Page 16 of Melt His Heart

It must have rained sometime last night because the ground is still a little wet as I’m walking through the neighborhood. The smell of fresh flowers greets me when I walk through the door of the florist’s shop. He walks over to meet me where I am, his smile is bright, he has light brown hair, he’s a bit taller than me, and his eyes are a warm brown. He’s wearing the same green apron he’s always wearing every time I peek in. Now that I’m a bit closer, I can see the name of the shop embroidered on it: Bloomish. That’s a cute name.

“Hello!” He says. What a cheerful guy, something I notice about Americans, they’re always so cheery. It’s quite cute.

“Hi.” I smile back.

“Are you looking for anything in particular today?”

“Not really. I just walk by a lot and figured I’d stop in. And I love arrangements.” I mumble, fiddling with my sleeves.

“Oh ok is it for your house?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, I’ll make you something I think you’d like. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. Thank you.” I nod.

I wait by the counter while he picks out the stalks for my arrangement. When he comes back over, I’m in awe at what he’s chosen to put together. They’re the most beautiful zinnia I’ve ever seen. I would’ve never thought to pair them the way he does, I mean, I guess he is a professional.

“I think this would be a great flower for you.” He smiles.

“Ah, really?” I mumble, and he nods. He lays the zinnias down with some other filler stalks and flowers he’s picked out.

“Do you skate?”

“Ah, how’d you know?”

“Your jacket!” He points at my skating federation jacket with a beaming smile.

“Oh, right. Yes, I’m a figure skater, but I’m being forced to take a break.” I say rolling my eyes.

“It’s good to take a break sometimes, though, no?” He laughs.

“I suppose. So everyone says.” I chuckle.

“Well, at least you’re trying.” He says working in the last piece of the arrangement.

And it’s so beautiful when he’s done. I can’t wait to put it in my kitchen. He’s really talented.

“So, sometimes we have floral arrangement classes. You should stop by for a class; that would be a good break. And I think you’d be great at it.” He smiles.

“Thank you, I’d love that, I don’t know if I would be any good though. I’ve…never made my own before.” I doubt.

“You’ll be great! Here I’ll write my number down! We should chat, always nice to have a friend in town, and I’ll let you know when there’s a class!”

“Oh..thank you. I’ll text you.” I smile. Wow, two numbers in one day, that’s a record for me. He wraps the flowers in a nice brown paper and ties it off with a bow.

“The arrangement is beautiful, thank you so much.” I praise.

Just as he’s handing it to me, the other guy I sometimes see helping around the shop comes out from the back room with a broom, his face is a bit red right now. But his hair is long, a similar length to Carson’s, but a rich dark brown, and his eyes are kind.

“Hey, babe! I think there’s a raccoon in the ceiling again.” I laugh, “Oh…hello!” The man beams.

“Hi,” I mutter with a faint smile.

“Kevin, this is… oh wait, what was your name!? Sorry.” The florist says, furrowing his brows.

“No. It’s Julian, I’m so sorry, how rude of me.”