Calm down, it’s done. Let the street air out, and then.
The following morning, Sumi came through the back door cheerfully, humming to herself. She had brought goodies from home, a beautiful flowering begonia to hang outside the front door, which she would prop open today, announcing to the whole town that she was ready to welcome them.
And for Ranar, something even more special.
Hollyhock wasn’t the sort of flower you found in a shop. The old-fashioned bloom was common enough in gardens, though, and she had snipped several white stalks that morning, just for him. She would put them in an arrangement with pink hydrangea, female ambition, towering over his fragile ego.
Her good mood lasted all the way through the shop, until she reached the front door. She barely had pushed it open an inch before the smell reached her, the smoothie she had for breakfast threatening to make a reappearance on her shoes.
“Motherfucker!”
The echo of her scream reverberated through the shop. Hedda and the blue haired goblin both came running out from the back, probably expecting to see her laying on the floor in a pool of blood.
”Iknowthis is him,“ Sumi raved. “Iknowit is! He has everyone fooled into thinking he’s this sweet sap of a snake, oh, poor sweet Ranar, being put out of business by the big bad corporation. What they don’t realize is that he’s an asshole!”
She dropped her head back, forcing herself to breathe.What did ChaoticConcertina tell you? Don’t give him this much control.
“I guess we’re not opening another week. Fine, that’s fine. Gives us more time to work on orders. Let’s turn the system back on, Hedda. No reason to waste time up here. I’m going out for a bit. If the police call, someone needs to bail me out.”
She felt positively unhinged when she pulled intoThe Perfect Petal’s parking lot, practically wrenching the door off the hinges as she swung it open.
The naga inside was not the one she had come to see. The snake woman’s eyes widened at Sumi’s dramatic entrance, coming around from behind the counter with her brows raised. She was older, in the same age group as Sumi’s parents, and she realized this was likely his mother or an aunt. “How may I help you today?”
Calm down. You can’t act like a lunatic, you don’t want to start yelling at this nice old lady.The crescent of her nails bit into the meat of her palm as she forced herself to breathe normally, gritting out a smile.
“Ranar. I’m here to see Ranar.”
It was possible, the woman’s eyebrows raised a little higher. “I hope my son has not done something to upset you, Miss.” She called out in a language Sumi did not understand, before looking around conspiratorially. “And if he has, put him in order. We can’t let them forget who is in charge in a relationship.”
She knew her face was bright red by the time he came around the corner, eyes instantly narrowing when he saw her. His mother had turned, heading into the back room as he came out, pausing to swat at his arm with the stack of envelopes she carried. “Don’t give her that look! Don’t giveanyone that look, who raised you?!”
She bit down her laughter as he closed his eyes, exchanging hissed words with his mother until she disappeared. The glare was back instantly, and she met it with narrowed eyes of her own.
“I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you in here again.”
“I assumed that was personal business. I’m here with a delivery.” She slapped the wrap down on the counter, ignoring the way the end of his tail swished about.
Ranar snorted derisively. “Let’s see what tired tidings you bring today.” He huffed as he unwrapped the flowers, rolling his eyes. “You know, I don’t think pink hydrangea actually works the way you want it to.”
“Yes it does,” she snapped. “It works fine. This is your outsized ego, too showy for its own good.”
She waited for him to say something snide about her hollyhocks, but he only squinted. “This isn’t gladiolus . . .”
Sumi frowned. “No. It’s . . . it’s hollyhock. C’mon, seriously?”
Ranar looked at her askance. “A garden flower? Sorry, I don’t know this one.” He pushed the arrangement back across the counter, sliding it towards her as if he were rejecting a meal she had just served.
She balled her fists, shaking one at hand before slapping the counter. “It means female ambition!”
He snorted again. “I think you just made that up. I’ve definitely never read that before.”
“Well, two seconds ago you thought it was a gladiolus, so maybe you don’t know as much as you think you do.”
Sumi was frustrated with herself. She was no longer trembling in rage, no longer felt the desire to hit him.What is wrong with you? Punch him! Youwantto hit him!She didn’t, that was the problem. She never had. Biting her lip, she took in the sight of his rolled-back sleeves, forearms on full display like a slut, making her squirm. His disdain, she decided, was harder to take personally when it came fringed in his thick black lashes.
“Will you please stop putting dead body parts in my trash can? I know it’s you, don’t bother denying it.”
The grin that slid over his handsome face showed he had no intention of denying it.Not in any way that counted. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Thanks for the nice flowers, I guess. This weed,” he nudged the corner of her hollyhock, “means nothing to me, though. So this was just a nice gesture.”
