Miss Rose

It hadn’t really been his idea, working in a flower shop. In fact, he’d refused at first, then grudgingly accepted the job when he’d realized no one else would hire him, and then he’d come to enjoy it. The plants were soothing, and going in to work was almost like taking a break from the rest of the world. Even when the customers yelled at him for not being able to make fourteen bouquets in five minutes, he could just breathe in the flower- and dirt-scented air and take comfort in the familiar, earthy smell.

And the flowers were—he grudgingly admitted—beautiful. They were the kind of things girls liked to get on Valentine’s Day, the things you gave your girlfriend when you’d forgotten your three-month anniversary which she had been so excited about (but hadn’t informed you of,) the kind of things you’d shyly left on the doorstep of that cute little pigtailed girl you’d liked way back in elementary school.

The little bell above the door tinkled and Derek looked up, surprised to see a pretty brunette enter the store. “H-hey,” he said, waving a little. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

She was impossibly lovely, one of the prettiest girls in school. She tried very hard, though—going to the tanning bed three times a week, getting up two hours early every morning to perfect her hair and makeup, spending all her money on tiny skirts and Slim Fast. And all her hard work showed.

She smiled, revealing her straight, pearly teeth. “Can’t a girl visit her boyfriend every once in a while? I hardly see you anymore—you’re always so busy. Homework, clubs, work…” She paused to glance distastefully around the store, eyeing his dirty fingernails particularly.

“Sorry,” he answered, “But you know I need the money…” he mumbled, looking away.

“Yes, but for what? It’s not like your family’s poor… you’re in the middle. Your parents can support you.” She tapped her manicured nails on the counter as she spoke.

“Yes, but sometimes you just need money. You can buy things with money, you know?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. So, how about we go on a date this weekend, hmm? We haven’t been anywhere together in so long…” She stared hopefully up at him.

“Sure. How about I pick you up at seven on Saturday, all right?”

“It’s a deal,” she said, smiling. “Well, I’ll see you later, Derek.” She turned and walked out the door, the bell tinkling behind her.

He sighed, watching her go, and went to fill an order for a bouquet of violets.

The lady who owned the store, a hunched old woman hidden by large potted plants as she worked in the corner, chuckled. “You’d better watch out for that one, sonny,” she advised, smirking.

“What?” he asked, staring at his employer—or rather, the top of her bun that poked out from behind the mess of plants.

“Get over here and help me,” the old lady growled, waving him over and ignoring his question. Derek sighed, laid the violets on the counter, and obeyed.

(o)(o)(o)

Saturday night came quickly, and Derek strolled up the driveway and to the front door, ringing the doorbell happily. He hummed a little as he waited, hearing the clicking of heels from inside the house. He allowed himself an anticipatory grin—he was really excited about spending time with Natalie, even if he didn’t know why. Perhaps it was just because they hadn’t done anything together in so long. Quality time was nice.

His face fell slightly when the door opened and a middle-aged woman opened the door. She was actually quite lovely, her blonde curls done up around her head and a long red dress swaying with her body’s movements. “Oh, dear, are you looking for Nat? I’m afraid she’s gone out with some friends—did the two of you have plans? Oh, I oughta smack that girl, she is so scatterbrained—you understand, don’t you? She wouldn’t miss a date for the world—if she remembered it. But forget her, Derek; you can come out with me instead,” Natalie’s mother offered, holding her arm out to him.

“No, that’s all right. Sorry to trouble you,” Derek answered, turning away and slinking dejectedly back to his car. It really was ridiculous how often Natalie forgot dates—and it had become more frequent nowadays. He wished she’d make an extra effort to remember, but he supposed she was doing the best she could.

He started the car and shifted into reverse, making his lonely way back to—where could he go? Not like there was anything at home—Father on a business trip, Mother out partying with her “secret” (she thought) boyfriend, Sister at a sleepover. Even Tabby couldn’t be counted on to be at home—always off gallivanting and generally playing Casanova to the neighborhood ladies—cats. He supposed that since there was nothing waiting on him, he might as well stop by the florist’s and see if there was anything he could do. After all, the more he worked, the closer he’d be to buying… that.

