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|| S ||
Sophie Elizabeth Foster is officially an idiot.
Her friends would ask her what took her so long to realize, and Sophie would simply stick her tongue out while they laughed.
But as soon as Sophie takes a step into the shop that was supposedly hers now, she knows that she’s made the wrong decision. Not even two minutes after she’d gone behind the counter, she’d started sneezing.
The noise seems to alert Dex of her presence, because his head pokes out from the back room, and by the look on his face, Sophie can tell that he is seriously rethinking Edaline’s offer.
The Ruewen’s flower shop, Roses and Ruins, is a family-owned business, and Sophie’s parents asked her to help out while they went on a much-needed vacation.
Sophie had agreed, and they’d happily thanked her before giving her in-depth instructions on what she needed to do. She’d reassured them that she knew what she was doing—her twelve-year-old self had an intense flower language phase (especially after she’d been adopted by two florists).
The only problem, however, is that Sophie is mildly allergic to flowers. A trait that apparently, she herself had forgotten about. It isn’t anything too annoying, just watery eyes and a runny nose, but by the bemused look Dex had given her, Sophie is sure that he doesn’t agree.
The Ruewen’s shop is pretty small, and usually not very busy—a small seaside town would do that to your business—but both of her parents adore it, nonetheless. Sophie does too, of course, but she’d been so caught up at college, and then moving into her tiny apartment, that she hadn’t had much time to stop by. Now that summer break has started though, it seems that she’ll be here almost every day.
After a few minutes, Dex wraps up whatever he was doing in the back and comes out to show Sophie how things are organized. Her parents had already given her a rundown, but Dex’s instructions are more so about the job she’ll be doing.
“You’ll stay up and deal with customers and calls, because otherwise you’ll sneeze all over the product,” he tells her matter-of-factly. “And you know way more about flowers than I do.”
Sophie grins, pumping her fist, and Dex rolls his eyes.
“Keefe should be here soon, but he and Tam are busy doing…something.”
She nods and goes to move to her position before Dex stops her and hands her an apron with her name embroidered into it.
Looks like Edaline had been planning for this longer than Sophie had originally thought.
“Try not to sneeze on our customers,” Dex calls after her, and Sophie rolls her eyes, not even justifying a response.
A stool’s waiting for her at the table, along with a binder full of labeled flowers and bouquets, giving vague, grouped meanings that Sophie longs to rewrite herself. She plops down, drumming her fingers on the table before her eyes catch on a list, laying abandoned further down on the counter.
She looks away, to the light purple walls for a minute, knowing she should focus on the task she’s already been given, just stay near the phone or wait for a customer. But her hands itch to do something, something important that would help either of her coworkers out, just to make the job easier.
So, before she even realizes it, Sophie is up and completing things from the To-Do List. She sweeps the floor, plucks dead petals from the flowers on displays in the shop, waters the plants outside under the awning, and even hangs up some of the greenery arrangements on the back wall, each task making her feel both better and worse simultaneously. Her nose had begun running even more, her throat started to itch, and her eyes began to water.
But she’d managed to get almost everything done, so it was all worth it in her opinion.
After a particularly strong sneeze, a voice calls out a ‘bless you’ and Sophie whips around (almost knocking over a flowerpot) to see a young woman. She’s probably around Sophie’s age, standing near the counter.
In their small town, Sophie knows pretty much everyone, even after four years away. She’d grown up here after all. But the woman in front of her, her face twitching in amusement, and her hair pulled into a high ponytail, is completely and totally new.
Sophie shakes herself, realizing how rude she’s being. Dex is gonna kill her.
“Hey,” she says brightly, trying to make up for her terrible customer service. “How can I help you today?”
The girl smiles, her lip curling up softly, as Sophie hurries her way behind the counter.
“I was looking for a certain bouquet of flowers, would you be able to do that here?”
Sophie nods, taking out a notepad and slides the binder in front of her. “The shop has bundles pre-made for certain messages, but you’d be able to customize it however you’d like.”
The girl nods and bites her lip. Sophie’s eyes automatically follow the movement, before she quickly looks away again.
“I was thinking something for a sort of congratulations?”
“Okay, anything in particular?”
“Uh yeah, a wedding, my moms are getting married.”
Sophie smiles, flipping the binder to the page of bouquets, and has to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying anything out loud. She loves both her parents dearly, but the bouquet in the picture feels so…impersonal. It was probably made back when the shop was busier, as to make sure they didn’t get burnt out as easily, but still.
Sophie clicks her pen, nudging the binder a little toward the girl before meeting her eyes.
“What’re their favorite colors?”
Sophie asks more questions than what is probably necessary, but the girl doesn’t seem to mind. She tells about her mama’s divorce, and how her mum had supported her, and even offered to let her and her kids move into her apartment.
How they wanted a small wedding, and how she and her brother were giving them a gift together, but she wanted something a little more extra, and decided to go with flowers.
She tells stories about when they were young, and how much her mama loved her kids and how she truly just wanted them to be happy. At this point, Sophie has pushed her notepad to the side, and is leaning on her hand, listening intently as the girl passionately talks about her family, and about how they’d just moved from the city, wanting to have a fresh start in a smaller town. Her brown eyes are bright with excitement, her hands moving to help tell her story.
Sophie in turn tells her about her parents, how she’d been adopted at the age of twelve, her interest in music before she was drawn back to her family, her cousin, and she even talks about flowers. Every few minutes she is interrupted by a sneeze or a cough, each time she feels her annoyance rise at her own stupidity.
Note to self, take a Zyrtec tomorrow.
“Man, allergies must be pretty bad this time of year,” The girl says lightly, after blessing her for the eighth time since she’s been here.
Sophie snorts. “You could say that, but it’ll always be bad when I’m working in here.”
Her eyebrows furrow, and Sophie looks down, scratching the back of her head as embarrassment taints her cheeks. “I’m allergic to flowers,” she clarifies.
