Back Petal Peddler (Rebecca)

It was a simple mission for Rebecca. Akshay came in one day earlier and let the rest of the staffers know that Jean was being kept at the hospital due to appendicitis. Jean was a nice guy, but more importantly, the staff of One Comic to Rule Them All was a close, almost family-like group. (If families had indating and sexual tension. So not like families.)

The point: everyone chipped in to make a "get well" present for Jean. Akshay was going to bring his Xbox to the hospital along with a new game for Jean to kill all his downtime with while stuck in the hospital. Along with the gift, everyone thought Jean would appreciate the humor of a big, overly pretty bouquet of flowers; the kind of thing that would scream "Valentine's Day" before "Get Well Soon!"

The order was placed to a nice little flower shop Clara was pretty high on, and Rebecca volunteered to pick up the bouquet. Her mood had been improving since her chat with Lexi days earlier, and she was spending most of her time balancing between studying, working, and mustering up the courage to talk to Agnes. (Or rather, to ask Gina for Agnes's number so she could talk to Agnes.) She was getting there, but she knew at her core she was not ready, so she was comfortable waiting a few days.

Or a week.

Rebecca entered the store, floored by how lovely the displays around the shop were, and how pleasantly the scents of many blooming flowers tingled her nose. It was lovely, but there was the melancholy reminder of the greenhouse that came every time Rebecca surrounded herself with flora.

The young woman approached the counter where a chipper older woman was busy talking to a customer on the phone. Rebecca waited patiently until the woman turned and noticed her. "Oh, excuse me one moment." The woman held a palm over the receiver of the phone. "Can I help you, hun?"

Rebecca hesitated to mention the order, because it was a tad bit silly when she said it out loud. "Um, yes. Ah'm here for a bouquet? It should be wrapped with a ribbon that says... "To Jeanie With Love." Her face was heating up, but the silliness was for Jean's sake, so she would endure.

The plump proprietor chuckled and promised to help the moment she was able. Rebecca accepted graciously and waited as the phone call continued. While she was waiting, she could not help but look around the shop. There were flowers for every purpose; maybe there was an appropriate flower for "I miss you and I'm sorry I overreacted at your immortality?"

The click of a phone brought Rebecca back to reality, and the shopkeep turned to a glass case filled with carefully created floral displays. The bouquet she pulled out... was larger than Rebecca expected. It was handed to her, and the wide head of red, pink and purple flowers almost completely obscured her upper body and face.

From behind the floral obstacle, Rebecca heard something along the lines of, "I have to finish something, but I'll send my best girl to check you out." Patiently, Rebecca waited behind the flowers, assuming she would hear another voice shortly. It was just another of the many uneventful interactions in life that came between major moments, and she could just feel it; she was overdue for a major moment sooner or later.

As Rebecca did her best to keep the excessive bouquet in her arms, she could feel a mysterious tugging. Looking down (to the best of her ability,) she spotted a cat on the counter who was delightedly playing with her new plaything. Rebecca found cats adorable, and a cat playing with a ribbon was internet-level cute, but unfortunately, the particular ribbon had a mission if its own.

"No. Nae for you, kitty," she muttered as she did her best to keep the kitten from claiming part of Jean's gift.

And then the kitten was scooped up by the voice Rebecca was waiting for. The one catch; it was the last voice she was expecting.

>> “Oh god, you poor thing! I’m SO sorry about this, Miss! Strawberry! Stop that! No! That’s not your ribbon!”

It was a quick succession of events from that point. 1) Rebecca's heart stopped. 2) The kitten's body was pulled away, tugging the ribbon upward. 3) Rebecca felt the flowers slipping away and her brain forgot how to send signals to the arms. 4) The bouquet slipped out of her hands and landed on the counter. The bouquet was bound together and frankly so packed with flowers, it survived the fall with its shape intact. 5) Rebecca and Agnes saw each other for the first time since their breakup.

6) "...Hi."

7) PANIC.

>> “H-Hell—“

Yup, that about summed it up. This was Rebecca's version of Hell.

Rebecca wanted to talk to Agnes, and she was working up the courage. That was the step she was on, and she was content with moving at her own pace! She had to work up the courage to move to the second step, which (unfortunately) was planning what to say.

