Whisper of the Bouquet

The ghostly bouquet sat in darkness, waiting. A freshness washed over while the wet wind whistled. Jack, 23, was undeterred by the rainy weather, so he strolled outside. As he looked down, he saw an arrangement of flowers on the sidewalk. They were a set of pearl white ones that still had the tag. The flowers whispered to him as he got closer.

You’re alone now, Jack. She’ll find out your secret and never come back.

Jack started to quicken his pace and take his mind off of the flowers. As he walked back, he noticed the plants were gone. They made him ruminate about the situation earlier that got him in trouble.

A sun-baked brown couch with the same color table and floor sat in the living room, and it looked like a pack of wild animals had run through. This only added to the rising tension that swirled. There were empty red Solo cups, napkins, plates, and tattered pillows. Alyssa chased Jack through the house as she stepped all over the land mines of trash. Anger grew in her like a volcano, ready to erupt. “Go to hell, Jack," she said.

“Let’s not do this today, babe. I honestly had no idea. You’ve got to believe me. You two look quite similar.”

“I never expected this from you and on my 21st birthday too!” A single tear raced down Alyssa’s cheek. The drop one cries when they feel betrayed. Her sadness turned into a bottled rage. She looked ready to slap Jack across the face but controlled herself. “What about her and I are similar?”

“I… I don’t know, Alyssa. You don’t make it easy with a question like that.”

“I know.” She stared at him and waited for a response. Her electric green eyes were like daggers that pierced his soul.

“Okay, okay. I had a couple of drinks earlier, so I didn’t think clearly at the time.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Rum sounded like a good idea at the party to feel like we were on vacation again. Remember the warm sunny beaches of Mexico? I wanted to go back to that.”

“Don’t make me regret that trip.”

“I would never . Anyway, I got a text from your phone that said:

Come to the bedroom… It might be my birthday, but I have a present for u ;)

“She must’ve done that while I was in the bathroom. Veronica asked to see my phone because she told me she wanted to send herself some pictures I took from the party,” Alyssa said.

“Really? That’s messed up! I can’t believe she’d lie to you like that.”

“I can’t either but go on.”

“I knocked on your bedroom door and asked for you. She said she was and told me to turn off the lights before I came in. I swear she sounded just like you, Alyssa. When you walked in and saw us on the bed after we were done, I never would’ve guessed… it wasn’t you. His head drooped, “If I had known, I’d never have slept with her.”

Alyssa momentarily softened her tone, “Maybe we sound alike, but I think you would’ve noticed that she’s taller than me. A whole five inches to be exact.”

“That’s the truth.” He held up his finger as if to remember a thought. “Wait here…I’ll be right back.” The flowers he was supposed to pick up for her, from the florist, Bloom, slipped his mind at the worst time.

“What was I waiting for? Nothing? Big surprise!” Alyssa said as she turned to walk away.

“Please hear me out. I was going to get you — ”

Alyssa whipped back around, “Going to? I don’t care what you were going to get me. The fact is you didn’t.”

Jack grabbed her waist and pulled her in gently. “I’m sorry. How many times do I have to say it?”

She retreated, crossed her arms, and walked away without a word. He didn’t know how to fix this, or even if he could.

The memory ended and Jack, still stood in the incessant rain. Suddenly, like lightning, an idea struck him and he immediately went to work on it.

Alyssa was at home. She called Veronica, ready to give her a piece of her mind. “Dammit, Veronica! Why won’t you answer your phone?” She said to herself as the phone was on the fourth ring. A sweet-sounding voice answered from the other end.

“Hey, little sis, what’s up?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly why I called.” Veronica seemed taken aback by her sister’s aggressiveness.

“I don’t. Whatever could this be about? I can’t think of why you’d be mad at me.” Veronica, 26, sat on her bed and painted her toes a soul-sucking black.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that you hooked up with Jack?! My boyfriend?!”

“Oh, that. So, how does it feel to have something that was yours taken for a change?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Veronica?” Alyssa immediately went into the next question. “You know what? I don’t care. I just want to know why.”

“Why ?”

“Why’d you do it? You knew we were happy together!”

“How dare you! I was perfectly happy, just mom and me. Then she had you, and you took her away. I never got much time with her after and it’s all your fault!” Veronica hung up the phone, and Alyssa was left on the other end, speechless. In a way, Veronica had been a role model to her before. Alyssa wished for her mom to be there and comfort her, telling her it would be alright, just like she used to. After her screaming match with her sister, her mother’s words popped into her mind.

"Never forget to forgive others, but always forget what you forgave them for."