A promise ring. Not your run-of-the-mill promise ring, but a fourteen-karat gold, ruby-and-sapphire studded symbol of love and devotion. He really regretted the time he had to spend away from Natalie while he was at work, but it would be worth it… to see her eyes light up, that soft smile on her face, the ring on her cute little fingers… that would be worth any amount of work.

He turned left at the light and into the parking lot, pulling into the space in the back. He entered through the rear entrance, the wind swinging the heavy door shut behind him. Looking around, he noticed that the old woman wasn’t there, but he came and went as he pleased anyway. The old woman trusted him, maybe because he was a good kid with excellent grades and glowing recommendations—or perhaps because she had taken quite a few karate classes in her younger years and she could break his arms and legs if he stole anything. Probably the latter. “Just try it,” she had said, cracking her knuckles and scowling, looking nothing like the grandmother she was. And then seconds later she had offered him cookies and milk, which he had turned down for fear that she had poisoned them—or worse, that they were what caused her madness. You could never be too careful.

Glancing at the computer, he made a mental list of all the orders due the next day. Hyacinths, daffodils, a bouquet of wildflowers, a potted rose… he could probably finish that tonight and then head home just in time to see his mother return…

“Hmm, maybe I’d better tackle the begonias and periwinkles too,” he suggested to himself, thinking it wise to avoid his mother’s drunken entrance with Julio, the pool boy. That was always embarrassing.

Turning on the radio, he busied himself with his work, humming all the while and scanning the dark streets every now and then. It was quite… aesthetically pleasing outside, the dark night cut by a myriad of neon signs and streetlamps, couples and drunken groups sauntering home and to clubs through the sidewalks. He smiled at the sight of a young couple passing by, a teenaged boy walking hand-in-hand with a pretty brown-haired girl…

His eyes widened. No. No. Perhaps that was just her friend or… a cousin or… or anything but a lover! Not a boyfriend, not a fiancé, not anything!

Derek’s jaw clenched as he watched her lean in and kiss him softly, stopping just in front of the large store windows. It was dark inside, only a few lights on, and surely no one could see in… she wasn’t doing it to hurt him, not letting that other boy press her against the glass and dip his tongue inside her mouth just to hurt him. Certainly not. It was all against her will, it must be…

Her arms curled around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

Derek pushed the power button on the computer and went off to find a potted rose. They were beautiful this time of year, dressed in bright reds and soft pinks and lilacs and pale yellows. Roses were always a big seller for any florist—for after all, what is more alluring than such painful beauty? A gorgeous woman who can stab you in the heart when you least expect it. Very sought after, roses.

But there was one that they’d never been able to sell. According to the old woman, it had been there for years, growing and thriving and still sitting on the shelf. Even when she tried to give the plant to a customer, the consumer would always refuse to buy that one, to ask for “perhaps one with more traditional colors, please?” Derek didn’t really see what was wrong with it. A rose was a rose, after all, and it smelled sweeter than any other he’d sniffed before. It just had strange looks, after all—not its fault, just a trick of Mother Nature.

It was a fiery red, trimmed with red-oranges and blazing yellows all mixed together, its petals painted with magma. He thought it was rather pretty, as roses went, and “cool” enough for a male to safely admire—perhaps.

“How’re you, Miss Rose? How’ve you been since I saw you last? Good? I’ve been all right, I suppose—except just now…” He stared at the window, where only a foggy imprint of a body remained. “Well, I’m sure there’s an explanation for it… she wouldn’t do that, you know…?” He poured some water into the pot gently, thinking for a moment.

