incognito

LEO: are you kidding me LEO: ha ha ha LEO: very funny LEO: i am capable of cooking thank you very much

josephine had been wandering around the bookstore, getting everything ready for the book meeting later that day, when the doors opened and a voice carried through the room. there, a dark-haired beauty, stood with her hands full of dahlias –– that looked like they were just picked. the smile on the petite brunette’s lips widened and she giggled softly. ❝ hello? um, can i help you with anything? ❞ she questioned softly, looking at the girl curiously. josephine didn’t know of any flower delivery coming here, so honestly, she had a feeling the girl was at the wrong place, maybe. ❝ oh god, where are my manners! here, let me help you, ❞ she said as she ran over to the girl and chuckled softly. ❝ i’m so sorry. i seem to have forgotten to take my manners with me to work today, ❞ she said and rolled her eyes lightly.

lina bided her time quietly at one corner of the shop, pretending to read through some already-seen emails. the last thing she wanted was to have shown up at an inopportune time. at the greeting, she finally looked up, returning a warm expression of her own. 

“hey! josephine, right? i dunno if you remember me; i was here a couple weeks ago. hope i’ve caught you at a good time.” after locking her phone and slipping it into her back-pocket, lina used both of her hands to hold up the dahlias. she presented it slowly, holding it up so that the colors came under the light that streamed through the shop’s windows, then tilted it toward the other brunette. “these are for you. special delivery. you can consider this a little ‘welcome’ gift. a little bit — or ‘a lot’ a bit — late, but still very welcoming nonetheless.”

LEO: … LEO: does this mean you’re buying my groceries for me?

“ding dong!” lina called out loudly as she stepped through the bookstore’s entrance. it had been an unusually quiet day at the shop— perfect for pulling through with a small thought that had crossed her mind when she first visited, weeks ago. in her hands lay a thick bundle of dahlias, picked fresh mere minutes earlier. the only thing brighter than the petals was the smile that was spread across her lips. “special delivery for—”

one listening closely then might have heard the skid marks of her heels in the instant that she caught sight of the other patron who was present. 

she couldn’t have retrieved her phone from her pocket any quicker, as she turned away to conceal her face, calling out a small ‘whoops’ to feign a sudden distraction. from thereon, she kept her head bowed, relying on the subtlest tilt of the head and her peripheral view to keep an eye out on her surroundings.

clair’s eyes widen at the unexpected generosity. it looks amazing; whimsical and enchanting, like a dessert one would find in disneyland. she runs a hand through her hair, looking up at the other woman with an honestly amused and shy grin. 

“I would love that, thank you!” politeness will take you far in life. 

lina doesn’t need to look away from her dessert to gauge the kind of reaction she’s gotten then and there; she can see its brightness in her peripheral. its presence only fuels her energy, and she wastes no time in beginning to lead them to the aforementioned shop.

“You’re right,” he agreed, nodding and then thinking for a moment. He thought maybe, he could start keeping flowers in his lobby and in front of his practice. Maybe that would improve the overall demeanor inside. “I won’t forget that,” Ant was honest. He always tried to keep in touch with people and stay on good terms with them. “Tell me, have you ever done anything for an office?”

He laughed freely at her gesture, giving her an understanding upturn of his chin. “I appreciate that you are following in my suit,” Ant’s hand made the pointing gesture again at himself and then towards her. “I still feel like American English is a whole other beast.” he admitted.

“I…” he paused, anticipating all of the things that could go wrong. She could be gathering intel, or planning to… no. Antoni broke the train of thought, looking at Lina again. Lina. She was beautiful, and not just in the way that was obvious to him. She was kind. And that was why he’d come, wasn’t it? To find and create kindness again. He found himself humming in agreement before he could convince himself otherwise. “Yes. Sure. That sounds… fun. If you’re not too busy, and I’m not intruding.”

