Page 21 of Faking Forever 1
Flowers.Everywhere. Covered on the walls, set in rows and on shelves—the whole works. Everything was color coordinated as well, the colors being all of my favorite ones. Pinks, blues, purples, yellows. All as bright as could be. It was something like a movie to be honest. I can’t decipher if that’s on purpose, but I know that it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, made by hand like this. I guess I also find it hard to believe thatJoshis the one behind it all. As I turn to face him, I see him standing with his arms wide open, displaying one of his goofy, half-witted smiles.
“You gonna say something, or just stay quiet? It can’t be that ugly, c’mon…” he begins to laugh, hiding his nervousness, which he couldn’t do with me.
“No. No this is completely insane, actually. In a good way, of course.” I comment, now beginning to walk to floor to 50
BRING ME FLOWERS
examine it all.
He walks to another side of the room, picking up a small pot.
“Dad finally let me have at it. It was a little after you left. I wasn’t gonna make much of it at first,” he pauses to look at me, “but then I remembered your idea, and I couldn’t resist.”
“It’s certainly much bigger than I had expected it to be.”
It was years ago I had thought of the bright idea to create a new greenhouse out of the old sun room in the back of Rich’s store. I even drew out a diagram of what I thought it might turn out like when it was all said and done. I thought it would be fun to do something with my friends before we all went our separate ways, but the idea got lost somewhere along the way.
It hadn’t even crossed my mind. Not only that, but Josh is the last person on earth I would expect to actually want to do it.
He sure did prove me wrong.
“When I went to camp, it was much more than just surfing bullshit. It was a lot of team building for personal growth.”
his voice fills the room again, echoing as it does.
Moving with momentum, I make my way to him, interested in the tiny plant that he held in his vein filled hands.
“So what’s this?” I stare at it before looking up at him.
“Um, so, ultimately, I was forced to meditate and think—
alone. Most of the time in some wooded area that I had to find my way out of. Naturally, it changed my mind about the whole gardening thing, so…”
He holds the plant between us.
“So you learned on your own?”
He nods, a rush of red filling his face. I smile.
“Is that a bad thing?” he raises his brows in amusement, “I 51
FAKING FOREVER
would’ve shown you before, but I thought it might be better in person?”
“I can’t say I would’ve enjoyed it the same over the phone, so that’s not wrong.” I let out a breathy giggle, “But I meant, what isthis?” I point to freshly bloomed seedlings.
“Oh!” he chuckles softly, “You’re gonna love this. It’s a Camellia flower. It’s small right now, but when it gets bigger, it’ll look like some of these on the walls.” he gestures so the flower-covered walls and greenery.
“Like from graduation night…” I say, staring at it still.
“Yeah. Is it not your favorite anymore?” He gently sets the pot down, minimizing his excitement.
It wasn’t something I expected anybody to remember. I said it once, maybe twice. On the night of graduation, my grandparents found a bouquet of the same flower—similar colors, too—pink, white, and crimson. I wouldn’t put them down the entire night because I was addicted to sniffing them.
It was a silly, tiny detail. It’s impressive that his brain kept something like that on the surface. Or anything I say for that matter.
“No. It is. Forever. I’m just wondering how you remembered.” I shake my head, stuck in deep thought.
