I'm about to answer, when a door opens from the back of the shop and a boy in a white apron comes out, curly orange hair bobbing. He's wearing blue jeans and a light green polo shirt, the edge of a binder peeking out from the neckline. Two pin badges decorate the strap of his apron: one is the bisexual flag, and the other is a name tag with tiny smiley faces and a little trans flag. Felix smiles, displaying perfect white teeth. 

Talk about eye candy.

"Grandpa!" he says, putting a hand on the elderly man's shoulder. "You know you're supposed to call me when beautiful people come in." 

The old man laughs good-naturedly. "All righty. I'm going out – I'll leave you to it. Give me or your grandad a ring if you need us." He kisses Felix on the top of the head and leaves through the door in the back.

"So," Felix says, leaning forward on the counter. "How can I help?" 

Come on, brain! Do your braining! "I'm just having a poke around. It looked interesting, and I hadn’t seen this place before." Better than nothing, I guess. Focus!

He laughs. "I know. It's sometimes hard for me to find it! The first few times, my grandads had to rescue me. Oh, hey– since you’re here, can I recommend something to you?"

"Of course!"

Felix gives me a little bow and comes out from behind the counter, heading for a dispenser full of smallish caramel-coloured cubes. He’s a bit taller than me, a few inches at most, but I think most of his height is in his legs. 

Felix hums a tune, deftly catching a few cubes in twists of cellophane as they fall; it’s quite impressive. He comes back over and offers me one with a wink. “On the house,” he says, and my knees go a touch weak. FOCUS, you hopeless fool. To distract myself, I pop a sweet in my mouth, and I’m amazed. It’s delicious,  a melty toffee with a fizzy sherbet centre that shouldn’t work but totally does. 

“What is this wizardry?” I laugh, holding one out to him. He chuckles and takes it.

“It’s my own creation, actually. I like tinkering with sugar and stuff. My friend Jon thinks it’s equal parts genius and weird,” he says lightly, but I can tell the ‘weird’ hit close to home. 

“I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s equal parts genius… and delicious.” Phew. That had the right effect – Felix grins and chucks me another.

“Why thank you… actually, I didn’t catch your name?” he says.

“Ari. I got yours from your badge,” I say, nodding to it.

I briefly check my watch – my mother gave it to me before she died. It’s crazy to think that it was just over five hundred years ago. Oh wait– “SHIT. It’s nearly two already?! Thank you so much but I have to get to work!” My words are stacking up messily like they always do when I’m stressed, a slight accent from times past slipping through.

“Where do you work?”

“The garden centre. I’m in charge of the roses,” I say. He smiles. He has delicious dimples.

“Oh, hey– just in case you get any free time… we’re hiring,” Felix says, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. He hands me a brightly coloured leaflet, the glossy pages crinkling under my fingers. 

“Thank you,” I say, genuinely touched. I’m seriously considering it as well; it might be nice to spend time with him. “I’ll see what I can do!”

A few minutes later, I’m speed-walking down the road when I hear a shout from the shop, “Tell the roses I say hi!”

I smile and laugh as I turn the corner.