Promise

The Raven-Haired Girl

KILLIAN'S P.O.V.

    "Bloody Hell" I mutter as I try to untangle my headphones from my scarf. I manage to untangle it by the time I reach the front doors of the flower boutique. Ignoring the big flashing "closed" sign out of the corner of my eye, I walk inside. "I'm sorry sir but we're closed. 8:00 to 8:00, those are our hours." I nod "Yes, I am well aware. However, I also know that it is 8:10 and my good friend David Nolan told me if I mentioned him it would not be a problem". I hear shuffling in the back and the voice of a woman call out "Did I hear that David is out there?" from the back of the store. "No, must be a friend of his!" the man at the counter calls back.

    "The name is Killian Jones. David and I are mates." As soon as I finish my sentence an old woman of probably 70 slowly walks up next to the man at the counter. "Dave is my grandson. Any friend of his is welcome here anytime. How is my little Dave? Is he still with that nice lady. What was her name? Maria? Monica?" she says tapping her chin. "Mary Margaret " I interrupt politely. She snaps her fingers "Yes! Mary Margaret. What a sweet woman. Well anyways, what brings you here young man?" she asks.

    I look around at the quaint little shop. The vivid colors of the flowers fill my vision. "I am looking for flowers for my girl friend. I am planning on surprising her with a nice home cooked dinner when she comes home from work, " I say smiling.  David's grandmother looks confused "Why it is past 8:00 why would she possibly still be at work at this hour?" I put my hands in my pockets, uncomfortable with the question. "Well, she is a busy woman. Her job is very important." I say.

    I don't tell her that this dinner is a way to get Emma to finally spend time with me given she's been working 24/7 this week. I also don't tell her that Emma has her life and the life of her son to think about while trying to find a psycho man who pays people to break into her apartment. I doubt the nice old woman would quite understand.

    "What type of flowers does she like?" the woman asks. After thinking for a moment I answer "Emma likes roses. Pink and red. Also, sunflowers, lilies, jasmine. Really anything pretty but not tacky". The old lady nods "Pretty but not tacky. Well let's see what we have." She leads me to through the store and we look at different bouquets . After seeing almost the whole store I have three whole bouquets in my hands. I can't decide between the three.

    It is almost 8:30 now and I don't want to bother them any longer so I head to the cashier. "Have you decided yet?" the man asks and I reply "No, so I will get all three." The cashier raises his eyebrow but rings up the purchase anyways. After I pay for it they give me a big wooden box to put the flowers in. "Thank you both so much and I'll be sure to tell David you both said hello," I say as I walk out.

    I try to balance the box as I reach for my keys and almost drop it when a pair of manicured hands lift it from the other end. After grabbing my keys I quickly unlock my car and put them back. Having both hands free now, I carry the box normally and reveal who the nice stranger was. I see a woman probably in her late twenties with long black hair. Her white smile, which contrasts with her raven-black hair is outlined in red lipstick. I don't look to see the rest of her. "Thank you for helping me" I say as I walk over to my car. "No problem!" she says as she watches me struggle to open the trunk. She laughs as she opens the trunk for me. I probably should have thought this through before I bought these. 

    After carefully fitting the box in my trunk I turn back to her and hold out my hand. "Thank you.." I say waiting for her. "Erica" she finishes. "Thank you Erica for helping me." Erica takes a step forward towards me and bats her eyelashes. I smile and take a step back. "You are very welcome." She straightens her posture to show off her..um..chest. "Well anyways...bye" I say waving to her quickly and starting to walk to the front of my car. She stands there looking confused. If this was a couple of months ago I would have probably asked her out. However, now I have Emma and any woman other than her is just a woman. No one stands out and I would not want to spend time with any woman other than Emma.

    I nod my head and get into my car. I roll down the window and say "thanks again!" before I back up and drive away, leaving the raven-haired girl standing with her arms crossed on the side walk.