In Bloom

Chapter One-Budding

(Quick Author's note: Thank you for reading my story, I will be releasing more chapters very soon and in the mean time I hope you enjoy this chapter. Had to push the release date, thought it would be perfect for Valentine's day. A budding relationship.)  

Walking down the street, listening to other people walk down the street, listening to their shoes clack on the pavement, to people hurrying themselves to work, talking one the phone, to one man yelling at a boy riding his bike a bit too close to bystanders. People carrying suitcase, briefcases, shopping bags, it all makes me feel somewhat empty handed carrying only my phone and my wallet. It's for the best, who knows what could happen just simply walking down the street.

I listen to the yellow taxis and an array of trafficking cars going to who knows where. To cars honking, speeding, braking, spewing out grey smoke from the exhaust. I look at the towering buildings reflecting the sky surrounding its rise and towering economical castles.

This city makes me feel like an ant finding its way through tall grass with millions of other tiny, tiny ants. Though it all is comforting in some way, it makes me feel glad that I came back here to live. Back to New York.

My wandering mind finds itself back to me when I reach my destination. 'In Bloom Florist'. Giant floor to ceiling windows takes up the wall with a large, singular, glass door and a small overhang above the door, assumedly to shelter people from the rain a little when it occurs.

I stress myself the 'push' sign on the door before I attempt to open it, I don't want to make a complete embarrassment of myself just yet. When I open the surprisingly clean, heavy, glass door, the scent of flowers all rushes at me all at once. Colourful flowers sit, wrapped at the stem, into bouquets with prices attached. The room littered with flowers, people, pots and mirrors. In the mirror I can see the florist behind me and of course my reflection. I look at my clothes, red silk blouse tucked into my ripped black denim jeans with my black denim jacket absolutely covered with pins and patches in no particular order or theme. My 'stay wild' patch catches my eye, the corner subtly detaching itself from the shoulder of my jacket. I'll have to fix that.

In my contemplation, a person with a yellow pleasing aesthetic catches my eye. I turn and look with the corner of my eye. A young woman with a yellow and white cropped stripy shirt, light blue denim overalls that widen at the ankles, white converses, white socks with a bright sunflower pattern with her light brown hair messily tied back with a yellow velvet scrunchy and olive tinted skin. She herself is also standing in front of a mirror, putting a daisy-looking flower in her hair. If I knew more flowers other than roses, daisies, lilacs and lilies, I'd probably be able to actually identify what flower it is.

I manage to bring my attention from the random mystery girl in the corner and instead focus it on the task at hand. Finding a bouquet of flowers.

I turn to an area of bouquets and try to find one suitable but for some reason my eyes seem to stumble upon her. To her smiling and talking to other people. It's weird, it's a genuine smile. A genuine, radiating smile. She's even smiling while she's cutting flower stems and making up newer and fresher bouquets. She must work here.

I shake the thought away, clearing my head and turning it back to the bouquets.

C'mon, something red, just find a red bouquet. My eyes fall on a large, bouquet of roses and some other white and red flowers mixed in the bunch. Checking the tag, it reads, "Flowers include: Anemone, Roses, Calla Lilies, Orchids and Dendrobium Orchid." The bouquet in the perfect but it's better to keep looking just in case.

All my attention distracted to the bouquets, I barely even notice the florist girl rearranging bouquets and look at me, mouth dropped. "Oh my god, your jacket's amazing." I get a lot of compliments on my jacket, but none as excited as hers. "Th-Thanks." I awkwardly retort. The mystery girl begins to circle around me, observing my jacket, pointing out pins. She stops circling, with a smile on her face and says "Sorry, I just haven't seen a jacket as covered as yours, especially with so many references that I actually recognize," She says laughing, "anyway, back to how I'm meant to act. Can I help you with anything today?" I laugh hard, "No, I'm fine thanks. I'm just going to go out on a hunch here and say that you work here?" Anyone would be able to hear the sarcasm escaping through my teeth.