Quickly she looks up, to see the woman’s eyes widen, her face twisting into a slightly horrified expression. “Why would you work at a flower shop?”
“Family business,” Sophie mumbles, her face burning.
After a moment of shocked silence, a laugh bubbles through the air and Sophie looks up to see the girl leaning over the table, and Sophie can’t help but chuckle as well at the ridiculousness of it. Soon the laughing gets louder and harder, and before Sophie knows it, they’re both losing it, crying, and howling next to a fellow stranger, at something that really isn’t that funny.
Finally, the two pull it together, and Sophie looks the girl up and down, who’s wiping tears from her eyes. “Are you in a rush?” She shakes her head, and Sophie nods, thinking to herself. “It’s slow today, would you rather your flowers now?”
Her eyes widen. “Are you sure? I can come back tomorrow.”
“I can do it now, or then, either way works.”
The girl’s smile returns, and it’s so warm and kind that Sophie has to look away. “That’d be amazing.”
So, Sophie makes her way to the back of the store, collecting all the flowers that she needs, ignoring Dex’s pointed look as she breaks at least three rules, doing this for a person she’d literally just met.
Finally, she’s gathered what she needs, and sees that the girl’s relocated to a stool near the counter, scrolling on her phone. A piece of hair falls into her face, escaping from the high ponytail, and it takes all of Sophie’s energy not to push it out of the way.
She instead just turns, rhythmically snipping at stems and placing flowers in a vase, as if she’d done this for years. She fumbles a little with the arrangements, since it’d been years since she’d even seen her mother arrange a bouquet. She’d like to think she does it pretty well though, because when the woman looks up to see the nearly finished product, her face lights up.
Sophie smiles to herself, and keeps going, glad for the non-verbal approval.
She moves toward the register, carefully taking the flowers out of the vase, and tying a teal bow around the stems of the flowers as a final touch.
The girl makes her way across from Sophie, already getting her wallet out to pay. Sophie’s mouth opens to tell her that it’s on the house, but she snaps it shut quickly. Dex would actually kill her, and believe it or not, she’d like to live, thank you very much.
So, she simply tells the girl the cost, consoling herself with the thought that the shop really needs the money, and the other girl didn’t seem to be bothered.
Finally, she hands over the bouquet, the warmth in her chest dying a little, realizing that the brown-haired girl finally had to leave.
“Thank you for coming in today…” Sophie trails off, realizing that she’d never asked the girl her name. She mentally kicks herself, for being so rude once again.
“Biana,” the other girl finishes, a grin finding its way up her face, as if she could hear Sophie’s thoughts.
“I’m glad you came into Roses and Ruins, Biana,” Sophie says warmly, hoping that the girl knows how much she means it.
Biana’s grin melts into a soft smile. “Me too,” she says quietly, like the words were made only for her and Sophie to share.
She leaves without another word, and Sophie stares at the door, long after she’s left, and even Dex’s withering looks at her lack of business knowledge don’t stomp on the light feeling in her chest. She feels like she’s floating off the ground for the rest of the day.
When she closes up the shop that night, she’s still smiling.
~B~
Biana doesn’t mean to go back to the shop, she really doesn’t. But before she knows what she’s doing, she’s nudging her way through the door, two cups of coffee in her hand, and a realization that she probably should’ve thought this through more.
Because her eyes catch on the girl standing behind the counter. She’s hunched over a notepad, scribbling an order down, and she has a phone pressed up to her ear, the side of her face scrunched into her shoulder.
She’s the most beautiful thing that Biana’s ever seen. Her blonde hair gleams in the sunlight, shining and glimmering, and Biana can’t help but be mesmerized by it. She’s falling, she’s falling really hard.
It’s as if Biana’s sapphic thoughts have broadcasted across the shop because Sophie blows her hair out of her face and looks up, freezing when she sees Biana standing in the doorway of the shop. They really should put a bell on the door, because Sophie was completely oblivious to a customer stopping in.
Sophie’s eyes brighten, and she waves, pointing the phone and mouthing, ‘give me a minute’, before she returns to her call, saying something about hydrangeas.
Biana plops down on the stool across from her, automatically pulling out her phone and scrolling through her messages. She sips on her coffee, waiting for Sophie to get done with her phone call, and when the girl finally does hang up, Biana stuffs it in her pocket, smiling at Sophie.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
They stare at each other for a moment, before Biana mentally shakes herself, pushing Sophie’s cup toward her. “You seem like the kind of person to like it pretty strong, so I just put a little sugar and a little milk in there, if that’s okay.”
Sophie grins. “Yeah, I usually drink French press.”
“That’d line up.” She swallows and pushes her hair back behind her ear. “I…wanted to thank you. I gave my moms the bouquet and they loved it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! You did a really good job, like the colors coordinated perfectly. My mama’s favorite flower was actually a morning glory, and I had no idea! Was there anything that made you pick it?”
Sophie’s face lights up. “Yeah actually! I went with Morning Glory’s because they represent a soft sort of affection, and-oh you probably don’t want to hear me ramble.” She says, cutting herself off.
Biana felt her stomach drop with disappointment when the light slowly dimmed. “No, no-please do, I know nothing about flowers and stuff.”
Sophie sniffs, smiling. “Really? Do you actually wanna know, or are you just being polite?”
“I’d love to hear you talk about it,” Biana tells her, genuinely smiling.
“Oh, ok! Well…” Sophie explains the notes she’d taken from Biana’s stories about her parents. She chose caladiums, to mean joy and delight, chrysanthemum for perfection, globe amaranths and heliotropes for unfaded love and devotion.
Biana smiles, thanking her so much for the thoughtfulness of it all, and even asks Sophie to write it down, so she can show it to her moms later.
Sophie gladly does, and she even teaches Biana some other meanings, though she already knows that she’s scrambling them all up in her head.
“How’re you so good at this?” She finally has to ask, draining the rest of her coffee.
Sophie shrugs. “It just comes to me naturally, though probably helps to have a photographic memory. I actually think that’s the reason my parents have been trying to nudge me towards working here—they weren’t very subtle about it.”
