Floriography: Red Roses

Chapter 32

“Really, Steve, I'm sorry again. I forget you know. Gracy is coming home, and this Saturday there will be a meal at my parents' house. Gracy wants me to invite you and my friends to celebrate his return. Consider it a family gathering.”

Steve had a little silence before answering, “Wah, Trace, I am very flattered if invited by your family. So your family knows about me?”

Tracy laughed.

“Gracy already knows, others don't. So maybe this is also a good opportunity to calm Papa and Mama, just tell him that his son already has a girlfriend—don't be taken too seriously, really. It's just dinner together. They won't marry us straight away or anything like that.” Tracy awkwardly joked, and from the corner of her eye she could see Louis pressing his lips tightly so he wouldn't laugh.

Steve was much harder to joke with than Louis. For some reason, Tracy just realized.

“T-but if you think this is too fast—“

“N-no, I want it, Trace. I immediately felt nervous.” Steve looked away and smiled. “Aduh, I don't have any neat clothes to meet your family. Your mom and dad like what kind of guy? I want to perform as well as possible in front of them.”

Tracy tried to imagine. Gracy had a boyfriend a few times. But Gracy isn't the type to think like Tracy, so Gracy's girlfriend varies from electric guitar player to gadget designer at Apple. From the flap-haired and banged a lot, to the one wearing a shirt with buttons that get to the neck and blubber hair bangs. Everything was introduced to his parents. And they're okay because they know Gracy isn't serious.

“Hm. They are not strict people kok.” Tracy's Disconnect.

That sentence became the last sentence before their order came and the chatter turned into a short and light chat, and because Tracy's break hours were limited, they also could not hang out for long at Kelly’s and immediately returned to the office after finishing eating.

As soon as he reached the locked office door, a package wrapped in brown paper was barked at the front door. Louis crouched down faster to check the package as Tracy opened the door lock.

“Magazine. Maybe it's Jasper or Naka. We'll take it first to.” Louis said as he lifted it up as if the item was light.

Once inside, Louis and Tracy open the package and the cover of the magazine immediately makes them both gasp.

Louis and Tracy's face was plastered, right on the front page of J&K's catalog magazine this month.

Tracy frantically looked at Louis who also turned out to be staring at him with wide eyes.

“That's Naka magazine? I want to see dong. There's got to be a picture of you right there?” Steve said a few steps behind them.

Tracy was aiming to occupy the pile so that Steve would not see it, but Steve turned out to come faster and his hand immediately took one of the pile and looked at it closely.

Louis and Tracy immediately stood up and frantically looked at each other before the two looked at Steve.

“E-eh... please do not misunderstand.” Tracy began.

Steve raised his eyebrows and lowered the magazine slightly so Tracy could see it.

“What's wrong?” Steve asked innocently and once again Tracy and Louis looked at him.

“S-misunderstand about me modeling means.” Louis said quickly, coupled with his awkward laughter.

“Iya, b-right. At that time I did say she was not a model, but it turned out that Jasper models were less tall yesterday, so she needed to be photographed with me.” Added Tracy.

Steve still looked confused and he finally pointed at the cover of the magazine while asking.

“This means?”

Tracy and Louis nodded.

“Oh...so? She is a model and photographer. Cool also you.” Steve said as he patted Louis on the shoulder and he walked to the waiting chair to sit back and read the magazine.

Just then one customer arrives and Tracy tells Louis to remove the magazine from the middle of the room and Tracy walks back to her desk.

His eyes could not refuse to glance towards Steve slightly.

That guy should be jealous.

He was jealous before they went out. After they date, he should be even more jealous. Tracy and Louis on the cover of the magazine looked very intimate. If one of them coughed and the other was shocked, they might have kissed. Louis and Tracy on the cover of Jasper magazine. I don't know what Jasper was thinking when he chose the photo as his cover.

Oh, for a moment Tracy forgot. He is sensational.

But back to the thought of jealousy. Tracy a little bit doesn't accept Steve isn't jealous. Maybe true Louis' words about ‘if they are in a good relationship why worry?’. But it's not like this the shadow of courtship in Tracy's brain. Relationships like this won't take her books anywhere. After all, not the parable that Louis gave was when Louis did not take Lisha seriously, huh? Does that mean Steve doesn't take it seriously either? That's why she looked so shocked when Tracy said she was meeting her parents this Saturday?

Maybe it just feels too fast. Also, they only dated for four days.

But Tracy had to convince herself. Steve is a jealous person. There must be a reason behind his jealousy today.

Tracy is unable to concentrate after that and fortunately, Steve returns home first than Louis, who borrowed Naka's computer for him to finish all his photo edits. As soon as the clock strikes five, Tracy turns over the sign, which now shows that the store is closed. Tracy cleared her desk, turned off some of the first-floor lights and shot straight to the second floor.

As soon as her foot was on the second floor, FKJ's song was slowly reverberating from the photo room and Tracy peeked out of the unsealed door and threw herself into the chair in front of Louis. Louis did not touch him, his lips still mumbled softly the songs with fals while fixedly staring at the computer screen.

“Lou.” Call Tracy slow.

“Hm?” The answer is short while still paying attention to the computer.

“Didn't you think it was weird, Steve didn't say anything about the photo? I mean seeing you as panicked as I was I think you understand what I mean.” Tracy leaned against the table, watching Louis more closely as the man did not see him.

