VI

If you dare, come a little closer

Talking to her dad is amazing.

Their chats always are but this time it's different because she's feeling elated and her dad only multiplies it because of how happy he is for her. Talking about Luke with him doesn't feel weird or awkward, her dad gives her space to gush about their relationship and express how happy she is, listening and smiling at her clear happiness.

"This Luke seems like a really nice guy, I would like to meet him mija. And before you tell me it's too soon or something, it's okay. You can take your time before introducing us, I don't mind waiting and I love hearing you being so happy. So I'm okay with just listening to you for now." Her dad's words are the best support she could ever want so, as she promises him she'll introduce them in the future, she also makes a mental note of going for dinner to her childhood home this week, because she really misses her dad.

Because of the way her day started, she expects everything else to be just as great and she's not wrong because around 2 p.m. something amazing happens. But, like most situations in her life, she doesn't even know how monumental everything is until she looks back at the moment.

In her defense, things are normal around the store: she's behind the counter, checking that everything is ready for a couple of events they have next week and Nick is busy with two sisters who seem more interested in him than anything when a new customer enters the store. Because Nick is busy it's up to her to help this person but she doesn't approach immediately, instead stays behind the counter re reading the calendar of the month and giving the client time to see around the store. She's never too quick to approach customers, prefers to let them roam around in case there's something that catches their eye. When she's done with the calendar, she puts her name tag on her shirt and approaches the girl, who has the most amazing outfit she's seen in a while.

"Welcome to 'Coming up Roses', My name is Julie! Is there anything I can help you with?" She puts on her customer service voice and smiles, thinking if it was another circumstance she would comment on how great she looks but alas she's at work and she doesn't know this person, it wouldn't be appropriate.

The girl turns to see her and doesn't respond immediately, instead simply looks at her as if trying to decide what to do. There is something else though, but Julie can't really describe it. The weight of her gaze is mortifying, especially because Julie doesn't know why on Earth she's been sized up, but she holds her stance because as a young woman of color who is also a business owner she knows she can't really show much weakness or people might eat her alive or look down on her and even if she doesn't really know what's going on with this person she needs to project an image of strength.

To say the whole experience is kind of weird for Julie is an understatement. People size her up all the time but never like this, it has always happened once they require her skills for an event and they are negotiating or deciding things together. Briefly, she wonders if she should leave her alone in case she doesn't want help or is one of those 'I'll do everything myself' kind of client; but suddenly she clearly makes up their mind because the whole atmosphere changes and it's not heavy or uncomfortable, going back to a normal situation with a regular client. Julie assumes that she must like what she saw or simply decided to give her a chance because she smiles before finally answering Julie's question.

"To be honest I was just walking by and saw the store. I was completely captivated by your display so I decided to enter and see what was inside." The girl says while looking around making Julie smile proudly of her hard work. In that moment she decides that whatever the hell she was being sized up doesn't really matter because her comment seems genuine. "This is really something else." She adds, looking at Julie once again but this time with a little bit of kindness in her eyes.

Maybe this girl is a little bit like Luke and has little contact with flowers or flower shops and probably she was just deciding whether she should stay or go. She decides to go with that because she's not going to let whatever just happened in the way of making a sale.

"Thanks, I'll let the owner know." She jokes, mostly to herself since there's no way the girl knows what's going on.

"Oh, I can tell them myself." Julie raises an eyebrow because she was not expecting that, people rarely want to talk to her in the role as an owner, this isn't a restaurant where compliments to the chef are very common, in fact it's very rare when people send compliments her way and when it happens it's because they see the arrangements not because they know she's the backbone of the store. That's why she's clearly surprised by the comment, and that's why she answers…

"Then feel free to say whatever you want. I'm all ears." She doesn't usually outs herself as the owner of the store to anyone, she only does it if people ask, but once again it tends to be so rare she can't even remember the last time it happened. Most of the time people already know her because of her social media presence but only praise her if her arrangements impress them.

"Really girl? This place is amazing! Congratulations." She can't help but to smile at that, it's such a genuine reaction it makes her feel proud of herself.

Maybe the odd interaction was about something else, Julie thinks to herself because right now she's actually behaving in a very friendly way and that's why she decides to forget about it all together. After all, the girl really is praising her in what can only be a genuine manner.

