25: it was all because of flowers.

Avery sat alone in her office, the faint hum of the city beyond the glass walls muffled by silence. Her fingers idly traced the rim of her ceramic paperweight, but her heart—oh, her traitorous heart—was anything but calm. It hadn't beat normally since that moment with Silas.

That kiss.

That infuriating, magnetic, soul-shaking kiss.

She'd been avoiding him since then with the precision of a military operation. No shared breakfasts. No accidental hallway encounters. No lingering glances. This morning, she'd skipped breakfast entirely, slipping out before dawn just to avoid seeing his face at the dining table.

The one place that had once felt like a prison—her office—now felt like a sanctuary.