—we're on each other's team

      Sage cursed himself out internally for finally working up the courage to approach the shop. He still held himself responsible for their failed marriage. Yes, she’d cheated on him and that hurt more than anything he’d ever experienced. The pain was almost equal to that of getting scorched on the job, if not more. Regardless, their marriage hadn’t exactly been picture perfect before that and part of it was his fault. Neither of them had been keen on going to counseling and it hadn’t helped the slightest that they’d suggested seeing other people. It was almost like they were telling them that it was okay to forget their feelings and the life they’d built together and it didn’t sit well with him. So much for expert advice, he’d thought. Standing outside the shop for the first time in what felt like years, he tried to tone down his enthusiasm when he’d chuckled at her statement about most likely ignoring the sign. “ That’s true. They either don’t think or they’re too stubborn. ” he mused, following his ex-wife into the shop, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. “ Actually, one of the guys needed to switch shifts for a family thing, so…” the lieutenant trailed off. He’d allowed his eyes to roam over the shop, though they quickly darted back to Brielle and his eyebrows shot up at his question. “ What? No. ” he replied quickly, though he tried to down play his reaction. “ No offense, but if I was going to buy flowers for someone else, I wouldn’t go to my ex-wife for them.” He hadn’t intended the comment to sound rude if it had. In fact, he’d meant it to be anything but. Sage couldn’t stand the idea of being with anyone that wasn’t Brielle, despite their problems. If he ever felt like he truly could move on, he knew it’d be better for all parties involved to avoid bringing any other significant other around his ex-wife. “ I actually came to see how you and Ezra were doing…mom’s been askin’. ”

Brielle couldn’t pretend to be unfazed by his answer. The quick denial almost had her smiling, though the expression was suppressed as she met his gaze.  She would have. Had he been the one to do what she did, she would have done everything in her power to remind him how he fucked up. And somehow, knowing he wasn’t holding it against her was worse. Their marriage crumbled in their own hands and there was no stopping it, even more so when another person was added to the equation, though he was long gone now. Yet she couldn’t bring himself to miss anything about that other man; the one standing before her though, that was a different matter. He was the one she pictured a future with and perhaps they had rushed into everything. Her mother did warn her not to go so fast, but she had been too young and in love to care about what anyone said, it was her relationship with Sage that mattered the most.

That was then.

Now she’d turned into the type of person she despised the most. A cheater. Someone she’d vowed never to be, but as it turned out, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. A selfish, cheater that couldn’t help but be happy he didn’t seem to be interested in anyone else. Yet that didn’t mean he still loved her… like she wanted him to. Like she wished he would.

Walking past a dejected customer, unsure of why he was taking his leave empty-handed, he decided to walk towards the woman behind the counter, anyway. “Uh, hey,” he said, with a short nod in greeting. “I was wondering if you could help me pick flowers to give on a first date?” he asked, eyes briefly scanning the displays around him which, surprisingly, weren’t a lot. “If you should give flowers on a first date at all, that is.” He’d always been known to go the extra mile on his dates, which was how he’d driven most of the men he saw away— he just came on too strong. 

“A regular I assume?” Parker said with a raised eyebrow. She walked around the small shop, taking note of once beautiful flowers now going limp. It was rather sad seeing the whole store filled with wilting flowers, “Damn. How much is this going to cost you? I suppose a lot since you have to fix the refrigerator as well as replace the flowers. – Do you need help? I could possibly call someone to help you out, I know a few people that owe me some favors.”

      The simple things in life fascinated the girl endlessly. Flowers, above all, always had a special place in her heart. Perhaps that is why her skin was outlined in ink of different floral pieces. It was her rare day off, and of course, she planned on starting the day by picking up some flowers. Having them in her home was one of the only consistent things in her life since she was a child. But the sign on the door brought an immediate sigh to her lips. She pushed through to see Brielle behind the counter and she approached her with a distraught look. “Please tell me the sign is a lie.”

        When he’d spotted the familiar woman from a short distance, it wasn’t long before he’d made his way over to the shop to greet her. It’d bee some time since he’d last spoken with her and he felt catching up was necessary. “ – Hey, Brie. ” She was the Lieutenant’s wife, with or without the ring on her finger. None of the guys in the department were stupid enough to try to get in on her good side, especially when Laurent was still very touchy about the topic whenever it was brought up. Still, the paramedic had chosen to remain friendly because she was still apart of the family they’d built, even if things were on rocky terms. “ Oh. Freezer trouble ? That can’t be good for business, ” he teased.

        rowan wasn’t used to big, romantic gestures. it had never been her and tessa’s thing; they both appreciated some takeout, a cuddle with their pets and a nice movie night rather than a fancy dinner or… flowers. but walking back from the hospital that day and passing by the same flower shop she did every day, rowan had a sudden urge to treat her girlfriend. “you don’t have flowers?” she blinked in confusion after watching a sad looking man leave the store empty-handed. her eyes found the sign on the door right after, which pretty much answered her question. “do you think succulents are nice enough for a gift?”

“I don’t know!” she exclaimed, laughter spilling from her lips as she shook her head, one hand moving up to thread through her hair before taking the offered kleenex. She knew that movie made her emotional, yet she’d somehow thought it had been an excellent idea to watch it. “Horror,” she quickly answered, despite knowing she’d be watching it through her fingers the entire time. “I need to watch some horror.”

Megan’s life wasn’t full of people giving her flowers, so she liked to stop by the flower shop to see what they had because they were always fun to look at. Occasionally she would buy some to take home for some of her vases.  One thing that really was important to her was beauty, in her life, in her home, and in her world. She grew from a place she didn’t find so beautiful. She watched the interaction and overhearing due to proximity. Her wide smile that followed the statements probably hinted to her feelings about walking in on such a moment. She was going to try to slip out before being noticed but it was too late. “What’s wrong with the fridge?”

Leighton Meester  ➢ Meghan Ory

       Sage had a habit of driving past the flower shop owned by his ex-wife just to catch a glimpse of her. He was shameless in doing so, knowing that all she’d had to do one day was glance up through the window to see the unmistakable firefighter on the back of his motorcycle, peering through the window at her. The year since their divorce had been hard, especially after he’d all but volunteered to be a proper father figure for the son he’d once thought was his. A dull ache in his chest was the reminder that their marriage had ended, even if they occasionally played house. “ – What, the sign wasn’t specific enough? ” he inquired as he watched her tape wilted flowers to the door. It wasn’t often that he had the courage to strike up conversation with Brielle, at least not unless he’d witnessed the looming of any potential suitor she could have. Ring on her finger or not, she was still his wife in some way, shape or form. It didn’t matter that they had gotten a divorce because he had made a vow with himself that marriage wouldn’t be in the cards for him, at least not with anyone else. “ I mean, if they can’t read maybe they’ll get the hint when they realized the door is locked. ” He was trying to be funny but it never failed to come across as him trying a little too hard to seem like he wasn’t falling apart inside when he was around her.