The Snake Hidden In Your Daffodils

The Beginning

(Alex's POV)

I rested my elbows on the front counter and stared out the window at the flower shop on the other side of the vacant road. It was a slow day at the tattoo studio I worked in and there was no one to get mad at me for slacking off, seeing as I was the only one who came in to work that day. That seemed to be how a spent most of my free time at work, gazing out the window at the extremely attractive florist across the street.

His name was Jack, as I had found out from the countless times I had gone and bought flowers as an excuse to talk to him, and he was everything I had ever dreamed of. He was confident and funny and had these mesmerizing eyes that made me forget my own name. The way he spoke and smiled and moved left me speechless. He could ha-

My runaway train of though was stopped short of crashing by the jingling of the store bells, notifying me that someone had entered. I shook my head lightly and switched my focus to my coworker, Rian, who had just walked in.

"Dude," I said with a slight laugh in my voice, "you're like six hours late, it's almost time to close up!"

"Yeah, I know," he sighed shakily whilst scratching his head, "I had a rough night."

"What happened?" I enquired cautiously; the guy looked like shit and I didn't want to cross any lines.

"My girlfriends pregnant." He answered bluntly, his voice never wavering from an exhausted monotone.

I sat there in a daze, not knowing what to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack stepping outside. I shifted my focus and attentively watched him water the flowers outside of the shop, mesmerized by his mere existence.

"Go." Rian sighed.

"What?" I asked in pure confusion. I silently wondered if he had been talking all this time and I was just noticing.

"Go talk to him." He urged with a slight smile in his voice, "oh, don't think that I haven't noticed you watching him. Now go!"

"But," I sighed defeatedly, "I wouldn't know what to say."

"Go tell him how badly you want him to bend you over a table and fuck you senseless." Rian joked lightheartedly.

"Not gonna happen." I choked out through laughter.

"Well, I don't care what you say. Just go," he urged impatiently, "I'm tired of you sitting around here all starry-eyed. No wonder business is slow, you must be scaring away all the metal heads."

"Fine," I surrendered with a sigh, "I'll go talk to him. But if I fuck things up it's your fault."

And with that, I rolled my eyes and walked out the front door of the shop. I didn't want to argue with Rian; I couldn't hang with his bad moods. I quickly crossed the street, biting the skin of my lip out of nervousness.

I really had no idea what I was going to say to Jack. I just hoped with extreme desperation that I wouldn't ruin my chances. I watched Jack finish watering and step back into the shop as I crossed the street. Taking a deep breath and attempting to stop the shaking in my hands, I mentally prepared myself for the conversation ahead.

"Fuck it." I mumbled to myself and, coming to the realization that I had been standing in front of the door for an abnormal amount of time, I reached for the door knob.

I heard a chime ring out as I entered and watched Jack look up from a stack of papers and smile at me. My stomach started a one-man mosh pit just as my heart decided to try and break free of the cage that was my ribs. His smile made me feel like I was about to burst into flames.

"What're you up to?" He asked, his lips turning up into a half smirk; it looked almost as if he had a secret that no one else knew.

"Just on a break." I blurted out, trying (and failing) to sound casual.

"Right before closing time?" He questioned skeptically, one eyebrow raising; I could hear a joking tinge to his voice but I still felt cornered. I wondered if he had any idea what he did to me.

"Uhm yeah..." I trailed off with a nervous laugh. Jack's smile widened at my response and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes; he knew he was making me uncomfortable and he seemed to enjoy it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack's boss come out of the back room and start reorganizing the back shelves.

"So," I spoke nervously, "how's your day been?" My voice squeaked at the end and I mentally kicked myself for asking such a boring question.

"Pretty okay," he answered with a chuckle, "and yourself?"

"Good, good..." I mumbled, staring down at my feet. I really badly wanted to just be out with it. I wanted to tell him that I liked him but I couldn't seem to muster up the courage to do so. What if he didn't feel the same? What if he was straight? He was probably straight. I so desperately wanted to not embarrass myself. The thought horrified me. But the thought of never knowing if he liked me horrified me even more. I could feel the tension building and I looked up to see him staring at me with an unreadable expression.

"So I gue-"

"I really like you." I blurted out awkwardly, cutting off whatever he was about to say. I could feel my cheeks catch fire as the world seemed to crash and burn around me. I instantly regretted it and attempted to backtrack despite having the knowledge that it was too late, "I-I...uhm...I mean..."

"Hey you!" Shouted a voice from the back. I shifted my focus to Jack's boss, who was storming towards my angrily. "You're that faggot from across the street, aren't you?"

"I-I uhm"

"Get your gay stench out of here before you ruin the flowers, I won't have any faggots on my property!" He spat angrily, "Get the fuck out of my sight!"

Scared and embarrassed, I quickly turned and rushed out of the floral shop with my head down. I felt so defeated and alone and started to wander down the street. Eventually the buildings thinned out and all that was left was the road, the sky and the ocean. It was sunset and the sky was ablaze with orange and pink and other vibrant hues. The sun appeared to be resting on the water and seemed in no rush to continue sinking lower; it was a truly beautiful sight. I didn't exactly know where I was going, but I didn't feel like turning back quite yet. I felt so at peace, like nothing bad could catch me as long as I just kept going.

Suddenly, I was yanked out of my thoughts by the sounds of faint pounding footsteps and panting. I turned and, to my surprise, saw Jack sprinting towards me, carrying a bouquet of yellow flowers in one hand and gripping his side with the other.

"I quit," He stated once he had caught up to me and regained enough breath to speak, "he's an asshole and it makes me disgusted in the world."

"Wow." I mumbled quietly.

"These are for you!" He exclaimed, remembering the flowers in his hand. He handed them to me and I smiled at the daffodils.

"Thank you." I mumbled, at a loss for words.

"I just feel really terrible about what happened," he rambled on, "and I really hope you're okay. It took everything in me not to cut off his dick with a spoon and shove it so far up his ass that he could taste it. Are you cold? It looks like you've been out here for a while. Oh wow the sunsets beautiful. I'm sorry, that was extra gay of me..." He trailed off with a nervous laugh. I smiled at his awkwardness.

"Oh and, Alex," he slowed his speaking and acquired a slight smile, "I really like you too."

I looked up into his eyes and was overcome with a sense of joy. I stared into his eyes as his hand came up to caress my cheek. I breathed deeply as he leaned down and connected our lips. And that moment, standing on the sidewalk in the middle of nowhere at sunset, was when my happily ever after began.