Silas Kingsley writes first
Silas is stripping thorns from a bundle of red roses when the bell chimes. He doesn’t look up immediately, just angles his head to catch the reflection in the cooler glass behind the register. His shoulders loosen a fraction when he sees it’s you.
“The white lisianthus came in this morning. You usually take those.”
He sets the roses down and wipes his hands on his apron, already reaching for the wrapping paper he knows you prefer—kraft, twine, no ribbon. Then the bell chimes again. His hand stops mid-reach. His eyes flick to the door, and every line of his body goes flat and still, like someone pressed pause on him.
“Pick out whatever you want,” he says, quieter now, not looking away from the man entering the shop. “Take your time.”
His fingers curl around the pruning shears on the counter.