"You buy a weird amount of flowers and I'm concerned as to why"
"Thank you please come again."
Natsu settled down on his stool, oblivious to Wendy running around behind him fixing more bouquets. Something he should be helping her with.
The strange flower lady came back again and he's positive that this time for sure, she'd bought their entire stock of daisies. But then again, he always thought that when she left.
Natsu'd watch the mystery blonde go each time, even helping her out the door when she struggled with her armload of flowers and she never chose the same type twice. His cousin didn't find it weird but why not?! It was really weird! Who needs all those flowers anyway?!
Something sloppily thrown slid across the wooden counter drawing his eyes to the red and purple flowers weaved together in an intricate flower crown.
"If you're not going to help then you should look pretty for the next customer." Wendy called from behind the Calla Lilies.
He huffed gently picking it up. "I don't need to look pretty for any customer, but i'll wear it just because it has the alstrom, atros, alsort-
"The alstroemeria," she corrected. "Yeah that one. It's a cool flower."
Plopping it on his head, Natsu sauntered over to Wendy and struck a pose. "How do I look?"
"Like a princess. Now if you're done daydreaming about that girl I need help moving these fertilizer bags."
"Alright I'm on it."
Wendy disappeared as he got to his task of grunt work. He mainly did heavy lifting when he wasn't manning the register. He lifted in silence, ignoring the sweat starting to roll off him. It wasn't until the fifth or so bag Natsu realized what she said before leaving.
He rushed out, fertilizer in hand and practically barrelled into the young girl. The bag dropped, flower crown flew, she yelped and sent him a glare.
"I thought we agreed neither of us are supposed to run in the shop!" Wendy exclaimed.
" I wasn't daydreaming about her!" he blurted out.
Wendy- halfway in the process of retrieving the crown- turned back to look at him, startled. "I'm sorry what?"
"The girl that always buys a bunch of flowers! You said I was daydreaming about her! I wasn't!" He stomped his foot and crossed his arms, childishly denying her simple statement.
Wendy just rolled her eyes and tossed his him crown which he almost dropped. She went about fixing the front of the shop, quietly humming to herself while circling Natsu, who was still waiting for an argument, fixing the crown back on his head
"I may be younger than you but I'm not dumb Natsu. Whenever she leaves you get this look on your face, it's really cute."
"I don't get a look on my face!" "Yes, you do."
"It's called concentration Wendy!" He snapped, "I'm trying to figure out why she needs so much flowers! It's weird!"
"Maybe she really loves flowers," Wendy mused. She set out the last fresh bouquet of daffodils and white chrysanthemums then moved to drag around the stool from the counter.
"Lots of people buy tons of flowers. "She said, sitting with a shrug.
"But not every week without fail!" He threw up his hands in frustration. He took his seat on the fertilizer bag. "No one can like flowers that much, not even you're that bad."
"Why don't you just ask her if you're so curious about it then? You'd get a lot off your mind."
"I, I can't just ask her that!" he spluttered, causing Wendy to scoot closer.
"Why not?" Her mouth twists into a sly grin and she wriggled her eyebrows. "Do you actually have a crush on her?"
"I-" "You do you do!" she squealed.
"I don't have a crush!"
"Then why're you blushing?" Wendy teased, poking his cheek.
Natsu swatted her hand, slightly irritated. He rose to his feet taking the bag with him to put it where it belonged. "I ain't blushing, you're just making stuff up.
I just don't wanna be rude. It's weird but suppose it's something personal? I shouldn't be poking my nose in other people's business."
"But you always poke your nose in stuff you shouldn't. That's what makes you you."
He let out a dry laugh walking away. "Real funny. Maybe you're right but I don't wanna come off as creepy to her. How'd you feel if some guy walked up to you and started -"
Natsu stopped and turned around. "Wait, why am I even discussing this with you? You're like 12."
"Hey! I'm 19!"
"You're still 12 to me." He huffed, "And older cousins don't talk about their-"
"Crushes?" Wendy tried. "problems with their 12-year-old cousin. So i'm gonna put this in the back and sit down to try and-"
"Figure out how to try and talk you the girl you like?"
