he loves me, he loves me not

part six

February had come hastily and for Jezabel, that meant more shifts, more customers, and more sadness. She was single during Valentines. Normally that wouldn't bother her. She had been single most of her life after all. But seeing as people walked into the store to buy bouquets for their significant others, it made her feel lonelier than usual. Shawn had completely stopped contact with Jezabel. She was heartbroken as she saw Shawn in the halls with the girl she assumes he was dating now.
For it being Valentines Day, there were a total of 35 customers today and they all wanted something extravagant. By the time it got to 11:30 she was burnt out and couldn't wait to get under her covers and watch a cheesy romcom on her laptop while stuffing her face in sweets. Maybe she would buy herself a daisy...or maybe a peony... or a marigold just because.
Once her last customer walked out she stepped to the back of the store and grabbed a single red amaryllis and placed it in her jacket pocket. Amaryllis symbolized pride. Just this once, I'm doing something for me. Even though she really really debated on getting the red carnation and leaving it at the door for Shawn to find. If he was smart enough, he'd be able to find that they stood for a admiration. My heart yearns for you. No...she had too much pride to let him know how much he meant to her, how happy he made her feel, how much he hurt her with his absence, how much she wished he loved her the way she loved him. He didn't deserve that satisfaction.
    She closed the register and locked up. When she got to the door though, there was a note on the handle. She picked it up and read:
    You deserve so much better than what I did to you. You deserve the sun the moon and the stars. I want to give that to you. Meet me at the treehouse after your shift? S.D.
    She wasn't sure what to think. Should she go? Would that make her weak? He was obviously there waiting for her in the freezing cold February night. She'll go as a courtesy to the weather only. Thats it.
    She hops in her car, jittery to get to the location. Luckily the empty midnight streets allowed her to speed a little more than she would normally. She reached the path and slowed as she saw Shawns car parked directly in front of the treehouse. She stepped outside and saw that his car was empty so she assumes he's gone up already.
    She takes a deep inhale then lets out the breath. And with that, she begins to climb the ladder.
    When she opens the hatch, she is surprised to see dozens of candles surrounding the treehouse. "This looks like a fire hazard," she lets out.
    "Really? That's the first thing you say to me?" She sees him and she can't help it. All the thoughts she had in her head about letting him go, not giving in completely slip away. He looks nice. He's wearing a blue dress shirt and his smile is so wide and he's holding a massive bouquet of flowers.
    "What is all this?" She smiles as wide as he is. He looks down at the flowers and back up at here in a half smile.
    "I'm so glad you asked," he takes in a deep breath. "First off I want to say I'm so sorry I completely disappeared on you these past couple months."
    "I understand I mean you had your girlfrie-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence as he quickly cuts her off.
    "Rachel's not my girlfriend," he says.
    "She's not?" she kicks herself for how relieved she sounded at those words.
    "I couldn't go on that date. I told her that I'm so sorry but it wasn't fair to her to go on a date when I was interested in someone else. I only said yes because I thought that it could help me get over my feelings...for you"
    Her heart is beating a mile a minute she's sure of it. He has feeling for her. This was real. As she's processing everything she sees Shawn pull out one flower. A white camellia.
    "Beauty. You're adorable, right?"
    "How did you-"
    "My grandma grows them in her garden, I asked her the name of them when I was grounded and looked up them meaning, and I stand by it,"
    She's never had someone call her beautiful and made her truly feel it. It was something about his eyes, the sincerity of it all. His words were like an oath.
    "This one, the zinnia, cause I'm constantly thinking of you,"
    "I kinda figured," She laughs remembering how large her collection of them had become in her room,
    "I'm not so subtle am I," he scratches the back of his neck smiling down.
    "Could've fooled me,"
    "Yeah how did you not get it?"
    "You're a jokester you like to joke I though you we're messing around I didn't take it seriously!"
    "Well take this seriously," he pulls out one flower from his back, a single red rose. "I love you Jezabel. I've loved you for a long time and if you accept this rose it tells me you love me too,"
    A bachelor's reference, cheesy, but he still said it, What she'd been wanting to hear maybe her whole life. He loved her. Her stupid misfit neighbor, her best friend, the guy that she loved is completely enamored by her as much as she is by him.
    "I love you too," She smiles and grabs all the flowers he had in his hand. A gardenia, secret love. Red chrysanthemums, I love you. Red tulips, I love you. Alstromeria, I love you. Babys breath, I love you. Red carnations... I yearn for you. To have something so little mean so much right in the grip of her hands.
    "Look up," he says and as she does she can't help but roll her eyes at a single mistletoe hanging right above her head. Yet, she leans in. His lips press on hers. It's tender and gentle at first. A moment so fragile you feel it could be ruined with too much or too little. It's perfect. It's all she's ever wanted.
    Their lips pull apart and they gaze into each others eyes. It doesn't feel real. It's like any moment she'll wake up in her room and this would all have been some wicked dream. Then, as if sensing her doubts. He leans in again. This time theres much more passion. How do you give yourself completely to a person? How can one kiss tell a person all they want to say, all they've felt for months? It sweet and beautiful and exactly the way it should be. Her and him, forever.