Jack's bed felt extra soft that night. He felt extra secure, and warm under the covers.
He kept checking his phone, looking for the phone number that was put in today, just to make sure this wasn't all some kind of amazing, heavenly dream. Lucky to him it was not a dream. He traced his tattoos and thought of him. He stared at the ceiling and thought of him. He closed his eyes and all he could see was him. His precious smile. His Cherry Blossom Boy.
He had never slept better than how he slept that night.
The artist woke up the next day, refreshed. A Friday. He was thrilled to see what exactly this day would bring. He prayed he would see the boy. His boy.
He left his house far earlier than usual, around the time he normally woke up. Lately he had been sleeping better, though. Because of the Flower Boy.
And today was so good, simply remembering that Alex was reciprocating his feelings even the slightest bit gave him butterflies.
He loved this feeling. He loved love.
He never realized how time flies when you're caught up in your feelings, because before he knew it, he was preparing to close the shop for the day. Rian sat at his computer at the front counter, as Blink 182 played softly in the background. Zack was busy sweeping.
He had spent the whole day telling them about his date with Alex, and how wonderful he was; They were happy for him, too, so everything just felt wonderful.
He decided to text Alex, hoping to see him.
To: Flower Boy
Hey, 'Lex. You busy today? I'd love to see you again.
A few seconds later it showed that he was typing.
From: Flower Boy
I'm not! You should come over after you're done with work, I'll make you some tea. My address is 13 Tulip Hollow. See you soon! <3
Jack felt butterflies fill his stomach, and he was even more excited to leave. He finished wiping down all of the chairs, and grabbed his things. "You guys can close down without me, right?"
Rian nodded, and waved him goodbye. "Good luck with your boy toy. Use protection!"
Jack couldn't help but laugh, and he bid farewell to his friends.
The man climbed onto his motorcycle, and then began on his way to Alex's house. He'd seen it from the outside multiple times, he'd always wondered what it was like inside. He was more than excited. It was probably quite obvious when he arrived, as motorcycles aren't exactly quiet. He shut off his bike and propped it up, before getting off of it. He figured before going inside he would quietly observe the outside.
There were flower beds at the front of the house, full to the brim of every color imaginable. He imagined Alex planning where each would go, and spending days to plant each perfectly. It made his heart sing.
Jack walked up the small brick steps, before knocking lightly on the front door. He could hear barks, and Alex hushing the dogs, before the door opened, and he was greeted with the prettiest sight.
Alex wore a simple white t-shirt, and on his bottom, a baby blue pleated skirt and white ankle socks. The light of the setting sun perfectly hit the boy's face, and illuminated his wide eyes. His lips were pink, and the sun picked out delicate sparkles on them. He was wearing sparkly lip gloss. God, he didn't know how much of this he would be able to handle. Jack could feel his body heat up at the sight of him.
"Hey, Jack." Alex smiled, and Jack had to hold back from literally crying, he had no way to describe how fucking cute this boy was.
"You look so fucking cute, shit," Jack laughed softly, making Alex blush.
"Thank you, you don't look too bad either." Alex giggled, before taking the man's tattooed hand to bring him inside. His touch made Jack's heart jump.
Jack came inside and was greeted with a sweet, earthy smell. He took a look around, and was extremely pleased. There was a small couch, with a TV and a fireplace in the living room. There was a few succulents on the coffee table, and some in the windowsill as well. He noticed the two dogs Alex had, both moderately small. One was much fluffier than the other, white, with brown and black splotches. The second was not as fluffy and was white and orange. "What are their names?" Jack asked, petting the fluffier one's head without letting go of Alex's hand.
"Sebastian and Peyton. They're very good."
Jack smiled, and turned back to Alex, who led him into the kitchen. There was a vase of flowers on the small dining table, along with tiny plants all over the room. It smelled of lavender and citrus. "What kind of tea do you like?" The boy asked, letting go of Jack's hand- to which he objected- before showing Jack his supply of possibly fifty flavors.
He shrugged. "I dunno. I don't drink tea, so surprise me!" Alex nodded softly and began to pour their tea into mugs as Jack watched carefully. He found himself admiring the way he looked in his skirt. His soft, shaven legs, how thin they were compared to his body, simply adorable. "Alex," he started, as the boy turned around, two mugs of tea in hand. He hummed a reply, raising his eyebrows. "I really like that skirt on you."
Alex's face began to blend in with his hair again, and he gave a nervous smile. "Th-Thank you,"
They headed back into the living room, where they sat on the love seat. Sebastian and Peyton laid down on the floor near the TV, snuggling into each other. Alex gave Jack his mug, to which he thanked him and gave the tea a quick sniff. He didn't know how to describe it, but it was lovely. "What kind is this?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Earl Grey, it's my favorite. I figured you might want to taste my favorite tea, I guess," and Jack smiled.
"Good choice, then." Jack stated, staring into Alex's entirety. He responded with pink cheeks once again, looking away quickly. "So, Alex. Can you tell me more about you? I'm just so interested. Do you like partying? Tattoos? Anything I seem into?"
Alex shrugged. "Well I guess first off, I don't like to drink. I'll have wine every once and a while, but not enough to get drunk, too scary of a concept. Um, I don't really go to parties because one, I don't have a ton of friends who party, and two, I'd rather stay home and pay attention to my dogs and plants. They really do need me, y'know. Oh and I'm a vegetarian, I care about animals way too much, it makes me sad to eat them. So I'm basically the opposite of you, I guess. Tattoos seem kinda scary, I don't have any. B-But even if I don't like that stuff, i-it doesn't mean it's not... attractive, in you at least." He spoke without looking up at Jack, fingers drumming on his mug.
"Cool! I could probably live with a cute vegetarian who cares about plants more than partying. You can keep me in check, I guess." Alex's face stayed a constant pink. "Your blushing is cute, too, y'know. God, you're cute."
Alex let out a small squeak, covering his face. "Stoppit."
"It's true!"
Alex pulled his legs up onto the couch, and sighed. He looked over at Jack and giggled, face still pink. "Well if I'm cute, you're hot, deal?"
Jack smirked. "Deal."
The next hour went faster than Jack liked it. But it was okay, because he spent it with Alex.
He made Jack one of his favorite vegetarian dishes, and they ate together at the small dining table. He didn't realize how good food can be even if it doesn't have meat, and Alex was pleased to hear so.
But sadly it was quickly approaching nine by then, and Jack didn't want to try and rush things, immediately jumping to staying the night. He especially didn't want to scare Alex.
"It's getting late," Jack sighed, standing and pulling on his leather jacket.
Alex pouted, and let out a small whine of protest. "Aw, ok. L-Let me walk you to your bike!" The boy insisted, standing and slipping on his shoes. Jack nodded and smiled, taking Alex's hand, walking outside towards his bike.
"I need to take you out on a ride on my bike sometime," The tattoo clad man smirked, before pulling Alex into an embrace. He breathed in deeply. He smelled like nature, warm and safe. His heart throbbed.
"Mhm." Alex nodded delicately. "You should. A-and text me! Hopefully I'll see you soon."
"Don't worry, you will. Bye, flower boy."
Jack could see Alex's face darken, even with the sun completely down. "Bye, Jacky."
Then the boy leaned up, and placed a small kiss on Jack's cheek. He could feel the lip gloss stick to his face. Alex giggled, and turned back to his house, skipping adorably.
How did he get so fucking cute?
***
gn pals. hope you enjoy.
~aus