Roses... Really? [Zarry] [valentine's special three-shot]

[part one] love-fest day and free advice.

[part one]

"Maybe she'll like this one, or maybe the cute thingy on this one..." A guy was mumbling to himself while debating between two elaborately designed Valentine's day cards, tapping his fingers over the glass of the huge display case in agitation. I observed the guy standing a few feet away with a bored gaze. Really? Why the fuck is he stressing over a simple card? It's just a card, buy it, give it to the poor unlucky girl, waste your money, get it over with.

I shook my head, and plastered on a fake smile as the guy came closer to me, placing the glittery pink card on the counter.

"Would that be all?" I asked cheerily, and the guy nodded absentmindedly, a dreamy smile of his face. I rolled my eyes, and rung up the card. Transferring it into a ribbony pink shopping bag boasting the logo of 'Linda's Lovely Flower and Card Shop', I slid it towards the customer.

"Um, excuse me?" I snapped impatiently, and the guy snapped out of his daze, laughing airily, as he pulled out his credit card from his wallet.

"Sorry about that. It's just that, today's Valentine's day. And my girl's coming here to meet me. After a whole six months away. And I can't stop thinking about her. I wonder what she would be wearing-"

"Yeah, sir. That would be all, thank you. Come again," I smoothly cut him off with a forced smile and a nod, gritting my teeth. The guy just grinned at me, and practically skipped outside. Wow. I doubt he's straight.

So let me tell you a bit about me. I'm not really fond of Valentine's day as you might have guessed. Yeah, I despise it with a burning passion. My shit of a best friend says that's only because I'm single and got dumped in my last two relationships, but I beg to disagree.

I had just hated everything lovey dovey and romantic and fluffy and shit since I was a little kid, is that too much to understand? Girls love that shit and I don't, hence the reason why I was dumped by the last two bitches I dated. The last I am ever going to date.

And oh! I didn't even tell you the best part.

You're going to love this.

It's pretty ironic actually. During college, everybody needs a part-time job, as you might know. My best friend Louis Tomlinson snagged a job at the kebab restaurant downtown, his boyfriend Liam Payne applied a job at the cinema, and then there's me.

I had applied at every decent place, specifically avoiding this glittery pink, rosed-scented, cloying dump. But the little fucker I call my best friend filled out my job application for this place, and fate made it so that I actually got the fucking job.

A guy who despises anything to do with the word love is working at a flower and card shop. And has gotten stuck with the extra shift on fucking Valentine's day.

I can hear you laughing at my misery now, you little shit.

"Zayn! The fresh batch of roses just arrived! Get them from the back!" My co-worker's high-pitched voice broke me out of my bitter thoughts, and I groaned sleepily, straightening up from the stool I was sat on.

It was about 9 AM now (and I was fucking tired), so customers had just started to come in. And it was freaking Valentine's day, so now way in hell was this going to be a slow day. And my (double) shift ends at 6 PM today instead of the usual 1 PM. Oh, lucky me.

I trudged towards the back room, and was instantly hit with the cloying smell of hundreds of different smelling and colored flowers, waiting to be intricately wrapped up and be presented to somebody, only to be thrown away a few days later.

What a waste of everything.

With a snort at my own thoughts, I opened the back door, and stepped back as the delivery guy pulled out boxes and from the truck loaded yet more fresh batches of roses, carnations, gardenias, daises, sunflowers and many other flowers I didn't know the name of and wasn't interested in finding out.