Disclaimers: I do not own the 39 Clues.
Chapter 4
The excruciating car ride to the florist was spent staring out the window and trying to avert her gaze away from the couple. Amy nearly gagged at the way Reina gushed to Ian, her voice sickly sweet and tantalizing. She made an effort not to empty her stomach of this morning's breakfast in the posh limousine.
As the limo finally lurched to a gentle stop, Amy was more than glad to get out of the car. The chauffeur opened the door for Amy, then proceeded to help Ian and Reina.
Amy followed Ian into the shop. The waft of flowers washed over her body as Amy entered the elegant shop. The scent engulfed her senses; pastel colored buds and vibrant blooms lined the walls in a variety of arrangements. The creamy white walls are impeccable. A thin gold molding wrapped around the room. Spongy black carpet lined the floor, giving a classy touch to the store.
Muffled clacks of heels sounded from the back of the store. A woman appeared around the corner. She was young; her wide-set gray eyes were delicately lined with kohl. Her pale complexion resembled Amy's, but her cheeks shone with a rosy pink splash of blush. She wore a cheery lilac dress and held a bouquet of honeysuckle and dahlias in her left hand. A shiny gold badge over her chest read "Mindy".
Mindy set the flowers down by a table and then extended her hand to greet her customers. Her eyes scanned over the male in front of her, and her lips curled upward in a flirtatious smile.
"Mr. Kabra, what a pleasure to meet you! I'm―"
"Mindy. I can read, you know," Ian said.
Mindy's faced dropped as Ian interrupted her. She quickly recovered and plastered a big smile on her face. Reina nodded politely at the florist, while Amy stood aside, slightly amused.
"Ahh... well, follow me. Let's start from here," Mindy said.
She led the three over to the back. Roses, lilies, tulips and other exotic flowers extended down the hall. Mindy gestured to the array of flowers, then left the room to let them browse in peace.
"We have a large selection of flowers, Any one of them can be dyed into a color of your choice. Let me know if you need any help!" she chirped before disappearing once again.
Amy gazed at the plants with awe. Next to her, Reina admired the Hong Kong roses, the delicate petals dipped in gold glitter on the tip. Ian stood off to the side, with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.
Amy's finger drifted to a lily. The large white petals were soft. She let her fingers graze gently against the flower.
She was especially fond of the white beauties. Their elegance and unsullied colors were refreshing... and painful.
He gave them to her on their first date.
It wasn't much of a date―after she refused countless times, she reluctantly agreed to accompany him to downtown.
He picnicked with her by the waterfront, bought her ice cream at a food cart, and watched a movie. Although he would rather take her to a five-star restaurant, buy her authentic Italian gelato, and get front row seats to an orchestra concert, being able to make her smile was enough.
She remembered how she passed by a flower cart full of fresh lilies. Those white flowers emitted a pleasant sweet scent, and they mesmerized her.
Before she left, he surprised her with a slender bouquet of the lilies she was fond of. Several of the largest blooms were nestled in a bunch and wrapped in a layer of spring green tissue paper. A matching silk ribbon was tied hastily into a bow. His efforts of making the present was heartwarming. That day, she gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving―which not only surprised him, but also herself.
"Um... Amy?"
Ian's voice made her snap out of her reverie. He stood in front of her, his eyebrows raised.
"Uh, yes?" she replied with a hint of confusion.
"I need your opinion. What do you think we should get?"
His amber eyes met hers, and he locked in with her green ones. Amy felt her cheek burn as a crimson color crept up in her face. She snapped her gaze away from Ian.
Her eyes scanned the wall. Amy gently plucked a pink carnation. It was dyed in a shade of fuchsia that was too rich. It reminded her of Natalie's manicure. She cringed as she handed Ian the overly pink flower.
"This one suits you," Amy said innocently.
She smirked as he took the bud.
He hates carnations.
Ian suddenly smiles.
"Very well." He signaled for Mindy to take his order.
"I would like enough of carnations in two months. Have it dyed in white. The pink is absolutely hideous," Ian said.
He then plucked a snow-white lily from a vase.
"...and also some of the white lilies."
He glanced at Amy. "I remember you fancy those, don't you?"
Amy was pretty sure Ian was doing this just to torture her.
She glared at him, but he carried on, not bothered by the venomous look.
Reina walked up beside Amy. She grinned at her while Amy tried not to frown.
"You've got a good taste, Amy! I love this," Reina complimented.
Amy's lips instinctively twitched downwards. She then forced herself to smile at the girl.
As Ian completed his order, they walked out and headed back to the car. The chauffeur dutifully ushered them inside the car.
"How about lunch with us?" Reina asked. "There's a new Thai restaurant that I'm dying to try out!"
Amy politely refused the offer. This time, the brunette stayed quiet did not press her any farther.
The limo stopped in front of the Kabra estate and dropped Amy off. Reina waved goodbye and the couple left for lunch.
Amy walked into the large kitchen, hoping to find something substantial for lunch. She opened the fridge to find it stocked with fancy delicacies. She pushed a plate of caviar over, but finds nothing to her taste.
Slightly disappointed, she found a servant and asked her to prepare a sandwich.
"You know, the kind with sliced ham and cheddar on white bread," Amy explained.
The servant stared at her, but went on to prepare her food without question.
