Flower Disease 2/?: The Photograph

The photograph was still on her wall. She couldn’t take it down. Right next to the college schedules and random certificates and pictures of her friends, it perched on the wall as a window into her past.

The caption read, in Charlotte’s careful handwriting, ‘E + C 2/14’, with little hearts around the letters. It was from Valentine’s Day the year before; Eve’s hair was plaited neatly in two matching Dutch braids trailing behind her ears. Similar, but not quite the same as the braids she wore now. In the photo she was looking down at her collarbone to a golden locket around her neck.

Inside the locket was the tiniest booklet of 3 miniature tarot cards. Eve could picture the little rectangles even now: first, the Wheel of Fortune, representing chance, luck, fate. Then the Lovers, representing alliance, love, trials overcome. And finally, the Ten of Cups. Literally ‘contentment of the heart,’ ‘romantic prosperity.’ 

Eve cringed at the memory. Charlotte was many things, but she was not at all subtle. And now, she wasn’t going to remember Eve at all.

Above Eve in the photo stood Charlotte herself, dark hair tucked into two perfect buns on either side of her head. Eve felt a shiver run down her spine as she stared into her ex-girlfriend’s deep brown eyes. 

Charlotte’s expression was characteristically neutral, eyebrows slightly raised, lips slightly parted into a small, comfortable smile. Her gaze rested on Eve protectively. Eve found herself tracing the photo outline with her fingertip.

As if released from the spell, she looked away, blinking fast. She’d told herself she wouldn’t cry, but it had been a fruitless attempt anyway. Hot tears pooled on her waterlines, blurring her vision.

Eve had been without Charlotte for months now, and when they had broken up, it’d been mutual. Neither had feelings for the other, so they decided to be friends. They hadn’t spoken since, but they didn’t outright hate each other or anything. Well. ‘Hadn’t spoken since’ may have been a misnomer. 

Eve hadn’t spoken to Charlotte since. 

Charlotte had sent approximately 80 text messages, twelve bouquets of flowers, and two boxes of chocolate.

And ten minutes earlier, Charlotte had informed Eve that because of the now life-threatening onset of the flower disease, she would be going in for surgery to cure it. Meaning that soon Charlotte would have no recollection of ever meeting Eve. Permanently.

Eve laid down on the floor, picked up her phone, ignored the barrage of angry texts from Charlotte’s friends, and shuffle played her favorite playlist.

I can’t say sorry

When will you love me

Tell me another—

Eve switched songs before the chorus even finished.

I know my love should be celebrated

But you tolerate it—

Next song.

When I see you with her

It only gets worse

But oh, how—

Eve switched off the music and lay there on the floor. The ceiling fan was covered in dust, she noticed. Everything was uglier when she looked at it closer.

Tears slowly dripped from her temples and soaked into the carpet. She felt empty, like a husk of who she was before. What was Eve doing, falling for girls with boyfriends, coughing up flowers for Daisy when someone else was literally dying in love with her?

Her heart always felt light, buzzing, overflowing with butterflies when she talked to Daisy, but when she thought of Charlotte, probably sitting in a cold hospital room somewhere, begging Eve to love her, her heart felt like a solid, impermeable stone sinking deeper in her chest by the minute.

Eve coughed and sat up, slouched in her own misery, until she heard a knock at the door. She stood, clumsily, wandered over to the door and opened it.

“Hey,” said Daisy with a halfhearted smile. “Benji told me your address. Can I come in?”

Two minutes later, Daisy and Eve were sitting opposite each other in Eve’s apartment living room. It had been her aunt’s apartment until she married Eve’s uncle and moved in with him, which happened to align perfectly with Eve going into her sophomore year of college. The living room was relatively spacious for an apartment near a university, but Eve was all too aware of how close she was to Daisy. 

“So, what brings you to my humble abode?” Eve asked, flustered.

Daisy seemed to hesitate a second before speaking. “I need a place to stay tonight. John and I had… an argument, and I don’t know anyone else in the area, I know it’s weird because I only ever see you at work, and—“ she pauses with a smile. “I like your sweatshirt.”

