A bouquet of thirty-three roses was a bit much for Elise. She didn't have a vase big enough to hold them all. So, she took seven roses to the office, planning to place them on her desk where they could brighten her day whenever she glanced at them.
Evelyn, who loved to chat with her whenever there was a spare moment, naturally noticed the seven roses. Placed in a glass vase, their vibrant bloom surprised everyone who saw them.
Evelyn wondered who could've sent the flowers. Why hadn't Elise mentioned having an admirer?
"When did you start attracting admirers? You never told me," Evelyn leaned in, inhaling the romantic rose fragrance that filled the office with a sweet aroma.
"I don't have any admirers. Braden sent these," Elise replied casually, picking up one rose to examine it. "He sent them to get back on my good side."
"Get back on your good side?" Evelyn was puzzled. "Did you two have a fight?"
"Not exactly a fight, it's just… I took one of his jokes seriously," Elise changed the subject. "But he's also very strange. He actually gave me 11 roses."
Evelyn froze. eleven roses—was that for real? Did Elise even know what that meant?
She probably didn't know, or else she'd be freaking out right now instead of staying so calm.
"You actually kept thirty-three roses?" Evelyn tapped her forehead with her index and middle fingers, as if walking in step.
"It's just that you got my birthday wrong." Elise yawned. "If he wants to make up, sending that number seems like he's asking for another round of the silent treatment."
"11 symbolizes a blessing for a beautiful love, because the two "1"s side by side represent the emotional bond between two people walking together.,'" Evelyn couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Really?" Elise's expression changed drastically, wondering if she'd misheard or completely misunderstood.
Was it really for a beautiful love that Braden wanted to be with her?
It seemed he was really out of his mind.
"You really didn't know?" Evelyn looked at her like she'd discovered a new world, eyes wide as saucers. "You seriously didn't know!"
"I had no idea it had that meaning; I thought he'd just mixed up my birthday." Elise covered her face with both hands in embarrassment. "I honestly didn't know!"
Was there any way she could clear this misunderstanding now? But she genuinely hadn't looked up the meaning.
To be fair, even when she dated before, she rarely received flowers.
"Could it be that he's always had feelings for you, but you just didn't notice?" No matter how she thought about it, Evelyn didn't see this as mere coincidence.
Especially given how long they'd known each other—and that kiss during the mock wedding. There was no way that was just for show.
"No way. He's always calling me silly, clueless, scatterbrained, so there's no chance he'd actually be into me." Elise repeated his words to Evelyn once more.
"If he really wasn't into you, why send flowers? He could've just taken you out for a meal to smooth things over. No need for flowers," Evelyn pointed out again. "And not just any flowers—thirty-three of them, for eternity."
A shiver ran through Elise, and she felt uneasy all over.
Braden liked her? No way. Even if she were the last woman left in the world, that would still never happen. If it ever came to that, he'd probably choose to stay single.
"Anyway, it's impossible." Elise pushed the thought aside, focusing back on her work and dismissing any ideas about romance.
It wasn't until after work that she found herself looking up the meaning behind those roses.
Thanks to Evelyn's hint, she did a quick search online and discovered that thirty-three roses symbolized "eternal love, through lifetimes."
She didn't understand why he'd send flowers like that, but maybe a friend had suggested this as an apology move. Eleven roses could've just been a coincidence.
When she convinced herself it was all likely just a coincidence, she realized she'd been hoping he'd put a bit of thought into this bouquet.
It wasn't that she thought he was being disingenuous—she just felt that if he'd actually sent her flowers earnestly, even without the whole eleven, she would have been happy. That feeling of being cherished, it was something she liked.
But the thought quickly pulled her out of her daydream. Why would he randomly send her flowers? If not to make up with her, there was no way he'd go out of his way.
It just didn't make sense—there was no reason.
Suddenly, a hint of disappointment crept in. As the feeling took root, she realized she actually cared about the meaning behind that bouquet.
Only then did she realize that her anger toward him wasn't as simple as she'd thought.
Back home, Elise leaned over her desk again, admiring the roses' delicate beauty.
Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and called him. "Why did you decide to send me flowers?"
Braden, putting on his headset, answered calmly, "Well... Nathanael said girls like flowers. I figured you might too."
The clatter of his keyboard mixed with his steady voice on her end. She guessed he was probably working on something.
"But do you know what thirty-three roses mean?" Elise's lashes lowered as a swirl of emotions filled her heart—anticipation mixed with a hint of fear.
Why she felt both, she couldn't quite say.
"A beautiful love, I think," Braden replied evenly, as if they were just discussing work.
"You actually knew that?" Elise straightened up, her voice laced with doubt. "You knew... and you still sent them to me?"
Braden paused. If she hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have really thought about what "beautiful love" even meant.
