The Language of Flowers

Chapter 1: Gloxinia

A/N: "conversations" thoughts

Ohm Thitiwat Ritprasert is in a dilemma. Currently standing in the middle of a mall, looking left and right to spot the perfect gift for his sister's birthday. How hard is it to buy a gift for a grown-ass woman, he groaned mentally. He's been searching the mall for a good amount of 30 minutes already and if he doesn't decide now, he will be late to his soccer training. His captain would definitely dislike that. He definitely can't buy after practice because all the shops would be close by the time they finish.

A ringing phone broke his useless thoughts. Upon seeing the name of his best friend, he swiped right. Before he can even utter a single word, a certain blonde in the name of Boun started screaming from the other line, "Where the hell are you?! Training will start in 30!" Ohm had to distance the phone from himself or else he'll definitely end up losing his hearing.

"I told you I'm dropping by at the mall to buy a gift for Pine," Ohm explained. He's pretty sure he didn't have to explain but with a friend like Boun, he knew he had.

"You've been gone for almost 30 minutes; Pine doesn't mind whatever you get her. She's your freaking sister, for God's sake."

Well, that's true. Ohm is sure, Pine will appreciate whatever he gets her. But he really wants it to be special since it's been a while since he got her something. What do I get her? A certain bright blue shop caught the corner of Ohm's eyes. Hidden at the farthest end of the mall, no one could ever notice the shop. Ohm dropped the call and hurriedly run towards the blue shop. A wide array of bouquets displayed behind the glass welcomed a panting Ohm. MyBlue Flower Shop.

The bell chimed as he entered the shop. Some customers looked at his direction as well as the female cashier who acknowledged his entrance with a nod. Ohm wanted to directly go to the cashier to ask some advice on what to get but since there's a line, he opted to look around first and see if he likes anything.

Once again, Ohm Thitiwat Ritprasert is in a dilemma. He's not sure which one to get because there's just too many options. "Just how many flowers are there— even the roses have 20 selections", he grumbled softly. He's too focused on the roses to notice that someone approached him from behind.

A soft chuckle interrupted his grumbling. He didn't notice the chime of the bell earlier, indicating that someone had entered the shop. He peeked sideways and saw a small man wearing an apron with the logo of the shop beside him. Finally, a staff.

Before he can open his mouth, Ohm was left speechless by the cute guy beside him. Soft hair, round eyes, fluffy cheeks, beautiful smile.. and the list just goes on. Oh lord, thank you.

"Do you need any help in choosing? Maybe for a special someone? Red roses are popular these days. It means love and respect", he smiled. Ohm felt like he was in heaven for a while.

Ohm composed himself. "I'm sure I love and respect my sister but not in that way you're thinking of. I'm Ohm, by the way." Ohm said, offering his hand. Ohm is not even sure why he had to introduce himself but he knew he needed to if he wants some help personally, or so he thought.

"Sorry about that P'Ohm," he chuckled lightly while accepting Ohm's handshake. "So you're getting flowers for your sister? What's the occasion?"

"Birthday."

The florist nodded before picking up two different shades of pink roses, one is light and the other is dark pink. He held the two up to Ohm. "Dark pink symbolizes gratitude and appreciation while light pink conveys grace, gentleness, joy, and happiness."

Wow, who knew flowers held deep meanings. Ohm thought. Whatever meaning they hold, he better pick one right now because he realizes he only has 15 minutes left after glancing at the clock.

"Can you combine them into a bouquet?"

The florist smiled, "Of course. Please wait here for a while."

Once he left, Ohm's mind began asking a series of questions. What is his name? Where does he live? Is he a student? If so, where does he study? What is he studying? Why is he working here? Is he single? Does he even like guys?

"Thank you for waiting, here is your bouquet," the soft voice startled him, breaking his useless thoughts. Ohm paid and took the flowers and glanced at the clock. Shit. I only have 5 minutes left.

After muttering a quick thanks, he hurriedly ran out the shop. He was sure he heard a faint "Please come again." before the door ultimately closed. He didn't notice how a small smile appeared in the florist's lips.

As he is seated in his car, he put the flowers in the backseat and drove like a madman going to university. He arrived at the university after 30 minutes, thanks to traffic. Upon arrival at the field, he was greeted by the maintenance people who were cleaning the field. Huh? Where is everyone?

A ringing phone once broke his thoughts. It's Boun. "Oh? Ohm! You finally picked up. I've been calling you for a while now."

Boun was calling me? Ohm checked his phone. Yep, 10 missed calls and 20 messages. I must've put it on silent after dropping the call earlier.

"Where is everybody? Wasn't training supposed to start 25 minutes ago?" Ohm is confused, definitely confused.

"That's why I've been calling you!!! Training was cancelled because the university decided to do last -minute maintenance on the field before the accreditors* arrive."

Ohm is speechless. So he didn't have to run like a madman earlier. He looked like he stole the flowers he bought earlier because he was running so fast. "Uhhh, okay. Thanks for the heads-up." Ohm sighed, as he dropped the call.

Well, that's that. I better prepare for my sister's birthday tonight. Ohm went back to his car and saw the flowers he bought.

"Well, at least I got to meet a cute guy earlier. Thank you for your help—???!!!" Ohm frozed.

"F*ck. I didn't get his name."

Back at the flower shop:

"I'm so happy for you, Fluke! You finally got to talk to him!! Will you meet him again?" Sammy squealed over the phone.

Fluke smiled, "I just talked to him because he was my customer. I don't know if I can meet him again."

"Oh come on, you're studying in the same university. What are the chances?"

"Uhm hello? I've had a crush on him since the start of the school year but I've never met him on campus," Fluke replied. That's true. He just saw Ohm once during the Freshmen Welcome Week where a lot of clubs were recruiting. He never saw the man again. He did follow him on Twitter but he would not act like a creepy stalker who'd follow his social media activity to check where the man is. Besides, he had work in his family's flower shop he'd be taking over someday.

"Maybe he'll see you again in the shop?" Sammy asked. This is what you call a supportive friend.

"I doubt it. Unless he buys flowers again." Fluke sighs, as he can only expect.

Author's Notes: 

Gloxinia (Love at First Sight) 

Thank you for reading the first chapter! It's been a while since I wrote fanfic and it's not really my forte so I hoped you liked it. Sorry for the typos and grammatical errors, if there are some. This has not been proofread for mistakes. 

*In my campus, accreditors visit once in a while to rank our university. With this in mind, everything must be immaculate. So that's the only thing I can think of as to why the field must be maintained.