AN: I'm so sorry about last chapter being complete trash.
The picture above is kinda how I picture Aurora's flower shop. Very aesthetic and with lots of colors from the flowers. If I could draw, I'd definitely draw it out for you guys because in my mind her shop is just SO pretty.
Love all of you!!
~Alex
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"You saw his dick?" Liam practically screams through the phone, causing me to cringe and pull the phone away from my ear.
I balance the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I lift up an arrangement of flowers and set it on the counter along with the other arrangements, "Yes, Liam. I saw his dick and gave him a hand-job," I laugh softly.
"Oh my God, Rora! Was it pretty? I bet it was pretty," he rambles on and I could practically see his shocked and excited facial expressions.
"The prettiest penis ever," I laugh while shaking my head, leaning against the front counter as I wait for customers to walk in, "I'm starting to regret letting you take today off. There are so many things I need to tell you."
"Well I can come and keep you company for a little while," he offers, "I'm completely bored at home. Louis is at work and refused to take today off with me."
I laugh softly, picking at my nails, "You don't have to come. I can just come over later and tell you everything."
"I'm coming," Liam states before hanging up without letting me respond.
The bell on the door jingles as I turn around to put my phone behind the counter, my day instantly becoming better as I turn around to see my brothers walking towards me. "What did you do to Harry?" Oliver immediately asks, skipping past the casualties.
"What do you mean?" I furrow my eyebrows, my stomach lurching at the thought of something being wrong, "Is he okay?"
"He's been walking around in a daze with this smirk that could steal any girl's heart who even looked his way," Theo says with an eyebrow quirked at me, "You gave him head didn't you?"
I gasp loudly and throw a stray flower that had been sitting on the counter at him, "Theo! That is none of your business!" My cheeks flush red underneath their penetrating stares and judgmental body language.
Great. My twenty-two and nineteen-year-old brothers are now involved in my private life.
"Please. We're not dumb. We know what a guy looks like after he's just been given a blow-job," Oliver rolls his eyes at me.
"Why couldn't have mom and dad given me sisters?" I groan, squeezing my eyes shut as I pinch the bridge of my nose, "and to answer your question, no. I did not give Harry head. Now please stop talking about this."
They both mutter out a fine before Oliver hands me a bag he had been carrying when he walked in, "It's a croissant."
I open the bag to be greeted with the warm aroma of a fresh croissant, "Thank you," I smile at them while taking it out of the bag, reaching behind me to grab my coffee, "Liam is on his way over."
Liam and my brothers were practically brothers on their own as they bonded over the strangest things. It was rather entertaining to watch the three interact with each other. It was almost as if they got along better than Liam and I did.
Words couldn't describe how grateful I was for Liam. He's always been there for me no matter what I was going through. Our friendship was something that didn't happen to everyone. It was as if we were practically soulmates. The bond we shared and memories we have together would keep us bound together for the rest of our lives, even if one of us decided to pack up and move away - which was something I prayed would never happen.
"The best friend has arrived," Liam announces as he walks through the door, his usual smiling face and warm brown eyes lighting up the room, "The brothers are here as well," He says while giving them both hugs.
"Hi, babe," I smile at him once he finally walks up to me, holding out my croissant for him to take a bite.
He takes a quick bite before kissing my cheek, snaking his arm around my waist as he pulled me into him, "How is my lovely Aurora today?"
"She's okay. How is my darling Liam today?" I rest my head on his shoulder, offering him my coffee.
"He's okay. Really bored," he chuckles as he takes the coffee from my hands, "My boss forced me to take today off."
My head doesn't leave Liam's shoulder as he begins to talk to my brothers, enjoying the way the morning sunlight was shining in through the windows and causing the different colored petals of the flowers to come alive in a colorful flame. This was one of the reasons why my flower shop was my favorite place in Rome rather than a historical landscape. It was so homey and reminded me so much of my Grandmother.
Renée Rose Honeycutt.
Such a beautiful woman who cared about everything and everyone - especially her only granddaughter who shared her passion for flowers just as much as she did.
The anniversary of her death was coming up soon. September 29th. It would be eight years. Not even a decade yet it felt like a lifetime.
It had been eight years since I've seen her smiling face and felt her warm touch. There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think about her or miss her soft voice and caring eyes. She had been my rock in this rapidly turning world and I was left floating aimlessly around the day she left me.
Now it seemed as if I had found a new rock. Harry.
His gentle touch and warm eyes reminded me of her constantly, feeling as if she was expressing her love to me through Harry. Almost as if she was dropping small hints and signs that he was the person I was going to spend forever with.
"Rory?" Theo says softly and I'm brought back to reality.
A reality that didn't involve my Grandmother yet involved the sparkling, forest green eyes of a brown-headed artist. A reality that involved Harry - the one person who made me feel beautiful and as if I was his rock in this rapidly turning world, preventing him from floating aimlessly around.
"I'm fine. Just thinking," I assure him, sending him a wry smile before taking a sip of my coffee that Liam had already drunk half of.
Theo looks at me as if he didn't believe me, furrowing his eyebrows a bit as he tried to figure me out, "Is something wrong with you and Harry?"
