"So... Tell me what the art project is, again?" Cecelia prompted, grinning at Ruben. It seemed that she hasn't been the only one who had flowers in her future.

"Preserving nature in books." He scoffed. "You have to do it too, you know."

She laughed, nodding. "I know. But you're buying the flowers for once."

Ruben raised his hands in an 'I surrender' kind of way. "Hey, I thought you'd be jumping out of your chair to get more flowers."

"Yeah, yeah." She tried not to blush, thinking back to when Xerxes had placed flowers behind her ear. She was, however, smiling rather silly. "Besides, the idea is to get flowers from nature. Not a flower shop."

Ruben shrugged. "You can do all the extra work if you want. I'm gonna grab some local plants and go go go, baby." He laughed, joking.

"Mmm... Whatever." She found herself saying. She'd seen Xerxes only a few days ago, and while the prospect of seeing him again was nice, she didn't know what to say to him. She quirked her lips. "I'll stay outside."

"Sure you will." Ruben teased.

They were still walking after school, Cecelia hadn't had the chance to pick up her car from the repair shop. Nothing was seriously wrong with it, but it wasn't exactly a new car.

They arrived at Smell The Roses, and Ruben complained about the absence of her car.

"I miss your car, Cecelia. My feet hurt! Why can't you just pick it up!" He groaned.

"If you don't want to walk, take the bus." She grumbled, shoving her hands into her hoodie's pockets. As a cheerleader, she had access to a lot of cool things, including highly discounted school merch. As a result, most of her clothes sported the school colors and logo.

"I'll wait here." She said, shooing Ruben into the store. She didn't see Xerxes through the glass, but he was probably just somewhere else in the store.

Ruben went inside, and she sat on a bench outside, waiting for him.

It was quiet and peaceful. The sun was muted by a series of clouds, but the air was warm and sweetened by the hanging flower displays around her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" A familiar voice asks. Cecelia turned toward it and was met by Xerxes.

"Waiting for Ruben. Aren't you supposed to be inside?" She asked, confused.

"I'm on break. I am entitled to do something other than watch plants all the time, you know." He shrugged, and although the tone was joking, there was an undertone of seriousness.

Cecelia looked down slightly. She had, in fact, only talked to him when it was about flowers.

Xerxes grinned. "Not that I mind the flowers. The gloves though? They're too hot for a greenhouse."

Cecelia returned the smile. "Maybe you can get off work early and we can do some non-gardening things."

"And what do you suggest, Cecelia?" He inquired, giving her an impish smile that Ruben would never let her live down if he ever found out.

"Uh...?" She squeaked out, hoping he couldn't see the blood rushing to her cheek.

Xerxes laughed. "Maybe we'll stick to flowers for now. Anything botanical I can get for you today?"

Cecelia rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... Yeah, actually."

Xerxes sat next to her on the bench, turning to face her. "You doing the flower pressing for art too?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I want to be-"

"-Authentic." He finished, smiling widely. "I get off in an hour, I'll see if Marlene can cover for me."

As he said that, Cecelia looked through the glass windows, seeing Ruben talking to Marlene at the register, leaning over slightly. Marlene was smiling slightly, and she handed Ruben a slip of paper after scribbling something down on it.

She laughed."If Ruben stays, I have no doubt she'll be more than willing."

Xerxes smiled, standing up to go inside. "Probably."

He came back out a few minutes later. Ruben was still inside. Cecelia would have to ask him about it later. But she could hear his response already- "First, tell me about your date, CeCe."

And then she'd punch him, and it would be like nothing ever actually happened.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Xerxes asked, looking down at Cecelia, who was still sitting on the bench.

"Yeah..." She replied, getting up and grabbing her backpack. "So where are we heading?"

"Krendle Lake." He answered. "It's the closest place with a bunch of wildlife."

"Sounds cool." Cecelia had never been there, even though she'd had her whole life to explore it. She knew some of her friends enjoyed it and had also heard it was a popular hookup place amongst the seniors of their school.

They walked in peaceful silence for a while. They entered the forest, the sun still in the sky, but Cecelia figured it would be down by the time they got out with all her specimens. She sent a quick text to her mom, saying she was working on a school project with a friend. She began to brace herself for the eager interrogation she would receive upon getting home.

"C'mon, Cecelia. Or has the cheerleader lost her balance?" Xerxes teased, stepping between two large trees and their gnarled upcropping roots.

She laughed, following him through the trees. They walked a while, Xerxes pointing out the interesting foliage and flowers, holding her back from stepping into poison ivy a handful of times.

They reached the actual lake after what felt like only a few moments but must have been at least half an hour.

"If we look long enough we could find some water lilies. I found a few last year, but I think they're invasive." He said, hands idle at his sides.

They spent an hour or two collecting flowers primarily, and after their hands and Cecelia's bag was full, they began to walk back. The sun was beginning to set now, casting a warm glow over everything.

"How far is your house? I wasn't paying attention the last time." He asked, looking back at the trees just behind them.

She thought for a moment. The lake had been a bit closer to her house than the store. "Not too far."

They walk a bit more, and she begins to regret her choice of footwear. Converse was nice and all, but they'd gotten muddy and wet during their walk, and they squelched a little as they walked on the pavement. Xerxes sounded like he was trying to stifle a laugh the whole time.

"So... This the house?" He asked as Cecelia stopped.

"Yeah. Where's your house?" She asked, turning to face him.

"About a 15-minute walk, I believe." He shrugged.

She paused, looking back at the front door. "Do you want to come inside?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Do you still have the flower crown on your dresser?"

"Come in and see for yourself." She laughed, and he laughed with her.