As per request: a longer chapter. I hope you like it!
Waverly's fingers itched above the keyboard. Lilacs for love. Peonies for apology. And lilies because they were her favorite. That sounded right. Right? Or maybe she should just go with the normal red roses? Was that too simple? Or was the whole custom bouquet too much? Would she even remember the meaning behind all the flowers? Waverly knew she had babbled on about them to her at one point, but what if she wasn't listening? Most people didn't really care about those stupid things anyways right? Why was she always babbling?
Waverly sighed. Custom bouquet. Even if Nicole didn't understand all the meanings behind it it would seem more...personal.
Punching in the number for the flower shop in town, Waverly's leg bounced as she waited for someone to pick up. She was doing the right thing right? Girls liked flowers. Flowers were good. "Hello?...Yes, this is Waverly Earp. I would like to place an order for a bouquet...Yes I was wondering if you had lilacs, lilies and some peonies?...umm yes extra lilies...uhh…" The shop boy had asked if she wanted to pick them up or to have them delivered. Bringing them to her herself would be good, because then they could talk it out and then maybe they would be okay. But if she did that then Waverly would have to apologize in person...and to do that she needed to figure out what she had been doing wrong. And, oh god, there were a lot of things she could think of, but she couldn't figure out which one was the one Nicole was mad about and if she apologized for the wrong thing...well Waverly had been on the other end with that with Champ and she could say, it never felt good.
"Hello?" The shop boy was getting inpatient.
"Yes, yes sorry. Umm delivery please. To the Purgatory police station? Officer Nicole Haught."
"And would you like to add a note to that?"
"Yes please!" Waverly told the boy what she wanted on it and hung up. They would be there later this afternoon, he said. She bit her lip though a smile. God, she hoped this worked.
At that moment, Wynonna came fumbling down the stairs, the ends of her hair still wet from a shower. Waverly glanced at the clock. It had been three hours since she had gone up for a nap. Had it really taken Waverly so long just to order flowers?
"Hey. I'm heading back to the station before Dolls gets his panties in a twist. You talk to Haughtstuff yet?" Wynonna asked, slipping Peacemaker's belt over her hips.
"No...but I've got something in the works." Waverly smiled, but fiddled with her fingers nervously.
"That's my Babygirl. I'll see you later ok?" Wynonna placed a soft kiss to her sister's temple. "And stop beating yourself up." She ordered.
"Ok." Waverly chuckled meakly as Wynonna marched out the door, flashing her two thumbs up.
Nicole tapped her pen on her desk, staring at a file that should have been filed out hours ago. She just couldn't focus today. Every time she tried, her mind would go back to Waverly. She should just call her. She should just tell her what happened and be done with it right? She would have to own up to it eventually, anyways. It wasn't like she could avoid it forever. Esspecially if it meant Waverly staying away. She didn't know how much longer she could take that.
Nicole opened her desk drawer and slipped out her phone.
Sent from Nicole 3:43 pm
Hey love can i come over tonight
after shift?
Sent from Waverly 3:45 pm
Sure thing! Can't wait! :)
Nicole sighed with relief. This would be over soon then. Maybe now she could finished this damned report.
Five minutes in, though, the world still seemed bound determined to keep her away from filing when a teen backed in throught the front door calling her name. "Flowers for Officer Nicole Haught?" He called.
Nicole came around her desk, her brow furrowed as Nedley emerged from his office to see what the new commotion was. No one ever came into the station except them and Black Badge unless they came to complain about something or other.
"I'm Nicole." She announced, taking the flowers from him when he handed them out to her. They were heavier than she expected.
She was probably grinning far more than she should be given her boss was staring at her, but she didn't particularly care at the moment. Her girlfriend had sent her flowers. No girl had ever done that for her. Her stomach was so filled with butterflies, she didn't know how on earth she would get anything done for the rest of the day. Maybe if Nedley went back in his office she could skip out on a patrol that would happen to take her by the homestead…
"Have a good day." The flower boy nodded and went back off to his car.
"You too." Nicole answered automatically, but her mind was far off.
"Officer Haught." Nedley's voice snapped her back to the present. He wasn't usually so sharp with her.
"Yes, sir?" She went to go place the vase on her desk.
"Now what you do in your personal time is your own business, but you are an officer of the law while you are in that uniform. You will kindly tell your boyfriend not to be sending anything else to this station."
Nicole had to bite her lip at the mention of a boyfriend. But she had talked with Waverly close friends and family for now. "Of course, sir. I will tell him, sir."
Nedley hurumfed. "Well then I guess it's okay this one time." He softened. "And while we're on the topic, you might as well tell me the man's name. It's good for a sheriff to know his officers."
"Uhhh...Jacob." Nicole spit out the name of the first boy she could think of, her little cousin who she had called this morning. It was his eighth birthday.
"Jacob Fernstien? Ray's boy?"
"Uh yes sir." Oh god she hoped this didn't get around town or she would have a lot of explaining to do. Especially because she saw Jacob Fernstien in a certain coffee shop on her last trip into the city, and he may or may not have been holding the hand of another young man.
"Well, he seems like a good enough fellow. Haven't had in here too many times so that's a good sign!" Nedley laughed at his own joke, and Nicole tried to go along. When would this conversation end? "Well, I wish you two the best of luck."
"Thanks…" Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't imagine how red her face must be by now.
"You uh," Nedley seemed to be at a loss about where to take the conversation from there as well. "You uh finished with that report yet."
"Just doing it now, sir."
"Well then I'll leave you to it. But you be telling that Fernstien boy to leave off when you're at work, or I'll have a mind to tell him myself."
"That won't be necessary." Nicole rushed. "I'll just uh go and fill out…"
"Yes yes Nedley waved his hand and went back into his office. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. Thank god that conversation was over.
Back at her desk, though, she couldn't bring herself to plpug in more boring facts onto paperwork before she read the little white card sticking out from between two pink lilies.
Forgive me, forgive this fool / Sorry that I acted so cruel / I love you and I will love only you / Take my hand and let's start anew. -Gabrielle Yana Concepcion
I'm really sorry. I thought this poem said all I really wanted to in way fewer words than I could. Please forgive me. I miss you. -Your Waverly
Nicole smile at first at the pretty words, but then she realized what they meant. Waverly was blaming herself for what she did last night. Nicole kicked the back of her desk, rattling the contents and stubbing her toe. She was so stupid not to have seen this coming. Why was she such a coward last night? She should have just explained when she could have.
Nicole made to go run to her cruiser but stopped herself. She was going over after her shift, and Nedley was going to have her head if she didn't finish her paperwork after how worked up he had been about the flowers earlier. She kicked the back of her desk again.
She poured over those files so hard to get out of there faster she hardly noticed when Wynonna rushed out of the station with nothing but a quick yell to Dolls about needing to get home.
Same thing as usual: reviews are what I write for!
