Chambre de Fleurs

CHAPTER II: Dylan

                                                                                 CHAPTER II: Dylan

                                                                                                1

                  "Well, she's late again," Dylan murmured. "When will I learn that she won't arrive on time?"

                He sat at a bench, waiting for someone. He wore his usual clothes – long-sleeved checkerds matched with faded jeans and a pair of eyeglasses. His hair is combed neatly to one side. He was a typical nerd when it comes to his style, but underneath all that façade is a strong and brave man. He wasn't bad-looking either, and he was rather tall. He had a nice body build. Some girls did give him attention.

He checked his watch for the time. She was thirty minutes late. Then, a cab pulled over in front of him. A girl wearing a blue shirt and tight-fitted jeans came out of vehicle. She had a beautiful body and was relatively small compared to Dylan's height, but beautiful nonetheless. She had a long flowing brunette hair. She had this cute little nose and the most enchanting eyes that Dylan had ever seen. She smiled at Dylan, and he gave a warm smile back.

                "Anna, you're late, again," Dylan said to the girl.

                "No, you're just early!" The girl replied and gave Dylan a charming smile.

                "What?" Dylan produced a laugh, "I thought we agreed to meet at exactly 9 AM?"

               The cab drove off to the opposite direction. Dylan stood up and approached the girl. He gave her a big hug.  He squeezed her tight and lifted her off the ground. They giggled hard and finally, he put her down.

                  "Okay, come on. It's your treat because you're late," Dylan said.

                  "No, that's not fair!" Anna said, still laughing, "Where are we going anyway?"

                   "You'll see, soon," Dylan replied.

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                To Dylan, that hug meant everything. He had been crushing on her since they were a kid. One day, he decided to ask Anna if she liked him, too, but instead, he asked her to be his best friend. So he just went with it.

                   Besides, being with her every single day is more than enough for Dylan. He never left her side, either when she's happy or sad. He's always there for her just to see the cute way she laughs, the little freckle on his nose when she smiles or the weird but funny way she snots up when she cries. And now she is holding her hand, leading her to where they would go. It seems so magical to him, love is magical.

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                Finally, they arrived at a cafe. It seemed so fantastic to Anna when she first laid eyes on it. Her eyes gleamed with excitement and amazement. She instantly fell in love with this place.

                Sun bathed the outdoor cafe that was ornamented with beautiful topiaries – there are some shaped like animals. There are also flowering plants: roses, petunias, and lilacs. Those were Anna's favorite flowers. Of course, Dylan knew about this. That's why he brought her there in the first place. A sign hung from a sturdy branch of an oak tree outgrowing in the front of the café that read: "Chambre de Fleurs". The sign was also made and carved from an oak wood in the most delicate way.

                "H-how did you find this place?" Anna asked Dylan "It's amazing! I can't believe that this place exists. It's like built just for me!"

                Dylan laughed and smiled. "That's why I brought you here. I know that you'll love it!"

                They took one more glance on the majestic flower garden before them. Then Anna looked up at the outdoor sign, mesmerized by its elegance.

                "What's the meaning of the sign?" Anna pointed to the decorative sign. "What's the meaning of Chambre de Fleurs?"

                "It's French," Dylan said, "It means House of Flowers"

                "That's hauntingly beautiful," Anna said, still captivated by the beauty of the surroundings.

                Dylan interrupted the moment and said, "Come on! Let's go inside. You will not get away from being late. You still have to treat me, remember?"

                They both laughed and Dylan held her hand and led her inside the cafe.

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                The bitter-sweet aroma of coffee beans greeted them on the way inside. They approached the cashier and both ordered coffee, then took a seat outside and waited for their orders to come.

                "Hey," said Dylan, "I've been meaning to give this to you."

                He produced a small rectangular box from his sling bag. He handed to Anna who was puzzled.

                "What's this?" Anna asked.

                "Open it," Dylan replied.

                Anna opened the box with excitement and inside it was a gold necklace with a small flower-shaped pendant. It was a blooming rose and in its center is a diamond glimmering in the sunshine. Anna's eyes glowed with surprise and delight. She smiled in a certain way that Dylan loves the most, the smile of happiness. He always wanted her to be happy.

                "Well," Dylan broke the silence, "do you like it or not? Because I can return it if you don't want it."

                "No! It's perfect. It's such a wonderful gift. Thank you very much," said Anna, "and I almost thought that you forgot our anniversary."

                "How could I? I mean you're the most important person in the world to me," Dylan said, "Here, let me put this on you."

                He stood up and took the trinket out of the box. Anna also stood up and Dylan gently pulled her hair back. He put the necklace around her neck and locked it in its place. Anna faced toward him and asked, "Well, how do I look?"

                Dylan looked deep into her eyes and said, "You look beautiful."

                Anna thanked him again and they hugged. She pressed her head against Dylan's chest and they remained still in that position for a while. Then, they looked each other in the eyes, still in each other's embrace.

                "Is this really happening?" Dylan asked himself.

                He looked at Anna more intently, as if they were the only two people in the world. The sunlight flows through her hair which Dylan thought was the most magnificent thing in the world.

                "Anna, I –" Dylan's thought was cut off when a waiter went out the door to serve them their coffee. They awkwardly straightened themselves, smiled at each other, and sat like nothing happened.

                They wound up talking for hours. Time flies when they are together, and they were inseparable from each other. Then, the clouds carpeted the skies and it started to rain.