Lilly of the Valley

Lilly of The Valley

"The Bloom Room Boutique, how may I help you?" the florist said without looking up from behind her computer.

"Yes, I'd like to place an order for a two dozen lilies." The voice was that of a man; deep, articulate and soothing.

The florist adjusted her glasses and looked up for the first time. Her breath hitched and she almost fell out of her chair. There was no other way to describe this man but breathtakingly...WOW. Slowly, she allowed herself to study his features and found that she got lost in his eyes, which were hazel and just as beautiful as the rest of him. She gave out a dazed sigh. His looks were familiar, but he was not. She had never seen him before. If she had, she would definitely have remembered him. Maybe not. She was bad with faces.

"Um, hello? Miss..." the man looked down to her name tag, "...Ana?"

The florist who was called Ana blinked suddenly, rapidly, coming out of her trance. "Huh? Oh! That'll be $38.99, please. Hold on one moment." She got up, and went inside a room behind the desk. No more than five minutes later, she returned with a fresh bouquet of tiger lilies.

The man paid and then smirked and looked Ana in the eye. "You seemed to be in your own little world there. What were you fantasizing about? Was it my dreamy eyes? Or my dazzling smile?"

Suddenly, he was no longer so charming. 'He's cocky,' Ana thought, 'but two can play at this game.' "So who are those flowers for? With your attitude, I doubt you have a girlfriend. So did you buy flowers to give the pretty florist at the front desk? Aww," she cooed teasingly, "how sweet!"

Stunned, the man just stood there. He was at a loss for words. He took out a notepad and a pen, wrote something down, tore the paper out, and gave it to her. Finally, he said, "My, name's Xander, by the way. Call me sometime!"

Ana found a strip of paper with the man's name and number being shoved into her hands. She snorted. "You wish!"

Taking the flowers, Xander turned to leave. "Maybe I do," he said, walking out the door. The bell jingled as the door opened and shut.

Liliana Parker closed the door with a bang. She looked around the Manhattan flat she called home. Making her way to the bathroom, she turned the bathtub faucets to just the right temperature. She undressed and sank way down in the tub. After a long workday at the flower shop with particularly rude and irritating customers named Xander, she needed something to ease her nerves. Ten minutes later, she was still in the tub when she heard a voice call out, "Lily! I'm home! I have groceries! Where are you?" Everyone called her Lilly but the customers she didn't quite know. For those, she offered the name 'Ana'.

"Bathroom, Rosie!" came the reply. Liliana quickly finished her bath and dressed in an old tee and sweatpants. She searched the apartment for the other girl.

Rosemary Parker had lived with her twin sister for eight years, ever since their sophomore year of college when she had switched her major from business to botany. Now, at 27 years of age, she was running a successful business, recently engaged, and moving out soon. Her wedding was in three months, and she needed to start preparing for the move. Lily found her sister in her bedroom packing away her winter clothes. She pushed everything off of the nightstand and sat on it. "Need any help?" she asked Rosie as she began folding a heap of sweaters on the bed.

"Yeah, thanks, but you're picking up my stuff off the floor." Together, they finished in 20 minutes.

When they were done, Lilly said, " I'm going to pick up Lyn."

"Alright, but bring her back by seven. Ask her what she wants to eat."

Carolyn Morrow was a close friend of the twins. She had a degree in marketing and had started up the flower shop with them. Technically, all three of their names were business-related, since her maiden name was Flowers. She was twenty-eight, married, and three months pregnant. Every Thursday, the girls had dinner together as a way to keep in touch outside of work. Because Lyn now had cravings, it was her choice on what they ate.The threesome always had fun catching up on Thursday night dinner. That week was no different; full of laughs and life and love.