“I think? Bizarrely. One, because you just made it, right? Usually at the beginning of the soan should men become more possessive. Two, if I don't remember wrong, he said that you have to be careful with me and stuff before you guys do, right? That's why I talked yesterday about him being jealous or not.” Louis said as he somewhat muttered, dividing his attention in two.

Tracy whining. “Iya, I think so too. But why do you think he didn't care?”

“I don't know either, Trace. Maybe he doesn't consider me a threat.”

Tracy rolled her eyes and leaned back into her chair. Tracy knows that's not the answer, and Tracy also believes Louis knows.

“Rather than you're upset yourself mending you here and look at your photos.” Louis patted Tracy's head drooping on the table. Tracy lazily stood up and circled the table to stand next to Louis.

“Nih.” Louis said and opened one of his pictures. The photo was taken from the bottom of the stage, which only shows the waist to the top of her body in an Ocean Tears dress. Her eyes focused and looking forward, Tracy smiled.

“Your shots are okay too.” Tracy said.

Louis just hissed.

“That's because the model I guess.” Louis laughed out loud and Tracy had just raised her hand to hit Louis on the head but the man quickly continued.

“I'm not kidding, actually. I was stunned for hours by this photo. This photo made me come to your room that time, on our last day in Japan.” Louis is more serious. Her eyes still looked at the photo of Tracy still plastered on the camera screen.

“What do you mean? You feel like I'm pretty too so you chose to better make peace with me? Well, I thought you had some sort of intention.” Tracy was nervous when their conversation got serious. Tracy hates having a serious conversation with Louis. His feelings so unreasonable and he became confused himself to interpret what he felt it. Tracy grabbed Louis' hair slowly but as usual the man complained excessively.

“Not! Jesus Manson! I mean because of this photo I feel you're talented to be a model too!” Louis takes Tracy's hand and releases it from his head. Tracy quickly shook Louis' hand. Louis touching her at times like this would make her even more confused.

“Good. Praise me again I love to hear you praise me.” Tracy chuckles and grabs onto the computer to see

other photos. A lot of his pictures were taken by Louis, and they all look really good.

“Hm... In addition to your modeling skills are good, your sense of humor is good. You're also a good confiding friend. You are also humble and not arrogant. You are also not complicated about picky food and hangout places—kan he said he used to hobby girls say whatever but a lot of want, but you turned out to be quite omnivorous for a girl your size. Then—“ Tracy smothered Louis' mouth with her hands.

“Shut up for a moment, I was admiring my beauty and Violetta's dress.” Tracy's whisper focused on her photo on the screen. This photo was taken from quite a distance away, but because of the design of the stage that was frenzied in accordance with the theme of his clothes, he became more magnificent.

Suddenly he felt the heat crashing into his fingers smothering Louis, and all his senses seemed to absorb the presence of Louis who was so close to him in an instant.

Tracy could feel Louis' breathing crashing into her thumb, and Louis's hair clinging to her arm around Louis' shoulder. Tracy could also squeeze Louis' lips against his palm. Louis touches Tracy's wrists to pull the hand down, and Tracy turns to look at Louis.

Her eyes whistled with the man's eyes and again Tracy felt that way. He felt everything was right. Tracy, being that close to Louis, and being very, very aware of each other's presence felt so right. It was as if they should have been so long ago. For a moment that felt long enough for Tracy, they were drowning in each other's eyes, until Louis' phone rang loudly and startled them both.

Tracy jumped in shock and immediately retreated a few steps from Louis and Louis also immediately grabbed his phone that was on the table.

“H-hello?” Louis cleared his throat, and Tracy could only wait as she leaned against the wall behind him.

“Ya?” Louis replied to a voice across the phone that only sounded very faint in Tracy's ear.

“Iya the photo is done. Including the ones on the streets.” Reply Louis. Tracy's eyebrows immediately lifted, suddenly he forgot what had just happened and came back forward to look at Louis and ask,

“Violetta?” Tracy. Louis nodded small.

“Violetta!” Call Tracy out loud and Louis laughs.

“Iya I'm still in Naka's office. I had lunch at Kelly’s so I thought I'd finish the edit here. After all, the computer in the studio is much better than my laptop at home.” Obviously Louis was long on Violetta and then he kept his phone away from his ear to turn on the loudspeaker.

“Then have you two had dinner?”

Louis glanced at Tracy who was also glancing at him and they shook their heads together.

“But.” Answer Louis.

“Good then. In the studio there are many formal dresses and suits, can you come to my friend's boutique opening soiree? I still have a lot of work to do and my team no one can attend either. Besides this is a pretty big event for Naka, if it is his plan so, he wants to work with us, so the button will also sell casual output Naka. Can you guys please me?”

“OK, Vi, I'll go.” Answer Tracy quickly.

“You and Louis yes, due to his invitation to two people.”

Tracy glanced back at Louis who only raised his eyebrows.

“You don't mind, do you? Lou?” Added Violetta quickly.

Louis grunting. “I will not refuse free food. Just send the invitation to me or Tracy yes, we will be ready.”

Violetta chuckled.

“OK. Don't embarrass me, don't forget to ask about the cooperation. My friend Rosella's name, you'll also know which one.”

“Noted, Vi. Don't worry.” Tracy Blase.

“I believe in you. Then I close the phone first, I have to get back to driving. I'm going to the office to drop off my car at the office so you can use it to the soireenya. Later I go again picked up client.”

“Okay, Violetta. Careful.” Louis said before he waited for Violetta to hang up.

They both sighed as soon as the phone closed.

“Come we get ready.”