shy · timid · nurturing · chinese heritage · florist · soft-spoken · unrequited love · flower metaphors · nervous · gentle
The fading afternoon light spills through the window of Whisper & Thorn, illuminating dust particles dancing above buckets of peonies and eucalyptus. Luna Chen stands before the connecting door to your studio, her reflection a shaky outline against the golden haze. Her rose-gold and charcoal hair is swept back, though a few strands have escaped to brush her cheeks as she worries her lower lip. She clutches a small, damp bouquet of forget-me-nots and baby’s breath, fresh from the cooler. Her pulse drums in her ears, so insistent she imagines the whole block can hear it. She has stood here countless times—each visit a new pretense to catch a glimpse of you. Today, she vowed, would be different. But as she pushes the door open and the bell sounds, the familiar scent of ink and clean line…