Biana laughs, because she gets it. “You’re just too good at this.”
Sophie snorts.
“No really, I’ve never talked to someone who knew so much about flowers before. It’s actually really cool.”
“…and dorky.”
Biana chuckles. “Yeah, that too. But seriously, I think it’s kinda cute.” Her eyes widen, and she fights the urge to take the words back.
Sophie’s ears turn a bright red, and neither of them really know what to say after that.
So, Biana tries to leave, thinking that she should never show her face here again, but as she turns to throw her coffee away, she swears she can hear Sophie mumble “I think you’re kinda cute.”
Her chest lightens, and before she can run away, she forces herself to turn and pick out the nearest flower towards her, which happens to be a bouquet of lilacs. She slides them onto the counter and takes out her wallet. “I’ll have these as well.”
Sophie’s brow crinkles. “Any reason why?”
Biana shrugs, trying to keep her face straight, and miserably failing, her face morphing into a stupid smile. “Because they were the closest thing to me.”
“You know you don’t have to buy anything, right?”
“I know, but I want to support you guys.”
Sophie shakes her head, the corners of her lips twitching. “You’re weird, you know that?”
“How much will it be?” Biana asks instead of answering, winking at Sophie, and making her roll her eyes.
So, Biana walked out of the store with a bouquet of lilacs and a bounce in her step.
-
Biana’s visits to the Roses and Ruins become more and more frequent. Every once in a while turned into weekly, which turned into almost daily. Biana came into the flower shop so often that she knew not only when the place opened and closed, but also Sophie’s shifts, along with her coworkers’ shifts (Biana really didn’t want to be a bother to them by hanging out with Sophie.)
Neither of them really seemed to mind though, Keefe would raise his eyebrows and purse his lips, imitating kisses, and Dex would pretty much only glare at her—Sophie reassured her that that was how he normally was, though Biana wasn’t sure if she bought it—but other than that, they didn’t truly say anything.
The shop’s pale purple walls were inviting, and after Biana’s suggestion, they even added a little bell that rang when a customer opened the door.
It’s a really hot day today; Biana’s sweating buckets just walking there. She bought Sophie a lemonade, since she’d said that she eventually wanted to try one from all the places in town. It also so happened that her moms had just opened a restaurant down the street, so Biana is double prepared.
She pushes open the door, sighing with relief when the cool air from the shop hits her face, a stark contrast to the blaring sun just outside. Even the breeze makes her feel hot, it’s that kind of temperature where you should either be inside or in the water.
Biana weaves through the displays of plants, which she’d helped Dex restock a couple days ago. The flower shop was starting to become more of just a plant shop, and large snake pots sit in the middle of the room, hiding the register from view.
Biana turns toward the register to see not Sophie, but a middle-aged woman with her auburn hair tied back into a bun. Streaks of silver interrupt the otherwise vibrant color of her locks, and for a moment, Biana wonders if they’ve hired a new person to work Sophie’s shift.
But then the woman looks up, and when her face settles into a smile. For a split-second Biana forgets that Sophie was adopted. The way that the corners of her mouth turn upward looks exactly like how Sophie’s does, spare for a dimple that comes out on the left side of her face when she laughs. Biana looks down to the woman’s green apron, Edaline, it reads. Yep, definitely Sophie’s mother. Back when they’d first met, Sophie had mentioned that they’d gone on a vacation, but Biana had all but forgot about it up until this point.
“How can I help you today?” She asks, her voice warm and her eyes twinkling with a kind of joy that Biana’s never seen before. Her moms are happy of course, but Edaline looks deeply content and at ease. Like even if the world was ending, she’d be happy with what she had.
“Uh…I’m actually looking for Sophie.”
“Oh, she’s out today, called in and told us that she’d caught a cold. Are you one of her friends from band?”
Biana shakes her head, almost smiling at the thought of her playing an instrument. “No, I met her a few months ago, here, and we’ve sort of become friends since.”
“That’s nice,” Edaline says, the skin by her eyes crinkling as she smiles.
Biana’s convinced that Sophie’s mother is the sun, by the way that she just radiates warmth from her entire being. She’s sure that she could stay and chat with her all day, but her name being called catches her attention, and her eyes land on Dex, barely visible from behind a large plant.
“Could you help me please?” Biana sets the lemonade down on the counter and does as she’s told, moving the plant toward the spot the Dex directs her to, and she quickly dusts off her hands.
For the first time that she’s ever seen, Dex’s expressions turns into that of a genuine smile. “I think we might slowly be convincing you to work here.”
Biana swallows the urge go point out the odd occurrence and chuckles, sitting down near the counter. “It’s definitely working.”
She stays the rest of the afternoon.
-
“And then, he screamed in her face!” Fitz exclaimed, taking a big bite of his huushuur.
“Ugh, I hate when people are rude to servers, it’s not like it was your fault.”
“Yeah, good thing Linh was there to take care of it, otherwise I don’t think I could’ve dealt with him without yelling.”
Biana nods, poking at her buuz with her fork, too full to eat the last one.
Biana’s mama had been trying to connect with her culture more, now that Alden was out of the picture, and that including cooking incredible dumplings and meat pies. If Biana had to choose a food to eat for the rest of her life, she’d one hundred percent choose beef buuz every time. Late winter was her favorite time of year, if only for the reason she could feast on the dumplings until she felt sick.
Fitz gestures to the dumpling, “Are you gonna eat that?” He asks, words still muffled by the food in his mouth.
She crinkles her nose. “Ew, sure, just…chill out and chew fully, okay?”
“You sound like mama.” He tells her, plucking the last buuz off her plate, while Biana sticks her tongue out at him. “Now, where was I? Oh yeah! So, Linh, you know, sweet, kind Linh, stood up to this pissed of guy who…”
Biana wants to listen to the rest, she really does, but a vibrating in her pocket makes her almost jump out of her chair. Without even thinking about it, she pulls it out, checking the message and smiling.
