Floriography: Red Roses
Chapter 27
It turned out that the three dresses that Jasper brought that day fit perfectly in Tracy's body. Jasper needed to take her home again to shrink the dress down a bit so it could fit more in Tracy's small body so the photo shoot was scheduled on Monday—so as not to interfere with everyone's weekend schedule. Jasper and Louis return home a few minutes before 10, leaving Tracy alone. Tracy locked the door and returned to the third floor, this time opening her laptop at the table she had installed next to her bed in the room. Tracy once again opened the foler. The last scene is when Henney—the main character of his woman—blur from home because of his parents who quarreled for so many times.
Tracy imagined herself, what would she do the first time she ran away from home? Tracy sighed, and decided that if it happened to her maybe she would call someone nearby who could help her. Violetta's? Tracy shook her head. Maybe he'll call Violetta after he gets his destination first, because the girl is too paranoid, and now he lives with Jasper so it's impossible right, Violetta offers Tracy to stay with him and Jasper?
Maybe Louis? Because the man lives alone and Tracy trusts him.
The thought bothered Tracy herself and she shook her head, no, she would call Steve first. That thought made Tracy realize, tomorrow weekend, maybe she could go outside with Steve? Practicing her watching or eating for her extraordinary services tidied up Tracy's new home.
Tracy quickly opened her phone and as usual found a chat Steve had not responded to. Seeing that the clock was showing at ten o'clock, Tracy decided to send him a message first.
“Sorry, again I did not reply to your message.” Tracy spelled out the words she sent Steve out loud. “You
want to go tomorrow? Looks like I need some inspiration.” Tracy sent the message, and waited. Steve didn't reply right away, so Tracy locked the screen of her phone and put it next to the laptop. His attention returned to the laptop, seeing if he could continue with a word-two. Tracy forced her fingers to return to the keyboard.
“Troy.” Henney's voice trembled as his phone to Troy was quickly picked up.
“Henney? You why?” Troy said quickly, his voice turning frantic. Hearing that soft voice Henney's tears sowed.
“I'm not strong at home anymore. Again papa hit mama, and I'm not digubris.”
Tracy shook her head. Come to think of it, if Henney really loved Troy, he wouldn't
call Troy. He was afraid that Troy was worrying about him too much, just like how Tracy was afraid that Violetta would get worried about him if he was okay. Moreover, Troy is not a rational person if his emotions have taken over. If Tracy becomes Henney, Tracy thinks she'll call someone she trusts, but that's not the same as her. At least not now, so that they don't panic, he must secure himself first and call them all, to let them know that Tracy is fine. Tracy threw away the last sentences and went back to writing a new paragraph. He needs a new character. People who don't look at Henney with romantic views, but also don't really care if Henney treats them rather arbitrarily.
Henney searches for a contact person on his cell phone, and a familiar name comes out, Terrence. His co-worker and best friend. Maybe this family matter is too unrelated to Terrence, but exposing this matter to Troy is not an option. Henney had repeatedly complained to Troy about his family, he did not want to look that weak in front of Troy.
“Terrence.” Call Henney, his voice shaking from the cold outside.
“Hey, tumben you phone night-night.”
“You're at home right?”
Hearing Henney's voice that was not as joking as usual, Terrence's tone turned more serious.
“Ya Hen, as usual. You're out?”
Henney sighed, his decision to contact Terrence was the best decision for now.
“Can I go there? After that I will tell you about my condition.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Be careful on the road, I will wait for you.” Terrence answered lightly. Henney smiled faintly, relieved by that sentence.
“Sorry troublesome. See you around.”
Tracy sighed and leaned back into her chair, and her phone screen lit up, revealing the face of Steve asking for a video call. Tracy picked up the phone and leaned back in her chair.
“Hey.” Steve from across the phone.
“Hey, you want to sleep?”
“Not yet, you?”
Tracy shook her head, “I'm still trying to write.”
“Oh, where have you been?”
Tracy smiled amusedly, “New forward one paragraph, embarrassing once.”
“Lho, I think my presence will help the development of your novel.”
Tracy gave a small nod, it was true, she also had time to think so. Troy and Steve are quite similar in terms of patience and wisdom. The proof is Steve never messed up if Tracy does not reply to the chat and always be for Tracy, selflessly.
“Of course helps.” Lies Tracy, “If not impossible I can link to that paragraph.”
Steve chuckles, “You've left the novel for roughly one, two weeks, probably because you've left it too long.”
“Betul also. So what about tomorrow's walk?”
Steve's smile was back. “I called to say yes, I can. Want me to watch?”
“Mau. Can I bring my laptop? Who knows suddenly inspiration comes.”