"Not as amazing as your outfit." She says, not caring if it's appropriate or not. Something tells her she will appreciate the comment and she does, because when the girl hears her she smiles and twirls, probably so that Julie can have a full view of the outfit.

"Thank you! My name is Flynn by the way, it's nice to meet you Julie." Flynn introduces herself before extending her hand, which Julie takes with a smile on her face. "Let's see if you can make an arrangement that's as bomb as this outfit. I wanna see your skills."

Julie has never been challenged like that, ever. The challenges at work usually tended to present themselves in the form of very annoying and demanding clients so this is an unexpected situation but she takes it in stride and simply says "You're on!" to Flynn before starting to walk around the store.

As she starts to pick several flowers that can make for a great bouquet but also match the outfit that she's wearing, they start talking, with Julie asking her questions to get a glimpse of her personality and use that information in the process as well. It takes her a couple of minutes but once she's gathered everything she needs she goes to the assembly table with Flynn following close behind. She's used to talking as she works but it's usually one sided, the customers don't really ask her questions but Flynn does, almost as if she was reciprocating what Julie just did. It's nice and she has too much fun talking so her process of making the arrangement, Flynn is definitely something else and she welcomes it completely.

"This is fire! I really love it." She says as soon as Julie hands her the flowers, smiling because her energy is contagious.

"It was really fun. Thanks for the challenge!" She says, letting herself appreciate Flynn's excitement and joy over the flowers and how great the experience it was. That gives her an idea. "Would you mind if I take a picture of you with the flowers? It would make a great social media post."

"Totally, go ahead. It would be my pleasure." Flynn poses with the flowers, giving her a lot of material for the socials, to which she's very grateful. "Is it weird if I ask if you'd be interested in hanging out sometimes? University is kicking my ass and I could use a friend."

For a second she doesn't answer, because the question caught her completely by surprise but in a good way. Julie feels incredibly moved and despite the weird start she has genuinely had a great time with Flynn so it's a no brainer to give out her number, telling her to feel free and text or call whenever she wants. She's greatly surprised when that same night she gets a text about grabbing a bite to eat during her next lunch hour.

Carrie is going to make a huge deal and pretend to be jealous while also claiming Julie has completely forgotten about her thanks to the distance between them but going out with Flynn and having a blast is worth the fake jealousy her other friend will unleash on her the second she arrives in L.A.

Her relationship with Luke is something that turns her world upside down.

She's barely known him for about a month and he's dragged her to Venice, to the Griffith observatory, to Echo Park and so many places she can't even believe she's had time for all that. By the time she finds herself at the Santa Monica Pier with Luke, Reggie and Alex she's not even surprised because her boyfriend seems to have the superpower of taking her out of the store. She can't even remember the last time she had this much fun and she knows she's got Luke to thank for that, he's the one that seems to always remind her there is a world outside of her flowers.

But the thing that surprises her the most is not necessarily related to a geographical place but rather to an emotional one.

Julie has always considered songwriting one of the few things that she could do to keep her mother's memory alive. Rose and her were always writing when she was alive, despite Julie being only ten when her mother died she knew they had collaborated on some good songs. Were the songs worthy of a Grammy nomination? Of course not, but the songs they wrote together were special in their own way. They often brought memories of her mother and how her mother would always emphasize Julie was strong, capable and talented enough to do whatever she wanted to do in life.

Those were the things she held onto when she was a teenager and writing and performing would turn out to be very hard for her to do.

Those are the things she still holds onto when the anniversary of her death comes along or she has a horrible day and needs her mother's love.

On those days song writing welcomes her like an old friend and, instead of what used to happen when she was an adolescent, she feels at home. She feels her mother's presence with her, whispering encouraging words and singing with her when she performs. That's why she's never been able to write with anyone else. Despite Carrie's or Caleb's attempt she's never felt really comfortable bringing a third party to what's always been to her the bridge to connect with her mother after her death.

But then, as most things that have happened in her life in the past weeks: Luke happens.

(Her new friend Flynn jokes and says that the way she says "Luke happens" makes it seem as if he's a natural disaster she'd decided to name.

She knows immediately that if Luke is a natural disaster then he must be a wildfire. She just hopes he has mercy and continues to make her insides feel warm instead of devastating her like real wildfires do to California each year.)

