Alstroemeria [COMPLETED]

Chapter 34 - Alstroemerias

I tried to smile but it was incredibly difficult when my heart was dropping out of my stomach. I thought we had more than a friendship going on. I thought he felt more for me than that, after everything we'd gone through, but obviously he thought this flower was appropriate and I wasn't going to be ungrateful. Suddenly looking at Gail was almost impossible.

I swallowed back my pain and hid my face by studying the flower. "It's pretty."

The fact that I'd told him I loved him and he'd got me this flower showed how different we were right now. Obviously I felt more for him than he did for me and it was a painful realisation which I had to get over quickly before my friends realised that something was wrong. Luckily, Carrie and Jim were useless at flower meanings and had no idea what this meant.

I gave him a small kiss on the cheek as a thank you, not trusting myself to say any more as I put the flower down on the table. I couldn't hold it in. I could feel the tears bubbling up to the surface. I quickly made my excuses and rushed out of the room, up the stairs to the toilet where I let out a painful gasp.

Had I seriously been so blind to not recognise his lack of feeling? From everything we'd done and the way we acted with each other, this flower just didn't make sense. I thought he felt more than that, considering as we had been seeing each other for months, but I guess Gail just wasn't ready to move forward. He still wasn't ready to let someone completely in. I hadn't seen his guard up for months, though maybe I'd overlooked it in my blindness of feelings towards him. Maybe he was still guarded and unwilling to let me into his heart.

Tears dropped down my cheeks as I tried to control myself. I couldn't look like I was upset when I went down the stairs. I couldn't let them catch on that I was hurting from being pushed away by a guy I loved so much more than any man I'd ever been with, including Harry.

After a few more minutes I sniffed and wiped away my tears. I could do this. I could go downstairs, keep a show, and talk to Gail once we got back to mine. It didn't need to happen here. I straightened up and made sure my eyes looked presentable before unlocking the door and stepping outside of the bathroom.

Arms suddenly caged me and I jumped before realising that Carrie's big bump was pushing into my belly. I automatically hugged her back, refusing to get emotional again. "Ginny, what is it?"

I sniffed quickly and pulled away from her, not trusting myself to stay in her arms dry eyed. "He gave me a friendship flower, Carrie. That's a friendship flower."

She frowned. Clearly she was just as confused as I was. I couldn't blame her. Even after a month of seeing Gail, she had started making jokes about us getting engaged or running away to elope on a last minute decision. We were so close to each other publically and privately that it was baffling to think that a friendship flower was Gail's choice of surprise for me. "A friendship flower? But he's your boyfriend! Surely he's just made a mistake..." she began, rubbing her forehead of the lines which were appearing.

I laughed humourlessly. "Gail doesn't make mistakes. He specialises in flowers. It's his job. He knows what it means."

Her expression dropped and her forehead creased up further in worry. "Oh Ginny, I'm sure there's some explanation. You're more to him than friendship."

I shook my head and pressed my palms to my eyes to stop them watering again. "I told him I loved him and he went out and bought me Alstroemerias. He's knocking me back, Carrie. It's a clear sign of telling me that he's not there yet; he's far from being there." I stepped back as she reached for me again and continued to shake my head. "Don't, please. I don't want to get upset. I'll just...I'll talk to him when I get back home."