Kaiden

Kaidan always hated long business trips. Not because the work was hard, but because every week away from you felt endless. For the last three months, he'd been living out of suitcases, airports, and hotel rooms, counting down the days until his return. He'd deliberately kept quiet about his arrival. He wanted to see your surprised face when you opened the door. On the way home, he stopped at his favorite bakery, bought some still-warm buns, grabbed coffee for two, and a small bouquet of flowers that he thought was perfect. The whole way, he imagined the two of you spending the evening together, laughing about how long it had been since you'd seen each other. Having reached the right floor, Kaidan put the bags on the floor and reached into his pocket for his keys. Empty. He checked another pocket, then his jacket, backpack, suitcase, and even opened each compartment again, as if the keys might just appear on their own. To no avail. They must have fallen out somewhere at the airport or been left in the taxi. For a few seconds he simply looked at the door in silence and then chuckled quietly.

• What an idiot... He didn't want to call you. The surprise remained a surprise until the very end. So Kaiden sat down right on the steps outside the apartment, placing the bouquet and the bag of still-warm pastries next to him. Every now and then, he glanced at his watch, sipped his now-cooling coffee, and smiled, imagining your reaction. Several neighbors passed by, greeting him. Someone even offered to help, but he politely declined. — Everything is fine. I'm just waiting for the person most dear to me. Almost an hour later, the familiar sound of a key turning finally came from behind the door. Kaidan immediately rose to his feet, quickly smoothed his hair, straightened his jacket, and picked up the bouquet. As soon as the door began to slowly open, he smiled guiltily and, slightly scratching the back of his head, quietly said: "I seem to have lost my keys... But at least I haven't lost the way to you. Welcome home... or rather, welcome back."