Chapter 1: Congratulations You Have A Crush

Being the handsome unmarried gay uncle had its pros and cons, especially if that uncle was a botanist turned florist. The pros were for his nephew and his friends the cons were for the uncle. Anthony J Crowley had moved back to the village of Tadfield after fifteen years of working as a botanist in a tech company and twenty years as a guitarist to an indie rock band. He had saved enough from his day job and had enjoyed his night job without earning an inch of fame. The move happened because his musical group of four had to disband after Ligur the drummer met an accident and Hastur the lead singer stretched his vocal cords beyond repair and Dagon offered her services as a singer-songwriter to another bar.

Arthur and his wife Deirdre, were a distant cousin in whose wedding Crowley had performed, since their wedding the couple had kept in touch with him. They always sent him; Christmas, New Year and Easter wish, and when he was staying in London, the couple would often drop by to greet him at the pubs he performed and they would have nice dinner. When the son Adam was born to the couple, Crowley was their natural selection as a godfather, despite his atheist lifestyle and sexual orientation that offended many churchgoers, Crowley agreed.

Crowley too warmed up to the little bundle of joy, who was a nice baby to talk to when he was a toddler. Over the years he sent Adam toys, books on astronomy, comics he didn't find in Tadfield bookstores, or just chocolates. Now after his moving back to his parents' old cottage the eleven-year-old Adam and his gang of best friends and the pesky dog called Dog had made Crowley's shop their hangout spot. The gang was one of the most thought-lazy physically active group Crowley had ever met. The four dubbed themselves as Them because thinking a cool name was hard on brian! He was the cool uncle Adam bragged about, he was the reliable college graduate brother Arthur spoke about in his office and he was the amazing brother-in-law who had amazing household tips to share with Deirdre.

So now, by default Anthony J Crowley had become the handsome reliable gay uncle to Them and the whole of Tadfield knew about. Parents of teenage girls were happy to let them work part-time in a gay man's shop once they were 16. The housewives loved ogling at the hot florist, and interns from his old tech company, they kept sending promising young botanists to him to learn basics for a week or two. Crowley was busy and he was exhausted watching Adam and his flock of best friends running around all summer. Ever since Pepper the young feminist got her bicycle the other three convinced their parents to get them their bicycles soon after. Now they were ringing their quartet bells all over the quiet village.

"Adam and gang" Crowley called out his minion staff; that wanted pocket money and were willing to work for him during the summer. "Yes uncle, Anthony!" Adam asked. "Madame Tracy just called me, apparently she is having a new tenant move opposite her apartment, and she wants some flowers for the new person," Crowley informed.

"Madame Tracy is a witch!" Brian the boy with glasses added.

"And her husband stinks of tobacco!" Wensleydale the funny boy, every group needed.

"Witches can hex us!" Brian went on further.

"As a practising feminist, I disagree with the evil portrayal of women as witches in our daily lives!" Pepper dropped in her two pence.

"Yes, it's unacceptable! A witch was an intelligent woman who was independent and an excellent healer who studied nature. You can say they were early doctors and scientist and creators! If I was a female in medieval England, I would be dubbed a witch too!" Crowley groaned.

"How?" Wensleydale asked.

"I am unmarried, I work with plants, I live alone and I am extremely close to four children who believe in supranatural!* Boom there I got burned at stakes! Now off you four pop, take the pots from the backyard, drop them inside the apartment, make Madame Tracy sign on the receipt and report back to me." Crowley sighed.

"Yes sir" the four replied.

"Off you scoot" Crowley waved his minions away.

Anathema Device arrived at Crowley's shop exactly three weeks ago, as the new scholar-intern hired by his previous employer the tech company. She was sent to Tadfield because she was researching the botanical history and especially the plants associated with witchcraft. Crowley's cottage which he inherited from his mother belonged to his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother who was burned at stakes because she was a healer. Some of the trees and plants in his little estate belonged that dead dubbed witch.

"We will have a bookshop opposite your shop!" Anathema glided inside the flower shop. "How do you know that?" Crowley asked as he pressed his mister on the luscious hanging money plants, the easiest house plants to maintain.

