A Florist's Guide to Love

2nd | Lilacs & Sunflowers

Felix was never an accountable person. When he promised he would be back by seven to help me sort out the roses yesterday, I thought he was finally going to turn over a new leaf. He proved me wrong. He did turn up at seven o'clock, but he was twelve hours late - not to mention, distinctly hung over.

The worst thing was, he vomited all over the de-thorned roses. Note-to-self: Never place any fresh flowers near the door ever again.

By the time I finished cleaning up the place, an hour had gone by. Felix chose this moment to wake up from his slumber.

"Do you need help?" He stretched his arms and yawned.

"Well, what do you think?" I gestured at the garbage bag beside me. "Look at the flowers you ruined."

"I'm sorry, sis." He pursed his lips. "I was drinking at my friend's house."

"I thought you gave up your drinking habit."

"I did..." He shrugged. "I'm sorry, sis. It was just... I saw that girl got picked up by a red Ferrari."

"Felix, that's a stupid reason to drink."

"I'm sorry," He let out a sigh before looking at me. "I won't do it again."

I folded my arms across my chest. "You need to take control of your life."

"Look, I managed to avoid alcohol for a month."

"That's because I was watching you."

"Come on, Ally. I have decent self-control."

"Says the person who stumbled in and vomited all over the place an hour ago."

"At least, I got to make the deliveries," He said and pulled out the record form from his pocket. "All of them."

I took the paper and shook my head. "You shouldn't be complacent about it."

"And I wasn't." Felix looked over my shoulder. "Oh, is that your new friend?"

I turned my head, only to be greeted by Damian waving at me outside the roll up door.

"We should let him in!" Felix rushed towards the entrance.

"No, Felix. We're not open yet!" I tried to stop him from opening the glass doors. "It's eight o'clock in the morning and I haven't brushed my teeth."

"Don't worry, sis. He won't notice it with the mask on."

Before I could make another protest, Damian had already entered the shop.

"Hey, you must be Damian! I'm Felix, Alice's wonderful brother." Felix took the initiative to shake Damian's hand. "Is that a mask you're wearing?"

"Um - yes." Damian shifted from one foot to another, clearly taken back by Felix's enthusiasm. "I'm allergic to pollen grains."

"It's great to know that you're not allergic to my sister." Felix patted Damian on the shoulder. "I thought you were trying to be mysterious - like a superhero. You know, Ally's favourite Robin is Damian Wayne."

"Actually, I'm not into the Batman lore." I dragged Felix away and grinned at Damian. "Please don't mind him. He still has alcohol in his system."

"No, he's fine. He's just a bit giddy." Damian took a step back and narrowly escaped a pile of leaves on the floor. "Oof!"

"Oh! Be careful." I reached out to steady him. "I'm really sorry about the mess."

"No, let me apologize. I shouldn't have intruded." He surveyed his surroundings. "Obviously, your shop isn't ready."

Not wanting to draw more of his attention to the disastrous condition of our shop, I changed the topic.

"So, how was your date last night?" I asked as I carried a basket of clean roses to the working table.

"Oh, the date?" Damian followed me with another flower basket in his arms. "It went... It went really well."

"See? You don't need flowers to keep your date happy." I beamed at him and placed my basket on the table. "How does the girl look like?"

"She's a fair-looking brunette with hazel brown eyes." He took a seat opposite of mine before returning my smile. His mask shifted with his cheeks. "She looks a lot like you, actually."

"I'm sure our complexions are different."

"Yeah, but similar."

"Are you sure? Last time I checked, I didn't have a twin." I let out a small laugh. "Anyways, what are you doing here this early?"

He leaned forward. "I'm in need of your dating advice."

"Seriously? You must be sleepless thinking about this girl." I frowned and pulled out a rose from one of the baskets. "And as a person with three failed relationships, I don't think I'm qualified to offer you love advice."

"But you are familiar with flower language, aren't you?" Damian propped himself up on his elbows. I couldn't help but stare at his arms. Ally, focus.

Felix interrupted before I could muster a reply. "Of course, Damian! Ally is a natural expert. In fact, she is the only person you can count on when it comes to flora knowledge in this town."

Damian chuckled. "I guess I could use your assistance then."

"Absolutely!" Felix pulled me out of my seat. "Now, sis. Let me help you with the roses while you help Damian with his date."

"Are you still drunk, Felix?" I narrowed my eyes at him while I straightened my clothes.

"Of course not!" Felix grinned at me cheekily. "I'm conscious enough to see the blush on your cheeks."

I rolled my eyes and led Damian to another side of the shop. "I'm sorry about my brother. He is not like this when he is sober."

"You don't need to keep apologizing for him." Damian put his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "He seems like a caring brother."

"Oh, I hope he is." I snorted. "Now, tell me how I can help you with your date."

"Um..." Damian said thoughtfully, "I'd like to order a set of flowers to let her know that I enjoyed our first encounter."

"Then you should include lilac." I pointed out almost immediately. "It represents the 'first emotions of love'."

"Ha - that's nice," Damian said as his smile reached his eyes. "What else?"

"Well, lilac can be arranged with sunflowers..." I reached over to gather some lilac and sunflowers from a bucket. "... to show your admiration for her."

"The sunflowers can match the hair colour, too." Damian snatched the flowers in my hand and waved them next to my hair. "Perfect."

My heartbeat skipped when his stare roamed through my hair.

"I guess that'll be enough." I snatched the flowers back before he could sense the tension.

"No roses?" Damian trailed behind me as I proceeded to the cashier machine.

"Roses lack originality," I said while wrapping the flowers with gift paper and ribbons.

"Then why do you still sell them?"

"As long as there is a market, I'll sell them. " I placed the small bouquet on the counter. "That will be $50. Who are these for?"

"Eh... Her name is Elaine."

"Okay." I scribbled the name on the card.

Damian wrapped his arms around the flowers eagerly. "Thank you, Alice."

"No problem." I beamed. "Be careful with your allergy, though."

"I will." Damian nodded. "Any more pro tips?"

"Surprise her." I crossed my arms.

"Oh, I'm planning to."

And he gave me a wink.