Flower Power

Heero looked at his watch and frowned. He had been standing outside this florist shop for more than forty-five minutes, still feeling lost, indecisive which was so atypical of him.

“Damn! What should I do?” he questioned himself. He peeked into the shop and frowned again. Should he go in?

Inside the shop, a salesgirl noticed the handsome looking brown-haired boy hanging outside her workplace. She nudged her co-worker.

“Hey, Mavis, see that boy out there?” She looked up briefly.

“Yeah, why?”

“He has been out there for quite a while already, keeps peeking into the shop. I wonder what he is looking for.”

“There are only flowers here, Lynn.”

“And girls. Maybe he is interested in one of us,” Lynn giggled.

“You think so? Hmm, he’s cute looking,” Mavis observed as she rearranged the roses in the vases and sprayed some water at them to keep them looking fresh.

“Indeed, I don’t mind going on a date with him,” the girl said dreamily. Mavis shook her head at her daydreaming friend.

“Lynn! Go and check the flowers that arrived this morning!” the lady boss’ voice hollered from the back of the shop. The girl groaned.

“Of all times,” she grumbled as she took a last longing look at handsome boy.

Outside the shop, Heero was still deliberating. He had wasted enough time, it’s now or never. Drawing a breath, he slowly walked towards the entrance of the shop. The little bells hanging at the corner of the glass door jingled as he opened it.

Mavis looked up and saw the boy had entered the shop.

“Excuse me, is there anything I can help you?” she asked politely, thinking that it was a pity Lynn was stuck at the back of the shop with their boss.

“I…will look around,” Heero said hesitantly.

He browsed around the little florist shop with the salesgirl tailing him. Mavis eyed him carefully. Hair of brownish shade of color, the boy looked Asian except for his unusual prussian blue eyes.

“I...would like to buy…..” he pointed at the flowers.

“Oh, which type of flowers would you like?”

“Eh…any recommendations?”

“Well, if it is for mothers, carnations are the most appropriate. For loved ones, roses are the best. There are also lilies, tulips, orchids….”

“I will take roses then.”

Mavis smiled knowingly, “For your girlfriend?”

Heero did not answer her but she could see the boy’s cheeks going red.

“Which color would you like?”

“Color?” Heero blinked.

“Yes, different color stands for different meaning. For example, white roses mean purity, sincerity; pink roses represent tender, loving, care. Red roses symbolize true love. Basically, all colors are good except yellow,” Mavis explained.

“Why?”

“Because yellow roses mean rejected love.”

“Oh…”

“And how many stalks do you want?”

“How many stalks?” Heero echoed in confusion.

The salesgirl looked at him and smiled, thinking that this must be the guy’s first time buying flowers for his girlfriend. “Again, different number of stalks has their significant meaning. One stalk means exceptional love, two is for “you and me”, three is “I love you”, eleven is “you are my only love”.

Heero blinked in amazement. He didn’t know that buying flowers had so much knowledge behind it. Half an hour later, a satisfied-looking Heero walked out of the florist shop.

“Oh Mavis, it’s that guy! What does he want?” Lynn asked excitedly as she scampered to the counter.

“Buy flowers. Sorry to burst your dream Lynn but the guy already has a girlfriend and he must have loved her very much. Look at the amount of flowers he ordered,” Mavis said, showing the other girl the order list.

Lynn’s eyes widened, “Oh my….”

*****

It was almost eight pm when an exhausted Duo dragged his tired feet up the stairs to his apartment. There was so much to be done at the garage all of a sudden. All he wanted now was a hot water bath, a quick bite and a good night’s sleep.

Immediately after he stepped into the apartment, Duo came to a halt. The whole living room was full of roses of various colors. He was astonished, had he gone into the wrong apartment?

“You’re back,” a familiar nasal voice greeted him.

Duo turned around and saw Heero standing at the bedroom’s door frame.

“What…what is this?” he asked, gesturing at the room of flowers.

“Roses.”

“I know. I mean, where are they from and what are they doing here?”

“I bought them, for you.”

“For…for me? Why?”

“Duo, I’m not good with words; I can’t express my feelings for you. So I thought the flowers might be able to help me. I want to show you how much I care and lo….” Heero’s sentence broke off when he saw tears shimmering around the braided boy’s violet eyes.

“Duo, why are you crying? Have I done something wrong?” Heero panicked and worried, when Duo suddenly threw himself into the Japanese boy’s arms.

“No, I just never thought that you would do something like this.”

“Is this good then?” Heero asked, wondering if his action was correct since he had brought tears to Duo’s eyes.

“Of course, I feel so happy and touched, Heero. Your action definitely speaks louder than words.”

“I’m glad you are happy.” Heero felt relieved.

“Thank you, Heero,” Duo gave him a kiss on the lips and looked around the room. “How many stalks of roses are there anyway?”

“365.”

“Why 365?”

“Because it means I am thinking of you everyday, loving you everyday,” Heero answered, remembering the salesgirl’s words.

Duo’s eyes were shimmering with tears again. “You mean it?”

“Yes, I do. I love you everyday and always,” the Japanese boy declared, capturing his lover’s lips in a long passionate kiss.

That night, they slept in each other’s arm, surrounded by the roses that witnessed their undying love for each other.   

~~ The End ~~

Copyright © 2002 Minky