Chapter Text
this is nothing like bee movie
~
Yellow; Happiness
It had been a particularly rough couple of years for your small flower shop; Just not that many people sent flowers anymore. You were barely able to keep your store running, so you weren't really able to afford advertising. Sure, you had a Facebook page, but who really pays attention to those kinds of invites?
It was nearing Valentine's Day – the only time of year when you would actually receive any consistent business. After one such high-traffic day, everything was settling down near closing time. You were beyond tired, happy you could go home soon. You looked at the clock on your computer, seeing it was about 10 minutes before you were scheduled to close. Since you never had people come in in the last half hour of your day anyway, you walked to the front door and turned the open sign around so you could do everything you needed to before going home. But as soon as you went to turn the sign over, you heard footsteps running toward the door.
The blonde boy on the other side frowned, "I thought this place didn't close until 9!"
"It doesn't," you shrugged, putting the closed sign up and opening the door, motioning for him to come in.
"Then why are you closing now?"
"Because it's my shop and I can do what I want," you smiled sweetly, "What can I do for you?"
"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically, "I can come back tomorrow." You simply nodded your head, prompting him to continue. "How much is a single flower?"
"$2.50," you answered. He gave you a surprised look.
"I should have been coming here then," he commented, "The last place I went to sells singles for like, 5 bucks."
"With the way business is going, I should probably be doing that too," you chuckled lightly, "So what kind of flower were you thinking of getting?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I have no idea," he said, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, "I saw this girl in a store once and she looked kinda down, so I wanted to give her a flower to hopefully brighten her day."
"That's very sweet of you," you told him, "You sure you'll see her again?"
"I hope to," he grinned at you.
"Well, I would suggest a yellow rose," you chirped, leading him over to the flowers.
"Why yellow?" he asked.
"Yellow roses are a symbol of happiness," you informed him.
"The colors have meanings?" he tilted his head, "What about the other ones?"
"The red one is obviously a symbol of love – those are the ones that are given to people the most often," you explained, "Then there's pink which expresses admiration, purple which expresses beauty, white is typically used when apologizing, orange means desire, and a peachy-colored rose is usually a symbol of friendship."
"Oh, that's cool," he smiled, "Well, I'll take a yellow one for now and hopefully work my way up to buying her a red one." You simply laughed under your breath, pulling a yellow rose out from the bunch and taking the boy to the counter.
"Is this length alright or would you like it shorter?"
"Maybe shorter," he answered, "Like, a little lower than where you're holding it." You grabbed your scissors and cut the stem.
"Would you like to add a note or anything?" He pulled out his wallet and leaned onto the counter, thinking for a moment.
"What's the cheesiest line you've ever heard from a customer?" he asked.
"Oh, God," you giggled softly, "I've heard a lot, but I'd have to say the one I've heard the most is 'A very pretty flower for a very pretty girl'."
"I like it," he laughed, "Let's do that one." You quickly pulled out a small card, neatly writing the message. You cut a small piece of twine, looped it through the hole on the card, and tied it on the upper portion of the stem.
"Alright," you chirped, "Is that all for you?" He nodded and you went on, "Then that'll be $2.50." The boy pulled a five dollar bill out of his wallet and you handed him the flower so you could get his change. Before you could even open the register, however, he had turned around to leave. "Don't you want your change?" you asked him. He turned around once he reached the door.
"I'm sure I'll be back soon," he smirked lightly.
"That's assuming she accepts," you reminded him.
"She will," he returned, exiting the shop. You shook your head, sitting on your stool and beginning to look through inventory on your computer.
~
Purple; Beauty
The next week – on the same day as the previous one – the blonde boy had returned just before closing once again. The bell above the door had rung and you looked up as he approached the counter.
"She accept your cheesy gesture?" you asked him with a sly smile.
"You had no faith in me and I don't appreciate that," he commented jokingly.
"Are you here to get her another one or did you just want to update me?" you teased.
"Both," he winked, "What's a step up from yellow?"
"Hmm," you hummed for a moment, "I would say purple, but that depends on whether or not you think she's beautiful."
"She's very beautiful," he told you.
"Then purple is the way to go," you chuckled, hopping up from your seat to grab a purple rose. You went back to the counter, reaching for your scissors once again. "Same length?" you asked, to which he nodded. "Another cheesy line as well?"
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "I actually looked some up last night!" He pulled out his phone, bringing up his notes where he had a few typed up. He read through them for a moment before saying, "How about 'If you stood in front of a mirror holding this rose, you'd see the two most beautiful things in the world'? Or is that too long?"
"I think that's perfect," you smiled, taking out a card and beginning to write, "Whoever is getting these flowers from you is a lucky girl."
"I hope so," he said shyly.
~
Peach; Friendship
The next Friday evening, your new regular sauntered through the door again.
"Hey, stranger," you grinned, earning a bright smile in return, "What color are we going for today?"
"Peach," he said, putting a five on the counter top as you went to go get the flower. You trimmed the stem in the same spot as the previous two.
"Ah, friendship. I'm assuming things are really blooming between you two then," you snickered to yourself, making him laugh loudly.