“No,” he finally said, his fists clenching on the watering can. “It’s… it’s not a mistake, dammit, I saw her making out with someone else—she’s cheating on me and there’s nothing else to it… right, Miss Rose? You know the truth… she’s just a cold-hearted… selfish… horrible… beautiful… I love her!” Derek bit his lip and sat down, still holding the watering can above the rose. He wouldn’t cry. Crying was terribly unmasculine and no self-respecting man would shed tears over a lying, cheating woman, no matter how much of his heart he’d loved her with.

A few drops of water plip-plopped slowly from the watering can onto the rose petals, running down to the leaves and the stem and the thorns.

“You’re a rose, Miss Rose, but I’m afraid she’s got you beat—she’s got more thorns than you could ever have,” Derek sighed, placing the can on the floor and pulling his knees to his chest. “Why isn’t there someone who wants only me, Miss Rose? Why can’t someone love me?” He hung his head, staring at the floor.

“Well, I’m not quite sure, Mister Derek… because I love you. We all do,” came a voice beside him.

Startled, the teen let out an undignified squeak and fell onto his side. Struggling into a sitting position, he stared in awe at the scene before him. It was… it was…

“Miss Rose!” he cried.

She stared at him, perching on the windowsill. Her hair was long and red, red-orange-yellow like fire, and she wore a pink ruffled dress, so much like petals… and green gloves on her arms with little spikes sticking up from them.

“Mister Derek?” she asked uncertainly.

“But Miss Rose, you’re a plant! I talk to you because you’re a plant. It’s not as if I—as if I—”

“Has that Natalie of yours been treating you wrong, Mister Derek? I’ll give her what-for, you betcha I will,” she declared, balling her little fists and punching the air in front of her. She was small, just a little over five feet, and she probably would’ve been quite lovely if her clothing weren’t so outlandish. Wearing skintight Levi’s and a tank top, she’d probably get mobbed in a mall. As she was, though, her beauty was less obvious—freckles spilling across her rosy cheeks, a sweet smile on her lips, a sparkle in her eyes. She didn’t wear any makeup and although she was shorter than Natalie, she wasn’t nearly as thin.

“But Miss Rose—why are you a human? A… non-plant? I’m fairly sure it’s illegal to change what scientific kingdom you belong to, Miss Rose; you could really get into trouble.” Derek was babbling by now, still shocked by what he’d seen, so Rose pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

“Shh,” she said. “I’m here because… because you need me and no one else has ever needed me before. Because you might want me even though everyone else has been frightened of me or disgusted by me… because… because…” she broke off, tears filling her eyes, and Derek imagined what it must feel like to be an ugly duckling in the midst of so many roses.

“Of course I want you. You’re very beautiful, Miss Rose, and very kind too. Thank you,” he said, taking the teary girl into his arms and hugging her gently. She buried her face in his shoulder and her breath was perfumed like roses.

(o)(o)(o)

He took her home so that neither of them would have to be lonely (and also so that he wouldn’t have to explain the strange girl sleeping in the flower shop when his employer arrived in the morning,) leading her to his car and teaching her how to use a seatbelt before collapsing into his seat and turning the key. The drive home seemed blissfully short with Rose fiddling with the radio dials, caterwauling along because she didn’t know the notes or the words, but she loved to sing. By the time they arrived, she had him laughing so hard he could barely hold the steering wheel straight.

She was amazed by the sprawling rosebeds in the front yard, gazing in wonder at her fellows of all different hues and sizes. “Oh wow, Mister Derek—you really are good with flowers, aren’t you? They must really love you to grow like this!”

“They’re my mother’s,” he answered. “But thank you.”

“Of course, Mister Derek,” she said with a smile.

He took her hand and brought her inside, snatching some of his sister’s pajamas from her room and handing them to Rose. “Umm… I don’t know if you know how to put these on, but… that’s what we wear to sleep.”

“Sleep?” Rose asked, staring dubiously at the folded pink shorts and T-shirt in her arms. She spread it out, peering at it inquisitively.

“I’d help you, but… well… you’re a girl, and…”

Rose giggled. “Mister Derek, tee-hee-hee,” she laughed loudly.