Music is not a foreign topic of conversation between them, if anything it's part of their daily talks; however it has its quirks. For example: it tends to be general, they talk about genres and artists they like, usually when they listen to music as he helps her shut down the store. Both of them have a lot of knowledge and opinions so it's not uncommon they debate about songs or instruments. But even if it's general, when it comes to their music it also tends to be very one sided, focused mostly on whatever Sunset Curve is working on. Ever since he found out about Rose he's always been respectful and doesn't push too much when it comes to her music, which is something she appreciates deeply because she knows how much music means to him and how he'd definitely be able to talk about it all day long.

It's like a drizzle and not a rainfall, which is something she guesses their conversations really would be if he wasn't respectful of how music is forever tied to the memory of her mother and therefore to her grief. She knows that without that, Luke would probably be as enthusiastic and passionate about her own skills as he is with virtually everything else, so she's thankful that so far all with all the music talk he's made an active effort to respect her boundaries.

But that's about to change thanks to inventory night.

Inventory was hands down the worst of the chores to do around the store, it became passable when Luke stopped by to help her but last night he'd been unable to join her so she did it alone. It didn't really surprise her that she came up with some lyrics while working around with only Carlos as company, but it did surprise her that when she woke up one of the first thoughts she had was that she wanted to share the lyrics with Luke.

She'd never expected that.

A part of her is still processing the idea that in very little time Luke has made himself at home in her life and in her thoughts; but another part of her simply accepts his existence as a fact. Luke is part of her now, part of her day to day, part of her thoughts, part of her heart…

It makes sense to share this with him. Not only he's a musician and he'll appreciate the collaboration process but also because it's him and she knows he's going to be his sweet, respectful and excited self when she tells him about the song (She tries to ignore that both Carrie and Caleb, whom she has known for a longer period of time, would also be excited to collaborate with her while also being respectful). There's just something inside of her that wants to share this with him and she's not going to deny herself this.

He doesn't disappoint her and, just like she expected, instead of diving right in and being super excited about the prospective of working on a song together he gently double checks with her if it's alright. It's only once she lets him know it's fine that he shows his excitement about the song even if it's clear that this is going to be different for both of them, something Luke clearly states from the get go

"What do you mean it's on your phone? Nuh uh, I write by hand like people did back in the days." He says, using a playful tone, probably to get her to laugh and make her feel comfortable with the situation. He starts to look for napkins as he adds: "Kids these days, I swear you are so spoiled." He jokes before taking a glance at her phone and instead of diving right in, he simply making suggestions, starts asking her about her process and the meaning behind what she's written.

She's happy about doing this with him.

He's not trying to steamroll her, instead he's trying to get an idea so that his suggestions and input make sense and complement what she's written. Once he's got all the information it's impossible for her not to compare the situation with the writing sessions when her mom was alive because in many ways it's very similar.

They seem to operate on the same wavelength and are very in sync about how to work on a song. Music flows through her in the same way it did when she wrote with her mom but now, instead of looking up to Rose for guidance she looks at Luke and sees an equal, someone who cares about creating but also about her and her feelings, which is probably why his arm is around her shoulders, keeping her close so that she feels supported. It's also probably why he hypes her every other minute.

While he rambles about the chorus of the song she takes a minute to observe him because she's never seen him like this, so focused and passionate about something. The only other time he's been like this is probably when he's looking at her, which makes her insides feel gooey.

"Thank you for doing this with me." She says, interrupting his mumbling and making him focus on her instead of the several napkins in front of them. The smile he gives her is too pure for her to resist, so she gives him a quick kiss because she cannot help herself. When they separate, he rubs his nose against hers, before speaking.

"I'm honored Julie, thank you for allowing me to write with you. It means a lot to me." He responds, staying wrapped around each other for a while.

Maybe Luke is a wildfire, maybe the point is for him to burn everything in sight so that new things can grow from the ashes. Isn't that what people say about some fires? Maybe this was meant to happen.

She's never been big on 'things happen for a reason' but she does think sharing her music with Luke is the right move; they now have a complete song to show to prove it is just more evidence to what she already knows it's true because of how she feels and how much the whole situation is almost pivotal for her. Even if they hadn't finished the song it would've still been worth it, because this is Luke, someone who's only passion seems to be music, and yet he set that aside to be respectful, gentle and supportive. That is a big deal for her.

