Got another new short story today to share! Hope you all enjoy! It's going to only be 3 chapters long but either way let's go!
Leaning against the front desk, Noctis expected it to be another day like all the rest. The store would be open, he would have a few customers come in throughout the day, and then it would be over. It was the same routine every time, but in no way did he despite or hate it. In fact it was quite the opposite, even if the days were mundane he still found them to be enjoyable for one sole reason.
The flowers.
Being the owner of his own flower shop was something that he cherished deeply. Even if he was left alone for hours on end, it only meant that he could have more time to spend with his precious flowers. They were basically his children, having cared for them since they were only seeds. He raised them from the ground up, watered them and made them flourish before any thought of displaying them in his shop.
Humming softly to himself, he became focused on tending to each section of flowers. He barely noticed the time passing, or the door opening. Even with the bell jiggling on top, he almost would have missed it if he had not heard someone clear their throat.
Turning around, Noctis came face to face with a brand new customer. A young man with strikingly light blond hair and a face littered with freckles was standing at the entrance to the store fiddling with his jacket as he looked around. With the way the light was shining through the windows, Noctis could have sworn that some ethereal Astral was standing before him.
"Uh hi?" the blond asked.
Noctis breathed in, starting a moment too long before snapping out of his daze. "Ah hi! Welcome to Caelum Flowers. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I um yeah. Yeah I'm just looking for good flowers? You know the fancy type?"
Noctis tilted his head. "Fancy type?"
"You know… fancy?" the blond asked as he played with a strand of his hair. "Like, do you have any sunflowers?"
"I think I'm looking at one…" Noctis muttered.
"What?"
"Huh? N-Nothing! Sorry. Um, we don't sell sunflowers here, sorry."
"Oh…"
"What's the occasion? Maybe I can help figure out what would be best?"
With a smile, the blond stepped a little closer. "Okay, so I got this friend. She's great and everything, and I just need some flowers for her. I'm doing this to help her cause she's far too busy right now and I just thought maybe it would be best if I stepped in and got some flowers to help the situation. I mean she asked me to get some flowers and I wanted to help anyway. Sorry…" he laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm rambling aren't I?"
Something in Noctis's heart felt like it was sinking. He had only met this guy, but he had already felt a pull… only for that feeling to get shattered immediately. 'Of course he'd be taken… with looks like that the ladies must've gone wild.'
"Well," Noctis said as he cleared his throat. "I'm sure we can find flowers for the special lady. I think I know just the thing." Noctis waved him over to one of the rows of flowers. "Now roses are your most common for this kind of thing, but might feel a bit cliché."
"And cliché… is bad?" he asked.
"Not really bad… just what you'd usually expect. The classic choice. If you really want to be more unique, then tulips are good. Getting a bouquet of those usually is good for anniversaries and beginning relationships," Noctis explained.
"Lilacs are also good symbols for strong love connections and we got plenty of those over here. But if you really want that 'fancy' kind of thing, then I say get a bouquet of red chrysanthemums. Those also symbolize love and are much more unique than the common red rose."
"Well, dude, that sells me! Get me a nice bouquet of red chrysanthemums!"
Noctis nodded and gathered up a bunch of the flowers. He wrapped them up nicely in plastic before bringing it over to the counter. He placed them down gently and looked up to see the man pulling out his rather interestingly themed wallet.
"Is that a King's Knight wallet?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. I've had it since high school. Pretty lame, right?"
"Nah, not lame. Mine's Justice Monster 5," Noctis said as he grinned.
"Wow really? Sweet. So uh, how much is this going to be?"
"It'll be $68.59."
Noctis could see the blond's face pale. "T-That much?! For flowers!?"
Noctis shrugged, knowing this was a common reaction of newbie customers. "Flowers are expensive. If you think that's bad, some flower shops sell a single rose for $10."
"And how much do you sell a single rose for?"
Noctis smirked. "$9.99."
"Oh ha ha… but geez. This better be worth it," he said as he handed over his credit card.
Now with it in hand, Noctis finally knew the name of this new customer; Prompto. He gave the strongest smile as he could before swiping the card.
"I'm sure she's going to love it. Flowers are the best gifts for just about any occasion."
"Guess you'd know, being the flower man or whatever."
Noctis snorted as he handed the credit card back. "The flower man? Really?"
"What?" Prompto scoffed. "Well, what do you call a guy who works with flowers?"
Noctis stared at him with a long deadpan gaze. He blinked a few times, wondering if Prompto was for real or not.
"A florist," he finally answered dryly.
"Oh, oh yeah, guess that would make sense."
"Yeah, that's just how it is."
"Well thanks, Noctis the Florist."
Noctis just started to chuckle. This guy was so random in what he said and how he said it, but it was enough to make Noctis smile and laugh. He waved goodbye, watching the blond go, knowing he would probably not see him anytime soon.
'If he does ever return it'll probably just be to get more flowers for his girl… yeah… that'll be it.'
Sighing, Noctis went back to checking around the store, tending to all the flowers that needed his attention. If he could distract himself enough by doing what he loved doing, he could forget about the encounter he had with Prompto. He could forget about how the boy was practically a shining sun, beaming with energy from every angle.
He could just forget about whatever flutter he felt in his chest and move on.
Or at least that was what he thought would happen.
