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“Shit! Shit, shit, oh, shit...” Crystal runs to grab a broom to clean up the broken shards of the decorative plant holder she definitely didn’t drop, no siree. And even if she did drop it, it certainly wasn’t because the woman leasing the space right next to Bloom’s flower shop made direct eye contact with her through the window and winked, just winked at her like some kind of inciting action in a romance movie. If Crystal was going to be in any movie at all, it certainly wouldn’t be a romance movie. The way her life has gone so far has definitely shown her that much.
She retrieves the broom and sweeps up the ceramic danger chunks, still muttering rude things under her breath, and when she pops back up, that woman is there again, monitoring the moving truck as her cohorts carry boxes into the rental space. She turns, brown hair blowing cinematically in the wind, and sees Crystal again, and smiles, and Crystal feels Cupid’s arrow slam right into her chest and stick there. It’s going to do a lot more damage if she just yanks it out. Isn’t that what they always say?
Right?
She hurries the dustpan to the garbage and sweats. She finds herself in the tiny little employee bathroom, giving her reflection a lecture.
“What’s your problem? She’s going to be a neighbor! You should treat her with respect! What if she comes over for some reason, or you have to fight the landlord together, or- or- or you just see each other in passing, because people do that!!!” She tries to straighten up her hair, but there’s no reasoning with her bright blue curls, and she swears and settles for trying to get the dirt out from under her fingernails instead.
“Stop embarrassing yourself and just be friendly!”
She rests her face against the unrelentingly cold mirror and groans. It’s been a long time since she had a crush. And now this woman is going to be next door until the end of their days, or until one of them goes out of business. And Crystal is going to have to see her and smile and be friendly and not spy on her through the window and imagine what she’s like and whether or not she likes fried rice and steamed dumplings and ice cream sundaes for dessert.
Crystal groans. She can’t ask this woman on a date. The only thing worse than pining after her work-neighbor until the inevitable heat-death of retail would definitely be having to see her ex every work day until the sun sets on the empire of capitalism. It’s just unreasonable. She should stick to pining after waitresses and fakey-fake bullshit dating profiles online. She’s a strong woman. She can be gay after-hours.
She dries her hands off and leaves the bathroom to continue to do her job and nearly fucking perishes among the peonies. She should have heard the door jingle jauntily.
Why didn’t she hear the door jingle jauntily?
“There you are. I was so sure I saw someone through the window, but when I came in, the place was empty.” The woman from outside is now stood in front of Crystal’s till. She gulps. She’s even more beautiful up close, with her long, dark hair and killer eyeliner and her sports bra peeking out from under her crop top. She has incredible abs. Crystal wants to run back to the bathroom. “I’m Gigi. I thought I’d come introduce myself, seeing as we’re going to be neighbors.”
Oh god. Even her name was beautiful.
“Crystal,” She says, feeling a lot like a pokemon, and she sticks her hand out to shake. Gigi takes it and smiles wide, shaking firmly. Her hands are cold but strong, and her fingers are long and elegant. She has tattoos all the way up one side and down the other, beautiful, gorgeous tattoos, some that look like watercolor and some that are only lines and some that have been shaded so carefully they don’t even look real. “This is my flower shop,” Crystal says, having very little else to say. Her brain is preoccupied.
“It’s gorgeous,” Gigi says, cheeks a little pink. “There’s so many kinds.”
“Yeah, I pride myself on having a wide selection. I have some good relationships with the greenhouses near the city.”
“That’s incredible,” Gigi says, and her eyes are wide enough that Crystal almost believes her.
“I’m moving my tattoo parlor in from Blue Lakes, I’m hoping to get more business. It’s the Raven’s Nest, maybe you’ve seen it?”
“Oh, I have!” Crystal smiles. “I don’t really have many tattoos, just one I got when I was younger, but I’m sure you’ll do good business here. I get a lot of repeat customers, and this location is a lot better than the strip mall where I used to work.”
“Only one?” Gigi gasps, mocking horror. “How can this be? Such a lovely canvas, and almost completely untouched?”
Crystal’s cheeks flame at untouched.
“At least tell me what you have then” Gigi continued.
“Promise me you won’t laugh” whines Crystal, cheeks flushing even more than they were.
“Pinky promise” says Gigi, deadly serious.
Crystal sighs.
“Ok fine. I have a one direction tattoo.”
Gigi immediately breaks down in hysterics.
“You said you wouldn’t laugh!” Crystal pouts at Gigi and she stops laughing quickly.
“I’m sorry. It’s just out of all the tattoos you could get, a one direction one? Really?”
Crystal’s pout still doesn’t falter.
“You’ve seriously got nothing else?” Gigi states in disbelief, still grinning wildly.
“I just, uh, haven’t found the piece I’m dedicated enough to yet, I guess?”
“Maybe I’ll be the one to change your mind.” Gigi winks, and she puts her hands on her hips.
