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The doors of the flower shop opened with a chime, and Zack was relieved to see his favorite florist at the register.
“Hi, Aerith!” he said, walking up and greeting her with a warm smile. “Doing good today?”
“Business is slow,” she admitted. “It’s not really the season for bouquets – I hear a lot of people are going for boating instead.”
Zack nodded, feeling a little more anxious than he already did. I can’t afford to rent a boat or a cabin, and I haven’t even asked him out yet. “Um, I need help with something.”
“Well, you came to the right girl!” Aerith said, setting down the pot she was pruning. “What can I do you for?”
“So, there’s this friend of mine…his name’s Cloud.”
“The same Cloud who has ‘eyes of your dreams’ and ‘the voice of a sexy angel?’” Aerith asked with a wink.
Zack stepped back, spluttering. “Wha—how—what?”
“You should really try to watch what you say in your sleep,” Aerith said, voice full of amusement. “It was all I could do to keep Kunsel from taping the whole thing and posting it on his blog.”
Kunsel?! I’m gonna…I’m gonna…have a word with him about respecting my personal boundaries. “I guess I shouldn't nap in the common area anymore, then,” he ended up saying.
“Zack, you room with Kunsel. Nowhere is safe,” Aerith said. “I wouldn’t necessarily mind if you crashed in my room from time to time…but Tifa knows Cloud pretty well, and she just might say something…”
She might spill. Wait, what does it matter? I’m here for help solving the whole problem anyway. “So I decided to ask him out.”
“Finally!” Aerith said, dropping her shears in favor of pulling him into a hug over the counter. “You were thinking of getting him flowers? Oh, how sweet! Let’s see, hmm…I tell you, the manager is awful at keeping things stocked, we’re fresh out of all the usual romance-type stuff.”
“So I gotta build a bouquet from scratch?” Zack asked, looking around the store. I don’t know anything about flowers…
“You don’t have to get him anything meaningful in the traditional sense,” Aerith said, scratching her chin. “You could just go for flowers that look cool – he might like that more, anyway.”
“What’s in that pot you were pruning?” Zack asked. The leaves look like hearts…and I think that’s Cloud’s favorite shade of green.
“Oh this? Sweet potato vine,” Aerith said, frowning. “And I wasn’t pruning it, I was just snipping off some of the dead leaves.”
“That’s pruning.”
“Is this your flower shop? No? I thought not,” Aerith said, flicking him on the nose. “Anyway, it’s not the type of thing you usually put in a bouquet, but…yeah, I guess the leaves do look like hearts. We’ll need something else, though.”
Zack watched her walk around the store with a cut of the sweet potato vine, holding it up to other flowers and shaking her head. She’s such a perfectionist…god, I love her. After a few minutes, Aerith returned to the counter with a handful of other flowers and a bag.
“Alright, let me tell you a bit about these plants,” she said. “That right there, with the yellow, sort of bell-shaped petals, is calibrachoa. The purple ones are just standard petunias – watch your fingers, they’re a bit sticky. And the blue stuff that looks like a sea anemone is ageratum.”
It wasn't very similar to any other bouquets Zack had seen, but he supposed that was a good thing. “Thank you so much,” he said, swiping his student card. I can’t believe I can use that money here.
“Good luck,” she said as he left. “Just be yourself, he won’t be able to resist!”
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Cloud’s apartment building was a few blocks from the house Zack’s friends had rented out, and it took twenty minutes of waiting before someone would let him in.
Wow, I hope he’s home, Zack thought, making his way up to the fourth floor. I’m already skipping a lecture for this…what am I saying, I wouldn’t have gone to that lecture anyway. The professor stinks. Literally and figuratively.
He mentally prepared himself and knocked on the door, holding the flowers in his other hand.
The door opened. It wasn’t Cloud. “Uh…hello?”
“Barret! What’s up?” Zack said, proud of himself for not being too startled.
“Just headin’ out,” Barret said, looking skeptically at the flowers. “Those are for Cloud…right?”
“Uh, yeah.” Oh my god, he thought they were for himself.
Barret visibly relaxed, grinning out the corner of his mouth. “Good. Cause I’d be flattered and all, but Myrna might have a thing or two to say about it.”
Zack laughed, feeling very awkward standing in the threshold as he was. “So, is Cloud…here?”
“No, said he had office hours or somethin’ for that class he’s T.A. for,” Barret said, “but I don’t care if you wanna wait here for ‘im to come back.”
“Thanks, man, I really appreciate it,” Zack said, stepping inside. I could always come back later, but then I’d have to go through this whole thing again…better just to wait.
“No problem,” Barret said, grabbing his keys and stepping out. “Later.”
