Thinking About Boys and Roses

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Valentine's day was now behind them, and Amber had mostly enjoyed the holiday a lot. She was even considering making it her new favorite, because seeing couples in love was something really wonderful. Delivering roses to everyone had been such fun! With one notable exception. She couldn't help but frown as she remembered the mean older boy that had been so very rude to her. He clearly hadn't understood what Valentine's day was all about.

But Amber did. It was about love. She couldn't stop thinking about it, and had decided to take a walk through the garden to clear her mind. Even though Valentine's day was over, she could not stop noticing how many couples there were in the school. They were pretty much all older students, because not all first years were even thinking about things like that yet, but she knew that some were. She had heard rumors that Evelyn had a crush on Lucas, the boy she had gone to both dances with. Amber had seen them together and they had looked very grown up and very much like a couple. She kept wondering what it was like. It made her feel nervous, but also excited.

Her hand drifted to the new amber necklace she was wearing that Ainsley had given her on Valentine's day. It was such a nice gift, and getting it from a friend had felt so nice. But it was supposed to be a day for couples, and she couldn't help but wonder how it could possibly feel to get something nice from a boy she liked. She had never liked a boy before, but she knew she would sometime soon. There were a lot of them at Hogwarts, and she hadn't talked to many. Maybe she would meet one soon and like him. That's what was supposed to happen, right?

She had stopped walking and was staring vacantly at some beautiful flowers as she tried to picture the kind of boy she would have her first real crush on.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio's valentine's day that year was one of the best days of his short life. He had received three amazing, yellow roses and on top of that, he gathered enough courage to ask Kylie to the dance, and she accepted! They had spent the evening holding hands, eating sweets and dancing together while dressed to the nines. The night was perfect in every possible way way and the only thing that would have made the night even better for Flavio would have been Kylie ending the night by giving him a kiss on the cheek. It didn't happen but that also didn't mean Flavio couldn't dream about how the night could have ended. And dream about it he did. His mind in the days following the dream that was Valentine's had been in a haze of infatuation for Kylie and for the day itself. She was his older sister's best friend, but she was also one of Flavio's friends. He was glad to know someone so kind, loving and accepting towards him ever since he arrived at Hogwarts and he was glad to be able to think about her as much as he wanted.

Flavio's mind was still in a haze as he strolled from the castle into the grounds that day, making his way through the gardens and to the wild patch in search of a flower he could gift to Kylie to thank her for everything she had done for him. Valentine's day was long over, but that didn't mean he couldn't give the older Ravenclaw flowers every other day of the year until it was time to celebrate Valentine's day all over again. He strolled through the gardens, smiling as he observed different kinds of flowers in search of the perfect one to show his appreciation for Kylie. He eventually halted his steps when he saw a familiar silhouette in the distance. It was Amber, the girl that delivered two of his roses on Valentine's day. She was kind and interesting, he enjoyed talking to her so he saw no problem to continue talking to her that day or even asking her to help him in his mission to find the best flower to give to Kylie. "Amber! Hello." He said as he approached the other first year, continuing to smile at her. "How are you today?" He then asked, his tone more chipper than usual.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber had been busy imagining a romantic future and hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Because of this, she jumped a little as a voice suddenly called her name from nearby. She looked up to see Flavio, a first year she had given two yellow roses to on Valentine's day. Quickly recovering, she smiled and waved at him. "Oh hello, Flavio! I didn't see you there."

It was a funny coincidence that just when she had been considering boys, one showed up. She looked at the boy in front of her and wondered if he could be someone a girl like her could get a crush on. What sort of things did girls like about boys? Their hair? Flavio's was nice, but it looked a lot like the hair of other boys at school. He had a sweet face, though, and reminded her a little of Ainsley in his quietness. Maybe she could like him? How could you tell?