“Who’s that?”
Biana looks up, to see Fitz, looking more curious than annoyed.
“A friend,” she says helpfully.
Fitz hums, and then goes quite while Biana’s thumbs fly over the keyboard. She’d gotten Sophie’s number last weekend, and the two had been chatting about random things pretty much on the daily after that. She hits send on her message, and…
Fitz snatches her phone, right out of her hands.
Biana yelps, almost knocking over her glass of water trying to grab it out of his hands. He pushes her away though, looking at the contact photo, and undoubtedly the picture of Sophie’s dog that she’d sent her.
He looks up. “‘Soph?’” he asks, using one hand to add air quotes.
“If you don’t give me my phone, I will march right into that kitchen and tell our mothers that you kissed a girl.”
Fitz’s eyes widened momentarily before he quickly hands her the phone back. “Yesh, sorry. Thought it was just a friend.”
Biana rolls her eyes, trying to hide her smile. She was close enough to Fitz that she knew he’d find out at some point, either from the dead flowers in her apartment, or her obvious pining, was anyone’s guess. She supposes that finding out through some cute dog photos isn’t the worst introduction. If anyone else went through her phone, she wouldn’t hesitate to deck them, but she trusts Fitz…kind of.
“She is.”
Fitz smiled, his eyes turning dreamy. “Ooh tell me about this gorgeous florist friend of yours.”
Biana’s face flamed, and she almost choked. “I-you-when did? Ugh!”
He laughs, and Biana glares at him, taking a sip of water and actually thinking about spitting it at him.
He calms down, and a serious look replaces his smile.
“Do you like her?”
“…yeah.”
“Does she like you?”
“Maybe?”
Fitz snorts, rolling his eyes and muttering something under his breath. Biana swears she hears words that sound suspiciously like ‘useless sapphics’ but doesn’t comment on it.
“Do you wanna see her, then?”
Fitz’s eyes light up and he immediately snaps into focus. “Absolutely.”
|| S ||
Sophie sneezes for the third time this morning.
“Sweetheart, you really don’t have to work here anymore, I’m so sorry we didn’t think about it before we left.”
Sophie shakes her head, replacing the daffodil in her hands with one that has a longer stem. “It’s fine, I actually think I’m getting better.”
Sophie doesn’t have to look up to feel Edaline’s disbelieving look.
Her parents had come back from their vacation, which was backpacking in the mountains (because of course it was, knowing them), relaxed but horrified at the fact that they’d left their daughter in their flower shop with a mild allergy to flowers. They’d been incredibly apologetic, even after Sophie told them that it really wasn’t too bad.
And it wasn’t. She’d started taking allergy medicine in the morning and being able to breathe without her nose being clogged, or her throat being tickly was a huge win. She’d actually learned to live with the sneezing, and not being able to touch her eyes. Sometimes they’d get inflamed, but she’d started bringing eye drops in her work bag, so even that became bearable as well.
“Ok, Kiddo, just let us know if you need a break.” Grady’s voice carries from where he’s sweeping petals and dust from the floor. Having five people instead of three definitely helped with chores around the shop.
Six, technically counting Biana who refused to be paid for her labor, despite Sophie pleading for her to just take some money. “Being around you guys is enough.” Was her response, and as sweet as it was, it made Sophie really want to shake some sense into her.
If she came in today, it’d be the first day that she’d get to work with all five of them at once, since Saturdays are both their busiest day, and the day the new flowers are delivered, so they need all the extra hands.
“Is your girlfriend coming today?” Keefe calls from the back, and Sophie feels her face burn.
“Not my girlfriend, and yes.”
“She’s totally your girlfriend,” Dex responds from the register.
“I think she’s really nice,” Edaline adds, all the while Grady’s head whips between the four of them, bewildered and more than a little confused.
“Girlfriend?”
Sophie buries her face in her hands to hide her blushing face. “If you guys embarrass me in front of her, I’m gonna stop letting her meet me here.” She says, her voice slightly muffled.
Edaline pats her shoulder. “We would never, right boys?”
The two boys in question nod, and Sophie’s surprised at how serious they are.
“Never in front of her.”
“Not until you’re actually dating,” they say at the same time.
Sophie sighs, supposing that will just have to do.
Before long, Biana does make her way into the shop. She’s braided her hair today, and it falls down to her upper back. She smiles, chatting with Edaline like she’s known her for years, and she introduces herself to Grady, whose suspicious behavior immediately wears off the moment that she answers all his dad questions with confidence. She gives Keefe a high-five and Dex a wink, (which makes him scowl) before settling next to Sophie and asking her what she needs her to do.
It's funny, how Biana has become an integral part of their routine now. They can get by without her obviously, but Roses and Ruins didn’t truly feel complete without her. Her casual banter with Sophie’s family brings her genuine happiness, the two most important components in her life are just…clicking together perfectly. Like the last piece fitting into a puzzle.
Sophie loves it, and her mind buzzes with joy, no matter where she is. When she wakes up, when she rides to work, when she closes up the shop, and always when she’s talking to Biana Amberly Vacker. And before Sophie really knows it, she’s asking herself if she loves Biana.
Love is a strong word, especially to Sophie. It’s crazy to her how people can throw the word around like it’s any other one in the English language. Like it doesn’t mean anything deeper than a compassion for someone. Sophie loves her parents, and she loves Keefe and Dex, they’re her family.
Sophie’s also liked people before. She’s dated a few people in her lifetime, but none of them are like Biana. Because in Sophie’s books, love is this intense flash of lust that somehow lasts. It’s this thing that is fluttery and different, it sweeps you off your feet.
But Biana’s…different. Because loving Biana isn’t really that lustful, it’s sunny and warm. It’s like riding a bike on a spring morning. Sophie feels like she’s flying, zooming through life at a giddy speed. The wind is in her hair, and everything’s alright, because Biana’s there.
