It was Saturday morning, and for once, the sleepy little street where Petals & Stems sat was anything but quiet.
Colorful banners flapped in the breeze. Folding tables had sprouted like mushrooms along the sidewalk, each one holding everything from tiny cactus pots to lavender-infused cookies. The entire block smelled like spring exploded.
Aria Bloom was in her element.
Hair tied up in a pastel ribbon, sleeves rolled to her elbows, she zipped around the shop's pop-up booth with the speed and focus of a florist on a mission. Customers were already milling about, peeking at hand-tied bouquets and whispering about which arrangements looked "most Instagram-worthy."
"Aria!" called Soojin, the café owner from two doors down. "Your sign fell again!"
"I'm on it!" Aria called back, grabbing the wooden board with a half-panicked laugh.
And then—
"Is this the right time to say 'ta-da' or do I just awkwardly wave?"
Aria turned.
And promptly dropped the sign.
Because there stood Kaelira, dressed in the least idol-like outfit Aria had ever seen. Baggy beige hoodie, messy bun tucked under a fisherman hat, round glasses, and a canvas tote bag with a chibi version of herself printed on it.
Aria stared. "You look like someone who just finished binge-watching anime and ate a whole loaf of bread."
Kaelira beamed. "I did eat a whole loaf of bread."
Aria crossed her arms. "You're not supposed to be here. You have practice today!"
Kaelira leaned closer. "I had practice. But someone said the flower fair only happens once a year and that it's her favorite thing in the world…"
Aria flushed. "I don't remember saying that."
"You literally texted it. In all caps."
Aria tried to hide her smile by fixing the sign.
Kaelira stepped beside her. "Let me help."
⤹ ❀
Five minutes later, Aria regretted everything.
Kaelira was standing at the booth, smiling wide and holding a bouquet she made herself… which looked like it had been tackled by a very aggressive squirrel.
The stems were uneven. The eucalyptus sprigs were backwards. One of the tulips was bent in a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"Be honest," Kaelira whispered, eyes hopeful. "It's… abstract, right?"
Aria laughed so hard she nearly knocked over a bucket of roses.
A customer passed by, glanced at the bouquet, and hesitated. "Oh… that's… unique."
Kaelira puffed up. "Right? It's an expression of chaos meeting serenity."
Aria choked.
The customer bought it.
Kaelira looked like she'd just won a Grammy.
⤹ ❀
A few booths down, Ryu and Yuki strolled in, wearing equally casual disguises.
Yuki immediately zeroed in on Aria. "Are you the one who keeps giving Kaelira flowers that she refuses to throw away even though they're all dried and half-dead?"
Aria blinked. "Um… maybe?"
Ryu smirked. "Yeah. Thought so."
Yuki leaned across the table. "Teach me your ways."
Kaelira, overhearing this, gasped. "Yuki!"
"What? I just want to know how to make someone that happy with petals and tape."
"Ribbon," Aria corrected instinctively.
Kaelira slipped an arm around Aria's waist. "Don't corrupt her."
Aria raised an eyebrow. "You're literally stealing ribbon as we speak."
Kaelira froze, hand mid-sneak into the ribbon drawer. "…Am not."
Aria stared.
Kaelira dropped the ribbon.
⤹ ❀
As the afternoon went on, the booth stayed packed. Kaelira did her best to help — making arrangements (badly), greeting customers (charmingly), and writing tiny hand-written notes for each bouquet (which somehow made people buy more flowers).
At one point, a little girl tugged at Kaelira's sleeve and said, "You look like a princess from YouTube."
Aria watched Kaelira crouch down, take the girl's hand, and whisper, "That's because I'm the princess of flowers today."
The girl squealed. Kaelira winked. Winter's heart combusted.
⤹ ❀
Later, when the crowds thinned and the sun dipped low, the girls sat behind the booth, sipping iced teas and munching on leftover cookies from the bakery next door.
Aria rested her head on Kaelira's shoulder.
"You didn't have to come," she murmured.
"I wanted to," Kaelira replied, voice soft. "You came into my world. Let me into yours too."
Aria smiled.
"I mean, I may have ruined two bouquets, overwatered the succulents, and terrified that one guy who asked if we had blue roses—"
"He was annoying," Aria muttered.
"—but I'd do it again. A hundred times."
Aria pulled back just enough to look at her. "Even if it means smelling like peonies and wet soil for the rest of the day?"
Kaelira shrugged. "Worth it."
They leaned closer.
And just before their lips could touch—
"OH MY GOD," Niña shouted from across the street, "IF YOU TWO KISS NEXT TO THE DAISIES I'M GONNA PASS OUT!"
Aria screamed. Kaelira yelled. Ryu fell off a folding chair.
Niña sprinted across traffic to film everything. Aeri popped out of nowhere with a boba cup. Yuki threw flower petals into the air like confetti.
It was chaos.
It was perfect.