"You're still in Chesterfield?" Mia's voice carried annoyance through the phone.
"I'm sorry, Mia. I'll be done in a few days," Adrian replied.
"What are you actually doing there?"
"As I said, I am helping my uncle with his business."
"Yes, you already told me that," Mia's frustration now bubbling over. "What kind of business? And what about your job? It's been almost a week! What if they fire you?"
"Mia," Adrian's voice softened. "I'll tell you everything once I'm back, I promise."
"Alright!" Mia ended the call abruptly. She groaned and buried her face in her arms on the table. Tomorrow was her birthday and the thought of spending it without Adrian was unbearable.
Adrian huffed. He has already spent around 6 days in his late parent business office, trying to take over some work from Audrey and preparing himself for bigger responsibilities.
"Ian!" Suddenly Audrey burst into his office.
"Yes?" Adrian lifted his head from the pile of documents in front of him.
Audrey didn't hesitate and threw another stack of papers onto his already cluttered desk. "This is ridiculous," she snapped. "Everything here is wrong!"
Adrian sighed leaning back in his chair. "You know I'm not good at this kind of thing," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
Audrey crossed her arms and sat down across from him. "No."
Audrey and Adrian had been close since they were kids, practically raised as siblings. She could see right through his bluffing and knew when his messy brain was just a distraction from something else.
"You did well yesterday," she leaned forward. "But today something's definitely off."
Indeed. He couldn't let Mia slip from his thoughts, in addition to her call this morning that had rattled him and left him too nervous to focus on anything in front of him.
Audrey sighed. "You know what? Just go back for today. Get some air, clear your head, and come back when you're ready."
"You sure?"
"Yes," she said with a small laugh. "I'll make an excuse to Mom and Dad."
"Audrey, that's perfect! Thank you so much!" Adrian grabbed her hands and squeezed them briefly in gratitude before hastily packing up his things.
Audrey watched him rush out the door. "Looks like someone's got other priorities right now," she murmured with a knowing smile spreading across her face as the door clicked shut behind him.
⊱ — ⊰
"He must have an affair in Chesterfield, Jessia," Mia sank into her chair weakly. "There's no way a man that is perfect exists without a flaw. There has to be something wrong with him!"
Jessia leaned against her desk with her expression caught between amusement and pity. "Mia…" she said softly before changing the subject. "Are you sure you don't want to come out tonight? Let's have fun with the girls."
"I'm good," Mia forced a small smile. "I'll celebrate my birthday tonight by writing in my diary."
Jessia sighed, clearly unconvinced.
Mia had never been like this in any of her past relationships, every fight she went into she'd brush it off as if nothing happened. Being with Adrian felt simple yet her heart was complicated.
"Alright, girl," Jessia glanced at the clock. It was already 6pm. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Bye, love you, Jes."
After Jessia left, Mia buried her face in her arms on the desk before also preparing to disembark herself.
That night, Mia didn't wait for midnight to welcome her birthday. She climbed into bed and closed her eyes and went to sleep quicker than she expected.
Knock.. Knock..
The sound of knocking jolted her awake. She glanced at the clock when it showed 12am.
Must be Jessia and the others, she thought groggily. She had meant it when she told them to leave her alone tonight.
Dragging herself out of bed, Mia shuffled to the door with half annoyance. She reached for the handle and the door creaked open. A sight before her was Adrian, standing in the hallway with his arms full of plants, flowers, and pots.
"Adrian? I thought you were—"
"Help me first," Adrian mumbled, his face half-hidden behind a large fern.
Mia quickly grabbed some of the pots from his arms and stepped aside to let him in. Adrian followed while carefully navigating through her room and setting the rest of the plants near the balcony.
She glanced at his back as he crouched to arrange them. She hadn't told Adrian it was her birthday so there was no way he could know. This couldn't be why he was here.
"These will look great on your balcony," he said while brushing his hands off with a wide smile. "Didn't you say you wanted to start gardening? I thought I'd bring some plants and flowers over. Let's move these to the pots and get started."
Mia stepped closer. "What the hell are you doing here? It's midnight already!"
Adrian paused and his smile softened. He stepped closer to her then his hands reached out gently.
"Haven't I said it yet?" Adrian hand cupped her cheek and his thumb brushing her skin tenderly as his gaze locked with hers.
"Happy birthday, Mia."
Mia's eyes glistened and she quickly wrapped her arms around Adrian and buried her face into his chest.
"How could you know? I thought you'd miss it."
"I saw your ID—" Adrian started then quickly added in a panicked voice, "Sorry for looking at your ID!"
She chuckled and pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. "Let's do gardening at midnight, then."
Mia's fingers brushed against a delicate yellow flower that Adrian had brought. "What's this one called?"
"It's called Alstroemeria," Adrian said. "It has the meaning of forever happiness."
"Its meaning is as pretty as it is."
"It is pretty," Adrian's gaze wasn't on the flower yet it was on her.
Mia, oblivious to his stare, was already busy removing plants from their plastic bags and carefully moving them into pots.
"So, what's with your uncle's business?" she asked casually while still focus on the task.
"I've started handling some of the work there. For a construction project."
"And your current job?"
"I might quit," he admitted with a small shrug. "But I'll still keep building stuff, I love it too much to stop."
Mia smiled to herself. Adrian's love for creating things was so clear that it was impossible not to admire it.
"I'm sorry I didn't bring much," Adrian continued. "I wanted to make you a small flower wagon for your balcony, but my uncle's business took up all my time. So—"
"Adrian," Mia interrupted softly. "I am more than happy. This is perfect."
For a moment, they just looked at each other before instinctively leaned in. Their lips met gently while Mia's fingers slid to his face.
But then she pulled back suddenly, her eyes widening. "Ah! I forgot my hands are dirty!"
Adrian's face was already smudges on his cheek from the soil on her fingers. They both broke into laughter. Adrian wiped at the spot with a chuckle and Mia playfully smacked his arm. The moon shone brightly above them with its light spilling through the balcony door like a silent witness to their midnight garden.