Happy to be of Service//RedCrackle

Chapter Eleven- Admitting to the Flowers (Edited)

Gray POV

With Carmen away on business, I found myself deep-cleaning and organizing my apartment.

Twice.

"There." I stood and dusted my shirt off, surprised to see that a shelf in one of the corners was indeed a deep brown and not gray. "Well, I guess that's what I get for not cleaning every week."

My phone began to buzz in my pocket, and as I fished it out, I wistfully hoped that it was Carmen.

It wasn't, of course.

I answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Graham?" A young women's English accented voice greeted me lightly.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Oh, good." There was a nervous laugh. "Just calling to tell you that your flower order is ready. The... erythrina crista-galli flowers, right? Five seedlings, newly potted?"

"That sounds correct, mate."

"Great. You can come get them anytime." She sounded relieved.

"I'll come now, thanks." I hung up and stuffed my feet into my shoes, grabbing my bus pass and wallet off of the counter. "And, to the florist I go."

I stared in amazement at the tiny green shoots. If I didn't know they would turn into red one-petaled flowers, I probably would've dismissed them as a weed, or something.

But no.

They would be perfect.

"Now remember," Angie's dark skinned face peered at me from behind several papers. She was the receptionist at this company store location, and the one who had called me earlier. "They need both sun and shadow time because of the way they were bred for this climate, and the specific soil that they were planted in. Also..." She shuffled through the papers. "Ah- here." She handed one to me, with a pen. "Sign this."

When I was finished, she asked, "Payment type?"

"Cash," I replied, pulling out a 50. "Thanks for your help, Angie." I picked up the small box holding the plants and headed back to the bus stop.

The five small pots fit perfectly on the window sill in my kitchen. They would be bathed in sunlight for most of the day, but during the night they would have their shadow time. I gazed at them happily. Carmen would love them.

I couldn't sleep for a long time that night. Thoughts of Carmen kept me awake, to no surprise.

She kissed me.

Carmen kissed me. Not the other way around. I think it was her way of saying, "I'm ready. I've lowered the walls. I love you."

I suddenly grabbed my pillow and threw it across the room. GOSH, she was so amazing. She was smart and beautiful and feisty and stubborn and witty...

And she was my world.

Carmen was everything to me, and I loved her.

I really did.

Having finally admitted the facts to myself, sleep washed over me, and I nodded off.