The Miracle of You

As Camille entered the shop, the air was immediately filled with the delicate and soothing scent of flowers. The place was bathed in a soft, warm glow from the sunlight filtering through the windows.

Wooden shelves adorned with potted plants lined the walls. The countertops displayed an array of bouquets and arrangements, each a carefully curated mix of colors and textures.

The sound of trickling water echoed softly from a corner where a quaint tabletop fountain sat. There was also a hand-painted chalkboard on the wall that listed the daily specials.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Overall, the interior was homey and quite comfortable.

The clerk, a pretty young girl with honey-brown eyes, greeted Camille with a smile.

“Hello, ma’am,” she said politely. “What kind of flowers would you like?”

Camille smiled back. “I’d like to take a look around first if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Feel free to do so.”

‘Where is he?’ she thought as she went further into the shop.

When she rounded the corner to go to the next aisle, she eventually paused in her tracks.

There he was.

‘He’s totally acting cocky now that he knows how handsome he is,’ she thought to herself dryly.

Michael stood by the rows of sunflowers, dressed in a plain brown vest, plain white shirt, and black pants. She had to admit that the casual clothes suited him so well, a stark contrast to his usual mature, businesslike aura in the articles and magazines. It made him look much younger, and it was as if she had been transported fourteen years into the past, back when they were just high school students who spent every free moment together, hanging out on the roof.

Not only that, but Michael was wearing a black baseball cap and glasses, possibly to hide his identity. It was a convincing disguise, and if Camille hadn’t already been familiar with his relaxed posture and his tendency to rest his hand on his left hip when he was waiting for someone, she wouldn’t have recognized him so quickly.

After all, he always assumed that posture when he waited for her on the roof of their high school building.

As she approached, Michael seemed to sense her presence and raised his head. His eyes lit up at the sight of her, something that made her heart do a little twist. He really seemed happy to see her again. She honestly felt the same, but their current situation made it hard for her to indulge in such happy feelings.

She also didn’t miss his free hand holding a bunch of yellow roses. Unless he was going to meet someone after their meeting, she could only assume that he was giving them to her as a gift.

“You came,” Michael greeted as he approached her. As he came closer, he towered over her to the point where she could only reach up to the shoulder of his body.

Camille tried to catch her breath at their sudden proximity. “You didn’t give me much of a choice,” she said evenly.

Michael chuckled. “Nice disguise,” he commented.

“Which is your fault, by the way,” she huffed as she removed her hat and sunglasses. Her hair was loose and a little frizzy from the hat, so she ran her fingers over the strands to straighten them. “I had to sneak out of the office and make sure I didn’t arouse anyone’s suspicions.”

“Don’t you like spontaneous and exciting situations?” Michael teased. “You used to rave about sci-fi and thriller movies.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t mean that I wanted to be in situations like this!”

Michael laughed again, and despite her irritation, it was music to her ears. He always had a nice laugh.

“Anyway, this is for you,” he said, handing her the bouquet of yellow roses. “I forgot to give you flowers yesterday, so I’m here to make up for it.”

Camille gave him an unimpressed look. “Don’t tell me you called me here just to give me these flowers…”

“Of course not,” Michael said with a smile. “In fact, I wanted to meet with you today because it’s my only day off this week.”

“Oh?” Hesitantly, Camille reached out and accepted the flowers, feeling guilty to see him just offering them to her and waiting patiently.

Michael nodded, looking satisfied now that she had accepted his gift. “I have some important company business to attend to this week and make sure all deadlines are met by Saturday.”

“Must be hectic being the CEO,” Camille remarked lightly.

“It is,” he said with a sigh. “Anyway, let’s not talk about it now.”

Suddenly, he held out his hand, and she stared at him in confusion.

She had seen his appearance several times since yesterday. In person, he was stunning. His eyes seemed to sparkle, his features were so refined, and his smile was charming. He had matured over the years like fine wine.

But still, she couldn’t get used to it. To see him again and appreciate his good looks. Sometimes it felt like he wasn’t her high school friend, but just a handsome man who wanted to be friends with her.

When she did nothing, Michael didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he waited patiently for a moment before his lips curved into a smile.

And his next words took her by surprise.

“Do you want to go to our old high school together?”

“Huh?” Camille felt her mind go blank for a moment.

‘This is a bad idea,’ she thought afterwards.

But she couldn’t refuse when she saw the look of anticipation in Michael’s eyes.

It was as if he really expected her to say yes.

It was a bad idea for several reasons. They might be recognized and discovered. The students might recognize Michael since he was something of a celebrity in the business world just like Christian because they were handsome bachelors who were taking the industry by storm with their intelligence and sense of innovation.

Besides, two people dressed in casual clothes, hats, and sunglasses would definitely look suspicious in a high school, especially with security guards roaming the area.

But Camille couldn’t seem to say these thoughts out loud.

Instead, what came out of her mouth was, “You’re as impulsive as ever.”

Michael’s response to her dry remark was a bright, dazzling smile.

And for some reason, Camille’s worries were whisked away, just like that.