Under the Cherry Blossoms

By Nin Nin

Chapter 1: First Impressions

Love has a way of finding us when we least expect it, turning ordinary moments into extraordinary adventures. And every adventure needs a start, and this is it.

In the heart of downtown LA, a beautiful young woman weaved through the lively crowd, surrounded by towering skyscrapers. The streets hummed with the energy of people rushing to and from their offices, while the sounds of car horns and chatter filled the air. She entered the building, capturing the attention of everyone around her. As all eyes followed her, she walked with grace towards the reception desk.

From the moment Lily entered the office building, she was greeted by a warm welcome. The receptionist, with her friendly smile, led her to the HR office where she was greeted by a crowd of people.

"Everyone, meet our newest intern, Lily Andrews," the HR manager, Miss Stone, introduced her to the company.

A chorus of applause echoed in the room as Lily, blushing slightly under their enthusiastic greeting, returned a wave. With her long, golden hair cascading down her shoulders and her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement, Lily certainly made an impression. Her crisp white shirt and formal grey skirt only added to her professional demeanor.

Settling down at her new workstation, she was soon interrupted by a friendly voice. The guy sitting next to her, who she would later come to know as Liam, broke the ice.

"Don't mind them," he said, gesturing to their colleagues, "They're just a bit taken aback by our beautiful new intern."

Lily couldn't help but laugh at his comment, "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not?"

"Definitely a compliment," he assured her with a laugh. "By the way, I'm Liam Thompson."

"Pleased to meet you, Liam. I'm Lily Andrews," she said, offering a handshake.

Liam accepted her handshake with a wide grin, "I can tell you're going to fit right in here."

"I hope so, Liam. How's the work here?" Lily inquired, curious about her new environment.

"It can be demanding, but that's to be expected in a multinational tech company," he responded.

"I suppose you're right," Lily agreed, taking in the organized chaos around her.

"And our boss is impressively young," Liam added, sharing some insider information.

"I've heard about him, but I haven't met him yet," Lily admitted.

"Oh, you will. Mr. Harris usually comes in a bit later. I think he'll assign you your first task, just like the rest of us," Liam explained.

Lily nodded, processing the information, "So, what should I do now?"

"I'd say, relax for a bit. They'll probably give you an office orientation soon," Liam suggested.

"Alright, thanks, Liam," she thanked him for his advice and started to get comfortable at her new workspace.

A while later, Miss Stone called Lily for her orientation. As they walked around the office, Miss Stone shared some disappointing news, "I'm afraid Mr. Harris won't be in today."

"That's okay, Miss Stone," Lily assured her.

"He did want you to know that you can relax and get to know the office today. Your work will start from tomorrow. If you want, you could leave early," Miss Stone told her.

"I think I'll stay for a bit longer. My bus doesn't come until later," Lily informed her.

"In that case, you should try the espresso from our café. It's really good," Miss Stone suggested.

"I will definitely try that," Lily responded, her curiosity piqued.

Miss Stone left her to her own devices, allowing her to explore her new workspace. Despite the unexpected developments, Lily was looking forward to her journey at Mystique Holdings. With her fresh BA in Project Management and a passion for learning, she was ready to take on the challenges of her new role.

Back at the office, Lily was immersed in her surroundings, watching the software engineers' fingers dance across their keyboards. She treated herself to a shot of espresso from the café, its rich aroma a small comfort in the otherwise foreign environment. When she finally checked the time, she decided to head out.

"Great, the manager doesn't even bother to show up," she muttered to herself, feeling a twinge of irritation. With a shrug, she added, "At least that means less work for me." Her steps were heavy as she made her way to the bus stop, a small frown etched on her face.

As she reached the stop, her eyes were drawn to a GTO gliding into a nearby parking space. A man emerged from the car, impeccably dressed in a grey suit and sunglasses. His casual elegance took her by surprise, prompting her to think, "Well, isn't he attractive?" For a moment, she was lost in the sight of him as he strode past her, not paying her any heed.

"First day at work and I get ignored. Nice," she grumbled to herself, feeling a little miffed. As her irritation grew, she picked up the pace, her destination the approaching bus stop.

Distracted, she didn't notice when her scarf slipped from her neck and floated away. The wind carried the vibrant red fabric towards the handsome stranger who had just disembarked from his car.

"Hey, girl!" he shouted after Lily, but she was already too far away.

Lily heard him but decided to feign indifference. "I'm not interested," she shot back, stepping onto the arriving bus.

"I didn't even...You dropped..." he started, but the doors had already closed, cutting him off.

With a sigh, he picked up the discarded scarf, murmuring, " Jesus, what a weird girl. She dropped her scarf and didn't even notice." But his words were lost amidst the noise of the bus pulling away. He stood there, holding the vibrant red scarf in his hands, as he watched the bus disappear into the traffic. "Now what do I do with this?" he murmured, bringing the scarf closer and catching a whiff of its sweet fragrance.

After a long day, Lily trudged into her apartment, a sudden wave of hunger hitting her. Immediately, she headed towards the kitchen, reaching for a cup of instant noodles - her staple when the hunger pangs became too much to bear. She lived with her elder brother and his wife, having lost her parents at a young age. Despite the tragedies of her past, her brother had done a commendable job of raising her, making sure she lacked for nothing, and his wife treated her as if she were her own daughter.

