Hayley stepped inside the office—her new workplace. The building was large, but the office itself was fairly small in comparison. Still, it was cozy. As she looked around, she found herself drifting off into thought. She decided she needed to get some work done for her very own first office room.
     A lot of plants... she thought. She smiled and continued to her room.

As she entered, the sunlight hit her face. She stopped and closed her eyes, breathing softly and feeling the warmth against her skin. After a moment, she passed the desk and put down her bag and some papers. She stepped closer to the window—it was a beautiful view. Many buildings surrounded a green, vibrant park. In the middle of the park stood a fancy fountain, with many people gathered around it.
     After some time, she finished organizing the few things she had brought with her. The computer was logged in, and the papers were in place. She was a digital designer, communicator, and marketing freelancer who had just been hired by a fairly large company. Her friend Alysa had referred her for the position, and after a tough decision process between her and another candidate, she had ended up getting the job.

The phone rang, and Alysa's face popped up on Hayley's screen.
     "Hello, Alysa!" Hayley said as she answered the call.
     "Hello, Hayley! Where are you? Did you find your office?" Alysa replied with an excited tone.
     "Yeah, I'm at the office now. It's beautiful and cozy. I was thinking about getting some plants. You know me, hehe." Hayley and Alysa laughed out loud.
     "Of course you will—you're obsessed with plants! Do you wanna meet up in like an hour?"
     "Yeah, of course! Where?" Hayley asked while grabbing her bag and exiting the office, closing the door behind her.
     "At the café, just downstairs by the fountain?"
     "Yes, I'll be there!" She hung up and put her phone into her pocket.

She called for the elevator and waited patiently. After only a few seconds, the doors opened and she stepped inside, pressing the ground floor button. As she waited, she picked up her headphones, started her favorite playlist on Spotify, and began silently singing along to "Still Into You" by Dylan Brady.
     As the elevator doors opened, she checked her phone, searching for the nearest flower shop. According to the map, it was only a five-minute walk. She started walking but ended up getting lost. She picked up her phone again, trying to navigate.
     Fuck, why is it so hard to find this damn shop? It's almost been 40 minutes—I need to get back before meeting Alysa... She sighed. Okay, take a deep breath. She looked at the map again. Maybe I should go left here... A few minutes later, she found herself outside the flower shop.
     "Yayy!" she exclaimed with a small jump, feeling proud of herself for finally finding the right place.

She entered the flower shop, her eyes widening as the space opened up before her. It was much bigger than she had expected.
     Woow... She began browsing, looking for a beautiful plant—one not too big and not too small.

After what felt like forever, she found the most beautiful plant she had ever seen. Her eyes widened again—she loved it. But it was kind of too big...
     Oh no... Her expression fell. After a moment of internal conflict, she ended up standing outside the flower shop with the too-big, beautiful plant. It was heavy, but she refused to leave it behind—she wanted it.
     "I'm getting you to the damn office one way or another," Hayley said to herself—and to the plant—with the stubborn tone of a determined child.
     She stumbled around with the plant, barely able to see anything in front of her. She still had her headphones on, music blasting—not the best idea. She rushed back toward the building, completely unaware of her surroundings. She was running late to meet Alysa at the café.
     "Shit," Hayley muttered, trying to move faster with the heaviest plant she could find.

Suddenly, she tripped and fell to the right, landing hard on the ground—along with the plant.
     "Ouch," she said, wincing at the sharp pain in her palms. She must've caught the fall with her hands. As she looked up, wondering what had caused her to fall, she saw a security guard standing in front of her, reaching out a hand.
     He bent down and said something, but she couldn't hear him. She just stared at him. Realizing this, he reached toward her ears—her headphones—and pulled them aside, letting them hang around her neck.
     "I'm sorry, did you get hurt, ma'am?" he asked, concern in his eyes.
     "Uhm, I... no..." Hayley found herself staring at him and quickly looked down at the plant. "My plant..." she sighed, her face turning sad like a child who'd just lost their favorite toy.
     "I'm sorry. It seems fine?" he said, pausing. "Unlike your hands."
     "My hands...?" Hayley couldn't stop thinking about the plant, the disappointment tightening in her chest as she saw it lying there.
     "May I take a look?" he asked with a calm and firm voice, gently taking her hands. His touch was warm and careful. "You've got some superficial wounds, but they need to be cleaned."
     "Huh, no no, it's fine. I have somewhere I need to be," Hayley said, trying to get up while grabbing the plant. I need the plant...
     "Ma'am, you're in no shape to carry that. It's way too big and heavy. Let me help you after we clean your hands—it'll be quick," he said, still holding her hands gently.
     She ended up nodding, her thoughts still on getting the plant to her office. The security guard tapped a radio on his chest. "Liam, can you bring me some disinfectant, gauze, and bandages?"

