The Garden of Us

Noah had always believed that love, like a delicate flower, requires constant care to thrive. He had seen it before—relationships that started strong but withered over time due to neglect. When he met Evelyn, he promised himself that if love blossomed between them, he would nurture it with all his heart.

Their love didn’t begin as a whirlwind romance but as a quiet, steady plant. It grew in shared laughter over morning coffee, in the way they instinctively reached for each other, in long walks where silence was just as intimate as words. Noah cherished Evelyn, and she loved him for his kindness and quiet strength.

But love is not sustained by feelings alone. It requires effort, attention, and presence. Noah knew this, yet over time, he had let life’s daily demands take over. Work, responsibilities, and routine became priorities. The gestures that once came naturally—leaving little notes, making her favorite meal, holding her a little longer—had started to fade.

Evelyn never complained, but Noah noticed the change in her eyes. The warmth was still there, but beneath it lay a quiet longing. One evening, as they sat across from each other, he realized how much he had taken for granted. The love was still there, but he had stopped tending to it.

The next morning, he made a decision. During his break at work, he discreetly ordered a bouquet of lilacs—her favorite flowers—to be delivered to her home. Not roses, not lilies, but lilacs, because their delicate scent reminded her of summers spent at her grandmother’s house.

When Evelyn opened the door and saw the bouquet in the delivery man’s hands, her eyes filled with tears. “You remembered,” she whispered as she read the card that simply said:

"I remember everything about you. And I never want you to doubt how much I love you."

That night, Noah didn’t just bring her flowers. He brought her attention. He brought her effort. He brought her the promise that love in their home would never be something assumed, but always something nurtured.

Love, like a garden, can only bloom if it is cared for with devotion and tenderness. And Noah was ready to be her devoted gardener once again.

The Author, Antica Zovko

Nas Vrt

Noah je oduvijek vjerovao da ljubav, poput nježnog cvijeta, zahtijeva stalnu brigu kako bi procvjetala. Već je to vidio prije—odnosi koji su započeli snažno, ali su s vremenom uvenuli zbog zanemarivanja. Kad je upoznao Evelyn, obećao je sebi da će, ako među njima procvjeta ljubav, njegovati je svim srcem.

Njihova ljubav nije započela kao olujna romansa, već kao tiha, postojana biljka. Rasla je u zajedničkom smijehu uz jutarnju kavu, u načinu na koji bi nesvjesno posegnuli jedno za drugim, u dugim šetnjama gdje je tišina bila jednako intimna kao i riječi. Noah je cijenio Evelyn, a ona je voljela njega zbog njegove blagosti i tihe snage.

Ali ljubav se ne održava samo osjećajima. Ona traži djela, pažnju i prisutnost. Noah je to znao, ali s vremenom se izgubio u svakodnevnim obavezama. Posao, odgovornosti i životna rutina postali su prioritet. Geste koje su nekada dolazile prirodno—ostavljanje malih poruka, priprema njenog omiljenog jela, duži zagrljaji—počele su nestajati.

Evelyn se nikada nije žalila, ali Noah je primijetio promjenu u njenim očima. Toplina je i dalje bila tu, ali ispod nje se skrivala tiha čežnja. Jedne večeri, dok su sjedili jedno nasuprot drugome, shvatio je koliko je stvari uzimao zdravo za gotovo. Ljubav je još uvijek bila prisutna, ali prestao ju je njegovati.

Sljedećeg jutra donio je odluku. Tijekom pauze na poslu, diskretno je naručio buket jorgovana—njenog omiljenog cvijeća—i dao upute da joj ga dostave na kućnu adresu. Ne ruže, ne ljiljane, već jorgovane, jer ih je njihov nježan miris podsjećao na ljeta provedena kod bake.

Kad je Evelyn otvorila vrata i ugledala buket u rukama dostavljača, oči su joj se napunile suzama. "Sjetio si se", šapnula je dok je čitala karticu na kojoj je jednostavno pisalo:

"Sjećam se svega o tebi. I ne želim da ikada sumnjaš koliko te volim."

Te noći, Noah joj nije donio samo cvijeće. Donio joj je pažnju. Donio joj je trud. Donio joj je obećanje da ljubav u njihovom domu nikada neće biti nešto što se podrazumijeva, već uvijek nešto što se njeguje.

Ljubav, poput vrta, može cvjetati samo ako se o njoj brine s ljubavlju i pažnjom. A Noah je bio spreman ponovno biti njezin predani vrtlar.

Autorica, Antica Zovko