She let tears fall. The next day Alyssa woke up for work after not getting much sleep and felt the same as she had earlier — a cauldron of misery and fury. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, pulled out her phone, and texted a message to Jack. When she was finished, she knew her words would sting like a scorpion’s tail, but she didn’t care and clicked SEND. Alyssa checked the time and sighed. There’d be no coffee to get her through today, and it was time to go. She arrived at work quickly and settled in to begin her shift.

“Good Morning, Alyssa,” her co-workers said in joyful unison.

“Good Morning, guys. It seems like you are all in such a great mood today. What’s going on?” The only response she got was giggles and smiles. She surveyed the office to see if anything was out of the ordinary but couldn’t find what it may have been. “Okay, seriously, what’s going on?” She continued to walk around the cubicles when she noticed a red heart-shaped balloon. It spun without a care in the world slowly under the corner ceiling vent. As it turned, you could see that there were words on the other side — the three most powerful words in the known universe. A bucket with white flowers was under the balloon on her desk. In white ink it said:

I Love You,

Jack

They had never spoken these words to each other, so an extensive number of emotions bubbled in her like a hot spring. A look of suspicion overtook her face, and she began to wonder if this was just a ploy to get her back. She shook off the notion and resolved that she felt the same about him. She tried to send a second text to negate her former. A message popped up every time she wanted to send it:

ERROR. NOT DELIVERED.

Jack was out for his walk again that night. His phone buzzed to remind him of a text that was sent earlier he had not yet read.

I don’t think I can trust u anymore. I still can’t believe you did that, even if it may not have been all ur fault.

This isn’t working for me right now, and I think it’s best if we take a break.

I’m sorry.

Jack looked up from his phone in bewilderment.

You’re alone now, Jack. She’ll find out your secret and never come back, the flowers whispered again.

As these thoughts occupied his head, a familiar figure approached him. Two feet apart, he could see the girl had electric green eyes that reminded him of her. Jack picked up his phone and dialed a number. A few seconds later, the girl’s phone rang.

“Hello?” The girl stopped and turned around.

“Jack?”

“Alyssa? Oh my gosh!” He hung up the phone and moved towards her. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you!” Jack threw his arms around Alyssa and embraced her with the warmest hug. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ll tell you, but I need to ask you a question first.” Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing for whatever she’d say.

“Of course, anything.”

“Do you…” A puzzled look appeared on Jack’s face.

“Do I, what?”

“Dammit, Jack! Do you really love me?” She said as she looked down, unable to make eye contact with him. There was something adorable about the way she did it, though. Jack lifted her head and looked at her.

“Would I have it written on a balloon if it wasn’t true?” She giggled and smacked him on the arm.

“You’re such an asshole!” With a smirk plastered on his face, Jack grabbed her hand and led her back to his work.

“I get off in ten minutes. Let’s grab coffee after and talk about it. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll see you soon.” Jack spoke it in a Rhett Butler-Esque way as he kissed her on the cheek.

They arrived as a pleasant aroma of coffee beans filled the air. Jack and Alyssa ordered their drinks and sat at the corner booth of the bustling cafe. Alyssa, with butterflies in her stomach, spoke first. “I wanted to stop by your office and thank you for the balloon and bouquet. While I tried to text you about it, the damn internet wouldn’t let me."

Jack sensed a spark of hope in her voice and did not want to ruin this passion he ignited in her, even if that meant telling a lie.

“I thought if I sent the bouquet to your job instead, it would make it special. I know you’re shy about public displays of affection, but I felt you’d give me a pass on this one.”

“Just this once."

“I’m glad. So, what happened with Veronica?”

Alyssa scowled, “Five minutes I’ll never get back. It turns out she slept with you to get back at me.”

“For what?”

“Being born, I guess.” Alyssa threw up her hands with innocence. "She's mad that mom gave me more attention before she passed. That’s why I’m going to send her this:

Thx for being there when mom couldn’t be. I’m still sad about losing her too. I love you, sis

“Couldn’t have said it any better myself.” Alyssa clicked send and felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A few minutes later, her phone rang, and her palms began to sweat.

“I gotta take this.” Jack was left to observe the coffee shop. As Alyssa stepped away, a young girl his age ran in with her head in her hands. A muffled cry could be heard as she sat on the crimson-red couch a few feet away. Jack, who felt sorry for the stranger, stood and walked toward her. Her knees were tucked up while her arms embraced them. Long red locks peeked through her black hood that was up, and she wore a pair of pink sweatpants with white shoes — the color of purity, of innocence. “Excuse me, Miss,” Jack said, “You seem like you’re in distress. Is everything all right?”

The girl, 23, slowed her sobs and looked at him with pools in her eyes.