It's also a big deal how safe, encouraged and overjoyed she feels about them being able to create something together, because as much as Luke tries to insist he doesn't deserve songwriter credit, he definitely does. 'Finally free' is as much her song as it is his.

After so many years creating alone, it feels incredible to have a song she wrote with someone but not just anyone, she has a song she co-wrote with Luke and that's what really makes her feel happy.

He's inside getting them some double doubles for dinner, because with all the haze about writing nighttime has fallen upon them so eating out is their chosen option, when someone from maintenance approaches the table with clear intentions of throwing away the napkins. She doesn't need them because all the information is safely kept on her phone but knowing Luke she thinks he'll probably want to keep them for mementos or even to write in his own notebook so she speaks to the lady.

"Sorry, I'm keeping these. My boyfriend probably wants to keep them for posterity's sake." She explains so the lady nods and only takes the empty milkshakes with her to throw away while Julie stays busy trying to order the napkins to match the song but Luke's handwriting sucks so it's very hard to actually understand what's written.

"So, Jules." She jumps in her seat, very startled by his sudden presence. She'd been so focused that his voice brought her back to reality with no mercy. He hands her the burger and fries before sitting down and looking at her with a shit eating grin on his face. "I hear you have a boyfriend."

Fuck.

She hadn't even registered the use of the word, mostly because it seemed right to use it. They'd been going out for a while and she knew they weren't seeing other people, so it made sense, he was her boyfriend and she was her girlfriend. But they had never talked about it so really what she did was assume their relationship status instead of discussing it with him first. But he doesn't seem mad or annoyed, quite the opposite. The way his head is resting in one of his hands and his face is all contorted into some… fake dreamy look? Yeah, he's messing with her which gives her the chance to mess with him.

"Ah, I meant my other boyfriend, the one I'm seeing on the side. You just missed him." She says with a nonchalant tone of voice, before starting to eat some of her fries. She doesn't even look at him after she speaks but out of the corner of her eye she can totally see how his face falls and starts to look a little like a kicked puppy which obviously makes her pity him. "Obviously I was talking about you, but you had to go and mock me with that stupid grin so I had to have a little fun, alright?"

He seems so relieved by her words she has no choice but to find it endearing the very obvious and clear way he was actually panicking about their relationship status; she can hear his relief when he speaks: "So to be clear, I'm your boyfriend, right? Because I would love for you to be my girlfriend."

"You're such a dork, you know that? Of course you're my boyfriend, what else would you be?" She asks and even if it's ironic, almost immediately she realizes that he's going to ignore that vital piece of information she just gave to him and answer truthfully to her question.

"I'm only your humble servant, boss. You're the human wrecking ball with the voice of an angel, I'm just here for the ride as your personal cheerleader."

"Well, as the boss I'm telling you, you are my boyfriend okay?"

"No take backs!" He almost shouts and she hides her face in his chest not only to muffle her laugh at their excitement but also because she's kind of embarrassed that he's bringing attention to themselves. He simply wraps his arms around her and hugs her tightly, food completely forgotten.

"No take backs, I promise." It's a loaded promise but when she says it, it doesn't feel like one, in fact it's quite the opposite: she makes the promise because it's what it feels it's the right thing to do.

Because why would she want to change her mind about Luke and their relationship when it's the best one she's been on? Why would she want to change her mind about this man who is incredible and sometimes feels like he's the one who belongs to some place rather than planet Earth?

When she makes the promise, even if it sounds silly and he's just joking around, she knows she's being completely serious and definitely means it despite that a part of her knows and warns her it might not the best idea to be making promises left and right to a guy she's only known for a little period of time; especially because they still are in the honeymoon phase of the relationship which just means she's high on infatuation an drunk on all of his good attributes. She doesn't really care though, she knows she really means it and, most importantly, she wants to stand by her words.

She doesn't even have to fake it or even force the promise, it's such a natural thing to say and do; she can't help but think it's a good sign.

Her heart approves and so, simply shushes every thought and simply braves on, because somehow this promise will stick, despite everything, despite that their best days are yet unknown: what she feels for Luke is so strong and real the prospect of loving him doesn't scare her, not even a little.