"Okay, now that we have this whole area cleared, I was thinking we can plant some nice flowers along the walk way. It'll be visually appealing to all of the guests." I suggested as I stood in front of all the workers with a clip board in my hand.
It felt so weird being in charge of something like this. I wasn't used to people actually taking me seriously and listening so intently.
It was the next day and all that they had gotten done so far was clearing the area. I was glad they were able to clean the place up, I was positive that it was going to take longer than one day, but I was proved wrong.
"Which flowers Miss? The red Asters or the pink Tulips?" a worker asked.
I looked down at my clipboard, noticing that we had purchased both types.
"Um, well what do you all think?" I asked, curious to know what they thought.
"I'd say we work with the Aster's ma'am." a gruff voice spoke from the back. A couple of others nodded and showed their agreement.
"Okay." I nodded, "Let's use the Asters."
With that, everyone got to work. Some began racking the soil, others were grabbing the plants from the truck, and others began digging small holes in a straight line.
I watched everyone before walking over to the truck and looking at all the flowers I had purchased yesterday.
My fingers caressed the soft petals of a vibrant red aster, a sweet scent lingering from it.
"Beautiful flower isn't it?" a voice spoke from beside me.
I turned my head to meet the brown hues of Zayn.
I nodded, "Yes, very."
"It's supposedly a symbol of love and patience." Zayn said softly, his eyes glued to mine momentarily. He looked away and back at the flowers that sat in the truck.
I don't know why, but my cheeks turned a light pink. Maybe it was the way he had looked at me, or his words. Not sure.
"Oh...I feel like a lot of flowers have some sort of meaning that connects to 'love'." I said turning my attention back to all the bright flowers.
He chuckled quietly, "Yeah, I guess."
He then grabbed two pots in his hands and walked back over to where he had been working.
My eyes involuntarily followed him, watching his every move. I couldn't help but admire his appearance. He may be wearing cheap, dirty, ripped clothing but he still managed to look good.
My mind began filling with images of him in proper suit. A small smile graced my lips as I thought about how handsome he'd look-
"Miss?"
I snapped out of my girly thoughts, inwardly scolding myself for doing so, and turned to see who had called me.
"Yes?" I asked the short old man who stood in front of me. His skin was wrinkled, and body was bent with age but his eyes glowed with youth and happiness. For someone with so little, he seemed to be genuinely happy.
"Would you like them all to be red Asters? Because I know we have some violet ones too." he asked, pointing a finger at the dark purple ones.
"Oh! Sure, you can use those too." I said giving him a small smile.
He smiled back, grabbing two pots, but before he walked away I called him back.
"Yes Miss?" he asked politely.
I furrowed my brow in concern, "Would you like to take a break?" I asked, seeing as he was sweating already and out of breath.
He chuckled, "Oh, no Miss. A body in motion stays in motion my dear." his eyes bright.
I smiled, admiring this man's attitude. Usually, someone his age with his social status was never too friendly.
"Okay, well be careful." I advised, his face reminding me of my own grandfather's.
He tipped his hat in acknowledgment before walking away.
I leaned my arm on the edge of the truck, looking around at everyone working.
My eyes, yet again, stopped when I reached the young male with raven black hair. He was racking soil, the muscles in his arms prominent whenever he would pull the rake through the dirt. Sweat dripped down his face, and down his neck. His full attention was on his work, showing just how hard working and diligent he truly was.
Every other boy I know that is his age would never think twice about doing hard labor. They had servants for that.
I starred at him for a few moments , but quickly looked away when his golden hues met mine.
~~~
"My lord, would you look at this dress! It's absolutely stunning!" Aria gushed as we stood outside a store, peering at the window display.
I rolled my eyes as her eyes glazed over in pure adoration as she looked at the silky attire.
"Would you calm down, it's not that great." I commented, waiting patiently for her to stop gushing so that we could continue on our way down the street to the restaurant we had reservations for.
She backed away slowly, and finally looked at me.
"Eliza, are you blind!?" she exclaimed with wide eyes.
I raised an eyebrow at her, trying not to laugh at her face.
"No, I'm just....not as easily impressed." I stated, smiling at her to show I was only joking.
She glared playfully at me before connecting our arms so that we were hooked at the elbows.
"Come on, let's go eat." she said, giving the dress one more look before walking away.
We chatted for a few minutes as we made our way to the restaurant. It was only a couple blocks down so it wouldn't take us long.
I laughed loudly as she told me a story about some of the stuck up ladies who had come over to her home the other day and how she accidentally spilt tea on this one's dress.
"My god! How are you still here!?" I joked.
"I know, I swear I thought she was going rip me apart with her nails!" she laughed but abruptly stopped when she looked forward. She stopped moving, causing me to stop too since we were hooked by the arm.
I slowly stopped laughing, and turned my attention to where she was looking.
I swallowed nervously when I noticed the curly headed figure standing in front of us. His green eyes staring directly at us.
I unhooked my arm and backed up slightly, allowing them some space to talk.
"Harry.." she breathed.
"A.." he said a hopeful smile growing on his face, showing off his dimples.
"W-What are you doing over in this part of town?" she questioned quietly.
His smile slowly went away as he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. "I'm picking up some items for my boss." he said, his hands coming out of his pockets again.
"Oh.." was all she said.
I looked down at the floor, kicking a pebble.
"You look beautiful....as always." he said while clearing his throat awkwardly.
Aria blushed, giving him a timid smile in return, "Thank you Harry." she said slowly.
Aria cleared her throat nervously before looking over at me, "Shall we go?" she asked, and I could hear how hard it was for her to say that. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew that she had to.
Harry looked over at me, finally realizing that Aria wasn't alone.
"Oh, hi, I'm Harry." he greeted nervously, a strange expression on his face.
"I'm Elizabeth, and don't worry, I would never say anything. " I assured.
He sighed, "Oh, okay." he chuckled. In the corner of my eye I watched Aria smile widely at the sound of his laughter.
"It was nice seeing you Harry." Aria muttered, her eyes staring directly into his. They were silent for a few moments, just staring at each other. I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on something private.
"Goodbye Harry." Aria spoke, walking towards him and gently kissing his cheek, letting it linger. "I love you." she whispered in his ear.
My heart beat faster as I watched the intimate moment between the two.
I looked away again.
Within moments, Aria had grabbed my hand and pulled me down the street away from Harry.
Her eyes were glossy with un shed tears, and as much as I wanted to comfort her, I knew she'd rather me keep quiet.