"I guess you could say that," he nodded, "And you should definitely write that on the card this time."
You smiled proudly at knowing he liked the comment enough to want to use it, writing it down as he asked. You tied the card to the stem and handed him the flower, thanking him for his purchase. He smiled back at you, handing the flower back.
"This one's actually for you," he said, taking you aback a bit.
You furrowed your eyebrows, "For me?"
"Mhmm," he nodded again, "The name's Maxx, by the way. I figure I've been coming around enough for you to know my name."
"Y/N," you smiled slightly, finally taking the flower from him.
"Very pretty name for a very pretty girl," he winked, reminding you of the first time he'd come in. You rolled your eyes, but couldn't hold back the grin. "I'll see you next week," he chirped, trotting back out the door.
"See you, Maxx," you murmured to yourself, keeping your eyes on the door before looking at the flower in your hand.
~
Pink; Admiration
"Pink this time, Y/N!" Maxx announced as soon as he opened the door. You were already standing beside the roses, anticipating the blonde's arrival.
"Admiration," you said, pulling a nice-looking pink one from the bunch, "Things must be going pretty well."
"They are," he smiled, "Unfortunately, I have no idea what line to use for this card."
You pulled up customer orders on your computer after trimming the stem and retrieving a card, alienating the orders with single or bouquets of pink roses. You motioned for Maxx to come around the counter, then pointed to your screen.
"Which of these do you like?" you asked, referring to the notes you had with each order about what they'd wanted on the card.
You could feel Maxx's breath on your ear as he leaned over your shoulder and it was undoubtedly making the butterflies in your stomach go crazy. But you had to remember that he was giving these flowers to another girl – and you were sure someone as attractive as him would never even go for a girl like you anyway.
"How about that one?" he said, reaching up and pointing to a line on the screen.
"'If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be able to fill up a garden by tomorrow'," you read it back with a soft giggle, "I always did think that was one of the cutest." You handed him the rose a couple minutes later. "Next week?" you asked him.
"Maybe sooner," he replied, leaving the shop before you could respond.
~
Red; Love
That Wednesday, you decided to close early and run to the bank before it closed.
When you came back to the shop, there was a withering yellow rose lying on the ground in front of the door. You looked around before picking it up. Looking at the card, you saw the pick-up line you'd told Maxx nearly a month ago written in your handwriting. Your face scrunched up in confusion as you entered your quiet shop.
You happened to look at the display of daisies that everyone first noticed when they walked in, seeing a purple rose mixed among them. You picked it up, noticing your handwriting yet again. Upon reaching the rose display, you found a missing red rose – the pink one from the last time Maxx was there now in its place. You plucked it from the bunch, making your way to the counter.
You didn't make it to your usual spot behind it though, noticing the color red out of the corner of your eye. You walked up to find the missing red rose lying on the counter top with a card tied to it and two one dollar bills and two quarters sitting close by. You picked the rose up, turning the card so you could read it. It was a line scrawled in messy handwriting – sure to be Maxx's since you knew it wasn't yours – and read it to yourself.
Roses are red
And this poem's not a winner
But it would make me feel better
If you'd let me take you to dinner
You found yourself giggling at the card, making Maxx come out from his hiding spot around the corner behind the counter. He was smiling shyly, his hands in front of him as he nervously played with his fingers.
"Were these for me the whole time?" you asked him. He swallowed thickly, nodding slowly, a light pink tint to his cheeks. "Did you come up with this one yourself?" you asked, holding up the red rose. He nodded again. "Well, that's good," you replied, "If you hadn't, I probably wouldn't have accepted." It was like his heart visibly skipped a beat because you could sense his breathing hitch.
"You'll go out with me?" he asked, apparently in a minor state of disbelief.
"Yeah," you smiled softly, "Yeah, Maxx, I'd love to go out with you."
He let out a breath, clearing his throat, "I... Uh... When do you... Is this weekend okay?"
"You know..." you trailed off, chewing on your bottom lip, "I closed up early, so I'm free right now if you're not-" You were cut off by Maxx coming out from behind the counter and grabbing your hand, taking you outside. "I guess you're not busy then," you teased, wiggling your hand out of his so you could lock the door. He blushed a brighter shade of pink as you turned back to him, bravely taking his hand again and lacing your fingers with his. "You ever been to Café Bean?" you asked him.
"Is that supposed to be a play on 'coffee bean'?" Maxx chuckled, pulling you closer to him as you began walking down the sidewalk.
"I'm sure that's what they were going for," you replied with a light laugh of your own.
"No, I haven't been there," he answered, "Is it any good?"
"I can't speak for the opinions of other people, but if I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life, it would definitely be their mint chocolate chip iced coffee."
"I'm gonna be honest; That doesn't sound appealing at all."
"Okay, well, when you get your boring coffee or hot chocolate or whatever it is you get when you go to coffee shops, I'll let you taste it and you'll never want to drink anything else," you stated matter-of-factly. All Maxx did was look at you in adoration for a moment before squeezing your hand a bit, letting you lead him into the small café.
And while you both sat at the table getting to know each other, he didn't want to admit it, but the iced coffee was his second favorite thing in the coffee shop that day.