WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine Edition
Roland
     
     
    ‘Twelve dozen roses, please. The red ones.’
The man wiped his flushed face, then pointed to a bucket of wilting
flowers.
    Olivia forced a smile, biting back a response
that a dozen was twelve, so if he wanted twelve dozen, that
would equal … Well, it would equal one hell of a lot of roses.
Possibly way more than they had in Spence’s Supermarket, even today
when they’d ordered in extra to meet the Valentine’s rush.
    The man shot her a shy smile as she tried in
vain to fish twelve fresh-looking roses from the bucket.
    ‘This is my first Valentine’s Day with my
girlfriend,’ he said. ‘I want to make it extra special.’
    Olivia nodded, trying to keep her face
neutral. A glob of slimy green water dripped from a rose’s stem
onto her beige trousers, and frustration swirled inside. Great –
now she’d have to change before Jonathan got home, just on the off
chance he’d planned something for tonight. She knew that in all
likelihood, he’d be tired and stressed after a long day at work,
seeking the comfort of the sofa and the latest football match
replays. But maybe this year would be the one when he’d finally
present her with a bouquet of flowers – one of those expensive
arrangements, tied with a satin bow; nothing like these second-rate
roses – and take her chin in the way that made her heart flip over,
look into her eyes … and finally, finally say he loved her?
Two years they’d been together, and she’d yet to hear those three
little words.
    ‘Er, how much?’ the man in front of her
stammered. Olivia gave herself a little shake, realising she was
just standing there holding out the stems.
    ‘That will be sixty pounds, please.’ Obscene,
really, given these flowers would probably be curling up and brown
by tomorrow. Still, it was the gesture that counted, right?
    Or was it? Olivia chewed her lower lip as she
watched the man scurry out through the shop’s sliding doors to the
busy London street. Jonathan did loads of little things that showed
he loved her. Every morning, he made her coffee before she left for
her shift at Spence’s. He always washed the dishes she left lying
around in the sink, forgotten, and he was a star at vacuuming.
Whenever she had a killer migraine, he was unfailingly kind and
patient, endlessly bringing her wet towels to place on her pounding
forehead. He did love her; she felt it all the time. So why oh why
couldn’t he just say those three bloody words and get it
over with?
    ‘Anything big planned for Valentine’s
tonight?’ Her co-worker Tina waggled her eyebrows as she came to
relieve Olivia from flower-stand duties.
    Olivia gathered up her tatty handbag and took
a swipe at the glob on her trousers again. Nope, it looked like
that spot was there to stay. ‘Oh, you know. The usual, I guess.’
She shrugged, trying to look like she didn’t care. ‘You?’
    ‘My boyfriend just called!’ Tina said
excitedly. ‘And when I’m off in a couple hours, he’s going to take
me for a champagne ride on the London Eye. He’s rented a whole
capsule just for us.’ She clasped her hands to her heart. ‘I can’t
believe he did that. Do you know how much those things costs? I
certainly got lucky with him.’
    ‘That’s fantastic,’ Olivia said, hoping her
words sounded more enthusiastic than begrudging. God, a champagne
ride on the London Eye. On Valentine’s Day! In her mind’s eye,
Olivia could imagine swooping up over the city, taking in Big Ben
and Saint Paul’s as tiny bubbles tickled the back of her throat.
Unexpectedly, tears pricked her eyes, and she dropped her head
before Tina could notice. ‘Well, I’d better get home! See you
later.’
    As she pushed through the crowds of shoppers
on Camden High Street – every second man wielding a bouquet of
flowers – toward the flat she shared with Jonathan, anger thumped
inside, growing and growing with each step. She wasn’t asking for a
champagne ride on a city landmark, as much as she’d
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