“Definitely not intruding. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise. If you were intruding, I probably would’ve thrown your papers back on the ground and run away,” she quipped, hooking her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans and looking toward the sky. “Invitation’s good as long as you aren’t too busy.”

Here were Lina’s certainties of Antoni: he was new in town, he was from Italy, and he was the latest person she had bumped into— quite literally. The last point brought some concern. Although the conversation had been pleasant, she could have very well stopped him in the middle of something for which time was critical. This train of thought ran at full-speed until shifting at the question of her past work.

“I’ve worked a couple events for offices. Openings, closings, holiday parties— and I’ve also made arrangements to spruce up those places too.” She had taken note of the brief pause amid his earlier answer. In that, she attempted to slide in another subtle reassurance. Stepping to the side, she waved her hand for him to follow. “You can ask me all about the pretty things I’ve made, over grub. If American English is a ‘whole other beast,’ I wanna see how you feel about American-sized portions.”

naomi was quick to nod as soon as the offer was made. “absolutely,” she breathed out, beginning to circle around the room slowly. althogh, she wasn’t sure what the point was, really. her eyes kept finding their way back to those white ones she’d noticed upon first entering. 

naomi turned to lina as soon as she spoke up, her features softening at the offer. it wasn’t a bad idea. naomi could absolutely use the distraction. that was why she found herself baking as often as she did. sure, she loved it, but it was more so about the distraction that came along with it. “i’m starting to think so, too,” naomi let out gently, a manicured hand moving to one of the flowers carefully. “i’ve never had much of a green thumb, though.”

“green thumb my bum,” she retorted, a sly smile painted on her lips. “my boss tells that to everyone, to convince them to buy more flowers. kinda crazy that it works, but even crazier that he’s not actually wrong. maybe you just never had the chance to test out how well you do with plants?” 

lina scanned the arrangement — rather lazily, as she had already known what she would select — then began picking at it. as soon as the basket was half full, she turned toward the nearest work table and began setting each flower into something more cohesively presentable. her work was nimble and gentle, and she only stopped for the briefest moment, to gesture for naomi to step closer.

“you’ve got a dog, don’t you? ‘honey’ was it?”

LEO: hell yeah LEO: where are we going?

Antoni was intrigued by her response and felt a bit of regret that he’d maybe pushed a little too much. “Gardening,” he repeated after her thoughtfully, thinking on the gardeners they’d had during his childhood. He had been fond of them and the way they’d cultivated the expansive green space of the family estate. “That is admirable,” Ant was genuine. “Is it fulfilling work?”

He watched the sunlight hit the side of her face as they stood, admiring the human profile. He’d always loved silhouettes. The curve of her jaw reminded him of Ana, but he pushed the thought aside, blinking and looking at her instead of the mirage that appeared in his mind’s eye.

“Hm,” he nodded. “I understand.” Ant knew she wasn’t saying everything, but couldn’t blame her. He should be protecting himself more anyways. Cocking his head to the side, his expression was one of confusion. “No, I… Italy,” a finger gestured to himself, and then his hand swept a gesture towards Lina, implying his original intent. “I don’t think I know who you are speaking of. Who is that?” In truth, he’d picked a city on a map and just drove. 

Lina nipped at the inside of her cheek, holding back the confession that she hadn’t actually been too fond of her job at the shop. Sure, she reveled in hard work gone well and took delight in the expressions of customers blown away by such efforts— neither changed much about her battles with mild allergies. 

“It’s gotta be, right? Can’t waste time on what isn’t worth it,” she answered simply, shrugging off all other thoughts. “So— hey, if you ever need some top-quality pickings? I’m your gal.”

The sincere smile on her lips was unwavering as he explained his previous question. It only grew, the more he spoke. There was something in the manner of speech that was all too endearing. As soon as he fell quiet, she mirrored his first move and pointed to herself.

“America. But I’ve only been in town a few months. Not too long, but long enough to know some of the best spots around. You wanna come with me to check one out? I can give you a little run-down of Treeville while we’re at it.”