Crystal can’t help but stare at her abs again.
“Well, I should go help the boys finish moving our shit in, but it was nice to meet you, Crystal. I hope we’ll see each other again soon.”
“Right,” She says, still dizzy. She flexes her hand that held Gigi’s, feeling like a Jane Austen novel. “I’m sure we will, being so close and all.”
“Exactly!” Gigi’s smile is so brilliant it’s hard to look directly at it. This time, the door definitely jingles jauntily behind her, and Gigi watches her leave and join the man standing by the moving truck. Gigi goes behind the counter and hops up onto her stool and sighs like a fucking teenager as she watches Gigi through the windows, putting her hair up in a long, long ponytail and arguing with the man in the moving company hat. Crystal props her head up and tries not to let the pink sparkles overwhelm her vision, but she’s weak, and the heart eyes have her.
—-
The next day, she vows to make a less star-struck impression. Crystal makes up a beautiful little pot of flowers, the planted sort, so that Gigi can enjoy them for a long time. They’re dark purple petunias, and they really seem to suit Gigi’s aesthetic. Crystal does them up nice in ribbon and tissue paper and takes a long deep breath before putting the “back soon!” sign on the door and walking over to the Raven’s Nest. She’s surprised to find it in pretty decent shape considering they just moved in. They almost seem ready for business.
“Hello?” she calls. In a blink, Gigi has appeared from the back room, all smiles.
“Crystal!” Gigi says. “I’m so glad you came over! And gladder we have our shit together, honestly. Do you know how much free pizza this cost me? But it doesn’t matter, it’s nearly done.”
Crystal laughs.
“It looks great! I brought you, uh, a business-warming gift?” She wiggles the plant invitingly. “Where should I put it?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Gigi says, grinning. “You may want to take it back with you. I’m a repeat-plant-murderer, I’m afraid. That poor thing will be crunchy by tomorrow if you leave it with me.”
“Don’t worry! Petunias are pretty easy to care for!” Crystal smiles back. Her chest feels so warm. Gigi’s in another incredible outfit today, dark purple overalls with a black crop top underneath that reveals a little triangle of skin under each arm. Crystal’s getting the idea Gigi likes showing off.
“If you insist. But if it starts scratching at your door, let it in, alright?” Gigi takes the plant, her long fingers brushing Crystal’s, and she sets it on the counter by the cash register. Crystal blushes.
“Right, um, yeah, no problem.”
Gigi stretches, popping her back. The little windows exposing her soft-looking skin get bigger and Crystal’s breath catches.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything for you, unless you want a tattoo.” She grins dangerously. “Of course, we still have a bit of setting up to do, but if you want a little one, you know-“
Crystal’s face is on fire.
“I’ll, um, I’ll, keep that in mind, thanks!”
“No problem!” Gigi laughs, tipping her head back and letting her dark hair cascade everywhere. Crystal wants to run her hands through it.
“Um, I, um, I’d better- get back to work!”
“Sorry to see you go.” Gigi leans against the counter. “We’ll be pretty busy for the next few days, but I’m serious, keep me in mind.”
“Oh, I will,” Crystal mutters. “I’ll, um, see you!”
“Right! Have a good day!”
Crystal spends the rest of the day thinking about those dark, dark eyes and the way they glittered when Gigi looked at her.
She leaves a cactus on the Raven’s Nest’s doorstep. And a note: “Try killing this!!”
Crystal watches Gigi and the other tattoo artists come and go over the week, and Gigi was right, they are incredibly busy. Within a day, they have customers, and people with tattoos and piercings enter the shop and leave with even more tattoos and piercings. Some of the customers even come into Crystal’s shop, many of them people waiting for their friends or family in the Raven’s Nest. Business is good. Crystal’s heart is a mess.
“Do I date her? Date her not...Date her? Date her not...” Crystal mumbles, plucking the petals off a geranium that’s seen better days. “Date her...Date her not...Date her...” Her worries haven’t gone away. It’s still unwise to date her. What if it goes wrong? Things always go wrong. If it goes wrong, Crystal will just have to live with that until the end of their businesses, or at least until she moves, and how can she justify something so expensive for a matter of a hypothetically embarrassed heart.
“Date her not...”
But Gigi is gorgeous. And Gigi has shown interest in her. And Gigi has a successful business.
“Date her...”
But how is Crystal supposed to make the first move? What is she supposed to do? Where would she even start? She hasn’t gone on a date in ages. She’s rusty. She’d embarrass herself.
“Date her not...”
But isn’t Crystal entitled to happiness? Can’t she let her gay heart be free every once in a while? Who is she to deny the rose petals that seem to float around Gigi’s head when she says words at Crystal.
“Date her.” It’s the last petal. How decisive. Crystal wishes she could be as confident. She rests her head on the counter and groans.
The door jingles jauntily.
