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There was a bouquet of flowers on the dinner table. It was big and colorful. Shane hadn’t bought the flowers. That meant that Ilya had put them there. Shane stood in the entryway to the kitchen and stared at the flowers. Why flowers?
“Do you like them?” Ilya asked from behind him and snaked his arms around Shane’s waist.
“Yes. They are beautiful. Did someone gift them to you?”
“No. They are for you. I bought them.”
Shane could feel the color rising in his face.
“Oh thank you. This is the first time someone gifted me flowers.”
“Hmm. Yes. I thought so. Do you know the meaning of the flowers in this bouquet?”
“The meaning of the flowers?”
“Yes. Have you ever heard of the language of flowers?”
“No. What is the language of flowers?”
“It’s from the 19th century. I found a book in the attic of your parent’s house about the language of flowers. Yuna said that she had never seen this book before and I could take it. Every flower and the different colors of the flowers have a meaning. Like those flowers I bought you.”
“What do they say?” Shane asked intrigued.
Ilya lowered his hands around Shane’s waist, walked over to the bouquet and beckoned Shane forward.
“This baby’s breath stands for everlasting love. The white camellia says that you are adorable. And the yellow lilies stand for happiness. I also chose them because they are lilies and I’m your Lily. But the whole bouquet stands for what you mean to me. And it tells you that I love you.”
Shane looked at the bouquet for a while. Stunned. Then he turned to Ilya.
“That’s so sweet, baby. I love it. And I love you! Thank you so much!”
And then Shane kissed Ilya deeply.
“You can expect more of this in the future,” Ilya told Shane after the kiss.
“I can’t wait!”
And Ilya held his word. Every week a new bouquet was on the dining table. And every week it had different flowers. Asters, Calla lilies, white carnations, red chrysanthemums, white clover, honeysuckle, hydrangeas. They stood for Ilya’s deep love for Shane and all his positive feelings connected with it. But sometimes he also chose dark crimson roses, rosemary, blue salvia, willow and pink carnations. On this days Shane knew that Ilya missed and mourned his mother and that was his way to tell Shane without using actual words.
On some days Ilya would tell Shane what the flowers stood for. But he also handed the book to Shane so Shane could figure out the meaning for himself. It was such a beautiful gesture and both of them loved the communication of feelings without words and the intimacy of it. Because only Shane and Ilya knew the meaning behind the bouquet on the dining table. Not their friends and family eating with them and complimenting the beautiful bouquet. Only Shane and Ilya with their secret language of flowers.