It was a chilly February morning, just like any other February morning. Senel usually didn't mind the cold, but the amount of snow he had to walk through made him sick of Winter. He already couldn't wait until Spring came back in March, and then Summer in June. Then Autumn would come in September, and Winter again in December. Time really went too fast when he enjoyed it, and too slowly when he didn't.
He was glad, at least, that February was a short month. It wouldn't be much longer until the cycle of the seasons would start anew, and warm weather would come back. He was tired of wearing heavy boots that weren't high enough to protect the hem of his pantlegs from the snow and a big coat that was hard to move in and wasn't even all that warm. He regretted not bringing a sweater like Shirley suggested before he left the house.
Senel heard another pair of footsteps crunching in the snow and looked to his left.
Chloe was walking in the opposite direction, holding a bouquet of yellow flowers in her arms. Before he even thought things through, he called out to her with a wave. She stopped when she heard his voice, then walked over to him to greet him.
Good morning, Chloe. Good morning, Coolidge.
He asked her if she was working at a flower shop. She looked down at the bouquet in her arms, and hesitantly replied with a yes. She asked him where he was going, and he said he was going to the gym, as he patted the large bag hanging from his shoulder. Chloe then caught him staring directly at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she shifted her weight onto her other foot and tried to look away, while asking what was wrong.
Your hair's gotten long. Does... Does it look bad?
He looked at her. Her hair now reached down a little past her shoulders and had a slight wave. A single, plain hairpin clumsily tucked a strand of hair away from her face. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose turned a light shade of pink, most likely from the cold.
No, it looks great. Does it really?
Yeah. Oh, w-well, I see - thanks.
Senel wondered how she couldn't be cold. Her coat seemed too thin and too form-fitting to provide any warmth (but it was probably a lot easier to move in than his, at least). She had a long, dark skirt over a pair of pants, and high boots. He had never even seen her wear a skirt before.
When she said she had to be on her way, Senel thought the same thing. He wanted to get to the gym as early as possible. They exchanged goodbyes, and Senel noticed too late that Chloe's tuque slipped out of her coat pocket. He picked it up and called after her, but she was already too far away to hear him. Looking over the tuque, he noticed that it fell in slush. The fact that the fabric was of a pale color just made the dirt on it much more obvious. He put it in his bag and planned to wash it when he got home and give it back to her the next chance he had.
When he got home later that day, he put his coat and boots away and dumped his gym clothes in the dirty laundry basket. He found the dirtied tuque and added it in, planning to start the washing machine as soon as he got himself a snack from the kitchen.
He found Shirley taking a nap on the couch and made his way quietly. He stopped when he saw a familiar bouquet of flowers placed in a vase on the table. Upon closer inspection, he determined that they were roses. Yellow roses. They were probably the only flowers he could recognize without having to think about it.
... Did Chloe deliver those here?
After a moment, he remembered Will mentionning how every flower had its specific meaning. He knew Shirley had a book on this. Lurking his way to her bedroom, he found the book on one of the lower shelves and flipped through it as he returned to the kitchen. Upon finding the correct page, he learned that yellow roses symbolized friendship.
Placing the book on the table, he took a moment to smell them. He noticed a spot of red when he leaned closer and parted the flowers. There was a red rose with a shorter stem among them, completely thornless and in full bloom. He raised an eyebrow at this. Was it misplaced in the arrangement?
His curiosity was piqued when he saw a small card tied to the red rose's stem. He pulled the flower out of the vase and opened the card, recognizing Chloe's handwriting.
To: Senel Coolidge
Happy Valentine's Day
- Chloe Valens
P.S.: I don't work in a flower store, silly.
Confused, Senel looked up at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was, indeed, the 14th of February, and he hadn't noticed until now.
Reading the card again, he realized he still had Chloe's tuque and went to start on the laundry.
Later in the evening, Shirley came back from shopping, a smile on her face. She said she saw Chloe on the way and recieved flowers from her; a bouquet full of yellow roses.
When Shirley wasn't looking, Senel took a peek inside her bouquet, but found that they were all yellow. Not a single red rose. Curious, he picked up Shirley's flower language book again.
Rose (red) - Love; I love you
Rose (single, full bloom) - I love you; I still love you
Rose (thornless) - Love at first sight
Cheeks flushed, he made a note to himself to put a red rose petal in Chloe's tuque when he gave it back to her.
x
A/N: I was bored at college the other day and wrote this quickly in order to keep myself awake. I wrote it on my livejournal, because, well, I was at school. Inspiration? Doodling a long-haired Chloe in German class.
Happy Valentine's Day and whatnot.