His Love

Floral Fortitude

Lily woke up at six in the morning and couldn't sleep anymore, so she did a stretch and got freshen up till seven.
She reached downstairs to see her grandpa sitting on the couch, reading his morning newspaper. She reached him and kissed on his cheek.

"Morning, pa." She said smiling towards him.
"Good morning, my child." He wished her back, with his now old cracky voice.

Lily's grandpa is now retired from his job, as his body's left side got paralyzed some years ago. Since Lily was capable and was smart enough to manage the shop, her grandpa handed her the responsibility.

"Where's ma?" She asked, looking around.
"She must be in the backyard, putting food for birds, as always." He answered.
"Okie." She said and from there.

As she reached the backyard, she saw her grandma talking to some birds as they were eating the food grains grandma gave them to eat.

"Morning, ma." Lily chirped from behind.
"Oh morning, honey." Grandma replied, facing lily.

Lily gasped a little, looking at the birds.
"Hi babies." She cooed at them as there were some baby birds were too.

"Have you had your breakfast, honey?"
Grandma asked while putting her hand on Lily's shoulder.

"Not yet, ma." She replied with her focus still on the birds.
"Then let's go, I'll make you some omelette." Grandma says making Lily whine and look towards her.
"Ma, I'm not hungry, I'll eat something later, hmm?" She reasoned.

Lily's words made grandma sigh, "Honey, you work the whole day, you need some energy to start your day and I don't even know if you take care of yourself during work or not. You should take care of yourself and your health, like you do with ours, honey."

"But ma, I promise I'll eat something after reaching there." She pouted.

"No more buts, young lady." She gave her a stern look. "I'm making it and you're going to eat, I don't compromise with your health." Grandma said while leaving from there.

Lily whined and she also left for the kitchen. She had her breakfast and after bidding goodbyes to her elders, she left home towards her shop; 'Rose Hills flower shop'.

After reaching her shop, she was greeted by her co-worker and the manager of her shop; Paul.

"Hey beautiful, good morning." Paul welcomed her with his regular morning sunshine energy.
"Good morning to you too, Mr. Handsome." Lily giggled and replied to him while matching his energy.

After Lily's grandpa handed the shop to her, she upgraded the shop a lot, she renewed the design and the structure of the shop from inside and out and it is also earning a lot, since it is the only and the best florist shop in the town.

After she started working there, and the work started to grow more, she needed someone to help her. That's when she met Paul, as he was new to the town and desperately needed a job.

"Oh, am I late?" She asked Paul, as she saw him packing the flowers in the courier box.
"No girl, it's just the customer who urgently wanted to prepone the parcel."
"Oh, okay then." She said while hanging her coat.

"Do we have to take the early delivery charges?" He asks.

"Well, what was the reason for ordering the parcel early?" -Her

"Well," he sighed, "as you know they were having a wedding, which is why they ordered us for the flowers," he paused, "but someone suddenly died in their family, before we even parcel the courier."

"Oh, then it's ok we don't have to take any early courier charges. Whoever they were, may rest in peace." She felt bad for the family.

After sending the courier, the day went nicely, as the customers were enough and they both handled everything smoothly.

Now Lily wiped the counter tops and now is arranging the plants, back to their places, as Paul is mopping the floor.

After turning off the lights and locking all the doors, they both left from there to eat some dinner together.

While walking with Lily, Paul was talking on the phone to the guy he was dating.

When they both were passing by a bar, the sound of raucous laughter and clinking glasses spills out onto the sidewalk. Lily's steps falter as she senses someone's gaze lingering on her, sending a shiver down her spine. She holds Paul's hand tightly quickens her pace, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention.

But before she can escape, a group of rowdy patrons spills out of the bar, blocking their path. One of them, a drunken man with a leering grin, staggers towards her, his words slurred and aggressive.

"Hey there, sweetheart," he slurs, reaching out to grab Lily's arm. "Why don't you come inside and have a drink with us?"

Lily's heart races as she tries to pull away, but the man's grip tightens, his intentions unmistakable. Panic rises in her chest, as she is now holding on Paul's bicep.

That's when Paul steps forward, his expression steely as he confronts the man. "Back off," he growls, his voice low and dangerous. "She's not interested."

The man scoffs, sizing up Paul with drunken bravado. "And who are you supposed to be, her knight in shining armor?" he jeers.

Before Lily can utter a word, Paul moves with lightning speed, his fist connecting with the man's jaw in a swift, decisive punch. The man staggers back, stunned, as Paul steps protectively in front of Lily, his stance unwavering.

"Consider that a warning," Paul says, his voice calm but firm. "Now leave her alone."

With a muttered curse, the man stumbles away, his friends dragging him back into the bar. Lily lets out a shaky breath, her heart still pounding with adrenaline.

"Are you okay?" Paul asks, turning to face her with concern etched on his features.

Lily nods, her gratitude overflowing as she meets Paul's gaze. "Thank you" she whispers, her voice trembling with emotion.

Paul offers her a reassuring smile and hugs her in a protective manner, his presence as a comforting anchor in the midst of chaos. Together, they continue on their way, the bond between them strengthened by the shared experience.

Hey~ darling or darlings,
this chapter was a mess, I guess :'( as I didn't know what to write and what to add but still I tried my best and I hope you liked it.
And did you like the character of Paul or should I do any changes. Personally, I like Paul's character.

If you want to share any of your ideas or your thoughts, it's free to comment, you know? Come on don't be shy.
I know it looks like I'm begging for votes and comments but I'm not, I just want to know what you think, who knows if our thoughts match :3

Btw, stay hydrated <3