A noise sounded from upstairs and Derek flinched. “Shh, please be a little quieter, Miss Rose. You try to put the pajamas on; I’ll be back soon.”

After brushing his teeth and slipping into his pajamas, Derek returned to find that Rose had more or less figured out how to put the clothes on, thankfully. “All right, Miss Rose… here, you can sleep on the bed,” he said as he entered his room, pointing to the large bed in the corner. “I’ll get a sleeping bag.”

Rose watched as he retrieved the blue bag from the top of the closet, setting it on the floor. “Isn’t that uncomfortable?” she asked, surveying it. She gave it a timid poke before unexpectedly snatching it from him and spreading it out on the floor, sinking down onto it. “Boy, that sure feels bad! Mister Derek, why don’t you sleep on that bed-thing too?”

“Well, uhh… you’re a girl and we can’t really share beds…” Although Derek wondered why he was so worried that she was a girl when she was also a plant. Heh.

“You normally sleep there?” she asked.

“Well, yes.”

“Oh, wow! I didn’t realize that you people stayed in beds too! Oh, they’re so much fun—you can’t miss out, Mister Derek, you can’t!” she cried excitedly, hopping in bed and pulling him down beside her. She slid quickly underneath the covers and he followed suit with a sigh.

Rose shifted a little. Then again. And again.

“Hey, Mister Derek?”

“Yes?”

“Where’s the dirt?” she asked.

“What?!”

“Can’t have a bed without dirt, Mister Derek—you’d better demand a refund! This bed isn’t a bed at all, Mister Derek!”

The teen laughed. “Go to sleep, Miss Rose. We can get you some dirt tomorrow.”

(o)(o)(o)

The phone rang early that morning, and figuring that his mother and Julio were still passed out drunk in the poolhouse, Derek struggled through his sleepy daze to reach over and answer it.

Wait—wait. He had reached blindly for the phone, but what he’d touched wasn’t the familiar cold, hard plastic at all—it was soft and warm and breathing and—

Derek stifled a scream and opened his eyes, shocked to see a pretty girl lying next to him, slobbering onto his extra pillow—until the memories of last night flooded back to him and—and—

Natalie.

Glaring at nothing in particular, he finally got the phone and held it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Derek! I waited all night for you! Why didn’t you come to pick me up like you said you would? I was so looking forward to spending time with you but—”

Derek gritted his teeth. “Natalie. Natalie, don’t even accuse me of neglecting you when you were standing outside the shop making out with some dirty, good-for-nothing—”

“Hah. Hah! So you saw me, did you? I hoped you had. I hoped that when I blew you off you’d go back to that damn store you love so much! We’re through, Derek! I need more than you can give me!”

“I was doing it for you!” Derek said, fighting a losing battle to keep his voice calm.

“How the hell could it be for me when we haven’t spent any time together since you started work? You’re just a greedy bastard who loves money more than his own girlfriend!”

“…Goodbye, Natalie,” Derek said with finality, slamming the phone down onto the receiver so that she wouldn’t have the satisfaction of hearing the tears creep into his voice.

Rose was staring at him, her fire-tinted eyes wide. “Mister Derek, why are you crying?” she asked uncertainly, reaching forward to touch his shoulder.

“I’m not crying,” he lied, turning away and rubbing hatefully as his eyes with his fists. So what if they were tears. They were tears of anger, damn it all! He wasn’t sad that she’d left him; he was pissed! Yeah…

“It’s all right to cry, Mister Derek. I do it all the time,” Rose told him, holding her arms out in invitation.

“But you’re a—a girl.”

Rose smiled. “And you’re a boy. That doesn’t mean you can’t cry, Mister Derek.”

Against his better judgment (and the protests of his dying sense of masculinity,) he collapsed into her arms and cried into the soft pink T-shirt for all he was worth.