Chris couldn’t help but smirk at Lina’s small concern, “I’m flattered you think I can keep up with any slang.” It wasn’t until recently that Leo was helping him, at least, stay up to date with it all. Anything before the now was practically a lost cause to him. Still, Chris nodded along, attentively listening to Lina in front of him. “Guess that’s something you picked up on the shop? Or was it something everyone really just seems to know?” Chris almost asked if Lina was looking forward to her own June wedding, but thought better of turning it into an invasive conversation. 

“Moms always seem to do more of the work - feels like they should be getting something lasting too, no?”

“Well, you’ve gotta keep up with something, right? C’mon— some of my oldest customers are more in-the-now than this.” She leaned forward, as if the matter at hand was the most grave one all week. Then she stifled a laugh at the mention of the shop, relaxing her posture and leaning back against her seat. “I’ve known about the ‘June wedding trend’ for ages. Genuinely thought that was just a thing everyone knew— y’know, kinda like how you can dry a wet phone by tossing it into a bag filled with rice?”

Lina tilted her head from side to side, contemplating the statement. The opposite rang true in her experience, but instead of voicing so, she asked, “What’s the ‘mom version’ of grilling tools and sports equipment?”

His eyebrow that had already been peaked raised further when she clarified that it was a flower shop and not the financial entity. Ant shifted to loop a thumb in the loop of his dark grey trousers and steady the leather bag that still hung over his shoulder. “And what do you do there?” he paused after he said it, pursing his lips and then deciding that he’d exhausted his apologies for the next minute or so.

A flush spread up his cheeks, and with a steadying breath was gone as quickly as it had come. His eyes flickered down to the ground to recenter himself and he laughed. “I hope so- you speak Italian? Where are you from?” Antoni was pleased and put at ease by her words. Here he was, standing in the middle of a sidewalk in Treeville, and he already felt a little less alone. “Sono migliore ora.”

“I’m the best employee there,” she quipped, raising her chin so as to emphasize the triumph in her expression. The actual description of the work was far less exciting anyway. “But, y’know— gardening. Lots and lots of planting, tending— and then aside from the whole ‘getting my hands dirty’ bit, we also make arrangements for events.”

Lina glanced around their surroundings, taking note of the early sunset and the steady flow of townspeople making their way home for the day. When she turned her attention back to Antoni, she returned a warm smile and made a pinching gesture with one hand.

“Pochissimo. Picked up a few bits here and there.” She refrained from describing her other line of work — the duties that took her abroad — and the full extent of her background. “Is that your way of asking about where I live? ‘Cause look— the rumors are true. I am neighbors with the most famous rock-star in town... But he’s notoriously private about his personal life.”

“i’m with you on that,” it was easy for naomi to feel as though most days her job was centered around stress and how well she dealt with it. she still had a long way to go, too. naomi followed alongside lina as the was guided through the store, nodding slowly in agreement. “it never really gets old,” she chimed in. there was no denying the way that naomi’s eyes widened slightly in awe once the backroom was revealed to her. she imagined what it was like for a moment. to have a job such as this. one that seemed so simple on the exterior. naomi’s bright eyes scanned over the selection until she found exactly what she was looking for. “those are perfect,” the answer came quick for it required no thought at all. “this must never get old, huh?”

“thankfully, no,” lina answered, believing that the sensation running through her was how artists must have felt upon presenting their masterpieces. of course, she didn’t believe herself to be necessarily artistic, but the pride of hard work appreciated was enough in this moment. “you want some?”

she began moving toward one side of the room and rummaging through some of the supplies used for wrapping flowers together. pulling out a small wicker basket, lina turned on her heels and held it up for naomi to see. a strange idea lingered at the forefront of her mind, and running her upper lip against her teeth, she decided to give a chance at it.

“i’ll probably only admit this once: growing and tending these was... kinda calming. you mentioned you’ve been a little stressed lately so... i dunno, maybe taking some of these can help or something.”

