chapter sixteen; flowers are the way to the heart
"Luke, wake up," Ava whispered, shaking the boy next to her gently.
She had just woken up from her slumber, and as always, she found herself in Luke's arms. She was still tired and sleepy, trying to keep her eyes open against the harsh morning sunlight that shone through the blinds in the bedroom. She continued to try and wake up Luke for a couple more minutes, but gave up after seeing that it had no affect on him whatsoever. She remained in his grip, so she couldn't move much without disturbing him, and she found herself in a situation similar to when someone has a golden retriever sleeping on their lap and they don't want to move because the dog is too peaceful to awaken and the guilt would be too crushing. She sighed and laid back down, her legs still tangled with his.
He snored quite loudly and Ava found it cute, despite how disruptive it was. He had a case of bed head, locks of hair sticking out in random places, ruffled and messy. She was shocked to see that his hair tended to curl when it was all natural and she was tempted to play with it like she had last night. Though she knew she shouldn't have, she couldn't restrain herself and she ran her fingers through his hair, managing to make it look neater. She shifted so that she could continue and she brushed his hair backwards. She realized how invading of his personal space this was since he was asleep and stopped abruptly, letting go.
"Mhm, don't stop," Luke mumbled innocently, moving his head closer towards her, blindly trying to find her hand. With his eyes still closed, he grabbed her hand and placed it into his strands of hair, letting go afterwards. "Keep going."
Ava smiled and obeyed, running her hands back through his hair, gaining a sleepy grin from Luke. She found him so adorable, it was ridiculous. She honestly had no idea how he could do it. She also couldn't understand how one minute he could look like a total sex god, and then look like a gigantic dork the next. It was insane—it drove her insane.
She had always wondered what it was like to feel sexually attracted, but she's pretty sure that it might've been something like this. Obviously, sexual attraction was a lot heavier, from what people have told her, but this sounded a lot like what they were describing. Or the beginning stages of it. Why else would she sometimes find Luke irresistible? (Again, she didn't really feel anything sexually around him, but she could assume that if she were able to feel sexual attraction, it could possibly be similar to this. Because, with that being said, if it wasn't sexual attraction, it had to be romantic attraction which Ava could 100%, definitely feel—but that couldn't be it. It couldn't be romantic attraction because that meant she had to like Luke and that was obviously impossible. Right?)
She sat in the depth of her thoughts, hands doing their own thing with Luke's hair, unintentionally tugging at it lightly. He whined softly, stirring so that the gap between their bodies almost closed.
"You're torturing me, you know that?" He said in a hushed tone, eyes still shut, making her confused. His grip tightened on her hip as he bit his lip. He didn't sound like he was in pain, so why would he say he was being tortured? Ava didn't understand.
He opened his eyes slightly, head flinching at the limited space between them before seeing who it was, pulling her even closer to him by pushing his hand against the small of her back. Ava was positioned so that she was a couple inches higher than him, his face landing right by her cheek. His eyes fluttered shut again as he rubbed his nose lightly against her cheek, and then looking up at her.
"Good morning, babe," he greeted inattentively, not realizing that it was most likely the fortieth time that he's called her that name in just the past two days alone. "What time is it?"
"Well, Sleeping Beauty," she taunted, pretending to calculate the time in her head. "Minus the three, carry over the five, divide the two. Oh wait! I don't have any battery on my phone nor do you have a clock anywhere in this room for some peculiar reason, so I don't know the time."
"Well, happy Sunday morning to you too," Luke retorted, rolling over and letting go of her to find his phone on his bedside bureau drawer, checking the time and his several text messages. "Crap, I have to go to work today. It's already 10:38, I'm supposed to be there by 11:00."
"You have work on Sunday too? Do you ever get a break?" Ava asked, upset that they couldn't spend another lazy day together and possibly talk some more about each other their existential crises. She's already talked about hers, it was his turn now.
"Not usually, but my boss texted me saying that there's an apprentice coming in a couple weeks who's being trained by one of the workers in another shop, and until the apprentice comes to where I work, I have to take his place," He explained quickly, rushing to get all the words out. He wasn't sure if he was making sense, but to be fair, there was a beautiful girl in his bed who had a lifetime supply of sarcastic comebacks, so one couldn't really blame him for getting distracted.
Ava pouted, covering herself with the blanket, "Awh, I wanted to hang out,"
Luke raised his eyebrows, an idea popping into his head. "Well, I could take you to work with me, my boss wouldn't mind," he expressed unsurely, glancing at her for approval. "You know, if you wanna."
She pursed her lips, pretending to give it a lot of thought, putting on a thinking face before answering slowly. "Maybe. I wouldn't mind."
"Okay, good. Do you want to stop by your place before I drive to work so that you can change?" He asked her, stretching his arms and long legs.
"Truthfully," Ava revealed, "I just want to get out of here before Becca has the chance to scream at us."
"True," Luke agreed, getting up slowly, offering his hand to Ava so they could go brush their teeth together. She took it gladly.
