A slow burn with an open ending.
Perspective One: She and he grew up together. She thought of herself as the queen of flowers and never paid any other woman the slightest attention. But she forgot that peonies are too showy, and some men find them too flashy.
He loved the understated chrysanthemum. At first, she didn't understand. Later, she realized it was because when the chrysanthemums have all bloomed, no other flowers remain. They don't compete for attention, yet countless poets and scholars are captivated by them.
On the day she and he got engaged, someone accidentally fell into the fountain. In front of all their guests, he picked her up and left, abandoning his fiancée...
Perspective Two: She entered his world in the bloom of her youth, bringing a gentle breeze and the scent of flowers. He cared for her as she grew, believing his actions proved how much he loved her, never realizing they would miss each other again and again.
The day she left, he saw her off at the airport. Swallowing his bitterness, he asked one last time, “Can't we start over?”
She didn't answer. She pulled her suitcase into the crowd.