"Great, no drinks to go with the noodles," Lily sighed, opening and closing the refrigerator in disappointment. As she turned back to her noodles, her hand brushed against the cup, sending it crashing onto the floor.

"Seriously?!" Lily yelled in frustration, staring at the splattered noodles on the floor. "Just perfect, as if this day couldn't get any worse. Now I'm starving and have to clean this up too." Muttering under her breath, she grabbed a mop and began to clean the mess.

After a much-needed shower, Lily debated between making another trip to the grocery store for more noodles or simply heading out for a meal. The decision was made for her when she found her favorite noodles missing from the grocery store shelves.

"Why are they out of stock everywhere?" Lily muttered, frowning. The hunt for noodles was proving fruitless, and her stomach was demanding food. "Forget this, I'll just grab a burger from Burger King." She began the half-mile trek to the fast-food restaurant, grumbling about the distance between her brother's house and the nearest market.

Upon reaching Burger King, she was immediately bumped into by a guy walking in. When she looked up to respond, she found herself staring at the face of the man from earlier that day.

"You!" she exclaimed; eyes wide. "Did you follow me here?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, looking just as surprised to see her. "Wait, you're the girl who dropped her scarf."

"My scarf?" she asked, confusion etching her features.

Pulling the vibrant scarf from his jacket, he held it out to her. "Yes, and who even said I am interested in you? you dropped the scarf. I tried to give it back to you earlier."

Lily blushed as she took the scarf from him. "Well, you sure have a way of doing things. Ignoring me, stealing my scarf, and then being rude."

He looked at her, clearly taken aback, before choosing to ignore her and heading towards the counter. Lily huffed, even more annoyed as she took her place behind him in line.

Once their orders had been placed, Lily plunged a hand into her bag, fishing around for her wallet. Her fingers probed the empty depths of her bag, brushing past old receipts and lipsticks, but failing to find the comforting texture of her wallet. A cold dread settled over her as the possibility dawned; she must have left it at home.

"Umm, I think I left my wallet at home," Lily stammered, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"We need $17.99 to proceed with your order, ma'am," the cashier responded.

"I live nearby, I can come back with the money," Lily pleaded, feeling a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Before she could argue any further, the man in front of her turned around and handed his card to the cashier. "Just add it to my bill."

"No, I didn't ask you to do that," Lily protested, but her stomach growled loudly, betraying her hunger.

"Just consider it an apology for earlier," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "And please, stop arguing."

Flushing again, Lily remained silent. The man collected his order and wished her a nice day before heading out of the restaurant, leaving Lily staring after him, her scarf in her hands.

"Maybe I was too harsh on him," she mused,

Drawn by a mix of curiosity and an unexplainable pull, Lily decided to follow the guy outside. Her heart pounded in her chest as she approached, catching fragments of his phone conversation.

"I don't understand, Victoria. Why do you eat from Burger King anyway? We can easily get decent food from anywhere," he expressed with evident confusion.

"Victoria, so he's taken?" Lily mused, pausing in her steps. A twist of intrigue etched on her face.

"I know this is where we met, Victoria, but we are not dating each other anymore," his voice rose in exasperation, snapping Lily out of her thoughts.

"Oh, so they're not together anymore," she found herself muttering, her eyebrows knitting in puzzlement.

"Victoria, I don't understand why you're still trying to get us back. We ended our relationship seven years ago," frustration was clearly audible in his voice now.

"Seven years?" she whispered to herself, a surge of curiosity overpowering her. "Were they married?" she speculated, considering his age.

"And we weren't even married," his words abruptly interrupted Lily's thoughts.

Lily blinked, startled. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself, eyes wide and incredulous. "Is he a mind reader or something?"

"Oh my god, Victoria. I am not meeting you today. I am done," his voice hardened, and he tossed the food packet behind him. Lily, reacting quickly, caught it with a deft move.

"You shouldn't waste food, you know. Some people can't really afford it," Lily taunted playfully, a mischievous smile gracing her face.

He turned around, surprise quickly replaced by recognition. "Oh, it's you again. Yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to throw it." a tinge of remorse in his voice.

"I know, I know. I saw you getting irritated," she shrugged nonchalantly, amusement dancing in her voice.

"Wait, you heard me?" His eyebrows shot up, surprise apparent in his voice.

"Well, it's hard not to."  Her cheeks reddened slightly under his gaze, "You're not exactly quiet."

"Now, who's stalking whom?" he teased, a smirk adorning his features.

Caught off guard, she fumbled for a comeback. But before she could retort, Ethan changed the topic. "By the way, where's your food?" His tone held a rich undercurrent of amusement.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, realization hitting her.

"Go, go," he chuckled, gesturing her back inside.

With a last glance at him, she darted back to the counter, a mix of embarrassment and amusement coloring her cheeks. "How could I forget my own food?" she thought to herself, her encounter with Ethan proving far more distracting than she'd anticipated.

Before leaving, she paused, turning to Ethan. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Ethan. Ethan Harris," he replied, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Lily," she responded, "Nice to meet you, Ethan."

"Can't say the same, but alright," Ethan retorted, his smirk returning. "Now, if I have your permission, can I leave?"

She rolled her eyes, "You're just rude."

With a laugh, Ethan shot back, "Enjoy your food," before sauntering towards his car.

As his car pulled away, she murmured, "What a jerk." She shook her head, both frustrated and intrigued, before turning back to retrieve her meal. "Definitely an interesting first encounter."

To Be Continued on Chapter 2