Her presence is like the sun, warm and steady, beating down on her in a way that shifts her mood entirely. Looking back before is difficult, because even in a few short months—not even a year yet—it feels like Biana’s always existed. Sophie can’t imagine a future without her in it, and that’s what scares her.
Because what if unlike Sophie, Biana doesn’t feel love towards her? What if she doesn’t want to stay bye Sophie’s side but is instead itching to leave. She doesn’t really know what she would do if Biana left her, because she deserves more than Sophie’s bumbling idiocy could ever give her. She deserves the moon and all the stars in the sky, but Sophie still selfishly wants her here.
Sophie Foster loves Biana Vacker, and she wants Biana Vacker to love her.
-
“Can you close the shop early tonight?”
Sophie looks up from where she was writing order forms, to see Biana hopefully staring at her. She looks down again, seeing that she’s almost done, and asks what time it is.
It’s a Tuesday, so she has the shop all to herself, mostly filling out order forms, since only two customers had come in today. Why not? She knows her parents wouldn’t mind, and Keefe and Dex are doing who knows what. If she told them she was with Biana all four of them would probably give her a ‘get out of jail free card’ on the condition she tells them about her evening. The thought makes her smile and shake her head. So nosy, the four of them.
“Yeah, sure.”
She can finish this another time. Biana’s usually calm temperament is thrown out the window as she rocks back and forth on the balls of her toes as Sophie locks the door to the shop. Her entire body is radiating excitement, and Sophie can feel it rubbing off on her the longer she’s around.
“So, where’re we going?” Sophie has to ask.
“You’ll just have to find out,” Biana says, her smile wide and perfect. Sophie swears that she’s skipping a little, and she even pulls ahead as she takes Sophie to the east part of town. It’s almost empty since it’s a weekday. The small businesses facing the beach are still open, but they’ll close pretty soon, since it’s about half an hour away from sundown.
Biana’s hand suddenly grabs Sophie’s wrist, startling her out of her thoughts. “Come on, we have to hurry,” Biana breathes, lurching forward with Sophie’s hand in hers.
She turns suddenly toward the beach, and right before they hit the sand, they take their shoes off, carrying their sandals with them as they sprint, Sophie having no idea where they’re going. The sand makes an odd squeaking sound under her feet, still warm from the sun beating down on it all day, and as they turn another corner, Sophie can see where Biana wanted to take her.
Right down on the pier is a little shop, in buzzing yellow lights it reads ‘Ice Cream and Milkshakes’, the c and s flickering so it reads “Ice Ream and Milkhakes.” Sophie never knew it existed, she’d simply grown up on the beach south of here, since that’s where her childhood house was (and still is) located.
They slow to a walk, and Sophie’s eyes flick over the different flavors, even though she already knows what she wants.
“It’s on me,” they both say at the same time, and Biana shakes her head.
“Listen Soph, you can pay next time, but we gotta get up in time.”
Sophie has many questions, the first of which inquiring about ‘Soph’, and a question toward herself as to why it makes her feel all melted inside, but she pushes all of them down, instead telling the seventeen-year-old working there what she wanted, and letting Biana pretty much throw a twenty at them and tell them to keep the change.
They get their milkshakes (Biana had ordered a grasshopper), but before Sophie can take a sip, Biana snatches it out of her hands.
She opens her mouth to protest, but Biana cuts her off.
“Listen. We need to be able to climb that hill,” she points to the slanted cliffside just north of them, “within ten minutes. Do you think you’re physically capable of doing that?”
Sophie looks up, craning her neck to see the top of the hill, and how the side closest to the city isn’t quite as jagged as the others. It’ll be a tough climb for sure, especially with a milkshake, but probably pretty do-able.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
They make it up the cliff in eight minutes, just because they’re overachievers. They’re sweating and panting, and Sophie’s pretty sure she’s gotten a side cramp, but they’ve made it to the top, and right before the edge, the thick weed-like grass gives away to muddy dirt, and sitting, with just enough room away from the cliff for someone to put their feet down, is a rock.
Biana plops down, and Sophie follows, sipping on her milkshake as she gazes at the water, the ocean reflecting the sky, even the details of the orange clouds that float above it.
Sophie oohs and ahhs, but Biana simply smiles, telling her to wait for the best part.
Within five minutes, the sun has dipped almost all the way down into the horizon, and the moon is clearly visible from where they’re sitting. Sophie can see the north star, shining brightly in the darkened sky, but the color, filled with lavender purples and pinks is unlike anything she’s ever seen.
Her mouth opens in an ‘o’ and Sophie can do nothing but stare at the remnants of the sunset, the only thought that really pops into her head is that it looks like the bi flag, the pinks, and purples and soon even the dark blue of the ocean.
Biana leans her head on Sophie’s shoulder, and she’s sure that the other girl can feel her heart-beat thudding through her chest.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” She whispers, her head in the crook of Sophie’s neck. Her breath raises the hairs on her arms, making Sophie shiver.
Biana must feel it, because she picks her head up and looks into Sophie’s eyes, before her gaze flicks down to her lips. Something about this moment feels so very right, and when Sophie looks into the depths of Biana’s gaze, studying her face, looking for any sign that she doesn’t feel the same.
Her eyes catch on her cheeks, which are dusted with pink, a reflection of the sky, or a blush, Sophie doesn’t know, but she takes it as a sign. She leans forward, ever so slowly, eyes fluttering closed as she moves forward, delicately, still somewhat hesitant. She goes forward, so, so, slowly, and Biana…
Biana turns her face away.
~B~
Biana Vacker has royally screwed up.
Sophie freaking Foster tried to kiss her, and she’d just turned away like it was nothing. Like she hadn’t been planning to do it all night. She’d been preparing and thinking about this date for weeks now, and what had she done? She’d rejected her crush.
And she had no idea why.
Sophie had (understandably) sat up after that, making some excuse that she needed to go check on something in her apartment, and Biana was left on the cliff, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She stayed out until way after dark, carrying her half-empty milkshake and the weight of the world on her shoulders.
