Roses In The Rain
It was raining outside. She was outside. You get the picture. She had run outside ignoring the weatherman's warning that it was going to pour. They had been saying that for weeks on end and for the last few weeks there had been nothing but sunshine. It was just five blocks away she had told herself, as she realized that she needed to go to the shop to buy some much needed bread. She needed the exercise she had told herself so she didn't take the car. So she went outside without an umbrella and now she was paying the price. She cursed silently as the rain decided to pick up its pace, making it feel more like needles were grazing her skin rather than water droplets. She hated Valentine's Day. Every year it seemed to get worse and worse for her. It started in kindergarten when she didn't get a card and everyone else did. Even Nathan, who ate worms, had gotten a card. Everyone did expect her. In high school where the tradition of card giving was considered 'babyish' no one ever asked her out to the dance. As a result she had low self-esteem and whenever one of her family or friends called her pretty and she politely said thank you she was really thinking that you're just saying that to be nice. She suddenly heard the tune of the original Super Mario Bros theme song. It was Thalia, no doubt, asking how her day went as a cover to start talking about how wonderful it was going with her and Nico. She was soon proved right.
"Hey Beth, how did your day go?"
"Prefect, just great". She said sarcastically. Yeah it's wonderful being torn to shreds by falling droplets of water.
"Wonderful!" Thalia said cheerfully.
Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friends' naivety.
"Enough about that, I have to tell you all about what Nico did for me on Valentines!" She squealed.
"Look Thals I need to g…" She started to say but Thalia soon cut her off.
"First he came over to my house and made me breakfast in bed. He even bought a special bottle of champagne."
"You had champagne in bed?" she asked shocked out of her mind as she turned around the corner.
"Of course silly! And then…"
Whatever Thalia was about to say was cut off as she suddenly smashed in to the guy selling flowers at corner of the street.
"Oh my gosh I am so sorry!" she cried out "Look Thaila I have to go, I'll phone you later"
She looked around to see what damage she had caused expecting to see broken and crushed flowers scattered everywhere. To her relief she saw that most of the flowers had escaped oblivation expect for a bouquet of multicolored roses.
"Look I am so sorry! I just didn't see you and …."
"Shh," he said as he picked up some of the flowers which she had made him drop, "it's okay, you have already said that you were sorry. I forgive you."
He paused in his work to look up to her. His sea-green eyes and warm smile melted her immediately. She chastised herself inwardly. No way is he going to like a girl like you.
"Though," he said "I might forgive you more if you help me with these flowers."
She blinked. "Why of course, I'm so sorry that I wasn't helping sooner" She hit her forehead "Dumb Beth!" she exclaimed.
She dropped down to her knees , not caring anymore that the ground was soaking wet and the rain was still pouring down her back, and started to help him.
"You don't have to say sorry all the time. I've forgiven you already," he said still smiling that same warm smile.
"Yeah I know. Sorry." she said.
He started to laugh and she suddenly realized what she said. It made her blush and she started to grin sheepishly.
"So is Beth your name?" he asked.
"Yes, its short for Annabeth. My friend Thaila insists on calling me that," Annabeth said as she rolled her eyes "What's yours?"
"I've been so rude. I haven't told you my name after all this time." He said smiling still as he extended his hand to shake hers. "My names Perseus," Annabeth bit back a laugh ",but you can call me Percy. Please."
He picked up one of the last of the bouquets which was some daises which had a silver and gold ribbon tied around it.
He suddenly got up and he then extended a hand towards her. She accepted it and he pulled her up.
"Well that's all the flowers picked up."
"Sorry about the roses," she said motioning the unlucky roses which had got crushed.
"Naw, it's okay. If you want you can have them," Percy replied as he held them out towards her.
"No I couldn't." she said pushing it away.
He laughed, "Look it's not like I'm going to sell them and I'd rather it goes to someone who deserves it rather than in the trash."
He held it out to her and this time she didn't refuse it.
"Thanks," she said her cheeks burning red as she fingered one of the rose's petals.
"My pleasure," Percy replied.
She blushed even more, so much that her cheeks were probably starting to outmatch Rudolph's nose in its redness. She shivered, suddenly remembering that she was outside where the rain was coming down at nearly 400 miles per hour.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked sounding worried. "Ahh and you're not," he said and then he hit his forehead. "Dumb Perce," he said making her smile as he parroted what she had said and done earlier.
"You want my umbrella?" he asked.
She shook her head trying to tell no while her body rebelled against her with its constant shivering which clearly said yes.
Percy obviously thought that her shaking her head was just more shivering on her part so he handed it to her smiling that same smile which kept remelting her inside.
"Thanks," she said, "but what about you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll just go under that shop's canopy. I'll be fine."
She wasn't convinced but her apartment was still three blocks away and the rain was still picking up, going from needles to swords.
"Ok," Annabeth said reluctantly, "but I will give it back to you okay?"
"Sure," he said, "I hope to see you around."
As Annabeth walked away she realized that she didn't hate Valentine's Day that much anymore.
That was last month and she hadn't seen a head or tails of him since. The very next day she went back to the first place she saw him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brown hair, green eyes or even his smile. But she had no such luck and even though she went back every day, with his umbrella to use as an excuse to say hi, there was no sign of him. The roses which she had put in her grandmother's antique flower pot had withered and died ages ago, but were still on display in her bedroom. Even Thalia was getting annoyed with her constant chattering about him. She sighed as she pushed open the door to Sally's Flower Shop. It was her parent's 25th anniversary next week and she had to pre-order what flowers she wanted. Her eyes scanned the choices of flowers and she was about to go for the mixed bouquet when out of the corner of her eye she saw it. The same multi-coloured bouquet of roses that he had given her. There were pink roses, yellow roses and white roses all mixed up, exactly like the one she had gotten. She made up her mind that these were the flowers that she was going to get for her parent's anniversary and she started to walk up towards the counter where the man in charge of it was leaning down to pick something up, his back towards her.
"Excuse me," she asked
The man behind the counter quickly stood up and turned around. When she saw who it was her mouth went dry.
"Percy" she managed to choke out
"Beth?' he questioned "What are you doing here?"
"It's my parent's 25th anniversary next week and I needed to get some flowers for it" she explained still shell shocked that after a month of looking he turns up out of nowhere. Then suddenly she smiled. "I didn't know that your name was Sally."
"It's my mom's business." he explained with that warm smile that again melted her.
"So what have you been doing for the last month?" Annabeth asked
"Nothing much. You?"
"Nothing much."
They both suddenly broke eye contact to look at the floor while shuffling their feet.
"Well this is awkward" Annabeth thought
"Look, Beth I need to ask you something….." he said looking even more awkward than before.
"Yes? What is it?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out? So we can get to know each other better."
"Of course!" she cried and Percy instantly looked relived.
"But first…." she said and he looked terrified again. "I need you to ring up about fifty of these roses and while you are doing that I'll go get your umbrella."
Then they both smiled and melted each others heart.
And cue cheesy ending. I found this on my computer, and decided to publish it. I think I did this about a year ago. Umm...
Tell me what you think- Trapped In Stories