Chapter 01: “at the Met”

It was a crisp autumn evening in New York City. The streets buzzed with energy as people rushed to a charity gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among the crowd, two figures stood out.

Raven, tall and mysterious in his sleek black suit, arrived alone. He wasn’t usually one for social events, but something had drawn him here tonight. As he climbed the museum steps, he noticed a flash of vibrant orange hair.

Blossom, dressed in a flowing green gown that seemed to shimmer like leaves in sunlight, was helping an elderly woman up the stairs. Her kind smile and graceful movements caught Raven’s eye immediately.

Inside, the gala was in full swing. Raven grabbed a glass of water, pretending it was champagne. He scanned the room, secretly hoping to spot the girl with the orange hair again.

Suddenly, there she was, right next to him at the refreshment table. Blossom reached for a glass, accidentally knocking over a vase of flowers. Without thinking, Raven’s hand shot out, catching the vase before it could shatter.

“Wow, nice reflexes!” Blossom exclaimed, her ocean-blue eyes wide with surprise.

Raven smirked, setting the vase back in place. “Just lucky, I guess.”

They started chatting, neither realizing the other was hiding their true nature. Blossom thought Raven’s pale skin was just from spending too much time indoors, while Raven assumed Blossom’s glow was from good makeup.

As they talked, they discovered a shared love of old books and nature walks. Raven found himself smiling more than he had in years, while Blossom was intrigued by his quick wit and air of mystery.

When the gala ended, they exchanged numbers, both excited to meet again. As they parted ways on the museum steps, the city lights twinkling around them, neither Raven nor Blossom realized that this chance meeting was the beginning of an extraordinary friendship – and maybe something more.