A/n: I know it's been nearly a decade since I last updated this story. I apologise. Let's see if I can do it justice. Enjoy.

# I do not own the rights to the TV show, movie, the characters, or the music. This is just me writing as a fan.

No copyright infringement intended. Pls don't sue me. :)

The shop bell chimed. Lauren looked up from her flowers, expecting another customer, but instead found Tamsin standing there with two cups of coffee and a concerned look on her face.

"Thought you could use this," the taller blonde said, placing one cup on the counter.

Lauren managed a weak smile. It had been three weeks since that day with Bo. Three weeks of trying to forget something unforgettable.

"I'm fine, Tam."

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," Tamsin rolled her eyes. "You've been arranging and rearranging those same flowers for twenty minutes now."

Lauren looked down at her hands, realizing she had indeed been mindlessly moving the same stems around. She sighed and put them down.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Good. Because I'm going to talk and you're going to listen," Tamsin hopped onto the counter, ignoring Lauren's protest about proper shop etiquette.

"You're miserable. She's probably miserable. And somewhere out there, there's a very nice but completely clueless man who has no idea why his wife keeps staring at flower shops every time they pass one."

Lauren's head snapped up, "You've seen her?"

"Ah ha! So you do want to talk about it," Tamsin smirked triumphantly.

The bell chimed again, and a young girl rushed in, dragging her mother behind her. Lauren recognized her immediately - it was Kenzi.

"Lauren!" the little girl squealed, launching herself at the florist.

"Hey there, sweetheart," Lauren caught her, forcing a smile. She looked up to see Aife standing awkwardly by the door.

"Sorry," Aife said. "She wouldn't stop asking to visit you. Something about wanting to know why penguins have knees?"

Lauren chuckled despite herself. "Well, that's quite the question."

"Bo says you know everything," Kenzi declared, pulling away to look at Lauren seriously. "Why hasn't she brought me to see you? She promised she would."

The florist felt her heart constrict. "I've been... busy with the shop."

"Too busy for science?" Kenzi pouted.

Tamsin watched the exchange with knowing eyes before sliding off the counter. "Hey kiddo, want to see something cool? Lauren's got some rare flowers in the back that change colour."

As Tamsin led an excited Kenzi away, Aife approached Lauren. "Is everything alright? Bo's been... different lately."

"Different how?" Lauren couldn't help asking as she tucked her hands into her back pockets.

"Distant. Sad." Aife studied Lauren's face carefully. "She stares at that Squirtle keychain like it holds all the answers in the world."

Lauren's hand unconsciously went to her own keychain in her pocket. "I'm sure she's just busy with work."

"Hmm," Aife didn't look convinced. "You know, I've always believed that we don't choose love. Love chooses us."

Before Lauren could respond, her phone buzzed. A text from Bo:

"I saw your flowers in the window of that cafe we went to. I ordered lamb pie. It wasn't the same."

Lauren stared at the message, her finger hovering over the reply button. After a moment, she locked her phone without responding.

…

Bo sat in her office, staring at her unanswered text. She didn't know why she'd sent it. Three weeks of silence, and this is what she chooses to say?

"Earth to Bo," Beth waved a hand in front of her face. "The Henderson account? Remember?"

"Right. Sorry." Bo tucked her phone away and tried to focus on work. But her mind kept drifting to that backroom, to that kiss, to everything that could have been.

The door to her office opened and Dyson walked in, a bouquet of roses in his hands. "Surprise!"

Bo forced a smile. "They're beautiful."

"I know they're not your usual, but I thought we could use something different." He placed them in the vase, replacing the wilted lilies. "Change is good, right?"

Bo's smile faltered. "Right."

…

It was past eight and Lauren was closing up shop when suddenly the air carried a scent she knew by heart. She recognized the perfume.

"We're closed," she said without turning around, her heart almost beating out of her chest.

"I know," Bo's voice was soft, uncertain. "I saw Kenzi today. She said she visited you."

Lauren slowly turned. Bo stood there, hands in her pockets, looking both beautiful and broken, but beautiful nonetheless.

"She did," the blonde sighed.

"I miss you," Bo whispered.

"Don't," Lauren's voice cracked. "Please don't."

"I can't help it. Everything reminds me of you. The flowers in my office, the cafe down the street, every Pokemon I see..."

Lauren let out a watery laugh. "Bo..."

"I know we said we'd stay away. I know it's the right thing to do. But why does being right feel so wrong? Why do I feel so empty inside? Why does my soul ache? Why does.." the brunette stopped as she gazed into the eyes of the blonde who wouldn't leave her heart.

They stared into each other's eyes, into each other's souls, moments passing as they tried searching for answers they already knew.

"Bo," Lauren took a step forward, then caught herself. "We can't."

"I know," Bo wiped her eyes. "I just... needed to see you. One last time." The weight of unshed tears forced her gaze downward, her heart breaking with each passing second. Her heart hadn't simply broken - it was an ongoing demolition, finding new depths of pain she hadn't known possible, each moment another battle in surviving what felt unsurvivable.

She turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Someone once told me that lilies also mean 'I dare you to love me back'. Did you know that?"

Lauren's breath caught. "I might have heard that somewhere."

Bo smiled sadly and walked out into the night, leaving Lauren standing among her flowers, surrounded by all the words they couldn't say.