Page 103 of Poetry of Flowers

“So good because now I don’t have to listen to your baby jokes about me.” I laughed and made a face at the camera.

“Not gonna happen, you’re still my baby cousin, even if we are the same age now.” She smiled back at me.

A cat rubbed herself against my leg, and I bent down to give her scritches. All of the cats were so friendly here, unlike Blake, who was afraid of anyone except Kayden and me.

“It’s time for presents!” Autumn cheered and passed the camera to Theo to continue filming while she got out a big package covered in white wrapping paper with little red hearts. It was so beautifully wrapped, I didn’t want to rip it open.

“I hope you like it” she said, as I tried to unwrap the gift gently. “Don’t be so careful.”

I pulled a box out from the side I had just opened. “Oh, Autumn, you didn’t have to-.”

“But I wanted to, you needed some new ones anyway. Don’t you deny it, yours are so worn. You deserved some new ones.”

Her smile was soft, and I didn’t know what to say. “Thank you so much, Autumn.”

“Anytime, and now try them on!”

I took my old shoes off and grabbed the new Dr. Martens. They fit perfectly. My old ones were just black, but while the ones Autumn had gifted me looked black, if you concentrated really hard, you could see that they were actually a dark red.

“I love them so much.”

“They suit you perfectly,” she squealed.

When I sat back down, the cat, who had just rubbed herself against my leg, jumped on my lap.

“They should open a café like this in Grand Lee,” I mumbled and stroked her white fur.

“We got Leticia’s antiquities. She’s got a few pets running around there,” Kayden replied, chuckling.

Theo placed a small package wrapped in brown paper in front of me on the table. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you, Theo, you didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Of course, it’s your birthday. Open it before you thank me.”

This one was easier to unwrap. It was a small book that looked like it was about to fall apart when I lifted it up.

“Violett helped me choose it when she was home for the summer. She told me that an elderly man left it at the store because he couldn’t bear looking at it every day. As teenagers, he and his late wife wrote one another little poems only they could understand because her family didn’t approve of their relationship. Kayden told me you have a stack of poems at home, so I thought you’d like it.” He explained as I opened the first page.

For my beloved Margaret.

“Thank you so much, I can’t wait to read about their love story.” Stories that not everyone could understand were my favorites. There were a billion books on this planet everyone could buy and talk about. But books like these were rare. This love story was raw and real.

That was why I loved thrift and antique stores.

“Glad you like it.”

Suddenly, a little red box appeared on the book in front of me, and Kayden smiled at me from the side.

“Happy birthday, Fleur.”

Goosebumps spread all over my arms as I opened the little box. Tears welled up in my eyes when I saw the forget-me-not necklace, it looked almost the same as the one I had given him eleven years ago.

“It’s the flower the sparrow left in my hand the day of the funeral, I know you didn’t believe me that day, but I think the bird knew you didn’t want to see it then, that’s why it gave the flower to me to keep it safe,” Kayden explained and turned the necklace around in my hand.

Mon cœur t’appartient.

“My heart is yours,” I read aloud, and the tears were now rolling down my cheeks. “Oh Kayden.”

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