"Okay," Aria said, hands on her hips as she surveyed the chaos in front of her, "I take it back. You are not a natural at this."
Kaelira stood in the middle of the flower shop, wearing an oversized apron that said I BEG YOUR PARDON (I'M JUST A BLOOMING MESS) in bold script. In one hand, she held a limp tulip. In the other, a squished piece of floral foam that had definitely seen better days.
"It looked so easy in your videos!" Kaelira protested. "You just stick stuff in and it's magic."
Aria tried — and failed — to hold in a laugh. "You soaked the foam too much. It's not a sponge, Kaelira, it's floral foam, not a bath bomb!"
"Rude," Kaelira sniffed, dramatically dabbing her forehead with a damp petal like it was a tissue. "Some of us are new to the floral arts."
"Some of us also put baby's breath in the trash can thinking it was filler from the delivery box."
Kaelira gasped. "You said it was called baby's breath, I thought you were joking! That sounds fake!"
Aria burst out laughing, her head tilting back as she reached for the bundle of stems Kaelira had just dropped — upside down, naturally.
⤹ ❀
It was Saturday evening, and the shop was closed early just for this.
Kaelira had insisted: "I want to give my fans something real for the next showcase. Something I made with my hands."
Aria had blinked. "So… you want to make flower bouquets."
Kaelira nodded, beaming. "With your help! It'll be cute."
It was not cute.
Not at first, anyway.
It was messy. There were rose petals everywhere. The scent of lavender was so strong that Aria sneezed three times in a row, while Kaelira was dramatically swatting at nonexistent pollen.
Also, Kaelira had somehow gotten green floral tape tangled in her bangs.
"I think I'm being attacked by ivy," Kaelira muttered as Aria gently peeled the sticky tape from her hair. "Why is this so hard? I sing and dance for a living!"
"You dance with grace and power," Aria said, trying not to laugh. "But floral arranging is delicate. It's about balance. It's—"
Kaelira accidentally jabbed a stem straight through the foam block, which snapped in half and fell over.
Aria just sighed.
"Okay. New plan. Let's start small."
⤹ ❀
They sat together on the floor now, cross-legged with soft instrumental music playing from Aria's phone.
Aria pulled out a fresh set of materials: small flower cones, tissue paper, ribbon, and a few select blooms.
"Try this," she said, handing Kaelira a soft pink carnation. "Hold it gently. Think of it like…" She hesitated. "Like something you don't want to crush. Like… like a heart."
Kaelira's smile softened. She took the flower carefully. "Like your heart?"
Aria choked on her own breath.
"Y-You—!"
Kaelira giggled, grinning with satisfaction. "Gotcha."
"You're lucky you're pretty," Aria muttered, cheeks flushed. "Now add these greens around it like a hug."
Kaelira obeyed, and slowly — slowly — started to get the hang of it.
"Okay, okay!" she said, holding up her first real mini-bouquet. "Look!"
Aria blinked. "Wait… That's actually… really good."
Kaelira beamed. "I did it! I'm basically a florist now. Should I quit being an idol?"
Aria rolled her eyes. "You sneezed four times when you were near daisies. You're not going pro anytime soon."
Two hours and a lot of flower-scented hand sanitizer later, Kaelira had managed to finish five small bouquets — messy, unique, a little uneven, but unmistakably hers.
And Aria?
She was watching Kaelira with quiet awe.
The way Kaelira furrowed her brow in concentration. The way she lit up when a ribbon came out right. The way she kept looking up just to smile at her.
"How did I get so lucky," Aria whispered under her breath.
Kaelira turned. "What was that?"
Arua blinked. "Nothing!"
"You said something!"
"I—Nope. Definitely wasn't admiring you or anything."
Kaelira stood and walked over slowly, bouquet in hand.
"Because if you were," she said softly, "I'd probably tell you that I feel lucky too."
Aria's heart did a full somersault.
Kaelira leaned down, gently tucking a small rose behind Aria's ear. "You make things bloom," she said. "Even people."
Aria's face was a tomato now. "I'm going to combust."
"Not before I do this."
And then she kissed her.
Right there in the flower-scented chaos. Among petals, laughter, and foam.
⤹ ❀
Later, after cleaning up and labeling the finished bouquets for delivery, Aria stood beside Kaelira at the shop door.
Kaelira yawned. "I think I got pollen in my soul."
"You did great," Aria said, resting her head on Kaelira's shoulder. "Your fans will love it."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. You made them with heart. That's what matters."
"Then…" Kaelira looked down. "Can I make one more? For you?"
Aria blinked. "For me?"
Kaelira nodded.
"Tomorrow, then," Aria said, smiling softly. "I'll even let you use the good scissors."
"Now that's love," Kaelira grinned.
They walked out into the night together, fingers brushing, hearts full.