Now Rebecca was suffering for her improper planning, stuck face to face with her ex with nothing to say. Her fight or flight instinct was shouting for her to run away, but that would have not only been an awkward and permanent way to slam the door between them for good; it would have left the monster bouquet as a casualty of love (and war.)

Rebecca was just going to have to do what she could on the fly.

"...Hi."

Good job, spaz.

Rebecca racked her mind for anything to say, scanning over her ex-girlfriend to think of something to--

"Antennae." Those were new, Rebecca thought with a look of surprise overtaking her look of terror.

"Um... Ah like them." It was the truth; somehow, Agnes looked adorable with antennae, and that did not make talking to her any easier.

>> “T-Thanks. They’re new…”

If things were normal and they were as close as they were dating, or even before when they were just friends, Rebecca could have probably teased Agnes with something like, "You dornt say!" Not only was she not daring enough to tease her ex, but the very thought could not pass through her wire-crossed mind. "Oh? Um, good! They suit you?"

Why could a rampaging rhino mutant just break through the shop walls? At least that Rebecca would be ready to handle. Instead, she was watching all knowledge of word choice, syntax and inflection flutter out of her head.

>> “Um…w-will this complete your order?”

For a moment, Rebecca forgot she was at the shop for a reason. She finally looked down at the bouquet. "Oh!" What must she have assumed watching Rebecca come and purchase such a grand collection of lovely flowers for someone named Jeanie? Stupid joke gift! "Oh, these? Yeah, uh, these arenae for a-- well, Ah mean, they're for a boy." You're bi. "Ah! Boy co-worker!" Because no one sleeps with coworkers. "Sick. Sick co-worker. From everybody."

Please just let me be so allergic to these flowers Ah can jist die now. Death would be less painful than Rebecca's bout with word-vomit.

>> “Oh…um…I’m sorry? Ugh, I’m…sure that Jeanie will feel a lot better with these. So long as he doesn’t try to pick it up.”

Rebecca chuckled, possibly a little more than natural, but at least it was not serial killer laughter. Little victories.

>> “Um…$78.50.”

"Oh right." Rebecca pulled out a wad of money from her purse comprised of tens, fives, and a large collection of ones; the curse of the money pool. After counting through the money like she was being graded, she handed the pile over to Agnes.

As her ex-girlfriend was operating the register, Rebecca realized their interaction was almost over, and while the end sounded like a godsend, it also meant she wasted a perfect opportunity to get everything off her chest.

She had to keep talking, at least for a little longer. She had to figure out a way to transition things to the point where she could admit what needed to be said. Maybe a compliment? (For something other than her antennae at this point.) "Um.. you're looking good." Still awkward, but nice. Just leave it-- "You know, like pretty and, um, stuff like that." So, so close to passing off as a socially competent moment.

>> CRASH!! CLATTTTTER!!!

>> S-Sorry…”

After a smashed coin roll that further embodied how well the conversation was going, Agnes ducked down behind the counter to collect the lost change. Rebecca fidgeted in place, feeling self-conscious. Was it that bad for Rebecca to compliment Agnes? Could she just assume the coinsplosion was a coincidence?

Agnes finally returned from her venture out of sight and Rebecca tightened up.

>> “You too.”

"Um, thanks." Even if it was half-hearted, the compliment was still enough to get a blush on Rebecca's cheeks.

The change was handed to Rebecca and it hit her like a brick: The transaction was over.

She would walk out now because there was no reason for her to stay. Agnes would find a way to keep an accidental meeting like this from ever happening again, and Rebecca would never get another chance.

She blew it!

"Ah miss you!" she blurted out.

Oh God... All the blood in Rebecca's heart clearly rushed to her face, because she was dead-certain it ran out of anything to pump out.

Rebecca was still in shock, sure she imagined herself saying something like that so suddenly. It was not in Rebecca to come right out and say something like "I miss you" after months of silence and painful minutes of awkwardness.

Except she definitely said it. Not only could she feel it in her bones; she could see it in Agnes's cheeks. They were both glowing red because Rebecca could not hold her tongue any longer.

>> “Umm…”

Rebecca's heart sank at the umm. What might follow the umm? "I don't miss you?" "Get out of here?" There was no way to know where things would go next, and before Agnes could alter the direction irrevocably, Rebecca had to ask a question that had been plaguing her for months. "Why did you ne'er text me back?" Even if she was no longer missed, she would at least get an answer for why she was not worth a response.