(o)(o)(o)

He stood outside the flower shop, peering in the window. With his reason for working there gone, it really wasn’t worthwhile to keep going, was it? He was just wasting time that he could be spending with his friends or—

“C’mon, Mister Derek, I want to say hello to Miss Daffy! She’ll be so surprised to see what’s happened to me!” Rose cried, taking his hand and leading him inside.

Unbidden, a smile came to his lips. He did have a reason to keep working there—he loved the environment, and besides, Miss Rose was a good friend.

“All right, all right,” he said, allowing himself to be dragged in.

The old woman greeted him with a smile. “Bit late, aren’t you?”

“Sorry,” he said, looking down. “It won’t happen again.”

“You’re damn right it won’t! You better be on time tomorrow!”

“Don’t worry—I will.”

“So, you got a new girlfriend?” she asked, staring at Rose, who was talking animatedly to Daffy.

“No,” Derek answered, and went off to fill his orders.

It was good to be back.

(o)(o)(o)

He stared down at the little box. He’d saved so much money and then spent it on a whim, even though there was no longer any reason to. He’d even decided to get different stones, rubies with citrine and topaz, but as he stared down as the precious little ring, he had no idea what to do with it.

He was in the park with Rose because she’d wanted to go…. commune with nature? She was running merrily around, hugging trees and talking to plants and generally acting like a complete weirdo… but honestly, he didn’t mind. He stood on the small bridge that spanned the stagnant creek that ran through the park, watching her. Somehow, seeing her so happy never failed to put a smile on his face.

Grinning, he ran over to her, the little box in hand. “Miss Rose!” he called, catching up with her.

“Oh, hello, Mister Derek. Thanks so much for bringing me here! It’s so much fun!” She gave a small giggle.

“Miss Rose, I wondered if you’d want this?” he asked, holding out the box.

“A small black box! Of course, Mister Derek! Thank you so much!” she cried, hugging him round his neck.

“Umm… no, Miss Rose… the important part is what’s inside.”

“Inside?” With quite a bit of trouble, she managed to open it, peering at the tiny ring inside. “Oh, Mister Derek, it’s lovely, but why give it to me?”

“For… being you.”

“Me?” she asked, pointing confusedly to herself.

“Yeah. You. The most beautiful rose in the world, inside and out.”

Tears came to her eyes and she kissed his cheek and put the ring on her left ring finger, where it fit perfectly.

(o)(o)(o)

“Derek, I’m so sorry… I’ve been thinking and…”

“You realized that you’re an idiot?” he finished bitterly for her.

“Well, Joshua told me that you’d been working to… buy me a ring and…”

“Yeah… see, the thing is, I already bought a ring, but I gave it to someone else… so there’s no chance of you getting a ring if you get back together with me. I’m saving the rest of my money for college.”

“You… you gave my ring to someone else?” Natalie asked.

“It was never your ring. I got it for her, just for her.”

“Who did you give my ring to?” she growled.

“The most beautiful rose in the world…” Derek answered, looking over at Rose, who was thoroughly engrossed in playing Minesweeper on his computer.

Natalie’s breath was heavy and ragged, and when she spoke she sounded like she was crying. “Fuck you!” she yelled. “Just… you whore! I just dumped you and you’re already with someone else?”

“Yeah,” Derek said with a smirk. “And she’s the most wonderful girl in the world. The most beautiful, the kindest… so much better than a rose like you.”

Natalie began to sob, and frankly, Derek couldn’t feel sorry for anything he’d said. If Natalie regretted what she’d done, it wasn’t any of his concern. “Goodbye, Natalie,” he said, and hung up.

“Mister Derek?” Rose asked. “You really think I’m—?”

“Yeah,” he said, touching her cheek gently. “You’re the best, Miss Rose.”

“Mister Derek!” she choked out, and he saw her eyes filling up with tears.

“Shh,” he whispered. “Don’t cry.” He pulled her close and kissed her tears away.

(o)(o)(o)

It hadn’t been as awkward as perhaps it should have been. It had been wonderful, really, but now it was over and—

He reached for the warmth of another body, but found the phone instead. His fingers fell onto the cold, unforgiving plastic and his eyes shot open. “Rose? Rose?” he stumbled out of bed, rubbing his eyes and wondering where she had gone.

