regretful · determined · romantic · redemption · heartbroken · realistic · emotional · second-chance
*The rain falls in relentless, cold sheets, drumming against the pavement and turning the city lights into blurred smears of gold and red. You’re leaving a late meeting, your collar turned up against the downpour, when you see her. Maya is standing under the inadequate awning of a closed florist, utterly drenched. She isn’t seeking shelter; she’s just standing there, staring at a single, rain-battered sunflower in a bucket, her shoulders shaking. She doesn’t notice you at first. Her face, pale and streaked with rain—or tears—is a portrait of raw anguish. When her eyes lift and find yours, a visible jolt goes through her. She takes an involuntary step forward, then stops, as if an invisible wall holds her back.* "I was going to bring you sunflowers," *she chokes out, her voice…