The Lilac Gardens

Bust

"Uh, I got these for you." Will stammered, holding out the flowers to Erica's back. Erica turned around, surprised.

She took a glance at Will and directed her attention to the flowers. Then she laughed, her twinkling light and feathery laughter. Will's heart hammered inside his chest, like a blacksmith was repeatedly bashing it to smithereens. He needed an ambulance.

"Aw thank you Will," she replied, giggling. Will hoped she didn't notice the sheet of sweat on his forehead that made him look like a beach ball. He really hoped she wouldn't notice his very obvious sweat stains in the pits of his shirt. Will's worrying on sweating made him sweat more. Why did the universe have to hate him?

"But you do realize I can get flowers here myself, right? For free?"

Dang universe.

Will's ears began to redden. He didn't even think about the fact that Erica worked at a free for all flower garden.

Erica's nose wrinkled as she went to smell the purple petals, her flawless features crumpling into a sour expression. "Why do these smell like onions?"

I'VE BEEN CAUGHT, thought Will in panic. ABORT MISSION. ABORT MISSION!

"I uh, uh..." he tried for words, but his brain and mouth failed him. He looked like a gaping fish. His face began to heat up and his palms became clammy.

Erica picked a purple flower from his hand and examined the green stem protruding from the bottom of it. She rolled the tiny cylinder between her fingers and then brought the end of it to her nose and sniffed. Her hazel eyes widened, and her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Are these chives?" she asked incredulously.

"Ummm..." Will muttered, staring at the ground, racking his empty brain for information from his ninth grade science class. He had to have learned something from there. When he wasn't sleeping or "experimenting" how many slugs he could fit in a test tube, of course.

"Chives, yes." Will uttered. He had know idea what he was talking about, but still rambled on. "Yes, they are chives."

Erica burst out laughing, loud. She threw her head back and let out the musical sound of her voice carry. Will felt himself melting into a puddle at the sound. He stood there awkwardly, holding the chives in this hands.

"Do you even know what chives are?" Erica finally said. She grinned at him, her cheeks still rosy from her laughing fit.

"Uh, they're uh... plants." answered Will, directing his eyes downward. "Nice plants..."

Erica chuckled. "Chives are plants, but used for cooking. You cut them up and put them in your food so they taste extra oniony. You don't usually give them as flowers to people."

"Oh." said Will, feeling stupider by the minute. His face burned. Erica patted his arm.

"The effort is still appreciated, Will." Erica bemusedly told him, gently taking the bouquet of chives from his hands. She joined them with the extra chive she took from the group and put them on the table behind her. "I'll use these to make my soup tonight, so thank you!"

"Uh yeah," mumbled Will. Mission failed. Impressing her was a total blowout. Good job Will, and thanks universe.

Erica turned around. "I'm taking my break!" she said to the ladies making the bouquets. She took off her faded green apron to reveal her purple blouse. She began to stroll along the cobblestones, calling Will.

"Second part of the tour, let's go!"

Will hesitated for a second, his mind fuzzy, and followed her.

...

She led him to a flower canopy. Of course.

The white, open structure contained vines, growing all over the wood. Green leaves grew wildly along the stems while bunches of light indigo flowers bloomed out at the ends, hanging over the holding. Underneath was a chipping bench painted the same color as the structure.

Erica made her way over, seating herself onto the right side of the seat. Will made his way over slowly, terrified at the prospect of pollen flying from the sky into his eyes and nose. After he sat trying to still his buttering fingers, Erica began to speak.

"This is my favorite place in the garden," Erica said, gazing out into the grass. Will looked forward. Their view was of the right front of the garden. A large with bark the color of earl gray tea tree grew in their sight, as well as a dark green bushes with bright pink and white flowers. To the left was part of the brick path, leading to the house. Parts of the clear blue sky could be seen.

"My grandma used to take me here when I was little," Erica continued, as she looking distantly. "She always loved flowers, their colors and their different shapes. She always told me, 'See Erica, each flower is different. Have you ever seen a non-pretty flower? No. Every flower is unique and pretty, like human beings.'"

There was a comfortable silence, listening to the faraway words indecipherable chatter and singing birds. Will sat, pondering the words.

Erica turned to him, grinning. "Pretty cheesy, wasn't that?"

"Not at all," Will said, squinting up into the sky. Erica grinned at him with appreciation, and stood up, walking to one of the wooden poles supporting the white structure.

"Did you know that some lilacs have double petals?" Erica informed him, studying the leaf off of the thin vines from above. "It's called double bloom, and they're the prettiest in this mix of indigo and periwinkle."

Will's eyes fell to his fingers, tapping the white bench. Erica continued to inspect the leaves.

"Flowers, music, and chocolate," Erica began to list. "I like those things. I also like books, movies, and ice cream. I don't like lentils, math class, or when people are intentionally mean to strangers. I love 1960's songs and old time-y car shows and my favorite time of day is sunset."

Will was taken aback. Why all this, all now? "Why-why are you telling me these things?"

Erica shrugged nonchalantly. Then she turned to him with a dazzling smile. "I don't know. It just feels like the right thing to do. You don't know what I like and what I don't like. Well, except for Star Wars. And Harry Potter."

Will barely breathed, staring at Erica, eyes widened. Her dark hair sat behind her shoulders, the wavy locks drifting with the wind while her multicolored eyes gazed at him thoughtfully for a split second. Then she took off in a gleeful run, sprinting across the field, brown hair streaking behind her.

"Tomorrow, you have to tell me about what you like," Erica yelled back at him. "And you'd better not tell me you like to dance!"

The corners of Will's lips turned up.