Flowers and Frustration

Monday arrived, and Ava walked into the office with her usual bright smile, though Ethan couldn’t help but notice the slight bags under her eyes. She looked tired, but she seemed to be doing her best to act as if everything was fine. Her date from the weekend was on everyone’s mind, and the whole office was buzzing, waiting for the juicy details.

Sarah, of course, wasted no time. “So, Ava, how did it go? Was he tall, dark, and handsome? Did you two hit it off?”

Ava laughed, waving her off. “It was fine. Nothing special. Just... a date.” She was clearly brushing the topic aside, but Sarah wasn’t about to let it go.

“Fine? Come on, that’s it?” Sarah pouted. “You got all dolled up for fine?”

Ava shrugged, forcing a smile. “Yeah, sometimes things just don’t click, you know?”

From across the room, Ethan was pretending to focus on his computer screen, but his ears were finely tuned to the conversation. He wasn’t exactly sure why he cared, but something about the mystery of her date was gnawing at him. If the date had gone well, would Ava start seeing this guy regularly? And if she did, would their strange little dynamic change?

Before he could think too much about it, the office receptionist appeared, holding a massive bouquet of flowers. Bright red roses, artfully arranged in a glass vase, caught everyone’s attention as she made her way toward Ava’s desk.

“These just came for you, Ava,” the receptionist said with a grin, placing the bouquet down with a flourish.

The office immediately exploded with excitement. Sarah clapped her hands together. “Ooooh, someone’s got a secret admirer! Is it the guy from your date?”

Ava blinked, clearly surprised by the flowers, her face flushing with sudden confusion. “Flowers? For me?” She reached for the little card attached to the bouquet, her expression quickly shifting from surprise to suspicion. As she read the card, her face turned from pink to beet red, her expression darkening.

Without a word, Ava stood up, picked up the entire vase of flowers, and—with more force than anyone expected—tossed them straight into the trash can beside her desk. The roses hit the bin with a dramatic thud, and the water splashed everywhere. The entire office went dead silent, mouths hanging open in shock. Even Ethan, who had been watching the scene unfold, was stunned into silence.

Ava, now flushed with both anger and embarrassment, muttered under her breath, “Unbelievable.”

Sarah was the first to break the silence. “Ava! What the heck? Who were they from?”

Ava waved her off, clearly fuming. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said tersely, her hands trembling slightly as she returned to her desk. The rest of the office exchanged bewildered glances but knew better than to press her on the subject. Ava had gone from cheerful to stormy in a matter of seconds, and it was clear she wasn’t in the mood for questions.

As the day dragged on, Ava’s mood didn’t improve. She snapped at her computer, huffed in frustration at every little thing, and gave short, clipped responses to anyone who dared to speak to her. Even Sarah, usually bold with her teasing, avoided Ava for the rest of the day.

Ethan, however, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for her, despite the fact that he had no idea what had set her off. He found himself glancing at her more often than usual, wondering what had really happened with those flowers and why she was so upset.

By the time 6 p.m. rolled around, most of the office had cleared out, but Ava and Ethan both remained, working overtime as usual. Ava was still typing away, her fingers aggressively tapping the keys of her keyboard, while Ethan sat across from her, finishing up his reports.

After a few moments of silence, Ethan cleared his throat. “You okay?”

Ava paused, her hands hovering over the keyboard. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “I’ve had better Mondays,” she said with a half-hearted laugh.

Ethan leaned back in his chair as well, keeping his tone light. “Was it the flowers? They didn’t seem to go over too well.”

Ava let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Yeah, you could say that. They were from the guy I went out with on Saturday.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “The same guy you said the date was ‘fine’ with?”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, I was trying to be nice. The date was actually awful.”

Ethan frowned, curiosity piqued. “What happened?”

Ava took a deep breath, clearly debating whether or not to spill the details. But after a long pause, she seemed to decide it was worth sharing. “Okay, first of all, this guy—let’s call him Greg—shows up twenty minutes late. No apology, no explanation, just acts like I’m the one who should be grateful he even showed up at all.”

Ethan grimaced. “Not a great start.”

“Oh, it gets better,” Ava continued, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Throughout the entire date, he wouldn’t stop talking about himself. And not in the ‘I’m sharing interesting facts about my life’ way. More like, ‘let me tell you why I’m so much better than everyone else, including you.’”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Yep,” Ava said, her voice rising with irritation as she recalled the evening. “And that’s not even the worst part. Halfway through the date, while I’m mid-sentence, he starts openly checking out other women in the restaurant. Like, actually turning his head and leering at them.”

Ethan’s expression turned incredulous. “What? On a date? With you?”

Ava nodded, her arms crossed. “Oh yeah. But wait, there’s more. When the bill came, he didn’t even pretend to offer to pay. He just pushed it toward me and said something about how women these days should be more independent.”

Ethan let out a short laugh, though there was no humor in it. “Wow. That’s... something.”

“Right?” Ava groaned, her face a mix of frustration and disbelief. “So I ended up paying for the whole meal. And then—because apparently, the universe loves to mock me—he sends me flowers today with a note saying how much he ‘enjoyed’ our time together and hopes we can do it again.”

Ethan shook his head, leaning forward slightly. “That’s ridiculous. You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

Ava sighed, leaning back and rubbing her temples again. “Yeah, well, I guess I’m just really good at picking the wrong guys.”

For a moment, they both sat in silence, the office dimly lit by the glow of their computers. It felt strange, almost intimate, sharing this side of themselves after so much time spent bickering. Ethan found himself speaking without thinking.

“So, why are you still single, then? You’re obviously not the problem.”

Ava blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. She chuckled, shaking her head. “I don’t know. Haven’t found the right guy, I guess. Someone who actually listens. Someone who isn’t a walking ego.” She looked at him curiously. “What about you? Why are you still single?”

Ethan shrugged, his usual stoic expression softening just a little. “Maybe I’m just picky. Or maybe I’ve been too focused on work to think about it much.”

Ava smirked. “That sounds like something you would say.”

Ethan gave her a small smile in return. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

For the first time all day, Ava felt a bit of the tension ease from her shoulders. Maybe it was the shared experience of working late, or maybe it was the rare, softer side of Ethan she was seeing, but something about the moment felt... nice. Relaxed, even.

“Well, thanks for letting me rant,” Ava said with a sheepish smile. “I guess it helped a little.”

Ethan nodded. “Anytime.”

And with that, they returned to their work, the silence between them now much more comfortable.

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