Finally ready, I opened my front door to find a bouquet of flowers. Fifteen long-stem red roses sat in a simple glass vase. It was elegant and I wondered why there were more than just the traditional twelve.
I looked around the hallway, but there wasn’t a soul around. Just the flowers.
Carefully, I leaned over and found a small envelope tucked among the beautiful red blossoms.
* * *
Still not as beautiful as you.
-Henry
* * *
I smiled as I played with the card between my fingers. It was sweet. It didn’t make up for ditching me last night, but it was a step in the right direction. I picked up the flowers and brought them inside, putting them on my small table.
Even in the gray light of the rain, they were beautiful and the soft scent of fresh flowers filled my small room. I shook my head, smiling as I headed out to work.
The rain kept most of the tourists inside the museums or crowded into buses, so I was able to navigate the streets to work with ease. I ended up only being a few minutes late. I stood in the entrance of my building, shaking off water before heading up the stairs.
“How was the date?” Gus asked, peeking up over his computer monitor at me.
“It was really good,” I told him with a smile. “We went to a rugby game and then we got noodles for dinner.”
Gus raised one eyebrow. “And he was a perfect gentleman, right?”
“Do you really want to know?” I asked him, putting on my best devious grin. I waggled my eyebrows at him. “I can give you details. His skin is flawless.”
Gus’s cheeks darkened and he made an exasperated sound before ducking back behind his computer, making me laugh. I wondered how he was going to survive when his own daughters were into adulthood and having children. I could imagine that he would just tell himself the storks did it.
“Don’t worry Gus.” I grinned, scanning my ID badge into the system. “He was all duty and honor.”
To my disappointment, I thought to myself.
“That’s not what I want to hear,” Jaqui said, startling me as she came out of the stairwell. “I wanted him to ruin you for all other men. Tell me more about the flawless skin.”
“I’m not listening to this,” Gus said, shaking his head and hiding behind his desk. “I don’t want to know. Please go upstairs and go to work.”
“I, on the other hand, want to know everything,” Jaqui said, linking her arm in mine and heading back up the stairs. “My love life is in shambles and I need to live vicariously through someone.”
“I am willing to do my part to keep you happy,” I told her.
We headed up the stairs to my office as I told her how the date went. I explained how much fun I had at the rugby game. I told her how I shared my favorite noodle restaurant with him. I told her that we were getting hot and heavy on the couch, and that it was some of the best kissing I’d ever experienced.
“And then his friend interrupted,” I finished. “Just knocked on the door and said he had to go. That there was family issues.”
“What did Henry say?” Jaqui asked as we headed down the hallway to my office. It was cooler up here today because of the rain. I was glad I had worn long sleeves.
“He just went. I mean, he didn’t want to go, but he didn’t call his brother or anything. He just left.”
I shrugged and pushed open the door to my office and stopped suddenly. Three different flower bouquets sat on my table. Each was a different kind of flower in a rainbow of colors and all of them made my office smell amazing.
“Yeah. These came for you this morning.” Jaqui grinned at me and leaned against the door frame. “I had them brought up here for you. Now that I know what happened, I think he feels bad.”
“I would agree,” I murmured going over to the first bouquet of yellow daffodils. There was no way he could have known that these were my favorite. I fingered a small note tucked in the blossoms.
* * *
Still not as beautiful...
* * *
I smiled and shook my head, going to the next bouquet. This one was white tulips with tips of red and purple. They were stunning. There was another note.
* * *
I’m sorry I left.