As they walked to the bathroom, they spotted Becca who was drinking coffee by the couch. She eyed them suspiciously and then began muttering about how she had a feeling that their star signs weren't compatible before she let out a huff and turned back to the television. Standing side by side in the mirror, Luke and Ava sleepily brushed their teeth and washed their faces, before having to wash their face a second time because Luke started a toothpaste war and Ava was not going down that easily. (There was toothpaste on the floor, all over the sink, and there was even a bit on the mirror.)
"I can't believe you did that. Now my face smells like Mr. Toothpaste took a dump on my face," Ava claimed in an upset tone, both of her hands touching her face, like she could still feel Colgate on it.
Luke began to stroll to his room, shrugging carelessly. He should've won the toothpaste war, he had put more of it on her face. "Don't be a sore loser, babe. Besides, now you smell fresh."
She glared at him, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Is that so?"
"Yes," he nodded matter-of-factly, walking back to the bathroom with a towel so he could take a shower before driving to work. He bent down when he reached the doorway, face to face with Ava, a smug expression on. "It is so."
She blushed vibrantly at how close he was again (she really needed to stop doing that around him), rolling her eyes and scoffing, backing away. "You need to quit doing that thing."
"What thing?" He questioned incredulously, curious as to what she was referring to. Was she requesting him to stop being so ridiculously hot? Because he was afraid that that wasn't possible.
"That thing. Where you get up close and personal and you smile and get all cute and you act like a puppy but really you're not," she told him, stating everything like it was a scientific notion. She didn't even grasp what she had just told him until he had a smirk plastered on his lips.
"You called me cute again!" He exclaimed exuberantly, feeling a sense of pride. Ava was the only person who could get this type of reaction from him, though he had yet to realize that. Usually he was even more cocky and/or grumpy, but with her, he was putty in her hands. He kissed her forehead before going running off to the bathroom. "You're so in love with me, oh my God. It's great. We're gonna get married."
"Get ready for work, you buffoon," she jeered, trying to stay serious, but ended up laughing anyway. Luke shut the bathroom door and his laughter could be heard through the shower running. As for herself, she couldn't stop smiling. She shook her head.
What was this boy doing to her?
•••
Carolyn's Flower Shoppe left Ava speechless. The plants were eye catching and well-put together, the fragrance filling the room. Though, it took several minutes to get there and Luke clocked in late due to Becca trying to talk to them about how disappointed she was, they made it.
It was a good distraction, an even more complete one since her phone was dead and she could ignore any calls from her family or any texts from Becca. It could be a perfect day.
Ava scanned everything in awe. She had always loved flowers; her favorites were pansies. Pansies were yellow with brown towards the center and ever since Ava was little, she had adored them. Her mom used to give them to her when she was only a child, before they started fighting. They were the flower that symbolized the message of love, according to Luke, who was taking it upon himself to teach her all about the flowers and their languages.
He began to talk about some of the theories behind the flowers (like the Greek tale of Narcissus) and entertained Ava by pointing out the flowers he liked best. Apparently: Luke liked the Hundred-leaved Rose because it meant sincere love and he loved Bluebells just because they were pretty. He was an absolute dork with it, and Ava had a hard time believing that this was the same boy she met on the subway with a leather jacket and unzipped pants.
It was like she was seeing a completely different side to Luke, more now that was entering his personal life bubble.
He was very complex, layered even. He was many things, but the thing he was most, was beautiful. Inside and out. That's one thing Ava was sure of. She couldn't stop staring at him as he guided her around the shoppe, even though she was surrounded by other gorgeous sights. It was almost like she only cared about him, for him. Her heart hurt from how hard it was pumping.
Ever since last night, she's been thinking about Luke (more than usual) in a whole other light. It stressed her out. She was usually abrasive and tough and bit back hard, but then this tall, lanky blonde boy waltzed into her life with no intention of walking back out—and she's putty. He was the only boy who could make her smile that big or light up in such a way that there was a sparkle in her eyes, and she hated it. (Honestly, she would've been glad, but she was still too in the middle of her What The Fuçk moment to not feel upset, because, who does Luke even think he is? Just because he's cute and funny and sweet and likes pop punk music does not mean he gets to make her feel things that she did not want to feel. The only thing that would make her situation worse was if he liked dogs—because then Ava would kill him since that last quality would make Luke absolutely perfect for her, and that was so not happening.)
(Well, okay, maybe it was happening, but she wasn't enjoying it.)
She sat on the counter since there were few people in the store and the sweet old lady she met named Carolyn, who was indubitably the owner didn't mind her swinging her feet as Luke managed as the cashier. Other co-workers (there were only two today, one old man named Jerry, and an eighteen-year old girl who was called Kitten since no one knew her real name and that was what she requested to be called) droned on, spritzing leaves with water, cleaning up dirt.
