Sweet - the strawberry cufflinks

The ballroom shimmered with candlelight, a sea of tuxedos and floor-length gowns swirling across the parquet floor. Alistair stood at the edge of the room, his sharp suit complemented by strawberry cufflinks that added a playful pop of color to his otherwise traditional ensemble. To most, they might have seemed a quirky detail, but to Alistair, they were a charm—a promise of serendipity.

Across the room, he spotted her. In a pale pink gown, she was laughing with her friends, radiating a warmth that seemed to pull the room into her orbit. Gathering his courage, he crossed the dance floor, the strawberries on his cuffs catching the light like a wink from fate.

“Care for a dance?” he asked, his voice steady despite the thunder in his chest.

She looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on the cufflinks. “Strawberries? How refreshingly...sweet.”

Alistair chuckled. “I thought they might catch your attention.”

They danced, the rest of the party fading into a blur. Hours later, as the night wound down, she tapped his wrist, just above the cufflinks. “You know,” she said with a smile, “sometimes it’s the smallest details that make the biggest impression.”