"Steemit Challenge s28wk3: When Hope Returns

Both Ronny and Nina worked closely for weeks, and although Ronny still tried to ignore it, the presence of Nina slowly softened the spaces inside him that he thought were broken permanently. Wasn't dramatic or loud, like Sameera had been; she was just calm, warm, and carried a gentleness that never demanded anything from him.

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One afternoon, as they were both reviewing a project together, Nina suddenly said, _{"You know, you remind me of someone who once taught me that healing takes time, but it always comes."}

Nina's words struck Ronny the same way the gardener's had. He looked at her, truly looked, and for the first time in months, Ronny didn't feel the pull of the past tugging him back home. Instead, he felt something shifting quietly, like sunglight melting frost.

Despite that, Ronny was still afraid. What if he shattered again? What if this were another season that would pass, leaving him bare?

Days and weeks passed, and they both continued to share coffee breaks, small jokes, and quiet moments that felt strangely comforting. One morning, Nina handed a small notebook to Ronny and said, smiling shyly, _{"You once told me you used to write. Maybe you should write again."}

Inside the notebook, a pressed cherry blossom petal was inside.

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Ronny froze.

It was from the park. From the tree.

He started. _{"How did you?"}

Nina looked away, a faint blush warming her cheeks. _{"I saw you there some months ago. You used to sit there alone on that bench near the tree. I walked there every morning too. I recognised you on your first day there but I didn't want to interrupt you".}

Ronny breath caught. All this time, while he believed he had been healing alone, someone had been quietly sharing the same space with him, breathing the same cold mornings, watching the same tree bloom back to life.

Someone who understood him....and perhaps understood seasons.

For a moment Ronny couldn't speak. His chest felt tight not with grief this time around, but with something fragile and hopeful.

He whispered...._"Nina".

Nina met his eyes. _{"You don't have to rush. I just wanted you to know you were never alone as you thought."}

And in that moment, he realised the twist life had been preparing for him not a dramatic return of love, but a reminder that healing doesn't always come loudly. Sometimes it walks beside you without saying a word, waiting patiently for you to notice.

Ronny closed the notebook gently and smiled a real smile, one that reached his entire heart.

He said softly _{"Maybe this time, I will let the season come back on its own".} The reason why Ronny make this statement is so he could go back to his old self.

And for the first time in a long while, Ronny felt certain that when spring returned, he too would shine again as he used too.

I am inviting: @lhorgic, @zulbahri and @afzalqamar
Cc:-@dove11