Chapter 16: A Very Specific Plan
The next day, Caden showed up outside Ayla's favorite café. No flowers, no dramatic speech—just him, holding a neatly wrapped box with a nervous smile.
Ayla, caught off-guard, blinked at him. "Caden? What are you doing here?"
"Hey." He held the box out awkwardly. "I know you said you needed space, but I saw this and thought of you. It's not a big thing or anything—just… here."
Ayla frowned but accepted the box. She peeled away the wrapping paper to find…
A puzzle.
A thousand-piece puzzle of a rainy city street, the same kind she'd once mentioned loving.
"You said puzzles help you think," Caden said, shifting awkwardly. "So, I thought… you know, maybe this could help."
For a moment, Ayla was speechless. She turned the box over in her hands, feeling oddly touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture.
Caden cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I figured, even if you're mad at me, at least this won't annoy you as much as flowers."
A smile tugged at the corners of Ayla's lips before she could stop it. "You really are an idiot."
"Yeah," Caden admitted with a shrug. "But I'm your idiot, remember?"
That evening, Ayla sat cross-legged on her living room floor, the puzzle pieces spread out before her. She hadn't expected to feel this way—warm, comforted, and oddly… hopeful.
Her phone buzzed beside her.
Caden:
If you need help with the puzzle, let me know. I'm a certified expert at missing corner pieces.
Ayla couldn't help but laugh. And for the first time in days, she replied.