A few minutes later, another security guard approached with a medical bag.
     "Here you go, Jaxon," he said, setting the bag beside them. "Everything okay?"
     Jaxon...
     "Yeah, just going to clean her wounds and help her carry this plant," he replied, glancing at Hayley for direction.
     "Uhm, my office—right there in that building," she said, nodding toward it.
     "I'll catch up later, need to check something else," Liam said before leaving.
     "Alright, let's see," Jaxon said, opening the bag with his right hand while still holding both of Hayley's hands in his left. As he looked away, Hayley watched him quietly, realizing he was... kind of handsome. She shook her head.
     "No, no, no—stop it!" she muttered, shaking her head more.
     "Huh?" Jaxon turned to her.
     "Oh, no—nothing," she laughed awkwardly.
     "Okay, I'm going to clean your wounds with some gauze and disinfectant. It'll sting a little, but only for a short time. Okay?" he said, looking at her and waiting for a response.
     "Okay," she replied softly.
He nodded and released her hands, putting on gloves before opening a sterile package with tweezers.
     "It's fine, you don't need to do all that..." Hayley said, feeling an urge to leave—not because she remembered she was supposed to meet Alysa (she didn't), but because of the plant... and the embarrassment of sitting here on the ground with this handsome, kind, and gentle security guard. She tried not to think about the fact that she must've walked straight into him.
     "Shh. You want it to get infected?" Jaxon asked, raising an eyebrow.
     "Wha—no..." she answered, ashamed and flustered. Her cheeks flushed red, and she hoped he wouldn't notice.
     "Exactly," he said, opening the gauze and tweezers. He folded the gauze, clamped it with the tweezers, and poured disinfectant over it. "I'm going to clean your left hand first. It'll hurt, but I'll be quick. Okay?" He looked at her.
     She nodded, almost unnoticeably.
     He nodded back and gently pressed the gauze to her wound. She grimaced in pain. He noticed, but kept going—fast, steady, and careful. After what felt like forever, he released her hand, tossed the used gauze, and prepared a new one.
     "Now the other hand. I'll be quick," Jaxon said, taking her right hand in his.
     "Fuck," she whispered, grimacing again. This one hurt more.
     "Sorry, almost done," he said, focused.

Hayley's eyes were locked on him, following his every movement. He was fast, careful, calm. Their eyes met briefly—she looked away immediately, cheeks flushing again.
     "All done. Just need to bandage you up and you'll be ready to go," he said with a gentle smile. She nodded silently. He wrapped gauze and bandages around both hands.
     "Thanks," Hayley said when he finished.
     "No problem. Just be careful next time—and maybe don't carry such a huge plant," he laughed softly, discarding his gloves and cleaning up. He stood and reached out to help her up.
     "Did you hurt yourself anywhere else, ma'am?"
     "No, no—I didn't. Thanks," she said, still embarrassed.
     "Alright. Let's get this plant to... your office?"
     He slung the medical bag over his shoulder and bent to lift the plant. Unwillingly, she noticed his... backside. She quickly shook away the inappropriate thought.

After what felt like a painfully long and awkward walk, they arrived at her office. He set the plant by the window. Stunning, she thought. Then she noticed the clock.
     "Shit!" Hayley blurted out loud.
     "Excuse me?" Jaxon looked at her, surprised.
     "Sorry—I was supposed to meet my friend thirty minutes ago! I have to go, but thank you!" Flustered and panicked, she grabbed the door handle. "Thank you again—and uhm, sorry for literally running into you..." She tried to smile, but it came out awkward and weird.
     "No need to apologize. Have a good day—and be careful," he said, smiling.
     "You too, sir..." she replied, turning to sprint toward the café.
     "Oh, and change the bandage tomorrow. Clean it again too," he called out.
She nodded and ran. Her heart raced—she couldn't tell if it was from forgetting Alysa or... Jaxon. She shook her head, refusing the thought. She remembered her phone—missed calls and texts from Alysa. She hadn't heard them with the headphones off her ears. She called immediately, apologizing and asking if they could still meet. Luckily, Alysa was the kind of friend everyone needed.

Hayley ran from the elevator, out of the building, and toward the café.
     She entered and saw Alysa at the counter, about to order.
     "God, I'm so sorry—you won't believe what happened..." Hayley panted.
     "What—what happened to your hands, Hayley??" Alysa asked, worried but curious.
     They ordered coffees and sat down by the window.
     "So, tell me. What happened to your hands?" Alysa asked again, sipping her drink.
     "So, I was getting this huge plant. Way too big and heavy—but it was stunning and I had to get it. And oh god!" Hayley groaned, face in hands. "I walked straight into a security guy—I couldn't see him because of the plant. I fell, scraped my hands, and he insisted on cleaning and bandaging them. God, it was so embarrassing. And... he was handsome. So gentle." She sighed. "I really hope we don't meet again. He even carried the plant to my office!"
     Alysa's eyes widened, and she burst out laughing.
     "What?! It's not funny!" Hayley nearly yelled.
     "It is!" Alysa laughed harder.
     "Goddammit—you're mean!" Hayley said, pretending to be mad. Alysa giggled and nudged her gently with her elbow.

Time passed as they chatted, like they hadn't spoken in years—even though it had only been a few days.
     Eventually, they walked back to the building. It was time to work. They hugged goodbye—Hayley returned to her office, and Alysa went to her meeting.

Hayley sat down in her chair—it was comfortable. As she turned on the computer, her mind wandered again.
     Jaxon...
     His gentle, kind movements.
     His calm voice.
     His handsome... face, body...
     She hadn't really noticed before, but his eyes had glowed. His face was well-shaped, his jawline and cheekbones sharp and defined. He had a beard—something she usually didn't like—but damn, it suited him. His hands—big, warm, soft, but steady. He had worked fast and precisely, like no one she had ever seen.

Jesus, she thought. He was amazing...