She barely slept at all, tossing, and turning and wondering why why why.
After she checks the clock for the third time in the past five minutes, she finally rolls out of bed and stumbles into the kitchen, ignoring the fact that the sun won’t be up for hours. She gulps down a few glasses of water, and wonders what she’s going to do.
What can she do?
Sophie’s heartbroken expression makes her stomach twinge with guilt, and it’s ingrained in her memory, the exact moment she’d reared back from one of the best moments of her life.
Well, she definitely can’t go back to Roses and Ruins. No way, not when everyone there would probably hate her.
Sophie probably hates her; she realizes with a start.
Okay, well, that’s definitely not an option. She can’t go in the shop, or anywhere near it. Not for a long time at least.
She can’t go into work either, not like this. Her moms will immediately figure out something’s wrong, let alone the customers. Today’s Wednesday anyway, a couple days off won’t hurt, she knows her family can handle the business perfectly well.
So, at a time that’s somewhat more appropriate, she calls her mama and tells her that she won’t be in for the rest of the week. She answers all of her mother’s concerned questions with confirmation that yes, she’s fine and no, there’s nothing wrong.
She couldn’t be lying any more in a single phone call, and when she hangs up, she knows that her mother knows it just as well as she does.
-
Biana doesn’t leave the house all day.
The hours are filled with Friends reruns and ordering pizza to avoid the chance of running into Sophie & Crew. Some would call it sulking, but Biana would argue that she is not sulking, she’s thinking of what she needs to do next. She’s not being reckless, for once in the past two weeks. Though maybe thinking includes a little bit of feeling sorry for herself.
She snuggles further into her blanket, barely watching the TV in front of her. Her mind instead wanders elsewhere, even though she can still vaguely hear the laugh track, as Joey comes out wearing Chandler’s clothes.
She messed up, big time.
Biana’s eyes sting as she imagines the hurt in Sophie’s face. What had she just done, truly?
A buzz interrupts her thoughts, and Biana looks to the counter to see that her phone screen on, with the banner of a message showing on the lock screen. Would Sophie really still want to talk to her?
Biana all but dives off the couch, tripping on the fluffy blanket that she’d been cocooning herself in for the past few hours. Her legs are numb, her heart is pounding so hard she can feel it in her fingertips, and Biana fumbles to open her phone.
She tries to stamp down her disappointment when she sees that the message is in fact, not from Sophie.
Fitzypoo: r u okay?
Biana sighs, hesitating for a moment before responding.
Yeah.
Just a little tired.
Fitz sends a thumbs up, and Biana sinks back down into her seat, not really registering the credits rolling on her TV.
She clicks on Sophie’s contact, and it takes all of her willpower not to text something, to tell her that she’s sorry and that she’s stupid. But she doesn’t, instead she just scrolls up, her face twisting into a smile as she reads what Sophie had last sent her, something about an IPA language she’d been learning about. Most of the words didn’t make sense to Biana, but just listening to Sophie talk made it all worth it.
She spends the rest of the evening reading Sophie’s messages.
-
A knock at the door makes her jump.
Today, Biana had actually gone outside, even though a storm seemed to be moving through. She strayed clear of the Ruewens’ shop, instead taking the long way around to a restaurant with the worst burger she’d ever had.
But before long, she retreated back to the comfort of her apartment, taking a quick glimpse of the flower store as she drove by, almost instinctively ducking when she sees Grady’s tall figure watering the hanging plants out front.
But she simply drove past, trying not to cry.
Once back at her apartment, Biana had once again laid around, unsure of what to do with all her time off. But she knew that she couldn’t lie to her mothers’ faces, not when she feels like she wants to cry and scream really loudly at the same time.
But just after noon, a knock sounded at her door.
Biana stumbles over to her kitchen, flicking the light on and running a hand through her hair. She puts a professional look on her face. One that says, “I’m a perfectly functioning young adult, no problems here.”
She pulls open the door, expecting to see girl scouts or some sort of seller, but standing under her porch, dusting off an invisible hair from her jacket, is Livvy Sonden.
Biana’s mouth drops a little, because out of all the people that could have showed up on Biana’s doorstep, her mum was one of the last. Biana would have expected Sophie more than she would have Livvy.
Not because she wasn’t a good parent or anything, quite the contrary. But whenever one of them was upset, Livvy tended to give space, rather than smother them with love. She knows that Biana, Fitz and Della have a deep relationship, and she usually tends to let her wife take the lead.
But her she is, standing outside of Biana’s apartment with a box no doubt from Fitz’s bakery, her hair and clothes damp from the rain, which must have started since Biana had gotten back home. Her face is neutral, and when she sees Biana staring, it even pulls into a smile. But Biana can still see the worry evident in her eyes. Her gaze racks Biana head to toe, like she’s checking for anything out of order. Between the tangled hair, bags under her eyes, and the lack of happiness anywhere in her body, Biana probably looks like a mess.
“Hey, Kid. Your mama’s held up at the shop, but I figured you could use some sweets to help you feel better.”
Biana nods, not even trying to pretend to feel okay. She really doesn’t have enough energy to do that. “Thank you, you can come in if you’d like, but it’s a little messy.”
Livvy smiles. “That’s okay.”
Biana leads her into the kitchen, and sees that her Mum brought her lemon cakes, one of her favorites. Fitz must have made it for her, because she swears that no other baker can make cake this good.
They decide to locate to the couch, plates of cake in hand, as Biana tries to pick something to turn on. Livvy doesn’t say a word, just softly humming to herself as Biana finally puts on some medical drama. That was their favorite genre to watch, Livvy being a doctor and all.
They’re quiet, with Livvy making comments her and there about how “There’s no way they hooked up an IV that fast.”
Biana smiles but can’t find it in herself to laugh.
After the episode ends, Biana can feel the air shift, and she knows that Livvy’s going to question her as to what’s wrong with her.
“How’re you?” She starts with instead, and Biana shrugs.