"Because I see a huge mover and packers truck outside. And the sign says Books: Inflammable and Delicate" Anathema was glowing in happiness. "What? Who would open a bookshop in this part of the village!" Crowley dropped his plant mister and walked outside to see the new business neighbour. "I think you should read a more about country tourism Mr J" Anathema followed after.

"What? Is that?" Crowley asked. "You know how we like taking trips to Europe and Asia right for a family trip or just for romantic vacations?" the girl enquired. "Yes, I do. I took one with my ex years ago."

"Well, since my generation is super broke and trip to Europe and Asia costly, we like going local. We visit a small town with some historical significance or just go to a scenic village with local cuisine and artistic cafes and local culture. It's cheap." The young scholar informed. "So how's this related to Tadfield?" Crowley asked pointing at the giant truck in front of his shop.

"Tadfield is in the top twenty places for a quick trip for a cosy bread and breakfast weekend in a historic scenic town," Anathema spoke in a manner like it was the most natural thing to happen to Tadfield. "Thirteen historical witch burning, home to a rare breed of apple trees, one of the oldest nunnery resides in Tadfield, the cold war era army base! And an arts and history centre and it's beside the Oxford! This is a dream come true village." Anathema continued.

Crowley an Oxford graduate knows the lure of History and British Summer in a village; after all, it was this cosy summer that got him back to Tadfield! His super sleek apartment in London now rented to a young couple, and his old car enjoying the empty roads of Tadfield. Craving cosy was not a crime. Crowley loved cosy, sweet and sour wine, comfortable bed, warm blanket and hopefully a partner. Many partners came and went, but his dream of a cosy home remained unfulfilled.

"Who is that?" the next words that tumbled out of his mouth was full of awe when he saw a man dressed in a white grin at the truck driver who was climbing down.

"Who?" Anathema asked.

"That man with blonde hair." Crowley almost hissed with irritation. How could Anathema not see him? The man was radiating. "He is radiating like the sun" before Crowley realised Anathema was raising her lovely eyebrows in amusement. " "Should I go and ask?" Anathema grinned after finally spotting him. "Yes…No! HE IS BUSY! Go back to the garden and check the alkaline ratio of the soil" Crowley scolded.

"Alright...Alright, we are pretending that you don't have a crush on a man you just laid your eyes on and I am rechecking the alkaline properties of the same soil" Anathema lifted her hands in the air and walked inside.

"You cannot develop organic fertilizers without studying the soil and just reading conspiracy theory magazines young lady." Crowley always wondered if he ever had a daughter she would be as haughty as Anathema. But to have a biological daughter he needed the help of a woman, only women constant in his life was his mother who moved in mysterious ways around the world often sending him a postcard or seeds indigenous to the land she was travelling to and Deirdre who was the caring sister he never had. Other than them, women had very little to do in his life.

Crowley stood on the porch of his shop and looked at the man dressed too posh for Tadfield and dressed too old for London's fashion. He had a lovely smile, a very lovely smile. The best thing about being a failed rock star but a successful scientist was Crowley needed no reason to just wear his sunglasses 24/7 and walk around. Sunglasses allowed him the luxury to stare at people without making either party feel scared or guilty or awkward. So from behind the comfort of his dark shades, Crowley observed this new creature that had ascended to Tadfield.

The man definitely was in his late 40s like Crowley, and he was a shy person because he didn't know how to talk himself out of the conversation he was having with the truck driver. His clothes were a mismatched patchwork of art. Everything was either white or a decaying shade of white. His trousers were semi-formal corduroys, while the shirt was thinning cotton hidden underneath the silk waistcoat and the coat he was wearing, Crowley wanted to wash that abomination with the holiest water. But the person looked so soothing and soft: someone Crowley could hug himself to sleep with. Crowley mentally slapped himself for letting his brain run ahead of him. He had to learn the person's name first to even start a conversation.

"Hello, Mr Fell!" Adam and his gang yelled that followed after the annoying 'tring-tring' of their bicycles.

"Hello, young Adam, Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale." The them were greeted with a bigger grin.

"Mr Fell that's Adam's uncle Anthony! We work for him. You can say thank you for the plants to him." Pepper being the information box she was pointed her small finger at Crowley who pretended to be busy moisturizing the plants on display.

