At the end of a long, exhausting day, Arevik sat motionless on her bed, staring at a single point in the distance. On the outside she seemed calm, but inside a storm was raging. Her feelings tangled and collided, and she could find no way to quiet the turmoil within.

  At first, she felt embarrassed about kissing the director.

  “If he excuses himself by saying he was drunk… I was fully conscious. I knew exactly what I was doing,” she thought.

  Her self-criticism was merciless. Yet alongside it, a sense of dignity awakened within her, and when she remembered the signed document, she flushed with anger. Her breathing quickened. She sprang to her feet and began pacing restlessly around the room.

  “Why would he even need such a document? To hide his relationships?” the thought flashed through her mind, and surprise crossed her face. “Or is it simply to cover up his fleeting pleasures?”

  Another thought altered her expression—surprise turned into irritation:

  “What does that mean? Was I just another adventure to him?”

  Now her face reflected open fury.

  “Who did he take me for?” Arevik muttered aloud, glancing around to make sure she was alone. “He put me on the same level as those… immoral girls,” she added, taking a deep breath. “No. I can’t leave it like this. Tomorrow I’ll go and tell him everything I think.”

  Her anger subtly shifted the direction of her emotions and gave her the strength to rise from the broken state she had been in only moments before.

  The next morning, Arevik went to work determined and ready for battle. She intended to speak to Hayk before the workday began, and if the question of resignation arose, she would settle it immediately.

  But she was met with disappointment: the secretary informed her that the director had left on a business trip.

  “If there is anything urgent, you may speak to Ms. Anna. She is acting in Mr. Shalunts’s place during his absence,” the secretary said, noticing the confusion on Arevik’s face.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Arevik replied, trying to gather her thoughts. “It’s not urgent. I’ll come back later.”

  She left the main office and began pacing near her desk. She had not expected such a turn of events.

  “This doesn’t mean I’ll change my mind. I’ll tell him everything when he returns,” she tried to reassure herself.

  But suddenly she realized that in her confusion she hadn’t even asked when exactly he would be back.

  Arevik set a deadline for herself:

  “In a week, I’ll come again.”

  She had no choice but to wait for Hayk’s return and speak with him. One thing was clear—she intended to express her dissatisfaction.

  The week flew by. Arevik surrounded herself with work so her thoughts would not drag her into an emotional abyss. And whenever she did begin to drift into reflection, she would scold the cactus beside her computer, imagining it was Hayk.

  One morning, Ms. Gayane announced that a document needed to be taken to the director of the central office for a signature. Arevik immediately volunteered, explaining that she was the youngest among the staff and could easily go. The long-awaited meeting might finally happen—this was a good excuse to come to the office and speak with Hayk.

  “Mr. Shalunts has left on a three-month business trip,” the secretary explained, once again noticing the disappointment and confusion in Arevik’s eyes.

  “For that long?” she asked involuntarily.

  “Yes. He left for the mines and oil wells located deep in the forests and mountains,” the secretary continued. “It’s even difficult to establish communication there.”

  “So far…” Arevik murmured quietly.

  “Leave the document. I’ll pass it to Ms. Anna; she’ll sign it,” the secretary said, quickly taking the papers from her hands.

  Everything happened so fast that Arevik had no time to object. Her “ticket” to the main office disappeared once again.

  She returned to her desk in frustration.

  “I’ll wait a year if I have to—but I’ll tell him everything I think,” she thought, casting an angry glance at the cactus.

  And at that very moment, as she stared at it, a strange feeling arose within her. But she was too angry to listen to it.

  Days passed. Arevik immersed herself deeper into her work, remaining in a state of expectation. The project was progressing quickly, and Ms. Gayane was already suggesting that it might be launched ahead of schedule.

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  Autumn gradually gave way to a cold winter. Arevik continued working in the garden. Whenever the weather turned harsh, she would involuntarily imagine how cold and unsettling it must be there, among the forests and rocks. At first, these were only abstract thoughts. But that strange feeling that had arisen when she first heard about his business trip began to grow stronger.

  Now two states coexisted within her: she would get angry at the cactus—yet at the same time worry whether he was all right.

  Time truly has the power to erase many things. Arevik’s anger slowly began to fade, giving way to anxiety. And that anxiety, in turn, gave birth to longing.

  She no longer scolded the cactus. Instead, she watered it carefully, gently wiped its leaves, as if expressing the care, she could not show in any other way.

  A clear spring morning arrived. It was the middle of the workweek, yet from the very start there was unusual excitement in the office.

  The director had unexpectedly returned from his business trip.

  He immediately called a meeting to present the work accomplished over the past three months. He spoke in detail about the progress of the project with their Chinese partners. When he finished, he glanced at his watch.

  “I’ll listen to your reports after the break. For now, please excuse me—I need to step out urgently,” Hayk said, leaving the room with quick steps.

