Florence woke up earlier than usual the next morning. Pale golden morning light filtered through her bedroom curtains, painting soft lines across the ceiling. She lay completely still, staring up at the plaster, but her mind was nowhere near the bakery or her usual morning routines.
Instead, her thoughts were entirely consumed by the mysterious stranger from the night before.
His deep, velvet voice echoed in her mind. His bold confession of love. The sudden, phantom-like way he had vanished into the shadows of the exit hallway. And, above all, the soft, lingering press of his lips against hers.
A sudden wave of heat rushed to her face. Florence pulled her blanket straight up over her head, burying her burning cheeks into her pillow.
"What on earth is wrong with me?" she whispered aloud, her voice muffled by the thick fabric.
She had known the man for barely a few minutes. She hadn't even seen his face clearly in the dark! Yet somehow, without her permission, he had completely taken over her thoughts for the entire night.
Sighing softly, she finally kicked off the blanket and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She went through her morning routine, showering and dressing for the bakery. But as she stood in front of her bathroom mirror to brush her hair, her fingers unconsciously rose to touch her lower lip.
In the mirror's reflection, a soft pink blush bloomed across her cheeks.
Florence quickly lowered her hand, shaking her head vigorously at her reflection. "No," she whispered firmly. "I am not going to think about him today."
She took a deep breath, grabbed her bag, and left the apartment. But deep down inside her heart, she knew that promise was completely impossible to keep.
By the time Florence walked down the street to Florett Bakery, the morning sun was bright. She pushed open the glass front door, the small bell above chiming softly. Scarlett was already inside behind the display counter, arranging fresh paper napkins and checking the pastry cases.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Scarlett called out brightly, offering a cheerful wave.
"Good morning," Florence replied, offering a gentle smile as she set her handbag down on the counter shelf behind the register.
Scarlett paused, leaning her elbows against the glass display case as she studied Florence's face carefully. Her sharp eyes narrowed with instant suspicion. "You look different today."
Florence paused, looking back at her defensively. "Different? Different how?"
"Like someone who spent the entire night up late thinking about something—or someone—very interesting," Scarlett said, a teasing smirk spreading across her lips.
The heat instantly returned to Florence's cheeks, glowing brightly against her fair skin. "I slept perfectly fine, thank you very much!"
Scarlett raised one eyebrow, clearly not believing a single word. "Really?"
"Yes!"
"Then why are your cheeks turning as red as a strawberry?"
"They are not!" Florence protested softly, hiding her face behind her hands for a second.
Scarlett burst into a fit of playful laughter, waving her hand. "Fine, fine! I won't ask."
Florence smiled helplessly, shaking her head as she turned back toward the main entrance to unlock the front door completely. But the moment her hand reached for the brass handle, her gaze dropped to the floor outside.
She froze.
Lying neatly on the doormat right outside the front door was a small, pristine white box.
Florence's heart skipped a heavy beat against her ribs. Confusion and a sudden surge of anticipation rushed through her. Is this... from that mysterious man from last night? she wondered silently.
Before she could process the thought, Scarlett rushed over to her side, leaning over her shoulder to look at the doorstep.
"Oh my god!" Scarlett gasped loudly, her eyes widening in delight. "Someone is sending you presents mysteriously? Who is this guy, Florence? Are you going to hide the name of my brother-in-law from me?"
Florence felt a sudden mixture of annoyance and deep blushing embarrassment. She picked up the small white box and stepped back inside, holding it tightly in her hands. "Scarlett, stop it! It's not like that at all. I don't even know who sent this! Is it a boy or a girl?"
Scarlett let out a loud, dramatic laugh. "Why would a girl gift a girl in such a romantic way? Come on!"
"Scarlett, now stop! Let me open it and see who sent me this," Florence pleaded, her voice a mix of flustered protests and genuine curiosity.
"Yeah, do open it! I am curious too," Scarlett cheered, leaning in close. She turned the box around in Florence's hands, checking every side. "Look, there is no name on the box."
Florence took a soft breath. "Alright... I am finally going to open this box."
Scarlett raised one eyebrow playfully. "Oh, you are not able to resist opening the gift, as you know this is from your secret admirer!"
"Stop, Scarlett! It is not like that! I am just curious about what could be inside," Florence insisted, her cheeks burning.
"Curiosity is beginning!" Scarlett laughed merrily.
"Stop teasing and let me open the box!"
"Yeah, let's open it!"
Florence carefully untied the ribbon and lifted the lid of the small white box. Sitting right on top was a neatly folded note. Florence picked up the note and read it:
This gift is for my princess who can't stop thinking of me all night.
Scarlett read the card over Florence's shoulder and let out a dramatic sound. "Aww, Florence! Your secret admirer knows that you were thinking about him only whole night!"