It was the first time she’d seen her without the ugly cashier apron, Eve knew, but she blushed bright red anyway. “Thanks. It’s just my… friend’s old one.”

Of course Daisy would notice Eve’s sweatshirt the one time it wasn’t actually hers. It was a dark maroon pullover thing with some band logo on the back, and it belonged to Charlotte. Eve had borrowed it months ago, but it was far too late to give it back.

Daisy gave her a nervous look, and Eve remembered the underlying question.

“Yeah, of course you can stay with me,” Eve said. “I’ve got an empty guest room upstairs. It has a shared bathroom with my room, though.”

“I don’t mind. Thank you, this really means a lot.” Daisy looked genuinely relieved. She sighed and took her phone out of her pocket. “Do you mind if I call my mom quickly? She’s a bit worried.”

“Yeah, no, of course,” Eve said. “You can go into the kitchen if you want. For privacy.”

She stood up and wandered into the side room, which was the exact moment Eve noticed she was wearing jeans.

Not once, in any of Eve’s interactions with Daisy, had she worn anything but a colorfully patterned sundress and sandals. Eve glanced over to the doorway, where Daisy’s Doc Martens were neatly arranged next to Eve’s. Feeling confused and still a bit blindsided by Daisy’s arrival, she picked up her phone from the coffee table and texted Benji.

EVE: why are you giving my home address to strangers?!

BENJI: you obviously like her and she looked like she needed it

E: … rude

B: you do! and she did!

E: I get all the tips from yesterday

B: oh no, a whole two dollars and sixty-four cents? 

B: however would I live without?

E: my bad I forgot you dorm kids don’t have rent to pay

B: so sorry you’re stuck with a fully furnished two bedroom apartment for free

B: I’m sure it’s a terrible life

E: die in a hole benji

B: love u too

Thoroughly frustrated, Eve rolled her eyes and put her phone down on the coffee table to realize that Daisy was sitting across from her again patiently.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t notice you come back.” Eve said, the blush returning. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes with a nervous giggle that came out way more awkwardly than she’d intended.

“No problem. Where should I put my stuff down?” She gestured to her backpack.

“I’ll show you up to the guest room,” Eve said, standing up.

Daisy stood and turned to the stairs. Eve couldn’t help but notice Daisy’s hair, tied half up into a small ponytail, the rest left flowing just past her shoulders. It reminded her of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but with hair the color of sweet cherries.

The guest room was right next to Eve’s, the adjoining bathroom centered in between. The walls were a soft pastel yellow, and the only items in the room were a queen-sized bed, a tall dresser, and a fluffy rectangular carpet. Ironically enough the only person who’d stayed in this room since Eve got the apartment was Charlotte, who used to live with her. The last time Eve had stepped foot in there was to pack all of her ex-girlfriend’s belongings into a cardboard box and mail it to her.

“You’re welcome to make yourself at home. The bathroom’s that door. I’ll get bedding for you.” Eve was happy to find a reason to not be in that room anymore. The memories were flooding back with every second she stood on the soft carpeting.

That night, Eve ordered Chinese food for the two of them and they sat on the couch to watch a movie. The awkwardness had waned, but they were still strangers. Eve didn’t even know Daisy’s last name.

“What’s your favorite movie?” Eve asked, opening her fried rice.

“I would tell you, but I can’t let you know how much of a hopeless romantic I am. Not yet, anyway.” Daisy sipped her water conspiratorially.

“Well, now I really need to know,” Eve protested. “You can’t just leave me hanging like that! Mine is embarrassingly sappy too, but I’m willing to tell you what it is. Probably.”

“Really? What is it?” Daisy was smiling now, and Eve felt a hundred pounds lighter, like she was soaring away in a hot air balloon. She felt a cough rising in her throat but ignored it.

“Say it at the same time?” Eve offered slyly.

“Fine.”

“Three… two… one…”

“THE PRINCESS BRIDE!” They both screamed in unison, cackling with laughter. Forget the hot air balloon, Eve felt weightless. Suspended in a bubbly vacuum of joy.

“That’s it, we’re watching the best movie ever tonight.” Eve picked up the remote and found the movie. 

Daisy giggled and said, “As you wish.”

And the rest of the night disappeared.