“Am I interrupting something?” Gigi’s voice has an edge of laughter to it, and Crystal’s cheeks flame. She sweeps the geranium’s corpse onto the floor and makes her face smile as invitingly as possible.
“Not at all! Can I help you?”
Gigi smiles. Today she’s got her long hair up in a bun and she’s wearing a floaty black dress with sandals.
“I’m looking for some flowers for a date.”
Crystal’s heart drops like a stone into a pot of spaghetti-o’s.
“Oh, um. Of course.” She stands, bites her lip, and joins Gigi. “Is it someone you know well? Do you know their favorite flower?”
“Not at all,” Gigi says. “It’ll be our first date. I was hoping to surprise her. What do you think would be nice?”
“Oh, well, lots of people opt for roses on dates, or carnations, if you’re on a budget. Personally, I enjoy flowers that last a little longer. I have some lavender, that dries nicely, and then your date can keep it as a memento.” She rattles off her knowledge of flowers, hiding fidgeting, pollen-covered hands behind her back.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful. I’ll take the lavender, and maybe you can add something to make it a really nice bouquet?”
“Sure, sure.” Crystal could arrange flowers in her sleep, and she puts together a sweet little arrangement in lilac paper and ties it with a ribbon. She hands the bouquet to Gigi and rings her up. Gigi hands over a flashy card and Crystal aches. “I’m sure she’ll love them.”
“Oh, I hope so.” Gigi smiles. Crystal never imagined this possibility, and she feels incredibly stupid. Of course Gigi found somebody before she made her move. Gigi is hot and brave and confident.
“All set,” Crystal chirps, and she hands the card over.
“Perfect!” Gigi hands Crystal the flowers. Crystal blinks.
“No, these are yours. You paid.”
“Oh, I know. But they’re for you.”
Crystal’s brain breaks.
“They what?”
“They’re for you, silly,” Gigi says, wrapping her hand around Crystal’s. She leans over the counter and smiles. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re single. And I was hoping you’d be down for a date.”
“I- I- I-” Crystal stumbles. Gigi frowns.
“What, did I miscalculate?”
“No, they’re- it’s just- I- This has never happened to me before?”
“Never? What a crime! You should be showered in flowers.” She squeezes Crystal’s rapidly warming hand. “Now, what do you say?”
“I- I- of course! Let me just- close up shop!”
“Perfect.” Gigi grins.
Gigi meets her out front and hands her a motorcycle helmet, and Crystal nervously puts it on.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see!”
They ride out of town, far away, the sun hanging low in the sky. Crystal screams in delight as they break, then shatter the speed limit, wrapping her arms tightly around Gigi to hold on. Their destination isn’t close, but it hardly feels that way, as fast as they fly down the highway. Crystal’s heart squeezes. She wants one. She really, really wants a motorcycle. Maybe Gigi will teach her how to ride hers.
They finally come to stop seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Gigi parks her motorcycle in a wide spot on the side of the road. They take off their helmets and Gigi takes Crystal’s hand and her backpack, laughing as she runs off the side of the road and into a field. Crystal laughs and holds on tight, and soon they’re in the middle of an enormous field of wildflowers. Crystal spins around in absolute rapture, thrilled to see so many species thriving, soaking up the sunlight. It’s so joyful it ought to be a painting.
Gigi pulls a thin blanket out of her backpack and shakes it out, letting it float down on top of the already trampled flowers. She flops down and gestures for Crystal to join her, and she, of course, can’t say no. She lays on her back and stares up at the blue, blue sky, and feels her heart beat rabbit-fast in her chest. She rolls over to look at Gigi and finds her pulling out sandwiches and a thermos and cups--the whole shebang. Crystal’s going to start crying if she keeps this up.
“This is amazing,” she gushes. “I’ve never been anywhere like this before, especially not on a date.”
“Then you need to go on better dates, my friend.” Gigi hands her a sandwich. Crystal takes a bite and smiles.
“This is really good.”
“Oh good,” Gigi laughs. “I got them at the store. If you’re going to date me, you need to know I’m a shit cook.”
“Date you?” Crystal’s lungs feel full of glitter.
“Yeah,” Gigi says, softer. “If you want to.”
“I want to.”
“Yeah?” Gigi smiles. “I want to date you too.”
They have an incredible picnic and then ride around town chasing the sunset on Gigi’s motorcycle. The night is young and full of new beginnings. Somehow the stars glitter brighter than they ever have before, and Crystal doesn't care how ridiculous her hair must look, because it certainly doesn't stop Gigi from kissing her under the streetlights. Crystal could light a bonfire with her cheeks, and she thinks she feels it heating up inside her.
When Crystal finally gets home, her chest is so full of happiness she’s afraid it’ll burst. She can’t believe it was real. But when she gets a text from Gigi--
“Where should we go next time?”
--She knows it’s going to last