"Steemit Challenge s28wk3: When Hope Returns

The next part of the story.

The day after meeting Nina for the first time, Roni realized that something was moving softly inside him. The hard shell he had wrapped himself in before was gradually cracking. Still, he kept himself hidden; he didn't want anyone to know that he was becoming the same as before. Roni's busy days at the office gradually brought a new rhythm to his life.

Nina was a natural, simple and lively girl. She could easily make everyone laugh, but she never exaggerated; she avoided excessive topics. Roni noticed that Nina never forced him to talk much but respected his silence, and this was what surprised Roni. People usually don't understand broken people, but Nina seemed to sense Roni's inner tension from afar.

One day during lunch break, Nina said, "There's a park next to the office. Do you want to go for a walk there?"

Roni was surprised because no one knew the story of his tree. Roni told Nina without explaining anything
“Come on,”.

Roni went to that corner of the park and stood there. The small sapling was planted in the ground.

Pixabay

Nina said,
“ The tree looks small, doesn’t it? But after a few months, it will provide shade, maybe even bloom. You like such things, so I thought I asked you to come and show it to me.”

Roni was surprised to hear Nina’s words. Did she really like such things, or had she forgotten herself?

That afternoon, Roni returned home and stood on the balcony looking at the city below. He thought, can any person really understand so much without knowing another person?

The next day, when he went to the office, he noticed that Nina seemed a little quiet. She always had a bright smile, but today her face was pale. Roni asked curiously,
“ Is everything okay, Nina?”

Nina tried to avoid it at first, but then she told Roni,
"Today is the anniversary of my father's death... so I'm a little sad."

The moment went silent, and Roni saw that someone could easily make others laugh even while hiding their pain. Roni realized that Nina was not just a bright person, but also a person who had moved forward with a broken heart.

After work that day, Roni silently placed a small flower on Nina’s desk, but there was no note.

Pixabay

The next day, Nina took the flowers in her hand and said to Roni, "Thank you, I really liked the flowers you gave me. I completely understand the point of giving flowers even if you don't tell me."

That day, the two of them walked together to the elevator. Roni wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Even though he didn’t speak, Nina looked at Roni and smiled softly—a smile of acceptance, of understanding.

That night, Roni went to stand in front of that old tree in the park and saw the pink flowers on the tree swaying in the wind. After seeing this, he took a deep breath.

He started thinking, is love a trick of fate?

Maybe.
But some trees come back to bloom—if one believes.

Thinking about these things, Roni smiled to himself for the first time. And he started saying to himself,
Maybe… we can try again.❤️