The rain had stopped only minutes before closing time, leaving the streets damp and glowing with reflections from the streetlamps. Inside the quiet flower shop, Himmel moved with practiced gentleness.. He swept fallen petals from the counter, watered the remaining arrangements, and flipped the little wooden sign to closed with a soft click.

The bell above the door chimed as he locked it, its sound delicate in the cool night air. He exhaled. Long, tired, but peaceful in that way a long day sometimes creates. Rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness, he tucked his apron under his arm and began the short walk home, the smell of flowers still clinging faintly to him.

By the time he reached his apartment building, the sky had deepened into that quiet indigo between evening and night. He fished for his keys, rubbing the last bit of fatigue from his eyes as he unlocked the front door-

Except the door wasn’t locked.

He froze for half a second. He definitely remembered locking it this morning.