Flowers of Florence

...for his name

A bouquet of Angelica, White camellia, Coriander, Fennel, Hydrangea for his name

...

William's head was throbbing with pain and his eyes stung as they opened. He didn't remember very well when he arrived at the villa he was staying at. He also didn't recall what the room looked like so everything was somewhat of a little surprise. He rubbed his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light that spilled through the window.

The wallpaper was a deep crimson with small patterns he couldn't quite make out, and the wooden furniture had small animal carvings. It was very cute and cozy which was odd for someone like Michael who always went for the most extravagant alternatives.

William looked to his side and saw a piece of paper folded on the nightstand. He stretched his long and heavy arms and snatched it. "Train Station at 3. Ristorante Paoli at 5. Hotel 7." He crumpled the paper and chucked it at his suitcases.

He finally rolled out of bed, groaning as his head pounded and pleaded him to not go see Michael. Sure, Michael was friendly when he wanted to be, but he could also be insensitive or babble about politics. It could be very annoying to have to sit down and tolerate him, or at least try to.

He opened his suitcases and changed into a comfortable white undershirt, beige trousers, a grayish blue waistcoat and brown shoes. It was when he changed into all of these that he realized he was still wearing the clothes from the day before. It explained why he felt like he was burning up under his long coat and vest. It also explained why he felt sore.

He grabbed a comb and fixed his hair. It was still somewhat messy, but it was presentable at the very least. Before leaving, he grabbed a pocket watch and stared at the bouquet he had bought with a puzzled expression. He didn't need the flowers, but he wanted to see the florist's expression of pure joy and passion for his craft. William found it admirable and wondered if he could find the young man, maybe just to chat.

He finally walked out of the room and through a long hallway that filled him with déjà vu, most likely from the night before. It didn't take more than a minute for him to find the main entrance of the building. He checked the time. He still had time to make it to the station, but he had already decided in his room that he wouldn't go see Michael so early in his day. Maybe William would join him at 7:00 in the restaurant, but first he wanted to clear his head before being shoved into a social gathering with his so-called friend.

The streets weren't stone like where he had passed the day before, instead they were lined with what seemed to be bricks or something of similar appearance. Thinking back, the streets weren't much rocks and more of dents in the old passages he traversed. Overall, the streets were flat. He couldn't recall why he believed there was such a difference. He shrugged it off as just his brain adjusting to the new environment whilst also being tired from hours of traveling on boat, train and carriage.

Everything was quite calm and the air threatened to ruin his hair, but he didn't mind that much. The people who were walking on the street all seemed to have places to go to. William was just beginning to notice how many details he missed or confused on his first day. What seemed like disordered bliss now seemed like an organized variety of people.

He kept walking, not certain where to. All he cared for was food, industrial amounts of food. His hunger began to show slowly, with just a pang of pain, but it soon erupted into growling so eager for attention that William was afraid someone would hear. Thankfully, the song birds in the park next to him sounded as they flew above it all.

Finally, a small restaurant sat only a little over a dozen feet away from him. He didn't remember what he ordered, the faces of the people who took his order, or when he walked out with a full stomach. He felt as though everything was happening so incredibly fast that he took out his watch just to see if time really had passed, and indeed it had.