Hold on Tight

8. Supermarket Flowers

» Beam «

"Earth to Beam, are you still there?" The feeling of someone nudging my shoulders and the sound of my best friend's voice reeled me back into reality.

I blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Ai'Forth's performance ended already," Kit said with a frown on his face. "You've been staring into space for a while now."

"I have?" I didn't even noticed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding very worried. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," I said dismissively, trying to sound as convincing as I can and shook my head in emphasize.

Kit gave me this look, like he didn't believe me. But he let it slide and didn't pressure me into answering. "Well, c'mon then."

"Where are we going?"

"To buy roses for Phana of course," he said as he stood up from his seat and beckoned for me to do the same. "It's time for the popularity award."

Oh right. It was that time already?

The popularity award was the much anticipated part of the contest, probably even more than the coronation itself since it was a once in a lifetime chance for the fans to personally give flowers and gifts to their favorite moon and star. Each roses was worth a point and the award would be given to the contestants with the most number of roses. The money accumulated from purchasing the roses would be given to the chosen charity of the organizers of the pageant.

The stall where they sold the roses was packed and the line towards the contestant was already long. How many flowers had the organizers prepared this year? Cause I really feel like they'd run out of it at this rate. Damn, people really this contest seriously. 

Seeing the chaos at the stall, me and Kit decided to wait for a it until the crowd cleared up so we wouldn't get caught up in the mob.

"You should give him some, y'know. I think he'll like it," Kit commented as if was finally our turn to buy the flowers. I was then contemplating on how many roses I should give Phana since I know that his fans would already give him plenty. It would be a waste of money if I did.

"Of course I will. But it isn't to please him. Phana would kill us if you don't give him any." That friend of ours was pretty high maintenance after all. -_-

But Kit shook his head as he handed the money to pay for his share of the flowers. "I wasn't talking about Ai'Pha. I meant Ai'Forth." There was a glint in his eyes as he mentioned the Engineering moon's name. "I know you want to give him some."

There it was. Kit was teasing me again! "W-what are you t-talking about?" I stuttered in between words and I cursed myself for it.

But my ever lovely best friend didn't answer, instead he left and went to the queue towards the contestants, wanting to give his roses to Phana so it would be done already, leaving me behind, confused and disarrayed.

"How many would you like?" the girl who was selling the flowers asked me nicely. If I wasn't in a state of dilemma then I would have probably tried asking for the girl's number since she was really pretty and there wasn't hiding the flirtatious tone she used when she referred to me . But my mind was preoccupied with other thoughts at that moment.