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Flowers. They’re beautiful. With their delicate petals and sweet fragrance, all the different shapes and colors, big and small- did anyone not like flowers? Along with being beautiful, they are also widely seen as a symbol of love. They have been associated with love for centuries, seen as a way to convey affection without words. Though, each one did have a different meaning, right? Roses, tulips, lilies, daisies- they all meant a different thing.
Jacob thought about this as they browsed and looked through all the different plants in the floristry. There were a lot of smells, too, they noticed. To be honest, they aren’t exactly sure how they ended up here. This was supposed to be a small walk, 10 minutes at most, but then they came across this shop. In the front at the entrance were tons of flowers all potted and organized, though one specific thing caught their eyes. A small bouquet of vibrant red and maroon carnations (though, Jacob didn’t know the name until they walked closer to read the label). Admittedly, the flowers reminded them of Jaiden. Probably because she’s mentioned carnations before, or something. They’d bought her flowers before- but it had been a while since the last time. There was no harm in it. Besides, their home could use some flora.
Now, here they were. They knew they wanted to buy flowers, but god there were so many. The store wasn’t huge, but it was packed with flora. Basically every space was filled, some plants even hanging from the ceiling. Jacob read the labels for every flower they came across. They didn’t even know there were this many types. Pothos, Peperomia, English Ivy, Azalea, Irisis- they almost laugh silently to themself. Not because of the names, no, but because of the sheer amount. After browsing the selection for a bit, the deep, vibrant reds and dark purples of the carnation never left their head. They doubted it was for sale- it was on display, anyway- but it didn’t hurt to ask. There could be extras, or some sort of replica. Taking an absent minded breath, they walk up to someone they hope works here.
“..Excuse me?” they voiced, their demeanor confident yet approachable. The woman turned around, she seemed to be about in her late 70’s, Jacob noticed. The corners of her mouth shifted into a soft smile. “Oh, hello, how can I help you?” she responded. In her hands were some tulips, presumably to be put in a pot.
“Uh, I’m looking for a specific type of flower. It was on display outside. I think.. it was called a carnation? It was mostly red.” Jacob stated. The worry of getting the name of the flower wrong was certainly, somewhat, haunting them. Yet, the woman interrupted their thoughts. “Ah, yes! We have some of those. Stay right here, I’ll be back.” She turned around and made her way to presumably a back room. Jacob did as they were told, waiting patiently. They pull out their phone and decide to text Jaiden, just to let her know that their walk might be longer than they originally thought.
Jacob - Hey:3 might be gone a bit longer than I thought,, but it’s for a good reason!!!!!
As much as they wanted to wait for her response, they noticed the florist coming back. Putting their phone back into their pocket, Jacob looks at what she had in her hands. The exact flowers that they saw outside. They can’t help but smile- at least a little. “Are these what you were looking for?” The woman held out the flowers. They were already wrapped in a bouquet. They were, indeed, exactly what Jacob was looking for. A rich red flowering plant with ruffled petals, blooming into a pale maroon. “Y-yeah, that’s exactly it,” they smile softly, somewhat relieved. The florist led them to the checkout, handing the flowers to Jacob before speaking again.
“So, are these for someone? Or just for yourself?” she questioned as Jacob handed her their credit card to pay for the flowers. They were slightly taken aback, not having expected conversation. “Ah, um, yeah. They’re for someone.” They remark awkwardly. The florist chuckled to herself before opening her mouth to talk again.
“The Dianthus Caryophyllus.”
“..What?” Jacob looks up, unsure of what she said.
“The flower’s actual name is the Dianthus Caryophyllus. Its scientific name, if you will. Carnations represent a whole lot of different things, depending on their color. This one,” she points to the bouquet in Jacob's arms. “represents deep love and affection, whether it be for a special someone, a friend, or a family member- the deep red petals are supposed to visualize a heart full of never ending love,” Her mouth curves into another smile, handing Jacobs credit card back to them. “a promise that you’ll stay with someone no matter what.”