“Of course, Trace, anything for you.”
Tracy then smiled, again, feeling very pleased with Steve's attention to her. Tracy was silent, just looking at Steve's face without having been lying on his mattress pillow. What if he asks Steve about love? Tracy's heart ran hard thinking about it. Is it because he likes Steve? So it feels like the topic of love is hard to discuss with him?
“What are you thinking?”
“Hm?” Tracy awoke from her daydream. “Thinking about my novel. If you were Henney, Steve, a young girl who ran away from home because she was uncomfortable with her parents' constant bickering, who was the first person you would call?”
“You.” The answer was quick without hesitation.
“Is that?” Tracy begins to doubt her writing.
“You will also contact me, right?”
“That's what I'm thinking.” Answer Tracy honestly. “I think it will worry you too much. When I
call you the thing I want to tell you is I'm fine.”
Steve smile. “I'll call you because I feel only you can understand how much I need support back then.”
“What about your close friends? You're not going to them first?”
Steve shook his head. “Maybe because I'm a boy and my friends are also men. I guess if I ran away to their house because of my parents they would laugh at me.” Steve laughed bitterly.
“Hm.. I think women pay more attention to their female friends. Male friend also if his friend is a woman I think would sympathize if called in such circumstances.” Tracy said, but she realized she was not a man and she was talking to a man, “Iya, right?”
“Ah... don't be naive, Trace.” Steve laughed a little. “I'm always sure women and men won't be friends. There must be one who feels more about the other.”
Tracy did not answer, thinking about the sentence. Did ya? But Tracy is confident her relationship with Louis will develop into a close and tumultuous friendship, engrossed and exciting, rather than romantic and sweet. Or maybe Louis didn't think so? Thinking that Tracy's heart was pounding for a while.
“Absolutely you don't have a female friend?” Ask Tracy to Steve. Steve looked up at the ceiling, thinking.
“Hm. Besides I'm kind of awkward with people, you know.” Steve smiled awkwardly, Tracy just smiled back. He recalled, because Steve cared too much about his educators, his social circle was quite small. Many people want to be friends, but because Steve seems cold and serious, many think Steve will not want to be friends with people who are not like him.
“If you could. But with your beauty and sweet nature I'm not sure any man can stand that charm.” Steve blushed. Tracy just smiled a little, because all she knew she had was the charm and beauty of Gracy. If they knew Gracy, they would obviously prefer Gracy because Gracy is sweeter than him. At least that's what Tracy believes.
“Do not dreadlocks.” Tracy replied briefly, feeling she had been quiet for too long. “So tomorrow we meet at the mall? Or are you going to pick me up?”
“My motor is in the workshop, so I don't think I'll be able to pick up. Sorry yes.”
“Cause. At 12? So we can have lunch before watching.”
“Ok, 12.” hours
After that Tracy tried to re-type and Steve just silently looked at Tracy who was serious with his own laptop. Tracy looked at Steve's smiling face as Tracy looked at him. What exactly did Tracy feel for Steve? He's happy every time Steve calls him, but what's love?
“Trace, I seem to be going to bed. You also don't sleep too late.”
Tracy nodded, stopped typing and raised her phone closer to the face. “I also seem to want to sleep. Sleep, Steve, sweet dreams, see you tomorrow.”
Steve smiled with a sleepy face. “Bye, see you tomorrow.” He muttered and the phone connection was turned off. Tracy sighed, this time curious about something.
With no hesitation, Tracy sends a chat to Jasper, which she does not expect to answer, but Jasper still wakes up. From there Tracy got Louis's phone number and without hesitation Tracy called the number, no matter Louis was asleep or not.
“Halo?” Greet Louis carefully.
“Hey, Troya.” Tracy answered in a completely different voice to the one she used on Steve earlier. Realizing that, Tracy wanted to laugh at herself. It turned out that she was trying so hard that Steve could think of her as a sweet, innocent and kind girl.
“Manson? Where'd you get my number?”
“Jasper, who else.” Something in Tracy's heart was relieved, as Louis' voice also melted away.
“Stalker basics. I thought you meant something to me, right?”
Tracy rolled her eyeballs.
“I thought you'd be a bitch if I called like this. Never mind, not so. Bye, I hope tonight you can't sleep haunted by a flirtatious demon that will emerge from under your bed.” Tracy was about to keep the phone away from her ear to turn it off but Louis' voice came back.
“Hey! Don't be reckless! My bed is pretty spooky, don't be. Pull back your curse then I'll listen to what you want.”
“Already, I pulled back the curse.” Tracy held back a laugh.
Louis breathed a sigh of relief. Tracy was quite surprised that the man could be scared that easily.
