but you're quicksand

"Screwed up, scared, doing anything that I needed."

[regretxful]

"Look. I just won’t go, it’ll be better off anyway considering your parents already hate me as it is. I’ll be fine, I promise. What’s one New Years alone, right?" The brunette implied with a soft sigh.

[xundone-deactivated20131230]

Michelle twirled her pen between her index and middle finger as she continued to skim through the pile of papers before her. It was only her first day and she was already pretty bored what what she was assigned. To make matters worse, time seemed to be going by much slower than usual. She looked up at the clock, for what seemed like the millionth time, and noticed a pair of eyes that had been glued in her direction for a while. Luckily, she wasn’t one to get get nervous. In fact, she liked the attention. Just as she was about to actually start doing what she was supposed to, she heard someone approach her. A sly smile appeared on her lips when she found out it was none other than the girl who’d been staring at her not so long ago. “Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Michelle.”

[regretxful]

Slowly, a rosy scarlet color spread over the girl’s cheeks, making her face take on an almost childlike appearance. She quickly turned her head away though, embarrassed by her own reaction. "Well, if you need help with anything, i'll be right over there." The brunette outstretched her tan arm, guiding the other girl's eyes all the way across the room to her desk. Her feet slowly began to move again, this time away from the blonde and back to her previous spot in the workroom. Shiloh started to regret her decision to leave as she got closer to where she was supposed to be. She tried hard to focus on her given tasks once she was there, but she couldn't help sneak a few glances at Michelle, hoping her assistance would soon be needed. 

[regretxful]

[ Day One ]    The brunette began to squint her eyes as she tried to get a closer look at the other female, who was currently sitting all the way across the room, minding her own business. Shiloh had never seen the girl's face before, which was strange, for she always introduced herself to new coworkers, especially if they were going to be working in the same department as her. She quickly got up from her current seating and ambled towards the person who had been receiving the most of her attention. "Hi, I'm Shiloh." 

[agrandea]

[dandelicn-blog]

All of this was so exciting and not an once of alcohol or any kind of substance was in her system. Those who believe that they were the only means of enjoying life were surely wrong. It seemed the redhead had chosen quite an array of flowers, so much so that she didn’t have to bother mixing and matching flowers like she had to usually; not that she minded much. People picked their flowers on aesthetics, which is more than understandable and even seen as the correct way but some just didn’t fit. Nobody wants a bouquet of flowers where only one of the species had died out. “You picked out such lovely flowers, I hope your dorm mate likes them just as much as I do.” A beam radiated off of Saturday’s face, she was sure she couldn’t have asked for better company. There was nothing like an encounter with an old friend, they always seemed to trump the new ones. “Of course, lead the way. After I’ve paid, of course.” she nodded, a bright look still etched across her delicate features. Once the rectangle piece of plastic had been shoved into the machine and she had watched her fellow employee wrap up the flowers and place them back in the pretty vase, just as she would —— they were out the door. “Lead the way. Y’know, I only really ever drink coffee around Christmas time and sometimes Halloween. The festive drinks are the only ones that I’ve ever had, is that weird?”

[regretxful]

The auburn haired girl tried her best to smile and look away as her friend paid for the flowers. It felt wrong not stepping in and suggesting that she could purchase them herself. Her teeth jabbed into her lower lip, a habit Charlotte couldn't shake when she was the slightest bit uncomfortable. Of course, it was too late to say anything, Saturday had already began to walk out of the door. Two shaky fingers made their way into the eighteen year old's lengthy red mane, pushing unwanted strands to the back of her head. Her legs hastened as she caught up with the blonde standing in front of her. The shorter female's statement caused Charlotte to let out a light chuckle. Coffee was a part of her daily routine, one cup in the morning and afternoon. Her life got pretty unstable without the liquid going into her body at least once a day. However, she did know many people who didn't enjoy the drink as much as she did. "No, not at all. The festive kinds of some of my favorites, too. I'm sure this place will be serving something special for the holidays." She didn't feel the need to mention her addiction to consume java on a regular basis. Scaring away Saturday was one of the last things she wanted to do right now, no matter how silly the subject was. 

