Page 61 of Ky
But how did you apologize for something like that—for treating someone you really care about like crap? There wasn’t a way that I could think of. Somehow saying I was sorry didn’t seem like enough. Sure Lake had said to speak from the heart but I had a good feeling that anything I wanted to say wasn’t going to come out right. I needed something else, something bigger and better.
What other options were there? Flowers? Was that like a thing with dudes? Clearly, I had no fucking clue about any of this shit. I felt like I was failing at every turn. Usually, I was the guy that would have brushed it off with a fuck it attitude and done what I wanted to. I think. I mean, I’d never really been in a relationship before, like at all, so I had no idea what I would have done in this situation.
As I passed a flower shop with its lights still on like a beacon calling me in, Ireallythought about stopping. But then I kept on rolling right past for a reason I couldn’t explain. However, the thought was now stuck in my brain.
“Ahh! Fuck!” I roared as I found a place to turn around.
Was I really about to do this? Buy flowers…for a guy?
As I flicked the kickstand down, I knew that I was. I had no doubt that this was about to be an awkward situation.
The sweet smell of roses hit my nose the moment I pulled open the door. The lady at the counter was helping to wrap something up for a customer. She smiled in acknowledgment that she knew I’d come in and I sent her a tight one back.
There were flowers everywhere. Big ones, tiny ones, and ones that looked like a fucking multicolored painted pussy. I had no idea what I was doing there let alone what the fuck I wanted. I stood there like a frozen idiot as my eyes ping-ponged around the floral wonderland.
“Sir, would you like some help?” the old woman from the front asked with slight laughter in her tone as she approached me.
“Is it that obvious?” I asked with a chuckle.
“A little bit. First time picking out flowers?”
“Uh, yes.” I nodded a little.
She studied me for a split second before she opened her mouth again.
“What did you do?”
“I’m sorry, what?” My eyes grew wide as my back straightened.
“You need flowers to fix something, yes? Or maybe to make up for something that you’ve either done or missed? No need to get your hackles up, it’s my job to know these things.”
I laughed as her eyes danced with amusement. It was clear the old woman wasn’t scared of me even though she was half my size.
“Come now, tell me what you did so that I can send you along with the right arrangement to make things good again.”
This woman was so damn cute. I was suddenly glad that I’d turned around and made my way into this shop.
“Well, I sort of…” I scratched the back of my neck as I thought of the right way to put it. “I’ve not treated someone I care a lot about nicely. In fact, I’ve been a dic—I mean, I’ve been a little cold and standoffish.”
“I can tell this goes beyond friendship.”
It was a statement, so I didn’t need to answer, but I somehow found myself nodding my head agreeing with her.
“I made…this person feel like I didn’t care.”
“Well, then I can make just the thing for you.”
Then she got to work, pulling out all kinds of flowers. I stood there and watched her. When her arms looked like they couldn’t hold anymore, I reached out and took the huge bundle out of her hands.
“Can flowers really make up for all of that?” I asked because I couldn’t really see how anything could be the magic cure-all for this situation.
“No, but they can be a good start. A non-verbal way to open the door.” She smiled sweetly and patted my hand.
Then she looked around like she was searching for something specific.
“Ah, there you are,” she said as she shuffled to the back corner of the shop. “My husband, Walter, always likes to move these around to mess with me. God knows, I love that man, but sometimes he can drive the sanity right out of my noggin’.” She chuckled and picked up one of the brightly colored flowers. “The purple hyacinth, it says ‘please forgive me.’ Walter moves them so that I always notice them. I know where every flower is in this shop, except for this one. He’s always doing something to grate on my nerves and mess with me. This is his way of asking for forgiveness.”
She rolled her eyes but I could see the love she had for her husband and his shenanigans written all over her face.