“So, your goal to call me at this hour is?” This time Louis' voice became more polite, Tracy immediately swung her arms in the air, wanting to hit Louis right then and there.
“Do not sweet-ass. I want to ask, do you think Steve likes me or not?”
Louis' laughter blared from the phone.
“Tracy Manson, what the hell are you thinking? You think I'm a psychic? You think I'm a fortune teller? Oh... magic Crystal ball.. Please Tracy Manson..” Louis winnow. Tracy wanted to hit him.
“That's not what I mean, stupid. You saw the two of us yesterday, he said that people in love are blind, so since I'm probably blind now, tell me what you saw from us yesterday.”
Louis took a breath. “Manson, I only saw you two about. Where can I judge?”
“Yes right.. I guess..” Tracy sighed. I don't know what was on Tracy's mind when she was about to call Louis. “So I had a chance to call him.”
“Then?” This time Louis' voice sounded a little curious.
“I actually want to ask a question about love that we had talked about it with Steve but somehow I feel embarrassed asking it to Steve.”
“Maybe because you like her? So a little bit awkward right talking about love with the person we are..” Louis a bit hesitant for a moment, “Love?”
Tracy began to realize. At this point Louis and he were just as stupid about love.
“Betul also.” Tracy agreed, although she still doubted it. “Then he said the girl and boy could not possibly be just friends, there must be someone who will end up like.”
“Then?”
“Maybe I need to remind you that you're a guy and I'm a girl.” Tracy's face suddenly felt hot and he wanted to turn off the phone at that moment. Why did the question suddenly sound like asking Louis if they would end up falling in love with each other?
“girls? Where?” Louis replied, relaxed and stupid as always. Tracy's hand once again hit the air and her nervousness simply disappeared.
“Stupid creatures. Tired of me talking to you.”
“Lho. You called me.”
“Iya, but—“ Tracy clicked tongue, she lost.
Louis laughed, “Then Trace, if you're worried I'll fall in love with you I think you can forget.”
Tracy frowned, some felt relieved, and others were disappointed. Tracy immediately felt like slapping herself, why did she feel disappointed?
“Because you're gay?” Tracy decided to melt the suddenly heavy atmosphere. Louis laughing.
“Manson!” Irritated shouting.
“Because you like Jasper?”
“Manson!!” Louis whining. Tracy laughs. “Not, to be honest I'm comfortable with you.”
Tracy stopped laughing that very second, and she swallowed her saliva as slowly as possible so that Louis would not hear her nervousness that somehow suddenly appeared.
“Pawn? You think I'm the couch?” Tracy tried to melt the atmosphere once again.
Louis clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he could not help his escaped laughter.
“Be serious for a moment and listen to me. I'm comfortable with you, but since we just knew how many? Two days? I guess you haven't seen my bad sides either, and vice versa.”
Tracy nodded her head in agreement. His heart was pounding, but not out of nervousness, but out of awe at how mature Louis was. The man could be childish. But under the guise of it he seems quite wise.
“Agree. Now I can't help but imagine the dark secrets you have. Suppose it turns out you have a hobby of peeling in public places, or your iler smells like buffalo fart.”
Louis's laughter boomed, Tracy let out a small laugh.
“Damn you Manson, I am a lover of cleanliness, please keep such thoughts away from your head.” Louis
trying to calm his laughter. “Back to serious talks.”
But this time Tracy could not be as serious as before, a big smile could not leave her face.
“I think so, but if you turned out to like me please don't hurt—“ Tracy was about to deny, but the man quickly connected his sentence. “Maybe if you were kind to me more often, calling me Mr. Louis the Most Beautiful World, Praising my good looks and sexiness more often, maybe I could change my mind. So don't be disappointed just yet.”
Tracy rubbed her forehead, not answering.
“Tracy? You didn't faint, did you?” Asked the man after a moment of silence.
“No, just a little nauseous because of your stringing. Who says I like you!” Tracy mimicked the sound of spitting, “What if you secretly liked me anyway? Staring at my photos every day, with your kerb smell dripping from the corners of your lips. Then whispered—“ Tracy cleared her throat, mimicking Louis's voice as best she could, “Oh Tracy Manson! Your beauty is matchless!”
But Louis' laughter did not bluster, only a small laughter. Tracy raised an eyebrow.
“Don't-don't it be true?!”
“Manson! I'm not a pervert, no! So what exactly was your purpose in calling it??”
Tracy chuckles, maybe it's time she stopped bothering Louis.
“Just want your opinion on whether girls and boys can be good friends or not.”
Louis took a breath. “I'm using my foretelling sixth sense…. Looks like we—girls and guys—can be good friends.” Tracy nodded small.
“I hope so.”