[dandelicn-blog]

As she watched Charlotte take what she hoped to be a great interest in her small, homely place of work, she couldn’t help but think about what their other fellow classmates would think of the place. Suddenly, an idea of a whole reunion flooded her thoughts but only if the taller female beside her promised to pretend they were back in the school hallway. Exchanges about people were always made between the two, always forcing the comment to be as nice as they could muster up. Saturday was soon snapped back to reality once she heard a question directed to her by a voice she was all too familiar with. “Bog beans with oxalises, I believe. Good choice, these are pretty.” she nodded, approving the females choice as she watched her place it down on the table counter. “Ooh, what about these too?” she pointed to some pale blue bellflower’s. The petite girl was trying to pick out certain colours and shapes that complimented each other but also fitted her personality, somewhat. “You can go wild. —— Pun not intended.” Saturday tittered, rolling her eyes slightly at herself. “Yeah, go wild since I’ve decided that this will be my Christmas present to you. I know, I might prefer chocolates too but it was a little last minute.”

[regretxful]

The girl's dark brown eyes seemed to light up as her friend spoke about her work. She was relieved that the florist approved what she had chosen, and thankful that she'd been so kind, especially after all the months that they'd been away from each other. Charlotte scanned around the room, looking from one display to the next. There were many options, but the redhead was only interested in a select few. She chose some of the smallest plants, ones that could easily be placed throughout her dorm. Of course, she didn't know what any of them were called, but she had Saturday's help for that. The taller female hesitantly looked to the blonde, hoping her choices would all be okay. She gently set the containers down on the check out counter. "So, after this do you wanna grab some coffee? I heard there's a great new place right around the corner." Charlotte patiently waited for a reply, hoping that their time together didn't have to end yet.

[dandelicn-blog]

The blonde shook her head, holding back a chuckle as she ran the name through her head. “It sounds more like a band. Charlotte and her background singers, the Chrysanthemums.” she nudged her side softly before excitedly dashing around the corner as slowly as she could. Saturday was almost overflowing with eagerness, the little shop was her pride and joy and as sad as it may seem to others, she could honestly still see herself working there. Possibly being promoted to the owner once the current ones became too ill to run it themselves. “I can definitely help you there. You know, contrary to popular belief, you can actually buy other coloured flowers apart from red to show holiday spirit.” It was astounding how many orders became repetitive as the different seasons and holidays flew by but she was hopeful that she’d be able to have some creativity with this request. Emerald orbs scan the inside store before a shoulder pushes the thin pane of glass otherwise known as the door open. Saturday sends a smile over to the person currently working behind the counter, looking a little deadpan. Leading the redhead over to the display of flowers, all different shapes, sizes and a whirl of colours. “You’re way more exciting than daisies, roses and pansies — I have faith in your choices.” The smaller brunette allowed a small laugh to escape her lips as she dropped her bags full of various purchases behind the counter.

[regretxful]

"If I start a band, I'll make sure to call you. You could be one of my Chrysanthemums." Charlotte let out a soft giggle after she spoke. Following her friend's lead, the auburn haired girl ambled over towards the shop. She could tell that the blonde was excited to show her around, which caused her smile to grow even bigger than before. It had been a long time since she saw someone from her past, and being with the other girl made Charlotte feel at peace. She couldn't help that this emotion showed all over her face. Once they were inside, Saturday guided her to a large display, it seemed as if it was almost overflowing with different kinds of flowers. Her eyes quickly took everything in though, not looking back at plants she had previously viewed. "Hmm, what are these?" Charlotte turned back to Saturday, directing her outstretched arm at a small vase of pink and white flowers. She crouched down to one of the last shelves to retrieve the pot that had been receiving her current attention. Cupping it with both of her hands, the redhead brought the unique piece of greenery over to the florist, setting it down on the nearby table.

[dandelicn-blog]

Deja vu was something you could say that the flaxen haired girl experienced a lot, being a weekday and all but nothing quite felt as comforting as being in the company of somebody that you hadn’t seen in a long time. The pair had a lot of catching up to do and she was confident that it’d be a a reason to keep in contact with the redhead. “Ooh, I usually stick to fake flowers since I hate throwing out real ones. When they get all withered and all.” Saturday frowned slightly, thinking back to all the once beautiful flowers she had tossed in the trash but the sadness didn’t last for long, they were always replaced by a vibrant and lively bunch. “It’s there, kind of an odd name for a florists, right?” She extended an arm to point to the sign that read ‘Common Sense’ just to the left of her, indicating they had to take a sharp turn in that direction. “What kind of flowers are you after anyway?” 

