Page 51 of Bloom

I took his arm and led him down the aisle. “Leave the unsuspecting straight population alone. Oh, I need some muesli.”

Shopping done, we headed back to my place first to drop off my groceries. “Are you sure you don’t mind helping?” Cory asked.

“Are you kidding? Cleaning out wardrobes and ensuring you make the best possible fashion choices is my favourite thing to do.”

We climbed the stairs to my floor and there in front of my door was a small box of flowers. I stopped. My heart and belly swooped in some synchronised diving routine while my brain held up a scorecard of ten.

“Oh my god,” I mumbled, rushing to my door. I put my grocery bags down and picked up the flowers. They were stunning. “There’s a card,” I said, though I already knew who they were from. I read the card out loud. “Amaryllis, for last night.”

“What’s Amaryllis?” Cory asked.

“Must be the type of flower. He’s telling me something.”

Cory groaned beside me. “Oh god, the standard is high.”

I held the flowers to my chest and melted against my door. “The standard is in the stratosphere.”

He rolled his eyes. “Open your door.”

Oh, right.

I got the door open and carried everything in. Cory unpacked the cold things and put them in the fridge while I googled the floriography of Amaryllis. “Incredibly beautiful,” I said.

“What is?”

“The flowers. That’s what they mean.”

“Oh boy,” Cory said flatly. “Yeah, okay, he wins.”

I laughed. “The flowers meanincredibly beautiful, and he said they were for last night.”

My heart was thumping like crazy, and I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry. I took out my phone and considered texting but called instead.

He answered on the second ring. “Hello,” he said, his voice low and with the hint of a smile.

“I got the flowers. I just got home, and oh my god, Keats. Amaryllis.”

“Do you know what they mean?”

“I googled it.”

He sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about you, about last night.”

I could recall so clearly when he’d left. He hadn’t wanted to go and had to make himself walk out my door.

I put my hand to my heart and swooned. Actually fucking swooned, and Cory rolled his eyes and groaned. “I heard about the magic dick,” Cory said, loud enough so Keats could hear.

I gasped and shoved him. “Shush.”

There was a pause, then Keats said, “Uh, who is that?”

“Cory. We just went grocery shopping, where he managed to only scare three people, so that’s like a record. And then he was with me when I found the flowers.”

“And he squealed like a girl,” Cory yelled.

“I did not,” I said.

“And you told him about the... what was it? Magic dick?”