“Don’t you dare say ‘fine’ because you’re clearly not.” She says, cutting Biana off before she can even utter a word. Fair enough because that was exactly what she was going to say.
“I like someone,” she says instead, eyes drifting around the room as to not meet Livvy’s gaze.
She can feel her mum’s tone shift, allowing the topic change that really wasn’t a topic change at all. “That’s great, Hun. What’re they like?”
Biana hums. And she thinks for a minute, what is Sophie like? “She’s incredible. Absolutely incredible. She’s smart, talented, kind, and one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met. I love the way that she simply exists, she’s loud and clumsy but she’s also one of the most graceful people ever. I’ve never seen anyone fall gracefully before.”
The words spill out like water from a dam. She talks about Sophie for what feels like is forever. She talks about how her voice sounds like honey, her insane knowledge at the most niche things Biana has ever heard of. She tells her mum about how they first met, a florist who’s allergic to flowers.
Each and every word her voice gets shakier and shakier, and before she knows it she has to break off to cry. Livvy scoots over and wraps her arms around Biana’s shaking shoulders. Biana buries her face into her mum’s chest, the scent of the restaurant and outside and home enveloping her into a sense of calm.
She finally pulls back, and Livvy brushes the tears from her face. Biana sniffles, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“I messed up,” she finally says, voice cracking at the end.
Livvy brushes a strand of hair from Biana’s face, tucking it behind her ear, fingers brushing her skin before she cups Biana’s cheek. “I’m not—I don’t know how Mama does this, so work with me, alright?”
Biana nods.
“Everyone messes up sometimes, Bee. It’s what makes us human. All you can do is learn from it, and not do it next time. It does you no good, beating yourself up about something that’s already been done, okay?”
Biana opens her mouth, but Livvy continues.
“If this girl loves you as much as you love her, then whatever happened, you can fix it if you want. The past is the past, but the future is whatever you want it to be, Love.”
“What if she never wants to talk to me again?” Biana whispers, her fears finally echoing out loud.
“Then she won’t. But that’s the worst that can happen, and it might if you just leave everything like it is right now. What’re you going to do, Biana? It’s up to you, and your family will support you, no matter what you choose.”
Biana wraps her arms around Livvy, crushing her in a hug and trying desperately not to cry again. “Thanks, Mum.”
Livvy presses a kiss to the crown of her forehead. “Anytime, Sweetheart.” She pulls away, her nose scrunching as she looks at Biana. “I love you dearly, but when’s the last time you’ve showered?”
A surprised laugh bubbles it’s way out of Biana’s throat. “Jeez, Mum. Kick a girl while she’s already down, don’t ya?”
Livvy rolls her eyes, her lips turning upwards into a smile. “Shoo.”
Biana doesn’t need to be told twice.
But as she cleans herself up, the streams of hot water rolling down her back, her mum’s words echo in her head. What are you going to do?
She brushes her hair, parting and pulling it into a braid. What are you going to do?
She pulls on her chucks, tying the laces tightly. What are you going to do?
She’s gonna talk to Sophie.
Biana throws on a coat, dashing out of her apartment, Livvy’s indignant voice calling out behind her.
“I didn’t mean right now!”
She’d apologize later, but for now she just swings the door open, yelling an ‘I’ll be back,’ over her shoulder before departing.
She’s going to fix what she’s done.
|| S ||
Sophie Foster is a complete and total idiot.
She shouldn’t have just assumed that Biana felt the same way that she did, not without thinking it through more.
Her idiocy honestly astounds her at times. She sighs angrily, hating the way that her eyes burn and her throat itches. She forgot to take any medicine this morning, and everyone in the shop was walking on eggshells around her.
They’d stuffed her in the back, because apparently, she was in such a bad mood that she couldn’t handle anyone who might be coming up front.
She snips another lilac, grumbling to herself about how stupid it was, even though they were probably right.
“Hey, if you’re going to be grumpy could you at least do your job well?” Sophie stopped, looking up to see Dex watching her, hands on his hips.
“I am.”
“No,” Dex points to the flowers that she’s preparing. “You’re prepping lilacs, the order asked for lilies.”
Sophie groans dropping the scissors and putting her head in her hands. How can she be so stupid? Of course, they wouldn’t want lilacs, it didn’t match with any of the other flowers that Sophie had been clipping.
“Listen, I dunno what’s wrong with you, but you seriously gotta pull it together.” Dex’s voice is still there, and his condescending tone makes Sophie want to throw something at him.
“I’m fine,” she grits out.
“Uh huh,” she hears the scraping of wood on a tile floor. “I’m not leaving until you tell me something more helpful.”
Sophie lifts her head to see that Dex had, in fact, plopped down on a stool across from her, leaning his back against the wall and crossing his arms. She knows that he’s serious, it’s one hundred percent something that her stubborn cousin would do.
Sophie sighs rubbing the skin between her eyes, trying to banish her pounding headache. “What do you wanna know?”
“Why you’ve been aggressive for the past two days.”
Of course. Sophie rolls her eyes. “Fine. I liked someone who didn’t like me back, and I’m pissed off because I should have seen it sooner.”
“Are you…talking about Biana?”
Sophie says nothing, instead turning to get the lilies to trim next.
“You’re joking, right?”
Sophie grits her teeth to keep from snapping at him. “No, she made it pretty obvious, now will you leave me alone?”
Sophie can practically feel Dex’s eye roll from behind her back. “Sophie, I know that you’re not gonna listen to me, but I’m going to say this anyway; you’ve got something wrong with your story. Biana came into this store nearly every day, just to see you and get to know you better. I have literally never seen somebody look that in love before, other than the look that my parents give each other when they think we’re not looking. You should talk to her, at the very least. Kiss her, date her, marry her, I don’t care, whatever you need to do to get over yourself and get her back in here, she’s honestly our best customer.”
With that, Dex makes his way out of the room, leaving Sophie with only the echo of his words and the snipping of scissors.