"I was not thinking about anyone!" Florence annoyed, trying desperately to hide her blushing face behind the note. "I slept peacefully last night!"
"Then was he in your dreams?" Scarlett teasingly said.
Florence smiled with a blushing expression, shaking her head. "Stop it, Scarlett, you are overthinking!" She took a soft breath and added, "Let's open the main box."
Florence set the note aside and opened the inner wrapping. Resting inside was a beautiful silver bracelet adorned with a blush pink stone right at its center. Beside the bracelet lay another small note.
Florence picked it up and read the words written beside the jewelry:
This is for the girl who has occupied all my thoughts, and I hope you like it, princess.
Across the street, parked discreetly along the curb, sat a sleek black car.
Inside the vehicle sat Victor, a handsome young man of around twenty years old. He had arrived at the market twenty minutes before Florence reached her shop, parking his car where he could observe everything from a distance without getting noticed by either of the girls.
From his seat, Victor watched as Florence held the silver bracelet in her hand. He saw a generous, genuine smile spread across her face as she looked at the gift with love.
Seeing her smile, Victor finally took a breath of relief.
Victor knew that during his first encounter with Florence the night before, she had gotten frightened. He didn't want to make any mistakes, nor did he ever want to scare her again. He just wanted to see her happy.
When she smiled, Victor finally relaxed completely.
He whispered softly to himself, "That's all I wanted."
Suddenly, his phone rang. He glanced down at the screen and saw it was one of his friends calling.
Victor answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" his friend asked over the line.
"Busy," Victor replied quietly, keeping his eyes on the bakery.
"Busy doing what?"
Victor looked through his windshield toward Florett Bakery, watching Florence carefully place the bracelet away. "Something important."
His friend laughed on the other end. "You? Doing something important without getting into trouble? That's new."
Victor smiled softly. "Maybe I'm changing."
Inside the bakery, Florence carefully placed the bracelet inside her handbag.
Scarlett looked at her thoughtfully. "You're keeping it?"
Florence hesitated for a moment. "Yes."
"Then you like him."
"I said I am curious about him," Florence defended gently.
Scarlett smiled warmly. "Curiosity is usually where everything begins."
Florence didn't respond. Deep down, she couldn't deny it anymore. She truly wanted to know who he was.
Day after day, Florence continued to receive presents at the exact same place and at the exact same time outside the bakery. Sometimes it was a fresh bouquet of flowers, sometimes lovely earrings with cute cupcake designs—which she found exceptionally adorable—and sometimes cute teddy bears and so many other lovely gifts. Every single present came with a cute message tucked inside.
Receiving daily gifts quickly became a regular part of her life.
Every night before going to sleep, she would think ahead and become curious about what the next gift would be. She collected all the presents and kept them in a safe place in her room, hiding them from everyone. Every evening, she would read all those notes, admire the gifts, and question herself silently: When will you appear in front of me? How can I find you, my secret admirer?
By now, Florence had developed real feelings for this anonymous man. But she was hiding it from everyone because she first wanted to know who the person exactly was before deciding to tell anyone about him. She at least wanted to meet him in person, but there was no way for her to contact Victor.
This routine continued for at least ten to fifteen days, with her receiving a new present along with a note every morning. Until one day, when it suddenly stopped.
Florence had walked to the bakery that morning feeling very excited to see what today's present would be, but when she arrived, there was no present waiting at the door. She thought to herself that he might have simply forgotten to leave the present today, or perhaps he had some important work to take care of.
However, this absence continued for the next three to four days. Every morning, Florence would run toward the door with a happy face, but when she found nothing, she immediately became deeply sad.
From afar, Victor had been noticing this change in her expressions during these days. He had intentionally paused the gifts because he wanted to make sure whether his presents had built an emotional connection with Florence or not. He wanted to see if it would bother Florence when he stopped sending her gifts.
And just as Victor had hoped, Florence got genuinely upset when he stopped sending her presents.
Sitting in the bakery, Florence felt heavy inside, thinking to herself: Was he just playing with my emotions all along? Why do worst things always happen to me?
Seeing her sad face day after day, Scarlett walked over and said gently, "Stop overthinking, Florence. I think someone was doing a prank with you, or he just had a short time crush and now shifted to some other person."
Florence tried to brush it off, forcing a quiet tone. "Yeah, I am not thinking about it at all. I was just curious, there is nothing like any connection."
Florence walked over to the glass door and stood there staring outside. Her mind was filled with lingering questions. Was it just for fun? Is he a bad guy?
Whatever the truth was, she just wanted to meet him and make things clear. Looking up, she prayed silently in her heart: God, please show me some signs to contact him.
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Thanks for reading!!