Seasons Of Love ❤️

4. Gardenias

It takes a weeks' worth of lunch hours to figure it out - and half of dozen attempts to recreate the drawing using new mediums - but Mahir puts his finger on what the piece is missing.

He wanders over the flower shop and stops outside of the door. He can see the flower shop girl at the counter, as he wipes his palms nervously against his jeans before pushing the door open.

A bell tinkles overhead as he walks in, and the noise causes Flower Shop girl to look up from where she is rearranging one of the many flower displays on the counter.

"How can I help you, mysterious tattoo artist from the parlour next door?" Flower Shop girl asks finishing her duty with a flourish and then directing a smile towards Mahir.

Mahir flushes - damn she didn't even do anything and it was freakin' cute - and he says, "it's Mahir, actually."

"Sorry, let me try that once again," Flower Shop girl says apologetically. She clears her throat and repeats the question, "How can I help you, Mahir actually?"

Mahir wrinkles his nose at the silly joke, and Flower Shop girl giggles cutely.

When her laughter dies down, Mahir says, "I'm looking for a flower."

"Well then, you've definitely come to the right place," Flower Shop girl says with a teasing grins, and Mahir smiles at her sheepishly rubbing the nape of his neck, because duh, what else was he hoping to find in a flower shop? The girl saves Mahir from mentally cursing himself and asks, "What kind of flower you're looking for?"

Something as pretty as your smile is Mahir's immediate thought, but he bites his tongue because he's already embarrassed as it is - he doesn't want to add cheesy flirting to the mix.

Instead he admits, "I'm not sure, to be honest. What's your favourite flower?"

Flower Shop girl doesn't seem surprised by the question. Mahir surmise that people must ask her all the time. She steps out from behind the counter and gestures for Mahir to follow her into the maze of shelves teeming with flowers.

"I like gardenias the most," Flower Shop girl says, leading Mahir towards a row of elegant white blooms. She runs a finger across the petals of the closest flower and smiles softly. "They aren't particularly rare or special, but they're said to symbolise a secret or newly blooming love. Aside from being a beautiful flower, their meaning is the ultimate draw for a hopeless romantic like myself - Roses are the go-to flower for declarations of love, but giving someone a gardenia so much more classy to me."

Mahir smiles at the Flower Shop girl. Like a child overcome by their first ever crush, (and definitely not the twenty five year old adult he is supposed to be) he gets lost in her eyes, so soft, lovely and warm. Then he remembers what he came to the flower shop for.

"Can I have a gardenia then please?" He blurts out, hoping that the girl didn't think anything of his love-struck staring.

"Just the one?" Flower girl asks, reaching to take one off the shelf.

Mahir pauses. He deliberates for a moment before deciding to buy two. Flower shop girl brings the flowers back to the counter and begins to wrap them both in paper while Mahir digs into his pocket to find the right amount of cash.

The transaction ends with a shared smile and a thank you, and mahir heads towards the door. As he's leaving the store, he gets a sudden burst of confidence (or stupidity; he can't tell which) and calls out his shoulder.

"Thanks, Flower Shop girl!"

The response is immediate. Mahir stops halfway out the door.

"It's Bela, actually."

He turns on his feet then, and eyes Flower girl with a cheeky grin.

"Thanks, Bela actually!"

Bela's answering goarn is belied by the twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Mahir winks, and just like that, Bela is the one left blushing and Mahir finally emerges from an interaction with the Flower Shop girl as the victor.

-

Mahir returns to the Flower Shop only seconds later. He takes one of his recently purchased gardenias from the wrapping and hands the one still in the paper to Bela, who accepts it with a questioning look.

"I actually only needed one flower; I bought that one just for you."

Bela's blush deepens then, since it hasn't really had time to fade, and Mahir walks out of the shop again with an even bigger bounce in his step.