LEO: uh huh LEO: stuck at work, you?

Antoni couldn’t help but laugh at her remark. It was true, and he was grateful for the shift in conversation. His eyes followed her gesture and nodded. He did understand. “What do you do for work?” he asked, almost immediately followed by a fall in his facial expression. “I don’t mean to be intrusive.” 

He knew he wasn’t typical, especially not in this culture. What his education had lacked was the art of informality– in short, he sucked at it. He always dressed a little too sharply, spoke a little too loftily, or did the opposite. Ant hoped he’d grasp the casual concept here in Treeville sooner rather than later. 

“Lina,” he repeated, allowing a genuine smile to spread across his face. “Thank you again for being so gracious– and no. I stick out like a… like a sore thumb here,” Ant was thankful the idiom came to him. “Italy. Are you from here?”

“I’m over at The Stalk Market.” Lina released her grip and slid both of her hands into her jean pockets. It took another moment for her to remember that the name was easily misleading for any newcomer. “I mean, uh— flowers. I’m at the local flower shop called ‘The Stalk Market.’ Not an investment firm.”

One subtle look down this new acquaintance’s figure only did further to confirm her thought that he was a fresh face in town. His appearance, coupled with his graciousness, put her at some measure of ease— something that seemed all too rare as of late. As she shifted once again, this time to cross her arms, she did her best to reassure him.

“You look good regardless— and I’m pretty sure you’ll find that Treeville can fit you like a glove,” she replied, following in the handy theme. Her brow raised at his answer. “I’ve been here a couple months... But Italy, huh? Come stai?”

In all reality, Antoni didn’t deserve any of her kindness. He was aware that he was thankful, nonetheless as he knelt down, taking the papers from her and shoving them into his bag haphazardly. He’d made himself look like a right Italian fool, and if he kept at it, he’d never be able to stay here. Or do good. He had a funny way of messing things up right away. And this was the kind of reverie that had gotten him into this mess.

He blinked a few times, focusing in on her face again. “No, totally my fault,” Ant replied, buckling the clasp of his bag and standing to offer her a hand. “Antoni Mercier,” Ant offered her a cautious smile. “I do appreciate your mercy.”

“Nah, I mean, it takes two to tango, right? Or, uh— not really dancing in this case, but I honestly wasn’t looking either.” Lina brushed her hands together after handing over the pages, then pointed a thumb toward a spot on the pavement behind her. “I didn’t wanna dirty my boots. I get enough of that at work, y’know?”

She straightened her posture and looked around, not wanting to miss any of the flying papers. That kind of plight was one that she was a little too familiar with, and she imagined that this guy would feel similarly about retrieving them all. A short snicker escaped her as she took note of his speech. She took his hand into hers and returned a firm but warm shake.

“Adalina— but ‘Lina’ is good. Rolls off the tongue a lot quicker... I take it you’re not from these parts?”

LEO: what LEO: wow LEO: i can’t even attempt to hide my disappointment here

clair checks herself over, scrupulously checking her skin, hair, and clothes for any transference between the frozen treat and her belongings. she’s fine – 100% clear. looking up at the other woman, she tries to smooth over her error with a small smile and compliment.

“Nope, I’m all good! What is that though? It looks delicious.” she’d get one for herself, if perhaps adjusting for her own topping preferences. 

“Oh, good!” she responds, and there’s an uncertainty as to what relieves her more: the fact that the other person is unharmed, or that her dessert is safe. slight amusement at the latter creeps up on her lips, widens the excitement painted on them as she tilts her head to the side. “This ol’ thing? It does look pretty neat, doesn’t it? Special waffle cone kinda thing.”

held up high are two generous scoops of ice cream, nestled in a cone seemingly made of bubbles, and topped with fresh fruits and a drizzle of syrup. a sight for sore eyes and the perfect treat for the warm day, lina can’t help the rare enthusiasm coursing through her.