Desire | Shawn Mendes

TWENTY NINE

'I'm sorry that I just couldn't protect you from me.'

I sit up and watch the ink dry on the last period and then see Terra left me an envelope. I place the card inside the envelope and lick it shut, turn it over, and write out quotations before spelling the name Robin. Hopefully she would remember.

"Oh, wow, you work fast." I say as I take note of five bouquets that have already been made.

"You look like you're in quite the hurry to start your apology." She tells me. "I try to work as fast as I can."

"Thank you." I say. For the next half hour, Terra and I work on bouquets and which flowers should go with which ones. Once everything is done, I pay with card and then place the envelope in my pocket as I give her the address of where the flowers were to be going. I make a quick phone call to Eric, hoping that he'll distract Jasmine in time to be able to give me enough time to go into the building without her noticing. Once I have his help, I get into a taxi with one separate bouquet that I created on my own.

"Nice flowers you got there," the taxi driver comments as he begins the drive to Jasmine's office. "You apologizing to a girlfriend?"

"No," I shake my head. "I'm apologizing to an ex."

"Oof, good luck with that, buddy."

"It's crazy, I know. But sometimes you have to do crazy things for people."

"Let's just hope they don't find you crazy."

"Fingers crossed." I nervously laugh.

Then I think about it. I'm going in with nineteen bouquets, twenty if you count the ones in my hand, and I'm apologizing to her with an office full of flowers.

"I'm not crazy, am I?" I ask the driver.

"No. You're in love, kid." He says.

"I'm not." I correct him. "I'm just apologizing."

"One bouquet is fine. But even then with an ex, eh, I'd say you're on thin ice."

"I don't think I like you."

"The truth can hurt, pal. Don't hate me, hate yourself for having to apologize."

"Why is it that every time I enter a cab, you drivers have to give me some sort of life advice?"

"I'm a cab driver; I've heard almost every single story back there. You just know the right things to say sometimes." He says.

"Is apologizing to an ex crazy?" I ask him.

"No. There's never nothing crazy about righting your wrongs." He tells me.

I look at it from his perspective as simply that - I'm righting my wrong. I'm doing exactly what Charlie said for me to do; once I know what I want is when I should make an attempt to talk to Jasmine once again. So by me righting my wrong, I know what I'm doing and what I want.

Right?

Of course you're right, Shawn! Don't doubt yourself!

In fifteen minutes, I'm just down the block from the office and the florist company truck is behind me and I begin to feel nervous. My phone buzzes and it's a text from Eric, warning me that they'll arrive back at the office in ten minutes. Those minutes should give me enough time as the driver now slowly stops in front of the office. I pay the fare and tip him before exiting out the car.

"Good luck in there!" He tells me.

"Thank you." I reply.

I take the bouquet with me and watch as Terra and two of her workers double park the car and begin to unload the flowers, each of them carrying two at a time. After three minutes of unloading, it's just me in the office surrounded by the flowers.