The Boy from the Flower Shop

The Shopkeeper

Vicc's Pov

 

Typical Tuesday afternoon, if you ask me. 

I sat in the coffee shop across from my best friend, staring at the window and towards the flower shop across the street while admiring the beautifully planted flowers out front of the shop, Floral Finesse. They were so well aligned, perfectly set up, like it had been a perfectionist over even a robot to plant them there. I was distracted by the flowers and the sounds of birds chirping like they were right next to my ears. That's when I heard a few bells chime from across the way—I didn't actually hear them but thought I did; it was him that I truly saw. A tall—yet shorter than me—man, mixed, Hispanic, and some sort of Asian—not meaning that in a bad way—but holy, he was beautiful. He had dark hair and dark eyes, a green apron with a gray shirt underneath, and the sleeves rolled up, revealing his semi-dark arms. He had freckles and two dark moles, one above his lip and the other below his eye. He has hair with sort of cartoon-like style to it, like it was too perfect to be real, the way it ran past his shoulders, and how his bangs grew out to be In front of his eyes… the way his glasses lay on his face… was all so perfect. I don’t think I had noticed that my jaw was hanging from the sight of him. That was, until my friend spoke up from across the table, leaning over to tap my shoulder, “Yo dude?... Vicc? You good, man?” I snapped out of my trance and shook my head before placing a hand over my eyes and sighing. I had never felt such a way for any person, not even the people I have dated in the past—being none since I'm third wheel, but thought I might just say that for fun. I watched my friend side-eye me while taking a sip of his coffee. I don't think he realized how bad he was at giving side-eyes, but I’ll let him figure it out on his own. I sighed again and looked away, feeling my heart racing. I could feel my cheeks flush as I tried to think of a way to change the subject. I knew I had to say something, but I had no idea what. I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. I forced a smile and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, just... distracted.” I looked back across the street, and the man was gone. He probably went back into the flower shop to help another customer. I looked back at my friend and nervously ran my hand, threw my reddened hair, and faintly chuckled, "Well, I guess we better get going. It's getting late." He nodded and finished his coffee, standing up and grabbing his bag. As I walked out of the café, I couldn't help but glance back at the flower shop, hoping to catch another glimpse of him. Maybe, just maybe, fate would find a way to bring us together again. I knew this feeling was different, and I couldn't shake the thought that our paths were meant to cross. The flower shop seemed to hold a kind of magic, a place where beauty and serenity intertwined. Every vibrant bloom and delicate petal inside felt like a reflection of the emotions swirling within me. As I glanced back one last time, I couldn't help but wonder if the shop itself was a sign that something extraordinary was about to blossom in my life. 

Mizuki’s Pov

 

It was just another regular day of work for me. It was something I enjoyed doing; I loved anything to do with plants or nature in general. I was nervous about plants. 

I stepped outside of my shop, the beaming rays of the sun hitting my face and making me flinch slightly as I adjusted to the bright light. I looked over at my well-planted plants outside of my shop and noticed they were looking a little down and dehydrated, so I filled a canteen up and began lightly watering them. I like sunny days, but I also like it when it rains so my plants can get natural watering—if that makes sense. I had skipped out on my morning coffee today because of all the pickup appointments I had booked. I looked over at the cafe for a second just to see a brownish-reddish-haired man looking at me. I'm not sure he even noticed my glance towards him since he looked pretty zoned out. I watched him turn away as his friend tapped him, so I returned to my business. It was two thirty; my shop closed at three, so I went back in to tidy a few things up since I wasn’t expecting anymore customers for the day, hopefully.