Stupidly enough, Jacob can’t help but think of Jaiden while she explains the flower’s story. Think of all their friends, for that matter- all of their loved ones and people they’ve met over the years, but their mind was so full of jaiden they could barely call it their own.
“..but that’s just what they say.”
huh.
Jacob thought for a second, blinking, before taking the card and putting it back into their phone case, then putting it back in the pocket of their black coat. “..Thank you,” Jacob gives the florist a smile. Outside, the sky was all kinds of light pinks, reds and oranges, and the clouds just barely covered the setting sun. Jacob should probably start to make their way home.
“You’re welcome,”
They finish up the conversation somewhat quickly- yet still relaxed. Eventually, they make their way to the exit of the store, adjusting their coat, Carnations in hand. They step outside into the brisk but still comfortable environment, taking a breath as if they were holding one that entire time. They take out their phone with their free hand and step to the side of the store. Two texts from Jaiden.
Jaiden - okay:3 im curious now
Jaiden - dont stay out too long tho its gonna get cold
Jacob smiles. She was right- it was going to get pretty cold, and it already was cold enough. The air blew their hair a little, caressing their face. They put their phone back in their pocket, this time with their hand, too. They begin to walk back to the apartment, somewhat hiding the flowers in their coat, a feeble attempt to protect them from the brisk outside. The sky was more dark now and the sun almost completely set.
—--
Eventually, finally, their hand is on the doorknob of their apartment. Opening the door gently, they step inside taking a deep breath once more. Fraiser greeted them at their feet as they set the flowers down on the small table. They take their coat off, too, hanging it onto the coat rack near the entrance. They pick up the flowers again and look at them for a little, the florist’s words echoing in their head. A heart full of never ending love.. Ah, it was cliché, wasn’t it? But, even so, Jacob can’t help but think of it. Flowers, they mean. All the meanings and stories- the anatomy of the petals, the symbolism. They were never a person to be indulged in that kind of stuff, but for some reason, these flowers felt special. That was stupid, though.
They walk towards Jaiden’s room, hiding the bouquet behind their back. Fraiser followed them right at their feet. Her door was only slightly opened as usual. Jacob uses their free hand to push open the door, making a familiar creaking sound. Jaiden turns around in her chair, her eyes widening and sparkling slightly. “Hey, welcome back,” she smiled- her tone almost teasing. “What got you held up?” she asked- she was all too curious. She also noticed the hand behind Jacob’s back and furrowed her eyebrows. Jacob noticed she noticed, and quickly began speaking.
“I came across a shop- and it was kinda impulsive, but I bought a little something,” Jacob said softly. You’ve gotten her flowers before, calm down. They try to reason with themself, but for some reason, they felt so much more nervous. probably because they knew the meaning, now. What if she thinks it’s just.. dumb? Whatever, Jacob thought, they’re in too deep now. They can always make up a dumb excuse.
Jaiden tilted her head slightly, her eyebrows raised a little, almost as if she was urging Jacob to show her what they were hiding. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, because whatever was behind their back turned their ‘quick walk’ into a 45 minute one.
Behind Jacob's back, the bouquet shuffles a little as they reveal them to her at last.
“Here,” they hold out the bouquet to Jaiden, who is still sitting at her desk. “I got you flowers. Or- Carnations- whatever they’re called.” they smile, almost unsure. Flustered, maybe?
Jaiden looks at the bouquet for a little, admiring the red carnations, the way the petals were so imperfectly perfect, how the vibrant red bled into a deeper red as it got closer towards the middle. For a mere moment, it was almost as if she was starstruck.
“Jacob..” she stands up from her chair and walks over towards them. A tender smile appeared on her face, her eyes sparkling, reflecting the same crimson the flowers had. “..they’re really pretty. You said they were carnations, right?” she queried, reaching her hand forward to gently touch one of the flowers.