“I just found out my boyfriend cheated on me.” At once, Jack knew how Alyssa felt.

“I’m sorry about that. No one deserves to have that happen to them. Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel.” The girl lifted her head a bit in anticipation.

“You do?”

“Yeah. I accidentally cheated on my girlfriend recently, but I think I’m finally out of the doghouse. That’s her over there.” As he pointed, a smile appeared on the strangers face with a slight giggle.

“How do you accidentally cheat on your girlfriend?” She started to place her hand over her mouth, realizing what she was asking of him.

“It's okay,” he said and told her a shortened version of it. Her jaw dropped as he finished.

“Wow, that’s crazy! Her sister is terrible to have tricked you like that.”

“Yeah."

“Are you mad at her?” Jack paused and looked down like a dog that knew he was in trouble.

“I… I didn’t think about that. I was more upset with myself afterward. The worst part was when we were together at that moment I — ” Jack looked up, stopped, and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I came here to make sure you were okay, not have you play therapist.”

“I charge by the hour.”

“Who should I make the check out to?”

“Brianna.” She extended her hand, and he shook it.

“Jack, it’s nice to meet you.”

She pointed toward Alyssa. “She’s quite the lucky girl.”

“Would you write that down? I haven’t been able to share a personal story with somebody I’ve just met in a long time,” Jack said.

“I feel the same way. My boyfriend, Drew, was always out late at night. It was the same story."

“I just went to the gym for a bit. Jeez.” It made sense because he worked with Tana, his personal trainer.”

“She helped him stay on top of his fitness goals, and Drew seemed to like her. Guess his goals weren’t the only thing she was on top of."

"That was his mistake.”

She chuckled, “Damn straight. I’ll show him! I’m gonna text him right now and let him know this relationship is over. O-V-E-R!” She snapped her fingers with sass.

“And that, my friend, is what they call closure, to quote Rachel Green.” They shared a laugh. His attention was then drawn towards Alyssa. “It looks like my girlfriend just finished her call. I should get back to her.” He stood up and made his way to his table. “Take care of yourself, Brianna.”

“Thanks, Jack. You too.” Unnoticed by Alyssa, she left the coffee shop.

Alyssa headed back toward where Jack was at the table and said, “You’ll never believe who that was.”

“Veronica?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“Just a guess. What did she say?”

Alyssa took a sip of her coffee and began, “She was so sorry that she treated me like that, Jack. Veronica didn’t fully realize she blamed me for not getting more time with mom, even though I had no control over that. I told her I was thankful for my memories with mom and encouraged her to think the same.”

“I’m glad everything is better between you two.”

Alyssa took a deep breath and felt like she could fly. “It’s a start, at least . Oh! She also said how sorry she was for using you like that. She didn’t want to apologize to you directly because if you both still communicated after, she thought it might’ve caused more tension between us.”

Jack ran his fingers through his short black hair. His mother used to do that to him when he was in bed and sensed he was anxious. It calmed him down and became a coping mechanism. He contemplated whether to tell her the secret. It ate him alive, but every ounce of his being told him not to.

She’ll find out your secret and never come back.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Jack. I thought it would be much harder to trust you again. It was a one-time thing, after all, right?"

Jack couldn’t get the moment out of his mind, and he hated himself for it. The pleasure he felt with her, the sensations he rarely did with Alyssa, the spontaneity, sexiness, and raw feminine energy that had coursed through Veronica. It was wrong, but he had never experienced what he had done with her before. His adrenaline at Alyssa’s birthday party was the highest it had been in a long time, like how you feel while riding a rollercoaster. He desired to get on again and wished there was anything that would prevent him from wanting to. There wouldn’t have to be. As quickly as it opened, the amusement park was closed.

“Of course. One-time only. Whaddya say we get out of here and go home?” She agreed and he held her hand as they strolled into the night under a cloudless sky. Jack stopped and pointed excitedly. “Hey, do you see that, Alyssa?”

“See what?”

“You don’t see it? It is right in front of you.”

“I don't see anything.”

“I’m serious, it’s right there. Look! The bouquet! The white petals are falling off and the stems… they’re dying!”

The flowers started again, You’ll be alone, Jack. She’ll find out your secret and never —

“What bouquet? You’re starting to scare me. There’s nothing there.” The flowers disappeared and were silenced.

“It was right there. I could’ve sworn…”

Alyssa patted him on the shoulder, “I think you need to cut your hours at work."

He ignored her. “How could it just vanish like that?”

“You always did have quite the imagination. Come on. Let’s get you home before you start seeing flying monkeys.”

Jack would no longer be haunted by the bouquet nor the shame and guilt he had carried, for now. Flowers, like secrets though, can always bloom again.