BLOOM • awsten knight

67

Elle never knew much about flowers, but she knew she liked them. She grew up watching her grandad's garden grow every year.

He'd tell her when her favourite flowers were starting to bloom; they'd track the progress of how tall the sunflowers would grow, how many heads the roses would get, and how wild the camellia would grow out.

Not everything flowered every year, which Elle didn't really understand.

One year, they had planted a pot full of sunflower seeds; there were five, but only four bloomed that year.

She didn't understand why only one sunflower wouldn't bloom, even though she planted it in the exact same way as the other four, and they've been in the same place ever since.

She thought she did everything right, but it didn't bloom.

"Just give it another year, Nora," her grandad had told her softly. "It might just need a little more time."

Elle brings herself out of her thoughts gently, and takes a deep breath, as Taylor rests her head against her shoulder.

"The last few months have been pretty shit, huh?" She sighs.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Elle agrees easily. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Well, she asked me if I'll still work there for a while," Taylor shrugs.

"And you agreed?"

"Yeah, sort of," she runs a hand over her face. "She still can't run it by herself. But, I'll just do more time at the office than usual," Elle nods along as she explains. "What did you do today?"

"Uhm, wrote some songs," Elle answers, nonchalantly. "I need to call Jawn, actually."

"What for?"

"Photoshoots for the singles," she replies. "I've picked out two, I think."

"It's already better than the last one," Taylor compliments.

"Are you saying the last one was shit?" Elle feigns offence.

"No, no!" Taylor jumps in quickly, only for Elle's facade to dissolve as she laughs. "You know I didn't mean that."

"I know, thank you," she smiles.

"That other song is coming out tonight, though, right?" Taylor changes the subject quickly. "The one with The Band Camino? I haven't heard that one yet."

"Oh, yeah," Elle confirms. "Kind of nervous about that one."

"Why?"

"Well, because it's like entering someone else's realm," she begins to explain. "It's their song, that I just wrote on," she lets out a short sigh. "So, like, what if their fans don't like it? What if the song just flops? Am I gonna fuck things up for them?"

"Don't be so entitled," Taylor laughs, earning an odd look. "If they didn't trust in the song, and in you, then they wouldn't be releasing it," she pokes Elle's side, and she finally cracks a smile. "Seriously, stop doubting yourself. They're writing with you on their literal album."