“Red ones. The Dianthus Caryophyllus,” Jacob smiles, this time somewhat relieved. They were pleased at Jaiden’s reaction, honestly. “They represent, or like, symbolize.. devotion. and affection. And-”
“you mean love?” Jaiden interrupts, her eyes still on the bouquet, but Jacob’s eyes on her.
“..yeah. love.” Jacob grins again, handing the flowers to her. “they reminded me of you,” they begin talking again. “I'm not sure why. But I'm glad you like them.” They finish speaking as Jaiden takes the flowers. She looks at them still, admiring every minor and major detail. “Thank you..” she says in a genuine tone. Suddenly, she spoke again, this time with more energy than Jacob expected.
“C’mon, let’s go put them in a vase!” exclaiming, she takes Jacob's hand with her free one and leads both of them to the kitchen, not leaving any room for reaction. Jacob, not exactly having a choice now, followed behind her. Eventually, Jaiden lets go of their hand, setting down the flowers on the counter. She goes to a nearby cabinet and opens it, searching for presumably a vase. Jacob leans against the counter, taking this as an opportunity to rest for a little bit after their heavily-detoured walk.
Jaiden popped up with a glass vase in her hands. She set it down on the counter next to where Jacob was, and took the flowers once again. She began to gently take them out of the bouquet one by one, making sure to not rip any of the petals. Jacob opened their mouth to speak once again, still resting against the marble.
“Y’know what the florist at the shop told me?” they asked, observing her almost rhythmic movements. Jaiden hums in response, cutting the ends of some stems off in order to make them fit in the vase better.
“She told me that giving these flowers to someone was like a promise,”
there was a pause as Jacob thought about their words.
“a promise that you’ll be with someone no matter what.”
Jaiden was once again, somewhat stunned. She stopped what she was doing to turn to look at them, her eyes sparkling again. She looked into their blue eyes and couldn’t help but smile. There was about 2 seconds of a comfortable silence before she let out a small chuckle.
“you’re such a dork, sometimes,” she mumbles, only somewhat over a whisper, before turning back to put the flowers in the vase. Yeah, they were a dork sometimes- but, yeah, Jaiden didn’t hate it. In fact, she loved it. She loved every little reassurance, every single ‘I love you’. She loved every single promise they made to her, because at the end of the day, Jacob wasn’t the type to break promises.
“oh, be quiet.” Jacob teases, the tone evident in their voice. “I’m just repeating what the girl at the store told me,” they said, despite the fact that they really did promise. Promise to stay with her forever, no matter what. Jaiden laughed softly, rolling her eyes jokingly and going back to potting the flowers. She was almost done now, the glass vase shaping the red carnations perfectly. When she finished, she set the scissors down and stepped back to look at her work, putting her hand on her hip.
“I’m not a flower expert, but I would say I did a pretty fantastic job,” Jaiden jokes, smiling a little before looking at Jacob.
“I think they look-” they begin, however they are promptly interrupted by arms around them. Jaiden pulled them into an embrace, her head resting in the crook of their neck. While Jacob was stunned at first- it was only for a couple seconds. They wrap their own arms around her, pressing their chin on the top of her head lightly. “Thank you..” Jaiden said, her voice a little above a whisper, but genuine nonetheless. “Really, Jacob, I appreciate... this. a lot. I appreciate you a lot,” and though the last part of her statement was more quiet, it was still loud enough for Jacob to hear- and enough to make their heart happy. They squeezed Jaiden a small bit tighter. “..you’re welcome, Jaiden.”
There was a pause of comfortable silence as they just enjoyed each other's presence and embrace before Jaiden pulled back, looking at Jacob. Jacob intertwined their fingers with hers, pressing their forehead against hers- still wanting her touch just a little. “And I’m the dork?” they mocked, though there was no actual bad intent behind their reply.
“..I promise too, by the way.”
Jacob looks at Jaiden slightly confused, but they don’t have time to ask about it before she speaks again.
