Saffron, Cardamom & Jasmine Flowers - Pavitr P. ♡ Reader

Chapter 12

This took so much longer to get out than it should have </3

Um. Also. Gore warnin fellas.

Sorry :')

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    I had a day off work today, lucky me. 

     Coming back from the cinema ended up being late, so I slept in this morning. Pavitr was gone by the time I woke up, presumably to school. I was supposed to be at work, however I was late.

     I was about to send an email to Janani to apologize, and that I wouldn't be in work that day, but when I opened the email, I had seen there was already an email from Janani.

     I skimmed through the email to et the gist of it. Janani stated that she understood why she wouldn't come today, that hanging out with friends might have gone later than expected, and that she didn't expect me at work today.

      I sighed contently after reading it. Janani's so sweet.

     And that's how I ended up walking down the streets of Mumbattan, finding myself something to entertain myself with until Pavitr gets to the hostel in the evening. 

     I first sought out to buy myself jasmine flowers. It had become a habit, and the woman at the stall always remembered me. 

     "The usual?" She'd ask. I would nod, and she'd give me the regular length of jasmine flowers. 

      I learnt her name was Lakshmi, and that she was happily married and had two sons. She would tell me about her young sons, which was always sweet to hear.

     Lakshmi would also put it in my hair everyday, always telling me how well it suited me. She was always tender and so motherly. 

     I did the same today. I walked towards the familiar stall. Lakshmi was there as she was every time.

     "Hi Lakshmi." I greeted her. She greeted me with her warm smile.

     "Hello, bheti. The usual?" She asked once again. I nodded at her, mirroring her smile.

     She immediately cut off the length of jasmine flowers and started to walk around her stall to put them in my hair, like the usual.

     Except this time I didn't turn around to let her put them in my hair. I put out my open palm to her, and she glanced down an it with a confused look.

     "I want to try put them on myself this time." I stated. Lakshmi looked up at me with a sweet smile.

     "That's okay. That's very good!" She responded with a small laugh. She turned and walked back around to behind the stall.

     I watched as she did, and let her be behind the stall before I bid my goodbyes.

     "You can get a nice boy to put it in your hair if you can't!" She called out after me.

     I quickly glanced back at her and flashed her a smile before walking on. I smiled to myself at the thought of one particular nice boy putting the flowers in my hair.

     I turned my head around to glance back at Lakshmi one more time when I noticed something off.

     There was a man, he had a sharp gaze on me. But as soon as my eyes landed on him, he averted his attention, pretending he wasn't looking at me. His style looked familiar, like the rowdies I encountered that almost got me killed a while ago.