Even Luke seemed to be uncomfortable with his job, which slightly saddened Ava because she thought that he'd be happy working around things that he loved. She didn't push any subjects, Luke would tell her about his own life when he wanted, but she couldn't deny that she was dying to know more about him. She was adored the time they just sat around and talked, mainly because she liked to learn new things about him. She didn't want to be nosy, so she intently moved her stare to a green flower by the front windows. Her staring competition with the flower was lost when she received a nudge on her left arm.
She looked over and saw Carolyn, smiling brightly at her. Carolyn, who was abnormally short due to her hunching back and beat up cane, was holding up two pink flowers. The lady passed the two flowers to Ava and placed them firmly in her hand. She then patted Ava's leg lightly, clearing her throat, calling Luke over.
"What's up?" Luke interfered, joining them, glancing down at what Carolyn had given Ava.
"Those are Gladioluses," Carolyn informed, adjusting the brown glasses on her face with a frail and shaky hand. "My favorites. Free of charge, for you and Luke."
"Aw, thanks, Carolyn. You didn't have to, I'm more than happy to pay for it myself," Ava offered, hoping the old lady would take her money.
Instead, Carolyn waved her off. "No, it's fine. To be honest, I'm taking it out of Kitten's paycheck, I caught her sleeping on the job again. Nevertheless, take the flowers! It's a gift."
Ava handed the other flower to Luke, who stood next to her, arm draped over her shoulder (honestly, how many times has he done that? His body seemed to do it automatically at this point). Carolyn smiled at that, chuckling. She seemed to enjoy the sight of the two kids together.
"You remind me of my husband and I," she told them cheerfully. "We look at each other the exact same way you guys do."
Ava flushed immediately, stammering as her and Luke began speaking simultaneously, removing his arm from her, both of them fussing out words that became incoherent because of their panicked yammering. They pointed at each other, shaking their heads while continuing to make excuses over one another, coming up with an explanation. Carolyn chuckled in amusement, taking their blushing faces as yet another sign that the pair, were in fact, in love with each other (or at least, in like with each other) and pondering whether or not they knew that they resembled two five year olds as they yelled over each other.
"We're not—" Ava finally started, clamping her hand over Luke's mouth to keep it shut, his muttering still heard through her fingers, "Carolyn, we're just friends. If anything, seeing his face everyday is puke-inducing."
Luke pried Ava's hand off his mouth, mocking offense. "Excuse me, if anything, you love my face."
Ava paid no attention to him, shoving his flower back in his nose as a way to stun him so he could shut up. She turned back to Carolyn timidly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought—well, never mind. Enjoy the flowers by the way. I best be on my way, Kitten is probably napping in the greenhouse again. Have a nice day!" Carolyn piped up, before glancing at Luke, "Bring this one back, I like her."
The old lady exited, her cane clattering against the floor. When she was out of earshot, Luke sheepishly rubbed the nape of his neck, something he did often when he was nervous or awkward (that meant he did it a lot). He chuckled, "That was, uh, something."
"Wow. You have such a way with words, Lucas Hemmings," she retorted, rolling her eyes at his lack of better word, twirling the flower stem in between her fingers. "It was kind of her to give us these."
"Yeah. Gladioluses," Luke pronounced at a snail's pace, carefully saying each syllable. "They're beautiful flowers. You know what they mean?"
"Nope, but I'm sure that you're going to tell me," Ava quirked, tossing some of her hair back to add dramatic effect. He stuck his tongue out at her before taking a look at the flower seriously.
"Gladioluses," he paused to look Ava in the eye, reflecting his emotions back to her so clearly that she felt her breath hitch in her throat, "Mean strength. You know what they remind me of?"
Ava shook her head, too focused on Luke's lips to speak. His fingers brushed against her cheek, in a friendly manner, as a way of making her look up at him.
"You."
•••
carolyn knows what's up
i don't know what this update this, i'm sorry. school's here and i'm stressing out, but i told you guys that i would do something creative with luke's job at the flower shop and here it is!there's also a lot of messy things going on, but it'll all make sense later on. the story makes a full circle when i put in all the details.
this chapter focuses on ava's feelings and how ?? she is because she is honestly me when it comes to boys. aka the "do i like him?" thought process she has going on. plus, i know that the setting is a little different and so is the relationship between ava and luke because the way they act around each other is taking a big turn, but it'll come back to sarcastic flirting soon again.
obviously luke and ava are very idiotic because they're in love but skinny love is great so yeah. and michael is going to make appearances soon, don't worry.
and i don't have many questions but i came up with some:
—what's your opinion on the way Luke and Ava have been acting around each other lately? do you prefer this over how they were before?
—do you think Delilah will make a comeback (smirks)?
—what do you think of the flower part i put in?
—on a scale of 1 to Malum Will Rise, how bad do you want Luke and Ava to actually get together?
—last but not least, what's your favorite flower?
that's all for this update! i hope you liked it and i hope that i can update soon lol. also follow me on twitter (@wokehearts) because that's where i usually am more active!