"Exactly. Wait, no- Wendy!"
"Bye come again!"
The bell jingled as the door closed behind the woman yet again. She'd bought the violets this time and could barely see over them when she left.
"You've got that look on your face again." Wendy sang, throwing him a crown of red carnations. "You're all cute and blushy."
"Yeah maybe I am." He sighed jamming it on his head. Natsu played with a small slip of paper on the counter before taking it in his palm with a silly grin.
Two months. Two months he'd been talking to the flower lady-whose name he'd learnt was Lucy and for those two months he'd wait impatiently for her weekly visit.
Sometime after his conversation with Wendy he'd brainstormed hard for longer than he'd like to admit and came up with a simple plan that was quickly put into play the next time she came.
He'd slipped a note into her next bouquet, tucked carefully between the petals saying
"Hey mystery lady! Why so many flowers all the time? - flower boy".
Natsu was practically a nervous wreck for the days after, deaf to most of Wendy's teasing. Was that too much? He probably shouldn't have done that. She wasn't gonna reply. She'd think he's a creep trying to hit on her or something.
He was sweaty and uncomfortably stiff and more quiet than he should be when she returned the following week.
She remained as usual, polite and indifferent to his odd behaviour when she paid. But before she left she plucked a flower from her bouquet and handed it to him with a small smile, complete with her own note, then turned out the door. It read
"Hello flower boy. Why so curious? - Mystery lady."
Since then their conversation grew. Each weekly visit meant a new note, longer than the last. Behind the counter Natsu kept each and every one of them in a growing pile of loose paper. The flowers she gave him were also kept, put in a vase where the fresh ones took the places of those starting to wilt. With help from Wendy those that were wilting were pressed in a small book.
Through them he learnt she was a teacher, buying the flowers for her young students to brighten up their days, and a little bit more.
The same went for him. He shared little tidbits about himself as well with the exchanges. It's amazing how giddy this whole experience was making him.
Wendy sidled up next to him, the beginnings of another crown in her hands."What's this one say?" she asked.
"Dunno. I haven't read it yet."
"Well hurry up! Your love story is at its next chapter!"
He looked at her incredulously, holding the paper aloft when she attempted to open it. "Hold it, you can't read it before me. And 'my love story is at its next chapter?'" Natsu scoffed, "You've been hanging out with Chelia too much."
"I might,but it is true. You and our best customer have something together and watching it from the outside every step of the way is better than any movie i've seen."
He said nothing as he began unfolding the sheet of paper. Wendy peered over his shoulder but he pulled it from her sight. "Don't you have a crown to make? I'll tell you about it after I read it."
"fine but don't leave anything out." She retreated to another nearby stool, a grumpy look of dissatisfaction on her face as she added more flowers to her creation.
Natsu started to quietly read, disturbed by Wendy with a few attempts of sneaking behind him. He shooed her away successfully keeping her at bay, allowing him to read in peace.
"Natsu! The kids really loved the last batch of flowers! But a little boy was allergic to them so he didn't get to take any. He almost cried but I promised to get a different one for him."
He could feel Wendy's eyes dart to him every now and then, noting the changes in his expressions. His smile would grow and ever so often a soft chuckle would slip out.
He'd reached the end of the note, finishing up with how one of the kids proposed to her with one of the flowers when he noticed a p.s. written shaky, almost hesitantly, beneath the elegant script of her signature.
His grip on the paper tightened and his eyebrows shot up. There was no denying the red of his cheeks.
Wendy waltzed back over to him, her latest piece sitting atop her head peering over his shoulder once more. The fact that she wasn't swatted at had her taken aback.
"Did you finish?" She asked, "What does it say?"
"Natsu? Natsu? Are you ok?"
He didn't say anything so she took the chance to quickly read through the paper before he had a chance to respond and snatch it out of her sight.
Her eyes scanned it, finding nothing unusual until the very bottom of the paper.
Wendy's hands flew, one to grasp his shoulder and the other to hide the girlish giggles erupting from her. Her cheeks swirled pink.
"Lucy
p.s. Maybe we can take some more outside of the flowers?"
Her number was scribbled beneath.