"Oh hello! You must be Mr Anthony! Thank you for the flowers, my apartment is so much livelier now!" the man in white flashed his beautiful smile at Crowley.

"Eh… yep… that's me" Crowley a man famous for being wittily articulate, precise and extremely organized in his conversations lost the words in his mouth when the bookshop owner greeted him. Within a span of fifteen minutes Crowley had developed a crush which was going to pull him down the love road like a led balloon.

"Mr Fell is opening a bookshop here. And he promised to get us comic books next week." Adam added.

"So, I have, I have distributor friends, I will ask them for your books. I hope you will provide me with a list of names by tomorrow?"

"Yes, Brian and Pepper are putting them down." Adam smiled.

"And if possible I would like some magazines too Mr Fell!" Anathema brushed past Crowley who was still in a daze.

"Ummm…yes child? Young lady, please write me the names of the magazines you want and I shall do my best."

"Anathema Device, I am PhD scholar researching in medieval medicinal flora and Mr Anthony is my research guide."

"They don't work for me, employing children below 13* is illegal they just do errands and I am not her guide, just a man with little knowledge of plants helping her with her thesis." Crowley almost yelled.

"Oh, how wonderful Miss! You and Mr Anthony, you should visit my bookshop tomorrow, I have an excellent collection of florilegium* from various time periods! Now if you don't mind I am borrowing help from these children to help me set up. I am not employing them just errands hope this fine with you, Mr Anthony?"

"Yes…Yes… Children just report back to me after you are done here okay?" Crowley really wanted to have long conversations with the bookshop owner; his new neighbour.

"We will… We will!" Anathema gave quick nudge at Crowley's ribs as he kept staring at the bookshop owner. "We got ourselves invited tomorrow; you owe me a box of macrons," Anathema whispered.

"HE IS NOT A VAMPIRE that we need to be invited!" Crowley hissed back at her.

"Hey Mr Fell" Anathema yelled while the bookshop owner was about to enter his shop.

"Are you single?" Anathema grinned.

"Oh… I am... I am recently singled but I do not date younger women or older women… I mean I do not like women. Not that I dislike women I meant. I am…" with every new word Mr Fell was blushing.

"You are gay like uncle Crowley!" Wensleydale helped.

"That's not how you speak! Be polite!" Crowley hit his head on the wooden pillar of his porch and got greeted by the creepers he was raising.

"Yes. Now children if you don't mind I need your help, come on pop in and Miss Anathema, if you are not too busy, you can come in too if Mr Anthony doesn't mind. I don't want to start suspicions around by inviting children here. I just like children who love books because they light up a bookshop." The curvy man pulled his cufflinks with a blush dusted over his face.

"No, I don't mind. She is a very meticulous girl. And I trust you too" Crowley gave Anathema the eyes, he was embarrassed beyond his belief! He wanted her to go. "Thank you!" The scholar wasted no time and ran off and followed the children inside.

"See you around Mr Fell" Crowley spoke sweetly as he saw Anathema disappears inside the would-be bookshop.

"Just Aziraphale if you please" the man in white smiled softly.

"Hello Aziraphale, I am Crowley." The florist grinned.

"Hello, Crowley!" Aziraphale rushed inside his shop with an excited heart.

TBC

Notes:

Disclaimer- I wish Good Omens was mine

*Supranatural (adj)- Transcending the natural.
*13- Children above 13 can work for limited hours legally and 16 and above is the minimum labourer age in Britain. Crowley is basically breaking the law here by letting Them work for a few hours. They serve as his delivery minion around Tadfield during their summer holidays.
*florilegium- a botanical encyclopaedia.

I plan a five-chapter story because I don't want to bite what I cant chew. It will be fluff and fluff.

I will most probably not have Newt in this story. I don't exactly like him much. He is a nice guy but we know what Nice means. After discussing with my best friend Nanaomi I shall decide his fate here. Reviews make me very very very very happy, so please comment on what you loved or didn't and do point out my typos and silly mistakes

And P.S- my shameless self-promotion please follow me on Instagram at my handle khepiari