-
Sophie sighs, watching the rain drum on her window as Iggy curls up against her side. She rubs behind his ears and contemplates what it would be like to be a dog. Sleep all day, not have to worry about college debt, or any of your doggy crushes. It sounds like an ideal life.
But unfortunately, Dex’s words had gotten to Sophie. She knows what he means, and she knows that she should definitely talk to Biana, but she can’t bring herself to pick up her phone. She’d thought about texting her to apologize, but that seems like a conversation to be had in person. Too bad Biana hadn’t magically appeared in the shop, but Sophie can’t really blame her. It would’ve been too easy anyway.
Her doorbell rings and Sophie looks outside, bewildered. Who could possibly let anyone work in this weather? She feels a sudden stab of pity for any postal workers having to work in this rain. She hesitates a moment before making Iggy get up, and she can swear she can feel his glare as she gets up. She swings the door open, expecting the delivery person to be gone by now, but she thought wrong.
Because standing under her porch, soaked to the bone and shivering, is not a postal worker, or even a package. Instead, with her clothes plastered to her body, and her hair sticking to her face, is Biana Vacker.
Sophie blinks, wondering if she’s seeing things. When Biana doesn’t disappear, her mind bubbles with many questions, and she’s proud that the most important one comes out first.
“Are you okay?”
Biana eyebrows furrow, and her mouth moves in the shape ‘what?’ before she realizes that Sophie is asking if she’s physically alright, because there had to be something wrong with the girl if she’d trudged in the pouring rain to get to Sophie’s apartment.
“I’m fine. I just- I wanted to-” Biana takes a deep breath. “This is harder than I thought it would be, hold on.”
Sophie leans against the door-frame, feeling her stomach drop. This is it, Biana’s here to tell her that they’re better off as friends. That’s good though, isn’t it? They can still talk. They can still text each other, and hang out, and Biana can even come back around the shop! Why does Sophie feel a little disappointed?
“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Biana finally says. Sophie looks up at her in bewilderment, why is she apologizing? “I really, really like you, and I have no idea why I rejected you like that. I was fully willing and ready to do that, and I was expecting it. I just…I guess I didn’t know what I wanted.”
She’s dreaming. Sophie wants to ask Biana to slap her, just to wake her up. Because there is no way on earth that Biana Vacker likes her. Biana Vacker likes her. Sophie’s astounded, dumbfounded, shocked. But Biana’s words bring her back down to the ground, and she shakes herself. Sapphic thoughts later, important words now.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressured you like that, I definitely should have asked you, and I knew that as soon as you turned away that I should have just said two little words that would have made this whole conversation not have to happen.”
“Thank you,” Biana smiles, slicking her hair from her face.
Sophie nods, and she feels her heart beating harder and harder as they just stare at each other. It feels like minutes pass when it can only be a couple seconds. Time doesn’t really matter when you’re staring at Biana Vacker, Sophie learned that a long time ago.
“Well, I’ll leave you to the rest of your evening now,” Biana says with a tight-lipped smile. She turns on her heel and walks back out. Sophie’s met with the fact that Biana came here on foot, in the pouring rain. What kind of person would she be if she just let Biana do that again? For all she knew, the girl could slip, or get struck by lightning.
So, it’s the thing anyone would do, when she calls Biana’s name. Any decent person would run out after her, catching Biana just before she turned the street corner.
“Bee, I-” Sophie catches Biana’s wrist, a blush spreading across her face as her eyes turn to her, concerned and a little bit amused. All coherent thoughts fly out of her brain, and she’s left staring, holding Biana Vacker’s wrist in the pouring rain, after she’s just discovered that her feelings are mutual.
“Do you still want to kiss me?”
Stupid brain, stupid, stupid bisexual brain.
But Biana’s lips curl into an amused smile, a surprised laugh bubbling out of her throat. Even more surprising is when she pulls Sophie’s collar, making her bend down to Biana’s height.
“Always,” she whispers.
Biana’s lips part, and she pulls Sophie close to her chest. Her lips are warm and soft, a little chapped against Sophie’s own. Her hands cup Biana’s cheek gently, and she sways a little, tilting her head. Biana’s hands find themselves tangled in Sophie’s hair, and it all but brings them closer together.
Warmth blossoms in her chest, and Sophie swears she can feel the sparks flying in the air. Tentative touches become more confident, and she can smell the sweet peach of Biana’s conditioner. The scent is dizzying, and it sends the butterflies in Sophie’s stomach swirling swirling swirling once more.
Even in the freezing rain, Sophie Foster is warm.
-
Sophie’s hunched over the table, her focus purely on finishing up the binder of bouquets. She’s finally made her way to the last page, and it takes all of her might not to rush the last little bit, because otherwise her already shaky handwriting would become illegible, and that’d defeat the entire purpose, since it is for the rest of her family to use.
She’s so deeply focused on her task in fact, that she doesn’t hear the chiming of the bell on the door, or the clacking of footsteps on the linoleum ground coming towards her. It isn’t until a very familiar voice speaks, that Sophie looks up to see Biana standing in front of her, eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Hello Miss,” Sophie says teasingly, straightening her posture. “What can I do for you today?”
Biana smiles. “I just wanted to get these,” she responds, gently laying a bouquet of roses on the counter. “Do you think you could ring me up?”
Sophie laughs, as she realizes that Biana’s floriography has gotten much better. She guesses that she can be a good influence. “Well, that depends,” she says.
“Biana Vacker, would you go on a date with me?”
Sophie ignores the apparent children in the shop, who’ve started fake gagging from where they’re obviously eavesdropping from the back room, instead focusing purely on Biana.
Her mouth turns upward into the widest grin Sophie thinks she’s ever seen, and it makes her heart flutter with excitement. Biana leans forward, pressing a quick peck against Sophie’s cheek before pulling back, her eyes already holding the answer in the ocher depths.
“Yes,” she whispers.
Sophie Foster is dating Biana Vacker, and she thinks that everything might be alright.