The Wardens

Serendipity

When you called me
I became your flower
As if we were waiting
We bloom until we ache

Maybe it's the providence of the universe
That's how it is
You know, I know
You are me, I am you

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Hadley

Hadley sighs sadly as rain patters against the front windows of her mother's florist shop. There will be very few customers today. Unless they're for an approaching special occasion, very few people are in the mood to buy cheerful flowers on dreary days like this. As a result, there is nothing Hadley can do except sit, watch the clock tick through the seconds, get bored of that, read for awhile, get bored of that, sweep the shop even though she has done so already, check for scheduled deliveries in the log-book as though expecting addresses to appear on the blank page, and wait desperately for the phone to ring.

"I hate the rain," she grumbles to herself as she watches through the windows as people carrying umbrellas hurry past the shop without giving it a single glance. "I don't even get paid for this." Every minute ticks by so slowly, and Hadley wonders if she can possibly lose her mind from boredom.

    And then she hears it. It's like the sound of an angel coming down to rescue her. The bell over the door jingles. Her head snaps up from the counter, but her greeting dies on her tongue as she realizes she recognizes the customer. It's the same young man who came a couple of weeks ago, the last time it rained.

    She has only seen him once before, but he is someone you're not likely to forget EVER. He's tall with dark brown eyes, a long but well-defined face, brown hair with a subtle side-part, and his warm smile easily makes Hadley forget that it's raining. But the most curious thing about him is his school uniform. The dark grey pants, the maroon blazer over a black waistcoat and white collared shirt, black tie, and gold crest patch over the left breast pocket inform her that he is from Warden Academy, an extremely exclusive private school on the edge of town.

    Besides the fact that he is a mysterious student from a mysterious school, he is also so memorable because the last time he visited the shop, he bought a single yellow gerbera daisy and gave it to Hadley. The gesture was so kind and sweet, and it instantly brightened up her day. Now, the boy wanders around the shop, looking at all of the flowers.

    "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?" Hadley asks him.

    "Yes," he chuckles. "Ah, found it!" He selects a pink aster and brings it to the counter. After he pays for it, he motions for Hadley to lean forward. She does so hesitantly, and he breaks the stem to shorten it and stick it behind her right ear. The bright flower stands out sharply against her long, wavy, auburn hair.

    "Perfect," the boy says as he steps back from the counter to admire it.

    Hadley tries very hard not to grin stupidly. "You're trying to tell me something, aren't you?" she inquires. "You picked a yellow daisy before which symbolizes cheerfulness. The aster means patience."

    "A pretty girl needs to be given a pretty flower now and then," he replies with a casual shrug, playing it off cooly. But he winks to let her know that she has guessed correctly. "You shouldn't be so miserable on rainy days." He opens the door and smiles up at the grey sky and the fat droplets that smack the pavement. "Rain brings life to the beautiful flowers you sell."

    He opens his umbrella and prepares to step out into the rain again, but Hadley stops him. "Wait!" she shouts. "What's your name?"

    He looks back at her and smiles that warm smile of his. "Seokjin. And yours?"