Of course he knew something was up. He always does.
"Yes and no," I sigh, picking at the cardboard sleeve wrapped around my coffee cup, "His ex-girlfriend is in town and they're meeting up today. They were texting all day yesterday and every time they texted each other, he would smile," I explain, "Maybe I'm just overacting and it's nothing."
Theo and Oliver stare at me with blank stares and I wonder what Liam's face looked like at the moment, wondering if he too was at a loss for words.
Right as Oliver opens his mouth to speak, the bell on the door rings. A girl with beautiful ebony skin and gorgeous ringlets of black hair walks in with a bright smile on her face, her eyes dancing around the flower shop as she searches for something in particular.
"Dibs," Oliver says quickly and I reach out to grab his shirt, pulling him back before he could make his way towards her.
"Stay here," I glare at him before walking up to her myself, "Hi! Looking for anything in particular?" I smile at her as her honey brown eyes meet my bright green ones.
She was undeniably gorgeous with her glowing skin and warm demeanor. She looked familiar though and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Do you have any peonies?" She asks me sweetly.
Harry's favorite flower.
"We don't actually. Peonies bloom in late spring and early summer, so we're currently out of luck at the moment," I explain, seeing her eyes droop a bit in disappointment, "We have roses though! They're the next best thing to peonies."
She bites the inside of her cheek as she thinks, her long eyelashes fluttering open and shut as she blinks, "Do you have any in pink?"
Harry's favorite color.
Everything seemed to have Harry etched into it so deeply that my brain couldn't think of anything else.
"We sure do. Let me show them to you," I smile while heading towards the roses, sending Oliver a glare as he opens his mouth to say something as we walk by him.
"Oh, these are perfect!" She smiles brightly as she picks up an arrangement of light pink roses and white lace.
Liam steps behind the counter but I quickly shooed him away, "You're off today. Remember?" He rolls his eyes at me, leaning beside me as the girl places the flower arrangement on the counter, "Those will be twenty, but I'll give them to you for ten."
"Oh, are you sure?" She says while rummaging around in her purse for money. I couldn't help but notice her light French accent as she spoke.
"Positive," I smile reassuringly at her, taking her ten-dollar bill.
"Then take this tip," She says, handing me yet another ten.
I send her a warm smile as she grabs the glass vase filled with soft pink roses and white lace, walking gracefully out of the store, "Fuck you, Aurora. That could've been the love of my life and you wouldn't even let me speak to her," Oliver says quickly the minute she leaves.
"Oh calm down, Olly. She was way out of your league," I roll my eyes while sending him a playful smile. He glares at me but ends up breaking down and smiling at me, rolling his eyes as he fails to remain mad at me.
My mind wandered over to Harry yet again. I wondered what time he was meeting Maria and where. Would they meet at a restaurant or a small cafe? Would they meet at a park or his place? I really didn't want to think about what might happen if they met at his place.
Although I trusted Harry, I didn't know Maria and what she was capable of. What if she tried making a move on him and he didn't try to stop it? For all I know, she could have this whole plot in her head to steal her back again even after all that she's done to him. I wasn't sure if Harry would be able to resist her, knowing how deeply in love he had been with her. I don't think my heart would be able to handle the pain I would feel if he left me for her.
Harry meant too much to me. I couldn't just let someone I've known for almost three months now slip through my fingers just as I found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with him. I didn't know how long Harry and I's relationship would last, but I was hoping it would be for a long time. Life with him right was now blissful and exciting. That's how I wanted it to stay.
"You're zoning out again, Aurora," Theo clears his throat and I lift my gaze up from the floor to meet his worry-filled eyes that were just as green as mine.
"I'm sorry. There's just so much happening right now."
Oliver reaches out to lightly touch my shoulder, "Is there more going on than just you and Harry?"
To tell or not to tell them about Niall and the phone call.
"She's just overwhelmed at the moment. Don't worry about her," Liam says the words I was trying to find for me, sending me a look that immediately made me feel better.
I could feel that happiness inside of me dying slowly. The light in my eyes was dimming and the smile on my face was slowly disappearing every day. All I felt like doing was crying. There was just too much going on at the moment. My brain couldn't handle everything that seemed to be buzzing around in my mind like a swarm of angry bees.
When Harry was holding me yesterday, the thoughts vanished. It was like his arms were my safety net and my place I could go to have these overwhelming thoughts turn into vapor. The warmth of his skin and the rhythmic beating of his heart soothed the raging sea, turning it into a calm and soothing ocean.
"Do you need to come home to Florida for a little while?" Theo asks me and I immediately shake my head, knowing that it wouldn't do me any good.
"No, T. I'm fine. Promise," Except I wasn't. I was anything but fine, "Let's stop talking about me. I feel selfish. Tell me what all you two have done," I force a smile onto my face.
Light returns to Theo and Oliver's eyes as they speak about the touring and interesting people they've seen since they've been here. Although I tried my best to listen and pay attention, depressing thoughts sneaked their way into the small cracks of my mind.
Happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts, Aurora.
I imagined the grinning faces of Theo and Oliver when they were younger as we played outside in our yard, their light squeals and soft giggling bringing on a wave of good memories from my childhood.
