from her eyes.

It was getting difficult for her. This was getting her nowhere, but hadn't she just started? This would take time for her to get used to. She wanted a person to hold onto in this process, and as though he heard those words, he was just there for her, shining like a bright star in the darkness of the night sky.

He hugged her and gently patted her hair as she sobbed more and more.

He didn't stop her, because doing so wouldn't help her. She had to let it all out, and he would be there for her to hold onto. Though it was clenching his heart to watch her break into tears, he continued to pat her head.

After what felt like an eternity, her hold on his collar loosened up, and she moved away from him. Her eyes were puffy and red, she had a runny nose, and her whole face was pale, exactly the opposite of what he saw that morning.

"Why are you hurting yourself like this, Ammu? Do you know how it breaks me to see you like this?" he asked.

"I am not hurting myself, Abhi. This process and this self-exploration and all might seem like they have to be done, but do you know it could be overwhelming sometimes? Sometimes I just feel like I shouldn't have started to get out of my comfort zone, but that's exactly when my inner voice says the end product will be worth it all. I don't know who to tell what I am feeling, and when Emma said she was seeing her younger self in me, I couldn't help but think of all the things that happened with me. I was fighting with the trigger to not let it affect me.

She was reading me like an open book, but I don't know, Abhi, it felt like she has gone through a lot more than me to reach here. The question of whether I will ever be able to reach my dreams haunts me. I don't know if I am going in the right direction or not, also. I just..." she said in a muffled voice.

"But you are at least trying, Ammu. At the end of the day, what matters is that you tried. You chose to get out of your comfort zone even though you could have chosen to stay there. You should be proud of yourself, and I am proud of you too," he said.

"I am short of words to tell you what that means to me, Abhi. I am just grateful I have you," Ekantha said, caressing his cheek.

"Vice versa. Just remember one thing, before being your boyfriend, I am your friend, and you can talk to me about anything and everything, as long as you are comfortable to share about it. I am here to listen," he said, and she nodded with a smile on her face.

"Let's drop you home," he said, and she looked at him with a face that looked like she wanted to say something to him.

He leaned back against the car and looked at her.

"Tell me already," he said as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Can we go to dinner? It's a treat from my side for your birthday," she said awkwardly.

"But shouldn't I be giving the birthday treat?" he asked, raising one eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

"You can, but let me do it today," she said, and he raised his hands in defeat, to which she giggled.

"So, where are we going then?" he asked.

To be continued...

Hello dear readers,

Here is an update after almost an eternity. Sorry about that, but what if I make it up to you all?

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~ Your Author Sakshi Devi 🧡