  Reaching a certain section of the corridor, he stopped. He took a deep breath. Looked at his watch again. Then walked to the window and, rolling his neck slightly as if to ease the tension, began staring downward, as though trying to widen his field of vision.

  Several tense minutes passed.

  And suddenly, his breath caught for a moment.

  It happened at the exact instant Arevik stepped into the garden during the break.

  Without blinking, he followed her with his eyes until she disappeared from view. Only then did he allow himself to breathe again.

  A careless, almost unconscious smile flickered across his face.

  He was about to return to his office when he noticed Anna standing nearby.

  “You could have just asked me. I would’ve told you she’s still here,” Anna remarked half-ironically.

  “I actually wanted to… but I couldn’t find the right moment. And I couldn’t wait until the end of the day,” Hayk replied.

  “I thought you had finally calmed down during the trip,” Anna said with slight concern.

  “As you can see…” Hayk gave a faint, guilty smile. “All right, let’s go. We need to continue the meeting. There’s a lot of work today.”

  “Let’s go,” Anna replied.

  And they quietly returned to the conference room.

  By the end of the workday, Hayk was exhausted, yet the projects discussed during the meeting and the institution’s effective performance in his absence had energized him.

  “I haven’t seen you this absorbed in work in a long time,” Anna said, stepping into his office. “Aren’t you going home? It’s late. We’re all tired.”

  “I just need to finish one more thing, then I’ll leave,” Hayk replied with a light smile. “You’ve all done an excellent job. Well done.”

  “We learned from the best,” Anna joked. “All right, I’m heading out. And don’t stay too long—you need to rest.”

  “Go get some rest, Anna. I’ll be out soon,” Hayk said, and she left.

  Fatigue made itself felt. Hayk gathered his documents, took his briefcase, and headed toward his car. As he approached, he noticed a light glowing in the garden. It was already dark outside, and the illumination stood out clearly. He handed his briefcase to the driver, asked him to wait a little, and walked toward the garden.

  “The old man never rests… What is he doing here so late?” Hayk muttered as he entered the garden—then suddenly froze when he saw Arevik there instead of Grish.

  She didn’t hear his steps—wearing gloves, she was sorting through the grass, the rustling sound drowning out everything else. Hayk allowed himself a few seconds just to watch her. Then, so as not to create awkwardness, he called out softly:

  “Arevik, what are you doing here? It’s late. The workday ended a long time ago.”

  She turned around. For several seconds she remained silent, as if returning from her thoughts.

  “Uncle Grish went on vacation and asked me to look after the flowers,” she replied, trying to sound calm. After a brief pause, she added, “Have you returned already, Mr. Shalunts? Welcome back.”

  “Thank you,” Hayk said gently. “You knew I wasn’t in the city?”

  “Yes. I went to the central office—I needed your signature on a document.”

  “On what document?” he asked, tensing involuntarily.

  For a moment, Hayk imagined she was referring to her resignation letter, and without waiting for an explanation, he hurriedly said:

  “Arevik, if I’ve offended you in any way, I understand that, and I’ll do everything I can to make it right…”

  “Please, there’s no need,” she interrupted calmly. “It was a project document. Your approval was required for preliminary testing.”

  “Oh… that’s wonderful,” Hayk exhaled, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “You handled it quickly.”

  She smiled in return. There was something sincere in his confusion.

  Silence settled between them for a moment.

  “It’s already late,” he said, glancing at his watch. “Aren’t you going home?”

  “I know… but Uncle Grish left clear tasks for each day. I suppose I’m just a bit slow,” she replied softly.

  “Then I’ll help you. We’ll finish faster that way,” Hayk said, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

  “There’s no need. You’re tired… You came straight from your trip,” she tried to object.

  “You could tell from my dusty clothes?” he smiled.

  “From your tired eyes,” Arevik said without thinking, then quickly looked away, feeling warmth rise to her cheeks.

  “So you simply don’t trust me with the garden,” Hayk teased.

  He was truly exhausted, barely able to stay on his feet, yet he had no intention of missing the chance to remain beside her.

  “All right, you’ve convinced me,” she gave in. “We need to pull the weeds from these sections. Here are your gloves. You start here, and I’ll take the other side.”

  “Deal.”

  At first, they worked in silence. Then, to ease the atmosphere, Arevik began asking about the forests and mountains where the mines and wells were located. Hayk spoke enthusiastically about the details of his trip. The conversation flowed lightly and naturally. They both enjoyed it.

  And although dozens of unspoken questions spun through each of their minds, they carefully preserved this newfound ease, unwilling to ruin it with premature confessions.

  When the work was finished, they said goodbye and parted ways.

  Hayk walked toward his car in high spirits, a faint smile playing on his lips. The calm had unexpectedly lifted the exhaustion of the day.

  Arevik, too, returned home with a quiet smile. She did not allow herself to indulge in dreams, yet she felt that the heaviness that had long gripped her heart had finally begun to ease.