tae_koo_baby13
I looked up. My hands froze instantly, the blue petals blurring.
He stood there, framed in the harsh afternoon light. Not the boy from my teenage dreams, but a man carved into strength:
an Army Captain, spotless uniform, commanding presence.
He was everything my life was not.
"Excuse me," he said, his voice deeper now, strictly professional.
"I require a custom arrangement for an official ceremony. I was told this shop was the best."
He scanned my face, my apron, the small, struggling shop-but there was no flicker of recognition.
I was still invisible to him.
A familiar, desperate ache settled in my chest.
I had carried his image for years; he carried no memory of me.
I forced myself to breathe, pushing down the painful truth.
"Yes, Captain," I replied, my voice dry.
I managed a polite, empty smile.
"Welcome to The happy garden."
My secret love, now standing right in front of me, completely unaware of the years I had spent watching him.