She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
Amy answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Amy!" Dan greeted her. "Have you killed cobra yet?"
Amy chuckled. "I wish. What's up, Dan?"
"Great. How are you, big sis?"
"Uh...fine?"
"Yeah right. And pigs can fly."
"Don't worry about me. I can deal with it."
"Next time I see him I will unleash my ninja powers. After all, I have a black belt in karate."
"You have a black belt in karate in your ninja video game."
"And that doesn't stop me from―"
Dan' voice was muffled by angry screams in the background.
"Amy... Gotta run. Nellie's looking for me," Dan gulped. "And she's holding her iron skillet."
Amy sighed. "I guess telling to stay out of trouble is a little too much. What did you do this time, dweeb?"
"Well...uh, let's just say something exploded inside the house and it ended with Nellie's iPod in two pieces. By the way, Nellie said hi!"
Dan hung up, leaving Amy wondering what the hell he did this time. The last time Nellie got mad at Dan was when he accidentally lit her cookbook on fire. Nellie had grounded him for a week while she mourned for her burnt recipes.
The maid returned with her sandwich on a pristine china plate. She felt her stomach growl at the sight of the mouth-watering sandwich. It was prepared delicately. Amy happily began to eat the meal.
Clacking heels reverberated from down the hallway. That meant Natalie was back. Amy was right; a few moments later, the younger Kabra emerged with two servants trailing behind her, drowning in bags of clothes.
"Bring it all into my room, please," Natalie instructed without lifting a finger. The two servants left with the overwhelming number of shopping bags.
Natalie turned and noticed Amy's presence.
"Hello," she said. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon, dear."
"Hi," Amy replied. "Looks like you brought the whole mall home with you."
"Not even close. But that's a good idea. Maybe I will look into having personal shopping center built next door."
Although Amy did have the money to shop like Natalie, she preferred a pair of jeans and t-shirt any day.
Natalie took a seat across from her while a servant placed a steaming cup of hot cocoa in front of her.
Amy looked at it with surprise. "You like hot chocolate?"
Natalie pursed her lips. "It's made with the finest cocoa from Ivory Coast and organic low-fat milk. Even though it's peasant food, I find it quite delectable when it's made from the best ingredients."
A silence fell as Amy returned to eating her sandwich and Natalie resorted to sipping her drink.
"How was your trip to the florist?" Natalie asked a little too innocently.
Amy rolled her eyes.
"Wonderful. Couldn't have been better," she answered sarcastically.
Natalie smirked. "Well, as annoying as Reina is, I'd rather be related to her than your nightmare of a brother."
"Really? The last time you saw each other, you guys got along just fine."
Natalie grunted. "I lost the bet to him. He forced me to play video games―if I didn't, he said he would burn all my Prada bags. I would never touch anything as repulsive as that again."
Amy saw Natalie's cheeks flare red with annoyance―or maybe it was because she was embarrassed. Whatever the reason, the irked girl was desperately trying to hide her uncomfortable blush.
"Oh, I by the looks of it, you had fun."
Natalie jabbed a finger at Amy threateningly. "It was better than socializing with peasants."
Flushed, she stood up and left.
"Later."
"Ouch!"
Amy winced as Natalie pulled the hairbrush ruthlessly through her untamed hair.
"Oh, shut it! Remember― pain is beauty!" Natalie chirped as she continued to drag the brush down her hair.
After a few more agonizing minutes of Natalie ripping hair out of her scalp, she finally stopped and proceeded to heat the curling iron.
This morning, Natalie had told Amy that she and Ian will be spending the day together while Natalie takes Reina to shop for a wedding dress. Natalie insisted that Amy at least tried to look nice.
Natalie picked up the wand and quickly curled the smooth hair. After a few more finishing touches, Natalie stood back, looking satisfied at her work.
"What do you know? I can turn an ugly duckling into a swan!"
That was the closest thing to a compliment that Natalie has ever given Amy.
Amy looked into the mirror. Her usually unkempt and unruly red-brown hair was smooth and silky. The strands were curled near the end into large, uniform curls. Her face was almost free of makeup except for a swipe of mascara and chap stick. She nearly freaked out when Natalie tried to apply red lipstick.
She persuaded Natalie not to squeeze her into a body hugging dress and stilettos. Instead, she wore a creamy white knitted sweater with a gold and pearl necklace. Black skinny jeans complimented her light-colored top. A beige trench coat and black leather boots completed the assemble.
She was secretly relieved that Natalie made her look decent. After all, Amy didn't want to look like a bird's nest in front of Ian.
"You know, things are not as bad as it seems," Natalie said casually before she left.
Amy puzzled over that. Sure, your fiancée suddenly calling it off and dumping you for another girl was perfectly fine.
Not bad at all, she thought sarcastically.
"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart."
―Haruki Murakami, Kafta on the Shore
Sorry for the boring chapter. I promise the next will be better!
Hope you enjoyed it! Also, thank you for all your reviews! I'm so psyched to see all the comments. Don't be afraid to give me constructive criticism or point out any mistakes. I do the editing myself and I don't have a beta, so there might be errors.
I posted a link of Amy's outfit on my profile. Check it out if you have time :)
Here's a question for you: What should Amy and Ian do on their outing?
Thank you, and don't forget to review!
M