[regretxful]

Charlotte smiled as the quaint shop came into her view. It blended in with the other stores on the block, making it hard to spot if you were just driving past. Much like the blonde standing next to her, the building screamed sweet. With its curly letter sign and hundreds of flowers waiting to be bought inside, Common Sense was the structure version of Saturday. "I think it's a lovely name." It took some time, but the redhead finally realized what the title was referring to, causing her to let out a small giggle. "I'd never be able to come up with something like that, if I sold flowers, the shop would probably be called Charlotte and Chrysanthemums, which actually isn't too bad. I could use that someday, y'know!" Her brown eyes seemed to glisten as she talked, happy that she'd been able to make a proper joke. "Anyways, I don't really know what I'm looking for. I could use your expertise on that one."

[dandelicn-blog]

People seldom took interest in her life, especially the little things like her job and the fact that the crimson haired girl had, filled her with a sense of elated happiness. “I’d be happy to. We have Christmas themed wrap and everything.” Transferring the bag that was hanging on her right arm over to her left one so she could watch beside the female without hitting her, she then just realised how long it had actually been since they had been close friends. “So, who are the flowers for? Someone special?” Saturday wondered aloud, casting a playful smile to Charlotte as she did so. Fond memories of the two trying to act cool and collected around their crushes filled her head as did the old feeling of the ease that conversing with her used to be. “The shop isn’t too far, just down here and then a left. It’s pretty secluded but I prefer it that way.”

[regretxful]

Slowly, a rosy scarlet color spread over the girl's cheeks, making her face take on an almost childlike appearance. She quickly turned her head away, embarrassed by her reaction. "The flowers aren't for anyone." Charlotte's voice came out quite gruff, causing her to become even more sheepish than before. "Well, they're for me, but just me. I'll probably put them somewhere in my dorm, y'know, spruce it up a bit." Her dark chocolate eyes wandered, like they couldn't possibly stay still. She knew Saturday wouldn't judge her though, they'd shared their stories about broken hearts many times before. Hopefully, she'd understand that the auburn haired girl didn't want to rush into anything right now. In fact, all she wanted was to go to her friend's shop and pick out some flowers. Beautiful and bright ones, so every time she saw them, on a good or bad day, she'd think of Saturday.

[dandelicn-blog]

Saturday raised a brow, she didn’t remember much of the female when it came to actual classes and studying but the two were never as school orientated as they should have been. “Turning over a new leaf? I still leave everything to the last minute, I wasn’t blessed with organisation.” she chuckled softly before beginning a short spur about her own changes. “I work as a florist, Thursday through to Sunday but that’s about it. Everything’s great, I’m still not sure what I want to major in though.” Biology was something the blonde never excelled in and floristry wasn’t a career she could deal with full time — it was more of a hobby. “Hey, do you wanna grab some coffee? I could really do a little relaxing. I’ve just finished up Christmas shopping.”

[regretxful]

Charlotte could tell that the other girl didn't really believe her, which was something she had grown used to. The blonde seemed to always know when her friend was telling a fib, no matter how big. Things were getting back to normal between the two of them, which gave her hope. She had messed up past relationships to the point of no return, but maybe, just maybe, she'd have another shot at this one. Charlotte's thoughts were interrupted as Saturday started to speak again. The redhead could just imagine her friend standing next to billions of flowers, smiling as customers walked in. "Fine, but you better show me the shop afterwards. I need some new flowers."

[dandelicn-blog]

It was a rare occurrence to bump into old friends and usually she’d refrain from interrupting their busy schedule but she just couldn’t get over how much the girl had changed. “Hey! Wow, your hair it’s — different! It looks great.” Surprisingly, no wave of nostalgia had hit her yet but it was a small relief that she wasn’t the only one who had stuck around their small town for a little longer. “So, how’s everything?”

[regretxful]

The redhead began to look around the busy street, wondering how to respond. Nothing new had presented itself to the girl, leaving her speechless for the time being. "Um, well, you know, I-I've just been trying to focus on school stuff right now." The words that had escaped her mouth sounded nothing like high school Charlotte, the one Saturday used to know. "How 'bout you? Are things good?"

[regretxful]

"Don’t see me, don’t see me, do––" Charlotte’s eyes drew shut, her button nose scrunching when she heard her name being called from the distance. Forcing a smile on her face, the female turned around to face the old friend approaching her, "Oh, hey."