Inked Flowers - Moxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Three

Virgil let out a growl of frustration as he made his way toward the flower shop on the corner. It was pouring rain and he was soaked all the way through his heavy hoodie.

He was annoyed with his friend Sandra; she'd asked him to run out to get her flowers so she would be able to ask out the customer she'd been crushing on for month. She'd been planning to go get them herself, but forgot about the appointment scheduled right before the person she was asking out. He didn't have any appointments scheduled for a couple hours, so she'd begged him to do it.

Being the good friend he is, Virgil had agreed. Now he was wishing he hadn't. He was shivering as the rain pelted his skin and the wind buffed at his hair, sending it flying into his eyes.

He reached the flower shop and paused outside the door. There was a cover over it, so he shook off as much water as he could before going inside, not wanting to track water into the shop. To his surprise, an employee stepped outside with a towel in hand. 

"Come on in," he said, handing it to him. "It's been raining for the last hour so the floor's already wet. Besides, we don't want anyone catching a cold."

The young man's name tag read 'Matt' and he seemed vaguely familiar. Virgil searched his memory as he surveyed him. He spotted a tattoo of an orchid on his forearm, visible because his uniform was a short-sleeved polo shirt. The memory clicked; this young man had come into the shop for a tattoo appointment just last week. He hadn't been the one to do the tattoo, but he'd seen him come in. 

"Thanks," the tattoo artist replied as he toweled off his hair and dabbed his dripping clothes the best he could. "I need to get a bouquet of flowers."

"Ah, what's the occasion?" Matt asked, smiling a little. "Asking a special someone something?"

He shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "No, I'm not, my friend Sandra is," he explained. "She was going to come but she had an appointment she had to attend to, so she sent me. She's asking out the person she's had her eye on for a while."

"I see, do you know what she had in mind?" the employee questioned. 

"No, she didn't give me any information about this person, and didn't request anything specific, so I'm guess just something romantic," Virgil mumbled, feeling uncomfortable. As he looked around the store, he noticed all sorts of customers that wore happy smiles and normal clothes, nothing like his black outfit compose of ripped jeans, studded combat boots, a vintage My Chemical Romance shirt, his classic plaid hoodie, numerous pieces of jewelry, and of course, his telltale eye shadow. He noticed how the other customers were glancing his way and then immediately looking away. "I need to find something rather quickly please, I need to get back in time for her to ask this person out."

Matt nodded and guided him toward the romantic section. "Many people go for roses or carnations, but if this is just a question of a date, those might be over the top," he said. "I'd recommend the tulips. They're simple, beautiful, and perfect for a joyful occasion."

"I'll take those," he said, nodded as he shifted uncomfortably in his damp clothing. 

He nodded and picked up a bouquet, heading to the check out counter as Virgil trailed after him. As he did so, he bumped into someone. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! Clumsy me," he said, flashing him an apologetic smile as he raced off. 

The darkly dressed man blinked after him. Shrugging to himself, he paid for the flowers and headed back to the parlor.