He searched all over the house for her, but in the end all he found was a pile of dirt in his bed and a dead rose resting in a pot by the windowsill, a tiny ring encircling its thorny stem.

“I was wrong about you, Miss Rose… it seems you really did have Natalie beat when it came to being a rose…”

He sighed and went back to bed, rolling into the warm pile of dirt Rose had left behind.

(o)(o)(o)

He walked dejectedly into work the next morning. The shop had seemed so lively before, the air almost buzzing with energy despite the absence of sound, but today it seemed so lifeless. Checking around, all the plants were still alive, but…

They were dead to him.

“Where’s that girl who’s been coming in here with you?” his boss barked, surprised to find him walking unaccompanied through the door.

Giving a dismissive shrug, he settled down for work, plowing mindlessly through the orders. He stuffed flowers into translucent paper, tying the bundles with red ribbons and setting them quickly aside. Rose thorns pricked his fingers as he went along, but it somehow didn’t hurt as much as it probably should’ve.

“Sonny! Sonny, stop it; you’re getting blood all over the paper!” the old lady crowed, pushing him away and taking the bouquet from his hands. “Wash off and get to work on something else, dear.”

Staring down at his red fingers, Derek gave a sigh. “Yes, ma’am.” He buried them in the stained silver basin, letting warm water run across his hands.

Hearing the bell on the door ringing, he called out, “Welcome to Harper’s Florists, how may I—”

Derek’s mouth stopped working as he stared at the customer, dressed in a long winter coat and with the most fiery red hair he’d ever seen—except perhaps on one other person.

Catching sight of the teen, she strode forward, watching him as he gaped like a fish. “Oh, hello, uhh…” She glanced at the handwritten nametag pinned on his green shirt, “Mister Derek, sir! My mother wants to start growing roses, so I thought I’d come and inquire…”

“Oh… all right,” the teen said, finally finding recovering his ability to speak. He did his best to give the girl a brief overview of roses and their types, feeling his cheeks burst into flame every time she stared closely at him.

“All right, well tell me if you get in anything new,” she said after she’d looked at the stock of roses. “Thanks for the help.” She turned for the door.

“W-wait,” Derek said, grabbing her hand without meaning to. She glanced back at him. “I-I’m sorry, but to tell you when we get new shipments we’ll need your contact information…”

“Oh. How silly of me! Thank you, Mister Derek!” she cried jubilantly, walking with him to the desk, where he pulled out a register, along with a pen.

“And what did you say your name was, Miss…?”

“Rose,” she answered with a smile.

“Miss Rose, yes yes,” Derek smiled, looking into her eyes. They weren’t as outlandish as Rose’s had been—hers were closer to brown, with the tiniest sparks of red and yellow in them, but they held the same soft glow.

“Miss Rose, I hope you don’t think me forward, but my mother grows roses herself and I wondered if you’d like to see them?”

“Oh, I’d be delighted! Thank you, Mister Derek!”

“All right. If you don’t mind waiting around, my break is in half an hour—”

“Go on, you two—you get him out of my hair, Miss Rose, and I’ll be more than glad. It’s hard for the flowers to grow with such moping and testosterone flooding the air,” the old woman chuckled.

Derek gave his boss a quick wave of thanks as he took Rose’s hand and led her down the street, his heart bobbing in his chest like a cork in the ocean.

AN: Aaaaaaaaaaagh! Het is so hard! I hope this is OK… mou. Anyway, this fic is dedicated to Shaoling, because she’s my imouto and it’s her birthday and she wanted me to get around to writing this ;P. How’d I do? Not enough romance, I think… It’d probably work better as a three-parter, longer and more complex, but… mou. I tried! Oh, and I tried to make Derek somewhat like a man… I didn’t really succeed. Eeeee heee.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and concrit is always appreciated!