Her Last Name, His Claim

The lilies arrived at ten in the morning, a few hours after I arrived at the library.

Maya called me over with that nosy look she gets whenever something exciting happens at the front desk.

" There's a delivery for you," she said and somehow I already knew who it was from.

I took the bouquet, the soft white petals brushing against my fingers, then opened the small card attached. It had just two words; "Remember this?"

Those two words had enough power to drag me backwards through time.

To memories I had shoved in the deepest corners of my heart.

I remembered exactly the first time he bought me flowers. He had no money then. He'd walked into that tiny flower shop on Warwick avenue because I mentioned lilies were my favorite. He came back with the littlest bouquet he could afford. Then, he went down on one knee, nervous and awkward, pulling his hands in and out of his pockets before finally pulling out the tiny ring.

"I know it's not much," he'd said, " but I can't wait another day to ask you. Will you marry me, Elena? Will you make me the happiest man alive? I promise to love you forever."

When I said yes, he smiled, the biggest smile I had ever seen on him, then he looked sad.

"You deserve so much more," he said. "I should have proposed with a diamond. Get you a house... I'm going to do all of that for you, even if i have to work myself to the bone. I'm going to make so much money and give you the life you deserve. I promise, Elena."

I touched his cheek and said, "I don't care about any of that, okay? You could have proposed with a plastic ring and I'd still say yes. I love you. Always."

He smiled then and held on to me like he would never let go.

We walked to the diner to celebrate, sat at our favorite corner booth, ordered burgers and shared a milkshake from the same glass with two straws, making plans for a future we couldn't see. For a moment, it felt like we had everything.

I blinked, dragging myself back to the present but the memory stayed with me.

I placed the flowers on the corner table and tried to shake off the memory as I went about my day. Kids came in talking about costumes for storyfest, Mrs. Lyon returned another batch of historical romance novels and everything seemed normal again. I could almost pretend the lilies hadn't arrived at all.

Then, Nathan walked in smiling, the storyfest banner I asked him to pick up tucked under his arm. He looked happy, like he always did when helping me.

"Who sent those?" he asked, nodding toward the lilies.

I sighed. "Just someone."

Nathan raised his eyebrows. Of course he knew exactly who it was.

Before I could stop him, he picked up the card and read it aloud. "Remember this?"

He looked at me. " What's this about? What does it mean?"

I tried to keep my voice steady. "Just a thing. Not even sure I remember."

He squeezed the card. "Hmm, really? Are you sure?"

I could tell the question was not just about the flowers. He wanted to know whether I'd kept pieces of my life from him.

And the truth was... I had.

Not out of love.

But because some memories belonged to me, my first flowers, the proposal, the diner celebration. I didn't want to share them or explain them. Not because they belonged to Enzo but because they belonged to me.

Nathan read the words on the card again like it would magically change. "I know this is just another stunt, you need to ignore him so he doesn't get encouraged."

"He...he doesn't need encouragement, I said softly. "Enzo does whatever he wants. He'll do what he pleases without caring how it affects anyone."

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. I'll talk to him. Man to man. Make him see reason. Maybe get him to sign the papers, I'll sort this."

"No," I said immediately.

He blinked. "What do you mean 'no'? Everytime I offer help, you say 'let me handle it'..."

"I know," I said, trying to keep my voice low, "and I love you for it, Nathan. But this..this is mine to finish. You don't know Enzo, if you step in, he'll twist it. He'll make it about you and he'll enjoy it." I could see Nathan getting angrier by the minute. "Please, don't."

He stared at me like he wanted to argue. Instead he said, "we agreed you'd move in with me once we got engaged. I think it's time. Show him how serious you are,"

My stomach dropped. "I don't think we should do that right now. With everything... With Enzo, it feels.." I searched for the right words. "I think we should wait."

He cut me off. "I love you, Elena, I really do, but this whole Enzo drama is pissing me off. It seems like you still care about his feelings. I don't want to believe that, but from what I'm seeing..."

"Nathan,"

He didn't let me finish.

The type of anger on his face was something I'd never seen before. He tossed the storyfest banner on the table and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

I stood there, stunned. Even the lilies on the table looked like they were judging me.

"Elena!" Judy's voice snapped me out of my pity party. She and Olive walked in, both wearing the same expression that told me they'd seen Nathan storm out angrily on their way in.

"Are you okay?" Judy asked, hugging me before I could answer. Olive gave me a tight hug without saying a word.

"I brought some stuff," Judy announced excitedly. "Stickers, the face paint kit...don't worry, everything for storyfest is sorted." Judy's way of fixing things was legendary.

Olive looked at the lilies, then laughed.

"Girl, the way the group chat has been going off, and seeing how Nathan stormed out of here, I already know who those lilies are from. You told us this was crazy, but this is a full blown telenovela."

I let out a short laugh, Olive could make me laugh even while I was ugly crying. "Of course. Wouldn't be Maplewood without drama."

They hugged me again. Judy got into arranging the lilies like it was the most important task. Olive teased me about keeping secrets, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

We got busy sorting out items for storyfest while they updated me up on workplace drama and the usual Maplewood gossip. For a little while, the guilt eased like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

But when that relief faded, the hurt came in. Nathan had left angry and I felt responsible. He didn't deserve that. He'd been kind and so patient.

If only that evil bastard would sign the papers and stop showing up everywhere like an unwanted rash.

It wasn't just about signing the divorce papers anymore. It was the house he bought in town, the investments, his sudden presence everywhere I turned. He was making himself unavoidable and I hated it.

It took a while before we finished, so we grabbed a late lunch on the library steps..sandwiches and gossip, the best combination. For a few minutes, the lilies, Enzo and Nathan's anger all faded into the background. Kids from storytime ran around. One kid in a spiderman mask shouted, "I'm superman" and ran past.

For a moment, life seemed normal.

After waving the girls goodbye, I got a text from Enzo,

"Did you remember? I hope you still like lilies.

I stared at the message.

I thought about the diner, proposal, the way his laugh used to make me smile too. I thought about Nathan, how hurt he'd looked when he left. And for a second, I wasn't sure why I'd kept that memory to myself, whether it was because I wanted to keep it to myself or because I didn't want to make Nathan angrier.

I convinced myself it had to be the second option. It had to be. If it wasn't, then I had to get my brain checked, because I couldn't afford to show that kind of tenderness to Enzo.

I ignored the text, slid the phone into my pocket and walked into the library where the lilies waited like a question I didn't have an answer to.