Astera spent the next few days trying to shake off the strange incident from her date with Gabriel. But no matter how hard she tried, it kept gnawing at the edges of her mind, like an unanswered question she couldn't quite put to rest. There was something about the way Gabriel had panicked, the urgency in his voice, and the mysterious way he had disappeared that left her with an unsettling sense of unease.

She had told herself it was probably nothing—a personal issue, maybe an emergency—but something about the way he had looked at her before leaving kept her up at night. Why had he run? And more importantly, why had he left without so much as a word of explanation?

The next afternoon, she met up with Lila for their usual lunch. They sat at a small café near Astera's office, the bright sunshine making everything feel a little lighter, a little more manageable. Astera hadn't mentioned Gabriel's abrupt departure to Lila yet—she wasn't sure what to make of it herself—but she felt it was time to share the odd encounter with her friend.

"So, I had the strangest date last night," Astera said, setting her sandwich down and looking at Lila, who was already leaning in with interest.

Lila raised an eyebrow. "Strange how?"

Astera hesitated for a moment, swirling her glass of iced tea before continuing. "Well, we were having a nice dinner, chatting and getting to know each other. But then, out of nowhere, Gabriel gets this urgent phone call, looks panicked, and practically bolts out of the restaurant without any explanation. I waited for him, but he never came back. When I looked outside, I saw him getting into a car and driving off."

Lila's eyes widened, her hand pausing midair as she took a sip of her drink. "That sounds... weird. Did he say anything before he left?"

Astera nodded. "Not much. Just that something had come up. But there was this look in his eyes, like he was hiding something."

Lila leaned back in her chair, biting her lip in thought. "Maybe it was a personal emergency? But... the way he ran off sounds sketchy. You don't think he's hiding something, do you?"

Astera shrugged, trying to brush it off. "I don't know. I'm probably overthinking it. It just felt... off. But I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe I'm just not used to people being that... unpredictable."

Lila gave her a knowing look. "You're too nice, Astera. You don't need to make excuses for weird behavior. If it felt weird, it probably was. But don't let it bother you. You're too focused on it."

Astera sighed, grateful for her friend's attempt to put things into perspective. She smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I'm probably just not ready for anything new. I need to stop getting caught up in these things."

Lila changed the subject, steering the conversation away from the date and onto lighter topics, but Astera found it hard to concentrate. Her mind kept drifting back to that odd encounter. She had a feeling that something wasn't quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Later that afternoon, Astera returned to her office, eager to dive into her work and take her mind off everything. As she entered the building and made her way to her desk, she was immediately struck by the sight of something unusual: a massive bouquet of sunflowers, sitting proudly in a vase on her desk. The bright yellow petals were vibrant, almost glowing against the polished wood of her desk, and the sweet scent filled the room.

For a moment, she stood frozen, blinking in surprise. Sunflowers. She hadn't told anyone—except for Lila—that they were her favorite flower. She'd mentioned it in passing, sure, but it wasn't something that came up often. No one outside her circle of close friends would have known.

Astera glanced around the office, as if the sender might be hiding in plain sight. There was no note on the bouquet—just the flowers themselves, an unexpected burst of color in the otherwise neutral space. Her curiosity piqued, she carefully lifted the bouquet and inspected it for any clues. Still, nothing.

She set the flowers down gently and looked at the small card attached to the vase. It was anonymous. Only a few words were written, scrawled in elegant handwriting:

"For the one who deserves to be cherished."

Astera stared at the note, her heart skipping a beat. The words seemed so personal, yet vague, leaving her with more questions than answers. Who had sent them? And why sunflowers? Was this a coincidence? Or was someone out there who knew more about her than she realized?

She felt a sudden chill, an inexplicable sense of being watched or known in ways she couldn't understand. It was unsettling, but at the same time, there was a strange warmth to the gesture, something that made her smile, despite the mystery surrounding it.

The phone buzzed on her desk, breaking her from her thoughts. It was a message from Lila, likely following up on their earlier conversation.

Lila: "Sunflowers? Are you serious? Someone knows your heart! Spill! Who is he?"

Astera chuckled softly and typed back a quick reply.

Astera: "I have no idea! No name, no clues. It's driving me crazy!"

But as she sent the message, her smile faded. There was something about the bouquet that lingered in her thoughts, as though it was a message from someone—or something—that she couldn't quite explain. Her gaze drifted back to the sunflowers, and for a moment, she wondered if she was simply overthinking everything.

But what if she wasn't?