Chapter Text
Peridot slammed her fist onto the bar counter with the shot glass still tightly in her grip;
“It’s been almost 3 months and I still don’t know her name!” The words fell from her mouth in a drunken slur. “She always pays in cash and I think she’s flirting but I’m so fucking clueless!” The blonde added extra emphasis to her last three words and tossed her hands above her head to add to the point.
Amethyst let out a boisterous laugh. “You pretty much are, P-Dot! For that big brain of yours, you can be preeeetty dull.”
“Hey, she’s not dull!” Steven pipped in, “She’s just not used to flirting and stuff and she can’t help it! Peri hasn’t been in a relationship before.”
“Thanks, Steven…” Peridot mumbled under Amethyst’s laughter. “I just haven’t found someone I’ve wanted to date before.”
“Until nooow!” Amethyst poked Peridot’s side as she teased.
Peridot slapped her hand away, no malice in the action. “Knock it off!”
“Amethyst, stop teasing or you’ll be the driver next week.” Steven’s tone shifted to his ‘parent of the friend group’ serious voice.
“What!? No! Next week is P-dot’s turn!”
“Nope. You’re the driver next week.”
“Woah, woah, woah, Steven hol’ up. Peridactyl. Describe her to me again.”
Peridot groaned. “Again? Fine.” She waved at the bartender then pointed at her empty shot glass. “Her skin is tanned and rich, her eyes are brown and deep, her hair is dyed blue but I can see black roots growing in. Her smile is slightly lopsided to the left…” Her voice trailed off and a goofing smile grew on her face.
“So, you mean her?” Amethyst pointed.
Peridot squeaked and nearly fell off the barstool. She quickly looked in the direction her friend was pointing. The atmosphere of the bar faded around the blonde as her gaze focused on the subject of her pining.
She was with a couple people, all wearing similar uniforms, and she was smiling. She looked tired, but perfect as always. Peridot couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering past her face and down her body. She was attractive and the blonde’s inebriated brain couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering.
Following the mystery woman’s neck to shoulder and down her arm, Peridot imagined how soft her skin would be. Following the shape of her arm towards her hand, she wondered what it would be like to hold her hand—
Peridot quickly came to her senses. She turned back to face the bar and tried to shrink into herself; shoulders hunched and head down. She grabbed the shot glass in front of her and stared into the amber liquid.
“Peri?” Steven put a hand on her shoulder.
“She’s holding a guy’s hand,” Peridot mumbled softly.
“And she led you on!?”
“Ames, don’t do anything.” Steven warned. He gently rubbed Peridot’s back. “You wanna go?”
Peridot nodded, fighting the tears threatening to spill.
“Let’s wait until she’s away from the door.” Amethyst flagged the bartender down and pulled out her wallet.
Peridot finished her last shot before standing up.
“Peridot?”
That was the last voice the blonde wanted to hear. She put on the best smile she could before turning around.
“Oh, hey!”
Mystery girl smiled, a genuine one. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Hm? Oh. Yeah. Totally. Flowers aren’t great drinking company.”
Lapis laughed and Peridot felt her heart swell.
“I bet they aren’t.”
“Babe, we got a table!”
She turned her head towards the voice. “It was nice seeing you though.”
“Yeah, me too. I mean, I mean, you too.” Peridot felt the heat rising in her cheeks.
“I’ll see you Wednesday for more flowers. Take care, Peridot.” Lapis winked before walking away.
***
Peridot was tempted to keep the shop closed when her alarm woke her up on Wednesday morning. The thought of seeing the mystery girl made her stomach lurch. But she had other customers and, well, she needed the money; So, the blonde opened her shop and spent her day as an absolutely anxious mess, flinching every time the bell above the door signaled a new customer.
As the day progressed and 6pm neared, Peridot had a thought, a way she could talk to the woman without making a fool of herself. She ran upstairs to her room and grabbed the item she would need. The blonde ran back down to her shop, tripping once on the stairs, and placed the item next to the cash register as the bell above the door rang.
“Hey Peridot!”
Peridot raised her hand in a small wave, her mouth opening but the words dying in her throat.
“How was your day?” The blue haired beauty walked up to the counter, a beautiful smile gracing her face and stealing Peridot’s breath.
“Good,” her voice betrayed her in an undignified squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again, “Good.”
Lapis laughed softly, she always found Peridot’s awkwardness adorable. “I’m happy to hear it. How about something new this week? Give me some really different flowers this time.”
Peridot nodded and scurried off to her greenhouse. She looked around at her flowers, her mind running two steps ahead of her body. She pulled her clippers from her apron and got to work.
Yellow pansies - I’m thinking of you.
Hyacinthe - Your beauty charms me.
Cornflowers - Be gentle with me.
Wild roses - You bring pleasure and pain.
Lastly, the blonde tucked in a few wild sunflowers, the ones that always made the woman smile. Peridot returned to the store front to see that her plan had worked - the woman was looking through the book she had left on the counter. Peridot gently placed the cut flowers on the counter.
Lapis looked up, smiling at the sight of the cute blonde. “The Language of Flowers, huh?”
Peridot nodded. “I, um, I was looking through it earlier. It-It’s quite interesting. You can borrow it. If-if you want of course!”
Lapis chuckled softly. “Yeah. If that’s okay.”
Peridot nodded eagerly as she rang up the flowers. “Twenty-two dollars and seventy-five cents.”
Lapis took her cash out and counted the exact change needed.
“Um, you’ve never told me what the flowers are for.” Peridot took the money.
Lapis decided to play nice, Peridot was lending her a book after all. “Oh! I paint them.”
“Oh.” Peridot smiled and nodded. “I hope these work for you then.”
“They’re beautiful, thank you.” Lapis gathered the flowers and headed towards the door.
Peridot watched as Lapis walked only to feel a heat rise in her cheeks as the woman stopped at the door and turned back to smile.
“Lapis,” she said, “my name is Lapis.”