The ringing of a bell caught his attention signaling that another customer had entered his shop.
"Welcome, how may I be a service to you." A male in his late teens with chocolate brown hair and golden-honey eyes had just finished planting a bouquet of Mountain Avens. The white flowers had just started to bloom and were not quite ready to be put up for sale. Turning away from the flowers, his eyes were met with a magenta pair. The same pair belonged to a particular male he became fond of. Wiping his hands on his apron, his once blank facial expression turned into a light smile.
"Oh, you're back so soon? What can I get you today, Mr. Steilsson?" The silver-haired male, known as Emil, was looking around at the different slower species as if he was trying to deifier which one matched his credentials. "Yeah, I'm here to pick up some orchids and possibly a rose or two." His voice was soft and angelic, it was enough to make Leon's heart flutter.
"Well, you're in luck. We just had some orchids delivered today. Just let me prepare a bouquet for you." The younger teen began to prepare the bouquet for the customer and could not help himself, but to sneak a glance or two at the other. Uncoincidentally, their eyes met causing Leon to blush and look away embarrassed beyond belief. After tying a red ribbon around the stems of the flowers, he walked to the cash register to ring up the purchase.
"That will be $27.39. Will that be cash or credit?" The florist did his best to not sneak another glance at the teenager who stood only a few centimeters away from him. Emil swiped his credit card in the machine and punched in the four-digit pin before placing the plastic card back into his wallet. Trying to keep his composure, Leon handed over the bouquet of orchids and roses. Their hands made contact for a split second, but it was enough to send shivers down his spine. Lowering his head, he greeted Emil farewell before turning around and letting out a sigh of relief.
Bringing his hand close to his chest, the teen clutched his shirt. His heart was beating unbelievably fast and his cheeks were warm to the touch. He couldn't help but think of the older teenager. Although he only spoke a few words every time he stopped by the shop, he still managed to steal Leon's heart.
Another month had passed, and Emil had once again stopped by the local flower shop, however, the flowers he would purchase this time would serve a whole new purpose. When he walked inside the small shop, he glanced around searching for the perfect flower. The shopkeeper, Leon, was too busy lost in his own little world as he attended to a bouquet of daisies for another customer that would show up later on that evening. He was humming a little tune in Chinese when he was startled by an angelic voice that was all too familiar.
"Do you by chance have any white lilies," he asked, but unlike the other times, the Icelander visited this time his tone had a hint of sadness. It got Leon off guard as he stopped preparing the bouquet of daisies. "Yeah, some just bloomed this past week. Just give me a moment." he smiled as walked over to the windowsill, where the white flowers of death were placed inside glass vases. Pulling out seven flowers, Leon prepared the bouquet for the customer before walking back to the front counter.
"Alright, that will be $49.99." Just like before and every other visit, Emil paid for the flowers with his credit card. Those golden-brown hues followed the swift actions of the slightly taller male. Handing over the bouquet of white lilies, their eyes met. Swallowing his pride, Leon parted his lips before asking the dreaded question that he has been aching to ask.
"So, I know we barely know one another, but I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime or grab a coffee?" he asked rubbing the back of his head nervously. Emil, on the other hand, stared back blankly slightly shocked at the sudden question. "Sorry, but I am already in a relationship."
Of course, he was already taken by another. After watching the male walk out of the shop, Leon let the tears of betrayal fall down his cheek. It was useless to cry over a little rejection, but the Asian could not help himself. He had truly fallen for the Icelander and to know that another human being had already stolen that pure heart made Leon feel even worse. Once the tears seemed to stop falling, Leon wiped his cheeks with the back of his hands before he began coughing. Something had gotten stuck in his throat, yet he could recall consuming anything prior to opening up the shop.
Leaning over the counter, he clenched his chest with his right hand as he continued to cough into his other. After five minutes of the coughing fit, Leon removed his hand and to his horror, something had indeed come out from his throat. Covered in salvia and a small amount of blood was small white petals. Eyes widen has he remembered a flower with the same petals. Mountain Avens.
'This cannot be real; I must be imagining things. Yeah, there is no possible way a person can cough up flowers.' He thought to himself as he went to the breakroom to clean up and discard the flower petals. Of course, while he did not know it yet, this was only the beginning of a deadly disease that would only take his life.
An additional two months had passed by, and his condition only worsened. What started as only having one or two coughing fits a day led to having at most five to six causing him to close the shop early to avoid scaring away customers. He attempted to go to the doctor, but his older sibling convinced him that Chinese herbal medicine would suffice. So, for the majority of his day, Leon would lay in bed coughing up the same flower petals. Each day, as the disease became worse and as more blood was lost, Leon began to feel weaker. It got so difficult to bear, that he became bedridden for days on end. Leon hated this disease and just wanted it to go away so he could see his favorite customer. However, maybe seeing Emil was not the brightest idea since he basically rejected Leon.
But Leon could not help himself, but to think of the ivory haired male. Those amethyst-like eyes were like a trap that pulled its victim in holding them hostage. While those beautiful jewels were indeed captivating, it was the voice of his that brought a smile to his face. It was soft but pure and angelic enough to keep him starstruck. Just thinking about Emil caused Leon to smile unconsciously.
Perhaps it was selfish of him to think that two of them could be in a romantic relationship. Emil was just another average customer, after all, they barely even knew anything about each other. Maybe it was for the best-
Leon began coughing uncontrollably into his hand. Multiple white petals fell into his hand as he coughed up large amounts of blood. His body began to feel weaker by the second, causing him to collapse into his bed. His chest rose slowly as he took in slow deep breaths. This was how he was going to die. Alone and surrounded by withered flowers soaked in crimson blood. Looking up at his ceiling, Leon closed his eyes for the last time as he took his last breath. The last thought that crossed his mind was his beloved.
The rain had begun to pour causing civilians to seek shelter under the roofs of nearby shops. However, one particular individual instead remained from where he stood. With an umbrella in one hand and holding a hand of a little girl in the other, the individual glanced down at a stone made of marble and granite. Engravings were carved into the stone that read "Wang Jia Long. July 1, 1998 – May 7, 2023. Loving friend, brother, and son." Reading those words to himself caused the bystander to shed some tears.
"Daddy, who is this?" an innocent girl asked clinching her father's hand tightly. Her deep brown eyes stared down at the grave. The father, known as Emil Wang, glanced down at his daughter and replied with a gentle smile.
"Just a long-lost friend," he said simply as he turned back to look down at the grave.