Tahani & Eleanor (Multiple Short Stories)

Her Good Friend, Ed

"Eleanor... how would you feel about meeting a friend of mine?" Tahani inquired, watching the blonde pick the petals off a pink carnation on display. She crossed her arms and gave Eleanor a chastising look.

"A friend of yours?" Eleanor pretended to think about it, despite having already made up her mind the moment the question passed through Tahani's lips. Tahani's soft, pink, luscious, totally-not-chapped lips. Eleanor suddenly grew aware of her own rough and cracked lips and she wet them with her tongue. "A friend as in an actual friend? Or a friend as in someone like... I don't know, Brad Pitt?"

Tahani chuckled, "Oh, don't be silly! I haven't spoken to Brad since the famous Brangelina split! It would be rather awkward for my good friend Angelina, you know. Though he has called me on occasion since then..."

"I'm sure," Eleanor commented flatly.

"Stop doing that," Tahani remarked, growing tired of watching the growing pile of petals collecting on the floor in front of Eleanor.

Eleanor let go of the latest flower she'd picked up, which only had three petals left on it, and stared at it.

"Well, go on then. You might as well finish the job," Tahani sighed, sensing Eleanor's annoyance at the three remaining petals. Secretly, they bothered her too.

"So you never answered my question. What friend?"

"Oh, I'm sure you don't know him," Tahani assured her.

"Try me."

"No, no. I wanted to surprise you," Tahani informed her brightly. "I invited him to brunch today."

"Brunch..." Eleanor allowed the word to roll off her tongue. "Never did like that word. Is it breakfast? Or lunch?"

"Would you rather I say bruncheon?" Tahani teased.

"Brunch is okay!" Eleanor perked up.

"Excellent. We'll be meeting him there in fifteen minutes. Until then, perhaps you could... clean some of that up?" Tahani hinted as she pointed to the multicolored heap of petals.

"That's what the cleaning people are for," Eleanor shrugged as she went to brush past Tahani, who took the opportunity to catch her hand. Eleanor looked up to see another scolding look from Tahani.

"Eleanor..."

"Fine..." the blonde sighed as she bent down to scoop the petals up. "But only because you're looking at me with those... warm brown eyes of yours."

Tahani raised an eyebrow at Eleanor, who continued with her strangely poetic analogy.

"Those... eyes as earthy and rich as fresh soil. Those... pools of melted chocolate—"

"You had me until the chocolate cliché," Tahani interrupted her with a smirk and watched Eleanor throw the petals into a nearby trash bin.

"Alright, let's get to this brunch!" Eleanor declared, flinging the shop's door wide open. "Mama's hungry."

"Ms. al-Jamil?" the florist called out to her from behind a large floral arrangement that looked like it might be on its way to a funeral.

"Yes, Preston?"

"Which would you like?" he reminded her of the very task that brought her to the florist shop. "They're all fresh."

"In that case, I'll take them all. One of everything," Tahani answered simply. She paused before pointing to a pink carnation. "I want one of everything except that one. Leave those out, please."