After having to spend an excruciatingly long day at the studio, stuck standing in front of bright lights that left vibrant cyan colored spots speaking her vision for hours on end with each photo that was taken, Phedre found herself feeling more exhausted than usual. Yet, despite the minor headache she was currently supporting, she really had little to no desire to go home just yet.

Putting her car into reverse Phedre pulled out of her parking spot and weaved her way through the labyrinth of a parking garage to the exit.

With no destination in mind, she ended up spending the next hour or so driving around aimlessly while it was still somewhat light out. That was until her stomach decided to rather loudly remind her that she hadn’t eaten in the last eight hours. On an ordinary day Phedre would have used this opportunity to power up and search through the online profile she set up on those dating websites, under the name Meri (“Mary”) of course, to find a companion for the evening but for one reason or another she just really wasn’t in the mood to flirt her way through the evening to fulfil her quota for the week.

Instead she found the nearest grocery store, parked and went inside.

Times like this were often a bit of a pain; to be hungry yet not have a craving or an idea on what exactly she wanted to eat. And so she set herself on autopilot while wandering each isle until something caught her eye. Frozen foods were a pretty big turn off but when she reached the hispanic isle, her stomach decided to make its presence known again.

“Mexican it is.”

In her basket she placed a small bag of tortillas, two cans of chile with beans and beef, a small bag of shredded cheese and a half pound of ground beef. It wasn’t exactly the most healthy meal but Phe had fond memories both making and eating chimichanga’s with her Grandfather during the winter months.

On her way to the checkout line Phedre passed by the florists stand and paused. The older woman had just set out the last of her arrangements and begun to clean up the workspace as her shift was likely coming to an end for the day. Her withered hands were well practiced in the delicate art of her chosen career, a talent that would be better suited for her own small shop then a corner nook at a grocery store. But sometimes you need to just work with what life handed you.

Without really thinking much on it she walked over to the counter to admire the craftsmanship up close.

“Looking for something for yourself or someone else?” The woman leaned against the broom. Waves of peppered brunet colored hair hung over her shoulder as she head canted to the side to study Phedre with a curious glint in her eyes.

“I don’t know.” She replied, then looked up with a weary smile. “Both maybe.” She let out a light laughed. “I have a friend who has been spending a lot of time working lately.” Phe shrugged her shoulders not wanting to get too much into it. “I was thinking he might like something colorful to come home to maybe.”

The employee hummed thoughtfully. “Is this someone you have feelings for?”

Phedre blinked several times having been taken aback by the rather forward question. “No,” she shook her head. “He’s just a friend.” One she antagonized a bit with her own forwardness, and perhaps was a nuisance at times. But it was all in good fun and he seemed to take her antics in stride.

“How about these then?” The older woman skirted around the counter, walked over to a bundle of individual flowers and within a few seconds produced two yellow roses. “I don’t know if you’re familiar with the language of roses but yellow symbolizes friendship.”

“My Grandfather actually taught me that when I was a kid.” Phedre smiled and graciously accepted the flowers. “Thank you. Do you happen to have any of the tags or small cards to go with them.”

“No problem sweetie.” There were several tiny wrinkles around the woman's’ hazel colored eyes as the smile on her face widened into an amused grin. “They’re over on the other side of the counter.”

After thumbing through several options Phedre settled on a blank card so she could instead write her own note. Valentines day had long since passed and so she hoped both Zac and Abby would appreciate the gesture for what it was; token from a concerned friend that simply wants to give them each a reason to smile.