Flower Boy

✿ Three ✿

The past few days have been dragging on. My work load hasn't lifted. Mat had another boys night. Tonight he told me to wait in the spare room all night while a coworker came over. I caught a glimpse of her. She was pretty. My heart ached because he was being very affectionate with her. Something he hasn't done with me for a long time.

Was this jealousy?

I brushed my feelings away, turning onto my side in the unfamiliar room before screwing my eyes shut. Sleep didn't come easy. All I could hear was flirting coming from the other room.

I woke up to a quiet house, though. Mat was probably asleep and the TV was left off. It was nice. The birds outdoors were silent, no whistles of wind could be heard. I looked around the room. Sun seeped through the window and through the curtains, lighting everything with a soft feeling. I breathed in deeply.

I closed my eyes once more, wishing to fall back asleep in such a peaceful atmosphere. The serenity was shattered when the door opened and Mat poked his head in.

"Rob?" He asked softly.

"Yeah?" I replied, my voice hoarse from sleep. He didn't say anything. He just walked over to me, laying down on the bed and pulling some of the covers over him. I didn't move for a moment, slightly shocked by his decision to lay here.

"Cuddle me," He said in a small voice. I rolled to face his back and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head in the crook of his shoulder. I inhaled his smell, trying to tell if this is a dream or real life. I felt him take one of my hands and press his lips to it before replacing it back to where it lay.

"I got that job, by the way."

"Congratulations!" I smiled, happy for him. Maybe now he could pay for some of the bills and whatnot, I thought. I immediately felt guilty. This was Mat's house and he was doing me a favour by letting me live here with him. Paying for everything was the least I could do in return.

"I met a lady who works with me yesterday," He started, "She's been working there for awhile and she's really funny. She was telling me the basics of the company."

"She sounded fun," I put out.

"She is."

I closed my eyes, feeling jealousy snake its way into my head.

"When do you work today?" He asked me, his voice maintaining a quiet tone.

"At 10:00AM," I told him.

"It's almost eight thirty, you should get up. Can you clean the bathroom? It smells like shit. Also, there's dishes in the sink that need to be done," He mumbled, I could tell he was tired.

"Of course, I'll go do that now," I wiggled my way away from Mat. Once I was up, I leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to his exposed neck. "Sleep well," I smiled, walking out to do the chores he asked of me. Starting with the bathroom, I made my way through the house until I reached the kitchen, cleaning the whole way. My back was sore and my hands were dry from washing the dishes. I sighed and checked the clock on the oven. It read 9:32AM. I smiled to myself, happy to leave for work soon. Except Mat woke up then.

"Rob, baby, I'm not going to be coming home tonight," He said, still using the soft voice from before. I bit my lip and tried to hide my disappointment, but I think he noticed. "Don't be sad darling, I love you, right?"

"Right," I whispered, desperately clinging to that fact. He walked over and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I'm taking you to get this cut soon," His voice was low. I nodded. "Say thank you."

"Thank you, Mat," I told him.

"Get to work, okay? I'll see you tomorrow. Come straight home. The neighbour will have a key for you," He smiled. I returned the smile weakly. He walked out of the kitchen and back into the spare room. I heard him talking on the phone in an excited voice. I glanced at the time and then heard my stomach growl.

I brushed that off and grabbed my uniform, wallet, and phone before heading out the door. I arrived at work ten minutes early, but Brayden put me to work right away. I was grateful for that, in need of a distraction from my thoughts.

"Rob, by the way, I went out with Mitch last night!" He grinned, bouncing on his feet. I smiled.

"That's so cute! How did it go?" I asked. He jumped right into it, excitedly telling me how his night went. I was really happy for him.

"I hope it works out for you two, he's got a really special man in his arms," I told him honestly. His cheeks turned crimson and he smiled shyly.

"You're a beautiful man, Rob," He replied and walked off to do other business. My face felt hot and I walked to the front counter where I sat down and waited for customers. It was awhile before anyone came in, but my patience brought good things because the bell rang and I looked up to see the boy from a few days ago. Preston.

"Hello!" I found myself calling from my spot. His head snapped to my voice and he grinned upon seeing me. I got up and walked to him. "How did she like the last bouquet?"

"She, well... I don't know, to be completely honest," He told me. "And I mean, I know they were for her, but I couldn't help myself, okay? They were so nice, I kept them. I bought her chocolate instead," He explained sheepishly. I let his words process before I started laughing, hiding my face in the sleeves of my sweater.

"You kept them?" I asked incredulously. He blushed and nodded.

"I liked them, okay?" He laughed lightly, trying to be serious. "But they're wilting now, so I want to buy another bouquet."

"Alright, for you?"

"For me," He confirmed.

I scanned him, noticing a few characteristics and analyzed his personality in my head quickly before sliding to the flower fridge to begin my bouquet. I picked up flowers and put some back, rapidly creating my work of art. I was soon finished and I took a glance at Preston. He was staring at me in what looked like awe. I felt shy as I displayed the flowers.

"What do they mean?" He asked finally. I looked down and pointed at each flower as I spoke.

"Yellow tulips for cheerful thoughts, daisies for innocence and cheerfulness, and peonies for..." I trailed off, not wanting to say why I put peonies because thinking about it made me feel sick with guilt.

"For?" He prompted.

"Beauty," I felt so awful. I was betraying Mat.

"How come you chose those?" He asked. There was no point in lying.

"It's what I think of you," I said quietly, feeling stabs of grief in my heart because of my wrongdoings. Mat was the only one I thought was beautiful. Mat was the only one I could love. And Mat was the only one who could love me back.

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rob is breaking my heart wbu guys
thanks for reading i <3 u all