Zack plopped down on the sofa and set the flowers on the opposite armrest, unsure what to do with himself. I never really bothered to ask when Cloud would be back, did I? And if he’s at work, I shouldn’t call…did I even have any coffee this morning? I sure am sleepy…
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“Zack?”
It was the voice that filled his dreams, the one he wanted to hear most, but the tone was too questioning, too confused. Zack wanted to hear him plead…or command. A rush of blood to the head told him he’d definitely be cool with that.
“Zack, you fell asleep.”
Don’t wake me, Mom…this is such a nice dream. Cloud’s kissing me in this one, he’s looking at me with those gorgeous eyes like he’s the last thing I’ll ever see and I’m in heaven, oh, it’s too good.
A sharp poke to the ribs and Zack jolted awake, hot and disoriented. “What…who…?”
“Did Kunsel kick you out or something? It’s cool that you’re here, but people usually ask before crashing at someone else’s place.”
I fell asleep? What…? “Cloud?”
Zack sat up and took in the sight before him with still-sleepy eyes. Oh no, he looks really cute today…why does he have to look so good in joggers…I’m a mess.
“Welcome back,” Cloud said, his expression growing worried as his eyes moved downward. “Uh…what’s wrong with your hands?”
Zack looked down and almost screamed. Angry red welts covered his fingers and god, they were itchy, though he knew better than to injure himself by breaking the skin. “Oh my god…”
“How’d you even get in with that going on?” Cloud asked, standing up and pacing. He doesn’t have a damn clue what to do…I don’t either.
“Barret let me in, but…I was fine when I fell asleep,” Zack said, looking at the bouquet. Ooooohhh. “I think I had an allergic reaction to one of those flowers…”
Cloud scanned the room, raising his eyebrows when his eyes reached the bouquet. “You brought me flowers?”
“Surprise,” Zack said, in what was probably the most cringeworthy delivery on the east side of the central ocean. “Let’s see if I remember…there’s petunias, cali-something, ageratum? And the heart-shaped leaves are sweet potato vine.”
“Sweet potato vine,” Cloud said, resting his chin on his hands. “I heard there was a higher rate of allergy to it in the Gongagan population.”
How does he even learn this kind of stuff? He’s so smart… “Well, I picked it because…the leaves look like hearts…and I like you…like, really like you…I have for a while now. I’m sorry. I’m a doofus.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Cloud said, smiling. “Wow, I…I like you too, Zack. Also have for a while. Why aren’t we dating yet?”
Zack found himself smiling back, in surprise more than anything else, and the rush of joy was enough to distract from the itchiness for a moment. Yes! Yeeeesssss! Operation Date Cloud is back in motion! “Sooo…you wanna go out sometime?” Zack asked, trying his best to act smooth despite his fucked-up hands.
“I think maybe we should get some lotion on that first,” Cloud said with a laugh. “But yeah, I’d like that.”
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“See, Myrna? I told you the flowers weren’t for me.”
“Okay…I believe you. God, that’s precious. You should take a picture, Barret.”
“And let Kunsel get his greasy paws on it? No, ma’am. Cloud don’t deserve gettin’ dragged into that.”
“Fine, I’ll take the picture. Wimp.”
“Myrna, nooooo,” Cloud said above him, his vocal cords vibrating somewhere near Zack’s heart. Ah, that feels nice.
“Myrna yes,” she said, and it was with a grumble that Zack opened his eyes, Barret’s very smug-looking girlfriend holding her phone with glee.
“Whatever. Just…tell my roommate…to stop mocking my happiness,” Zack said with a yawn, moving his plastic-bag covered arms back around Cloud’s waist. “And I’m very happy right now, thank you very much.”
“Me too,” Cloud mumbled, holding out an arm, which Barret high-fived. I wasn’t expecting two naps and a rash to come out of this, but now I guess I have a boyfriend, so that’s a thing? Go me.
“Uh, are y’all expectin’ me to pick up these plants?” Barret asked after a moment.
“I’m not moving and Zack will break out even worse if he touches them,” Cloud said. “Please?”
“I do way too much for your spiky ass,” Barret said, picking up the bouquet. “I didn’t ask before, but what’s in this, anyway? I like that sea-anemone lookin’ thing.”
“Ask Aerith,” Zack said, closing his eyes again. “I forgot.” Oh…I think I missed a lab while I was asleep. Oh well, the program isn’t due until tomorrow afternoon…I’ll just pull an all-nighter and make it up. This was a way better use of my time anyway.
“You didn’t spend the whole day waiting for me, did you?” Cloud asked after Barret and Myrna had left again.
“Yeah…I probably would’ve camped out here for days if it took that long,” Zack admitted, humming in appreciation when Cloud moved up to give him a kiss. “So worth it.”