“To stay with you, I mean. ‘No matter what’,” she smiles, quoting what Jacob said. And it was true, wasn’t it? Afterall, they wanted to stay together- and though they both didn’t know much about.. well, anything, they knew that they wanted to stay, stay, stay. To stay with their person and make memories, to cherish each waking moment spent together. They wanted to laugh, cry, dance and talk together. To spend long nights just chatting, or in the comfortable silence in each other's arms- they want to be with each other. And, as surreal as it may sound, they were.
Jacob pulls Jaiden into another embrace hearing her words. While they weren’t exactly the type to get sappy, there were certainly moments. And this was, observably, one of those moments. And- of course it was never a bad thing. Being with each other almost felt like a gentle reassurance. A reassurance that things will be okay. Jaiden wraps her own arms around them as they rest their head on her shoulder. She plays with their hair a little, taking care to be gentle, her fingers moving rhythmically through each strand of light blonde hair. There wasn’t much going on in Jaiden’s mind, but she did think one thing- god, Jacob gave the best hugs.
for only a couple seconds, there was a comfortable silence between the two.
The sun was now completely engulfed in the night, the familiar red and orange colors gone. As Jaiden’s fingers gently move through Jacob’s hair, the quiet hum of the apartment feels oddly comforting. The moment stretches on, simple and unhurried. Jacob rests their head against Jaiden’s shoulder, just enjoying the weight of her presence beside them.
The carnations sit on the counter behind them, a quiet reminder of the cold still lurking outside. But for once, Jacob doesn’t feel the need to fill the silence with words. It’s enough just to be here, like this.
Jaiden eventually pulls back a little, tucking some stray hairs behind Jacob's ear. She looks at them for a moment, studying them with that familiar, soft smile. “You know,” she says, voice quiet but sure, “I really like these flowers. But you didn’t have to get them.”
Jacob looks down at her, brow raised slightly. “..huh?”
Jaiden shrugs, taking her hands away. She interlocks their fingers again and speaks. “I mean, they’re great. But… you don’t need to buy me things to make me happy. I already know you care.”
Jacob smiles, a little surprised by how much those words settle in. “I know,” they reply, nodding. “I just… thought you’d like them.”
Jaiden chuckles softly, the sound warm and relaxed. “I do. I love them- but if you ever want to get me anything, just bring me takeout or something and we’re good.” She says, clearly teasing, but the promise and meaning the flowers have behind them circle in her mind.
"Good to know," Jacob responds with a grin, nudging her lightly.
Jaiden turns back to the vase on the counter, carefully adjusting the flowers again. The kitchen is quiet, the only sound being the gentle clink of the vase settling into place. For a few moments, Jacob watches her, feeling that familiar, comforting sense of home.
After a beat, Jaiden stops what she’s doing and looks at Jacob again, eyes serious for just a second. “I’m.. i’m really thankful for you, though,” she says, her voice low but sincere.
Jacob nods, their heart feeling lighter than it has all day. “Me too.” They grin, and tilt their head just a little.
She smiles again, just a little softer this time, and pulls them into another hug. It’s quiet, this one. No big words, no promises—just the steady rhythm of breathing, the feeling of being close.
For a while, neither of them speak. The flowers are finished, the evening winding down, but everything that needs to be said is already there. They don’t need to say much— they never needed to. Just the comfort of being in the same space is enough.
And when Jaiden pulls back, a quiet smirk tugging at the corners of her lips, Jacob feels that familiar warmth again. Not because of the flowers, or the promises, or even the jokes. But because they know, at this moment, that they’re exactly where they need to be. Exactly where they want to be.
“I’ll get the takeout next time,” Jacob says lightly, offering a grin, gently flicking Jaidens forehead.
Jaiden smiles, letting out a breathy laugh. “Make it Taco Bell.” She takes Jacobs hand away from her face and looks at them. There wasn’t much more to be said, but that was okay. They could both find a sense of comfort in the silence of each other's presence- and for now, that’s enough.
It will always be enough.