Tulips & Tattoos
Jearmin
Based on the idea for a tattoo parlor across the street from a flower shop that I found on tumblr…
Link can be found on my profile! (Since I can't do it here)
He'd noticed the truck this morning, as he was setting out the main display for the day: tulips of all colors. When he was freshening them, spritzing some water to keep them looking lively, he noticed blond. Sort of short, and a little on the skinny side, but with long, shining hair tied up in a ponytail. There was only a glimpse of him before he had vanished inside once more.
"Looks like we've got new neighbors!" his mother exclaimed with a delighted smile. "You should take something over there later." He just rolled his eyes and focused on the massive casket spread due in just a few hours. But as his fingers worked over the mums, he thought of what to take.
Outside once more, pulling the wilted flowers, he watched the sign go up out of the corner of his eye. The blond was there again, working on the lettering across the door. There were two others with him now: a guy with a buzz cut and two full sleeves and a girl with her long brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail. The sun glinted off of the metal in her ears. But the blond never turned, only vanished inside once again, glancing over his shoulder as he carried in the box he'd been working out of.
Closing up the store, Jean began to gather the last few tulips, jumbling them all together and tossing them into a sack. Taking up the display stand, he happened to catch the blond heading back inside the store, a flat box full of Chinese take-out in his arms. The sign on the door fluttered as it shut, settling back down on "open".
"We're heading home, Jeanbo!" his mother called from the back. He didn't bother with a reply, just grabbed the broom and began to sweep up the mess he'd made earlier with the casket spread. Stray petals, bits of stem, and tiny leaves scattered about in random and haphazard patterns. He could only think of the hint of ink he'd seen: two wings crossed, one white, the other blue. He'd seen that same tattoo before, but couldn't place where.
Grabbing the sack with the stray tulips, a few dozen tiny cakes his mother had insisted he take, and a little pot with a tiny purple cactus, he took a deep breath. The street lamps cast an orange glow over the sidewalk as he stepped out into the thin crowd. The shop across the street blazed with lights for the first time in months. He jogged across the street, dodging a taxi and a cyclist as he did so.
Once at the shaded door, he took another breath. Were his hands really shaking? He shook his head, cleared his throat, and pushed open the glass door. A bell tinkled. All three heads turned his direction, the girl with her mouth full of food, a few noodles hanging from between her lips, and the one with the buzz cut slurping up his own. The blond smiled, sat down his food, and stood.
"Hi," Jean mustered, holding out the bag. "Just wanted to stop by and welcome you."
"Thanks," he said, big, bright blue eyes seeming to pierce straight through him, unlocking all of his secrets in just the single look. "I'm Armin, and this is Sasha and Connie."
"Jean," he replied, nodding.
Armin took the bag at last, their fingers grazing for just a second. "I was admiring these earlier," he said with a grin, grabbing the bunch of tulips from the bag. He sniffed them once, then turned to the one with the buzz cut. "Hey Connie, will you go find that vase we saw earlier?" The one in question nodded and bounced to the back of the shop. He returned moments later, the cut crystal already with a bit of water in the bulbous bottom. Armin slipped the flowers inside the vase and passed it to him.
"I'll put these on my table," Connie said. "They'll have some light in the morning."
"Sasha, look," Armin said, holding up the little plate wrapped with clear plastic and tied with a bright yellow bow. The girl jumped up, seemed to fly across the room, and snatched the entire plate. Once she was back in her chair, she tore it open and began to munch on one of the bite-sized cakes.
"These are delicious!" Sasha exclaimed, a few crumbs flying out of her mouth and over her chin.
Jean gave a short chuckle and a half-smile as she stuffed her mouth again. He looked back in time to see Armin pull the little potted cactus from the bag and cast the plain brown paper aside, into a pile of empty boxes and other wrapping materials. "I've never seen a cactus like this."
"It's a purple prickly pear," Jean told him softly. "Only needs water about once a week, but it will bloom with yellow flowers."
"Thank you." The bright smile made Jean's heart skip a beat.
With a light flush, he nodded and dipped his head low. "I'll, uh, I'll leave you to eat. Have a good night."
"Stop by any time!" Armin called after him as he slipped out of the door. Jean's heart raced as his long strides carried him down three blocks. Blush still colored his cheeks, despite the cool breeze. He found himself very glad that he'd met the blond from the tattoo parlor.