I imagined the comforting smile of my mother as she taught me how to cook, the smell of brownies, and the sweet scent of flowers reminding me of all the times I would pick flowers from our garden as the brownies were cooking in the oven.
I imagined the way my father's hands danced across a blank canvas as I watched from afar, wishing I had the same ability as him just so we could bond over which brand of acrylic paint was the best.
I imagined the feeling of soft, green grass tickling my ankles as I walked amongst my grandmother's garden, vibrant and beautiful flowers flooding my line of sight every which way I looked.
Then I imagined Harry.
I imagined his soft and sweet kisses as his pillowy soft lips trailed themselves across my skin, claiming me as one of his beautiful masterpieces. His rough yet smooth hands leaving goosebumps in their wake as they ghosted themselves along my arms and neck, making me feel as if I were a fragile porcelain doll - one wrong move and I'd shatter into a million little pieces. His forest green eyes that I never could read but made me feel at home every time I looked into them, swearing up and down that I could see the stars twinkling brightly at me. His chocolate brown curls that were so soft that they almost felt like pure silk, reveling in the way they tickled my forehead and cheeks whenever he kissed me as if it were the last time he would ever feel my lips against his own.
So for the rest of the day - even after Theo, Oliver, and Liam left - I imagined happy thoughts. I never once let a sad or dark thought into my mind even when it seemed like there was nothing happy to think about anymore.
The only place I felt like going right after work was Harry's. I didn't feel like going home to be greeted with the judgmental looks of McKenna. I didn't even feel like grabbing something to eat.
I only felt like snuggling up to Harry as he ran his long, ring-covered fingers through my hair and told me all about his day.
My knuckles rasp on the elegant white door of Harry's apartment and I wait with hope swelling in my chest to see the beautiful features of my Capolavoro. That hope sound turns into love as the door opens to reveal Harry standing in just a pair of grey sweatpants, his chocolate locks falling gracefully into his line of sight until he pushes them away with one hand.
"Hello, my Flower."
"Hello, my Capolavoro."
And then I'm in his arms as he pulls me into him, squeezing me lightly as he presses me closer to him, "I've missed you today," he hums softly.
"I've missed you more," I breathe out as my hands run themselves across the smooth skin of his back, my cheek pressed against his warm chest. I become weightless as he picks me up, kicking the door closed with one foot as he carries me into his bedroom.
As I was weightless in his arms, the weight of the world seemed to float away from my shoulders as gravity no longer held me down. Nothing but the fresh feeling of being free welcomed me with open arms.
Harry lays down on his back in his bed, my body lying on top of him as he grabs the duvet and covers us up, "How are you, Flower?" He asks me softly while running his hands through my hair.
"Better now that I'm with you," I nuzzle my head into the crook of his neck, entangling our legs together as the pads of my fingers trace the swallow near his collarbone, "Tell me about your day. I want to hear you talk."
He lets out a small chuckle while his other hand traces random patterns on the skin of my back, "Well I woke up in the middle of the night. I had that same dream...the one about you drowning...and not being able to save you. It seemed worse this time. I thought about calling you...thinking that maybe the sound of your voice would calm me down, but I didn't want to wake you up."
"You should have. I'm always here for you," I close my eyes and breathe in his signature jasmine scent, "What else happened today?"
"I did a bit of painting this morning before I had to leave. I met up with a friend and had lunch," My heart lurches as I remember Maria, "I walked by your flower shop on my way back home and thought about coming inside to talk to you, but I got too caught up in watching you from the window. You looked beautiful surrounded by all of those flowers and I didn't want to disturb you."
I smile lightly and lift my head up to look into his eyes, "Stalker much?"
"Mm, that has a nice ring to it. Harry Styles - Aurora Honeycutt's stalker," he grins at me, pressing a small kiss to the tip of my nose.
"That definitely does not have a nice ring to it," I laugh while leaning forward to kiss the small beauty mark underneath the left side of his lips, "Can I stay with you tonight?"
His grin becomes wider, "Of course. You can always stay with me whenever you want."
This time I lean in to kiss his lips, tasting just a hint of wine mixed in with mint and sugar, "Someone's been drinking wine," I smile lazily after I pull away from him.
"I normally drink wine when I paint," He says quickly before connecting our lips again, eager to feel my lips against his.
"Where would you fly to if you could fly?" The random idea passes through my mind as we stare at each other for a bit.
"Wherever you were at in the world."
"Really?" I scrunch my nose up, "I'd fly away from you."
Harry laughs softly as he flips us over, pressing his body into mine, "Where would you really fly to?"
"I'd fly..." I trail off, my hands coming up to cup his face, rubbing the pads of my thumbs across his cheeks, "I'd fly to you."
"Copycat," he breathes before resting his lips on mine.
As he removes his lips from mine and attaches them to my neck, I turn my head to the side, keeping my eyes closed as his kisses felt softer than butterfly wings grazing your skin.
Wanting to watch the way his head slowly dipped down and up again, I open my eyes and feel my blood run cold as I stare at the object sitting on the dresser beside his bed.
An arrangement of light pink roses and white lace.