May 8th, 2014 - Colours Of Smiles

AUTHOR: thedevilssong

May 8th, 2014 -Colours Of Smiles

He'd walked past the shop every day going to and from work, but he'd never actually stepped inside. How often were flowers useful? Rarely. And so he'd never had much occasion to visit the quaint little florist down the road and he'd never intended to. That'd been until two weeks ago.

He had left the coffee shop next door, head turned slightly to acknowledge the 'Bye, Alfred!' called out to him when a burst of colour had caught his attention.

"Shit, shit, shit," chanted the blonde man, frantically scrabbling to get all the bright blue and purple blossoms into the pot he'd dropped. When Alfred saw no one stopping to help him, he jogged over and crouched down.

"Here, let me give you a hand." He moved to grab a few of the flowers at the same time as the other man and laughed, looking up to face him.

Holy shit.

A bright smile of gleaming white and plush red stole his attention before he saw the peaceful green eyes. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and it took a moment for Alfred's mind to catch up and remember this was an actual human being who was currently speaking to him in a rushed babble.

"-And oh thank you so much, I just got these flowers in today and it'd be such a shame if they were squashed. I'm Arthur, it's a pleasure to meet you." Arthur extended his hand, and after a moment Alfred took it before they both grabbed the rest of the flowers and stood up.

With an expectant look from Arthur, Alfred suddenly recalled his manners. "I'm, uh, I'm Alfred. I'm guessing you're not from around here?"

Arthur chuckled. "No, I'm originally from England. I moved to San Francisco for school a few years back and just never left."

Alfred opened his mouth to reply when the clock on the outside wall of the shop caught his eye. "Crap, I'm going to be late for work. I'll, uh, see you later Artie!"

He made to leave when Arthur called after him. "Wait! I just want to say thanks again. Drop by anytime and I'll give you a free bouquet. Or, ah, even just some company?"

Alfred turned, taking in the vibrant flush and the shy smile with a strange sort of happiness settled in his chest. "Of course! I look forward to it!" And with a wink he'd taken off.

Now he stood in front of the shop on the cobblestone path and felt strangely intimidated by the tall windows, the bursts of flowers and the cheery sign proclaiming the building 'In Full Bloom'. He'd seen Arthur around the shop since their encounter, but he'd never had the guts to speak to him once again. Instead he'd admired from afar, wondering what it would be like when he spoke to Arthur again. He'd swept in like a hero the first time, he could keep it up! That particular positivity never lasted long.

Maybe I should turn around, he thought. Arthur was probably just being polite. It was just as he was beginning to turn that he caught sight of Arthur through the window, a smile of soft pink alighting his face as he gently touches the bright Birds of Paradise blossoms in front of him.

Alfred stepped forward, pushing open the door of the shop almost in a trance. Arthur looked up as the bell above the door tinkled merrily and the smile grew.

"Hey, Artie. Is the second meeting too late to tell you that if you were a flower, I'd pick you?"

A moment of silence greeted him. Crap, crap, you freaked him out, you screwed up, abort mission! Abort mission!

Then a loud, booming laugh fell from Arthur's lips, hands clutching his belly as he doubled over. For a moment Alfred could only see the top of his blonde head, but then Arthur stood straight once again, wiped a tear from his eye and said, "That's exactly what I was planning to tell you."

The smile that followed was blinding.