Flowers

Eventually, sometime after two in the morning, Jack and I finally said goodnight.

Neither of us seemed particularly eager to end the conversation.

In fact, we probably said goodbye three different times before actually hanging up.

"You hang up."

"No, you hang up."

"I asked you out, remember? I think that gives me special privileges."

Jack laughed.

"That's not how that works."

"It absolutely is."

"No."

"Yes."

We both laughed.

Finally, after one last goodnight, one last joke, and one last promise that we'd see each other later that evening, the call ended.

I sat on the porch for a few more minutes staring out into the darkness.

The neighborhood was completely quiet.

For the first time in years, I felt excited about tomorrow.

Not anxious.

Not worried.

Excited.

The feeling was unfamiliar.

But wonderful.

Eventually, I went inside.

Mom and Dad were both asleep.

The house was quiet.

I carefully made my way upstairs and climbed into bed.

The last thing I saw before turning off the light was the white rose sitting on my dresser.

The beginning.

A smile crossed my face.

Then I drifted off to sleep.

---

The next morning arrived much faster than I wanted.

My alarm clock felt personally offensive.

I groaned and rolled over.

The previous night's conversation had left me running on very little sleep.

Yet somehow I still woke up smiling.

Which felt strange.

Normally, after only a few hours of sleep, I was grumpy enough to fight a bear.

Today was different.

As I got ready for work, I found myself humming.

Actually humming.

Mom noticed immediately.

Of course she did.

Mothers notice everything.

When I walked into the kitchen, she looked up from her tea.

"Oh."

I stopped.

"What?"

She smiled.

"Nothing."

"Mom."

"Nothing."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Tell me."

She took a sip of tea.

"You look happy."

I immediately rolled my eyes.

Dad glanced up from his newspaper.

"She's smiling."

"Oh my God."

Mom laughed.

Dad pointed.

"Definitely smiling."

I grabbed a piece of toast.

"You two are impossible."

Mom grinned.

"We know."

The entire drive to work, I couldn't stop thinking about the evening ahead.

Dinner.

Just dinner.

Yet somehow it felt like more.

Not because of anything Jack had done.

Because I was looking forward to it.

Actually looking forward to spending time with someone.

That realization still surprised me.

The workday started normally.

Emails.

Meetings.

Phone calls.

The usual chaos.

For several hours, I managed to stay busy enough to keep my mind occupied.

Mostly.

Okay, not really.

Every time I glanced at the clock, I mentally calculated how many hours remained before dinner.

Around lunchtime, I was sitting at my desk reviewing reports when my office phone rang.

I answered without looking up.

"This is Lela."

"Security."

I frowned.

"Security?"

"Yes."

Immediately my stomach tightened.

"Is something wrong?"

The guard laughed.

"No."

"Then why are you calling me?"

"You need to come downstairs."

Now I was confused.

"Why?"

There was a pause.

Then he laughed again.

"Trust me."

I leaned back in my chair.

"What happened?"

"Just come down here."

"You're being suspicious."

"I know."

That definitely wasn't reassuring.

A few minutes later, I made my way downstairs.

The entire walk, my mind created increasingly ridiculous scenarios.

Maybe someone hit my car.

Maybe I forgot my badge.

Maybe there was a problem.

As I approached the security office, one of the guards looked up and smiled.

Then another smiled.

Then another.

That should have been my first clue.

"What?"

Nobody answered.

The first guard pointed toward the desk.

I looked.

And immediately stopped walking.

There, sitting on the counter, was a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses.

Not one or two.

An entire arrangement.

Bright.

Beautiful.

Impossible to miss.

For a moment, I simply stared.

Then I started smiling.

The security guards immediately noticed.

"Oh, there it is."

I looked over.

"What?"

"That smile."

I laughed.

The guard pointed at the flowers.

"These for you?"

I walked over slowly.

Already knowing the answer.

A small card rested among the roses.

My hands suddenly felt nervous as I picked it up.

The security guards were watching.

Not even pretending otherwise.

I opened the card.

Inside, in Jack's handwriting, were simple words.

Lela,

I couldn't wait until tonight to see you, but this will have to do.

I can't wait for dinner.

— Jack

I read it twice.

Then a third time.

A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.

Yellow roses.

The bright color immediately lifted my mood.

Happy.

Warm.

Cheerful.

Exactly how they made me feel.

One of the guards leaned over.

"So..."

I laughed.

"So what?"

"Who is Jack?"

The entire security office started laughing.

I covered my face.

"Oh my God."

The teasing immediately began.

Questions.

Comments.

Jokes.

All of it.

For the first time in years, I didn't mind.

Not even a little.

As I carefully picked up the flowers, my phone buzzed.

I already knew.

Jack.

The text message was simple.

"Did they survive the trip?"

I laughed out loud.

Then immediately replied.

"Barely. The security department has already interrogated me."

His response came seconds later.

"Worth it."

I smiled.

Then looked down at the roses one more time.

For years, my life had felt heavy.

Complicated.

Exhausting.

Now, standing in the security office holding a bouquet of yellow roses and smiling like an idiot in front of three amused security guards, I realized something.

Sometimes happiness doesn't arrive in dramatic moments.

Sometimes it arrives in small ones.

A phone call.

A text message.

A yellow rose.

A card.

A dinner date.

And for the first time in a very long time, I couldn't wait to see what happened next.