a dance?

Nineteen - Renee

Nineteen - Renee

The rays softly dance through my skin, feeling all the warmth and appreciating the beauty of my flowers. Vanilla stirs the sugar of my cup, it's scent cushioning my shop. Even if today's not a working day, I had this call that a woman is coming to collect her order. Thus, I am watering the plants while I wait for my customer to come along. I have my scissors placed on one of my apron pockets, my eyes notice a dry leaf as my hands cut it off with the scissors. When I place the scissors back onto my apron, my soul wants to paint the apron. I take a mental note of painting the apron once I give the order.

The woman had ordered a flower basket, the one that was hanging on my shop so people could see as they passed by on the streets. The flower basket was filled with baby breaths and chrysanthemums, with few purple hyacinths. When she had placed her order through the phone she really was specific with the color. "Purple baby breaths and hyacinths are a must, the chrysanthemums can be in any color you wish." Her voice is strong like caffeine, it wakes you up after a long day. I haven't seen the woman before so I wouldn't know if she's visiting herself or sending someone else to collect the order. She didn't mention that on her call. I sip on my vanilla smoothie while impatience runs through my veins. The mood of painting my apron could disappear any minute. I get really excited when it comes to painting, so fast that the mood changes as soon as I am getting ready for it.

My legs tap onto the floor. Maybe I could turn on some music. I walk to the vinyl recorder and put on the first vinyl that reaches my hand. Sweetener by Ariana Grande. I remember ordering this online and jumping like crazy when it came home. My father and I jammed to it for the weekend while my mother had been on an art trip. Ah, to be young.

"Oh, when the raindrops fell from the sky, an angel cried..." Her voice satisfied my painting mood and it felt like I was being put to bed most comfortably. I didn't realize I closed my eyes when the wind chimes pleasantly tinkled. "She cried!" Ariana's voice brought the shop to ecstasy, as the woman closed the door behind her and I gasped. It's Jasmine.

"How-" "Luna told me your shop was connected to your house, so I tried to find a way to get to your security? What do you guys call -" "Concierge," I say, trying to contain my giggles. "Right, concierge, I told her about your name and somehow she knew you by your first name and gave me your landline number." She says proudly. I cross my arms along my chest and smirk "I am impressed."

I give her the flower basket "To the woman who emphasized purple, I hope this is okay," I tell her, as Jasmine chuckled. "This is more than perfect Renee, thank you!" She holds the flower basket elegantly as I can't help but ask about Luna. "Well, we are meeting soon, this is for a picnic actually, and I have a lot of time before I see her. Mind if I sit down?" She points at the stool near the counter, and I nod. She makes herself comfortable, placing the basket down. "Would you like to come up?" I ask decently. "Thank you for the offer, but I am afraid I have to decline it as I would not know what time it is by hospitality." Her cheeks turn red, making me giggle.

"Speaking of - have you thought of calling Valerio?" She comes to the point, sitting up straight, waiting patiently. "As much as I had the urge to call him, I really didn't think too much about it," I admit. "So you didn't call him?" She asks, her voice hinting a bit of surprise. "Before I forget, I want to thank you for passing the number, I thought I needed to ask-" Jasmine cuts me off: "Hey, I don't know what happened between you two, but I felt like a helping hand would maybe help clear your path." She smiles. That was needed, if it wasn't for her- I wouldn't know how to contact Valerio.

"What were you waiting for?" Her question brings surprise to my face. "Sorry?" I want her to repeat the question, so I can stick it on my brain. "What were you waiting for?" She asks me again. She's right, what was I waiting for? "I didn't know what to say..." She softly chuckles, making me lookup. "Renee, sweetie- there's no 'what ifs' and 'buts' when it comes to conversations. I am pretty sure the moment you hear his voice, everything will come to you. Trust me." She says, boosting my confidence. "Jas-" Before I could defend, it's like Jasmine knows what's deep within me. She finds a phone at the counter and gives it to me. "Go on, I know you want to do this. Don't let your mind take away what your heart wants." Jasmine's voice stern yet pleasant.

I take the phone from her hand, as my other hand brings out the paper from my cardigan pocket. I sigh, as I dial the number. My heart's racing as I place the phone on my ear.

Valerio picks up on the second ring.

Before I hear his voice, my voice takes me by surprise. "Rio?"

"Renee?" His voice is more surprised than I am. My eyes move to Jasmine, who's glancing between me and the flower basket. When her eyes glance towards me, she gives me a reassuring smile. "Hey, I just want to-" I try to speak, hoping my voice doesn't break. Valerio keeps my thoughts on hold. "Save it, I want to see you." He says, his voice so effortless like nothing can hurt him. He makes me smile softly. Jasmine catches hold of that and smiles from ear to ear. She immediately gets up from the stool and walks closer to me. I try to shush her, as she tips her toes.

"Rio-" He really doesn't want me to speak. He wants to say something, but he stops and asks me to continue. "I want to see you too," I mentally facepalm myself. Jasmine's smile gets bigger. It's amazing how he has this effect on me. I don't regret saying that to him, for the first time in a long time.

"I am coming to your flower shop." I can hear him chuckle with delight as he hangs up. Jasmine is eagerly waiting to know what he said: "So?" "He's coming to the flower shop," I say, making myself blush at the thought of him.

She applauds, then looks serious. "I better get going then."