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio nearly matched Amber's body language as she jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. He opened his mouth to apologize however hesitated when she recovered and asked how he was with a tone and expression equally as bright, if not brighter than the one she had when they crossed paths on Valentine's day. It brought a wider smile to his face as he walked closer to her and spoke. "What are you doing in the gardens?" Flavio asked, not minding that she ignored his first question as his hands moved behind his back and he energetically rocked back and forward on his feet. The Chilean boy was happy, feeling confident at the success of spending his valentine's day with Kylie and being furthermore eager to continue feeling such a way. This was the first time he had felt completely confident and at ease since moving away from home to attend Hogwarts with Pia and he wanted to make the most of it before his insecurities returned at full force and he receded back to his normal, quiet and shy self that avoided speaking English unless it was completely necessary. Hopefully that wouldn't happen too soon and Flavio could continue chatting away to Amber like he did not have a care in the world because he would have liked to have a normal conversation in English where his knowledge of the language had the opportunity to show.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was snapped out of her thoughts about whether or not she could potentially have a crush on the boy in front of her when he started to talk. Deciding she would figure that out later, she kept her smile on her face as she replied. "Oh I was just taking a walk, thinking about some things." She said airily. "What about you? Looking for more yellow roses for your collection?" She laughed at her own little joke. Flavio's roses had been the best delivery she'd had when she was delivering them on Valentine's day. That thought reminded her of Silus again and she couldn't stop herself from saying something. "Oh, before I forget. There's a boy in your house that's SO mean! He had a pink rose and when I gave it to him he got angry and threw bread at me!" The memory made her all indignant all over again. "I hope your Valentine's day was better than mine?" She added, though Ainsley's gift had ensured hers wasn't all bad either.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Taking a walk to think was something Flavio understood immensely. It was one of his means of escape when his family members were stressed and he needed to go somewhere to clear his head. It was also one of the reasons he enjoyed walking to the lakefront to feed the ducks so much as it reminded him of the ducks he escaped to feed in Chile. It calmed him down when being in a new, scary environment became overwhelming. He knew that he needn't ask Amber anything more about what she was doing in the gardens that day in case she was dealing with something personal or confusing. The last thing the Chilean wanted was to intrude so he instead he answered her question as he continued to smile and rock back and forward on his feet cheerfully. "I am looking for a flower to give to my sister's friend Kylie. She was my date to the valentine dance and I would like to thank her." None of the flowers he had seen that day seemed perfect enough to give to Kylie, but that didn't mean he was going to quit trying. He was about to ask Amber if she wanted to join him in his quest when she mentioned a mean Ravenclaw boy. Frowning, he said "I am sorry." on behalf of them. "Was your Valentine's day bad?" He asked, concerned and hoping that the mean boy, whoever they were, hadn't put a downer on Amber's day as he believed everyone deserved to have a good valentine's day since having an amazing one of his own.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Oh! Flavio already liked someone, that was clear. Well, that was somewhat of a relief, she wouldn't bother trying to like him then. Her first crush must be some other boy in her year that she just hadn't met yet. Instead, she could help him get flowers for the girl he liked. "That's so sweet! I could help you find a nice flower, do you know what kind she likes? I'm very good at picking out pretty things." She said, happy to help.

"It wasn't all bad." She said as he asked about her Valentine's day. "Delivering the flowers was mostly a lot of fun, and my friend Ainsley made me this beautiful gift." She showed him the amber necklace Ainsley had given her on Valentine's day. "It's so pretty, I have worn it every day since she gave it to me." She admitted, smiling happily.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio nearly jumped on the spot out of excitement when Amber offered to help him search for a flower to give to Kylie. It had been the first thought on his mind and was of course the entire reason he was in the gardens that day. He was happy to be offered some help regardless of the fact he would have asked for it anyway. "I would like if you could help me!" He exclaimed, smiling. "I do not know which flowers she likes, but I think I will know the best flower to give when I see one." He then answered, hoping Amber would understand. He was relying more on how the flowers made him feel and the image of Kylie holding it or wearing it in her hair rather than any specific kind and he was determined to find the perfect one sooner or later.

Soon Amber drew Flavio's attention to her amber necklace, stating that her friend made it as a gift for her on valentine's day. An even wider smile appeared on Flavio's features as he leant forward slightly to get a better view of the necklace. He was glad the girl's valentine's day wasn't all terrible and that the flower deliveries and receiving the necklace as a gift made it better. "It is very pretty." He said, adding "Ainsley sounds like a good friend!" before he changed the subject to the task at hand. "Anyway, these flowers. Do you want to look here and then help me search at the wild patch?" Flavio asked, glad that Amber was willing to aid his search and excited that he would hopefully find the most perfect, gorgeous flower to give to Kylie.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Flavio's clear excitement made Amber a little excited too. This was a fun mission! Finding the right flower for the girl Flavio liked. She understood what he meant by knowing what the best flower was when he saw it, but she was also sure she could pick out the prettiest one if he needed help choosing. "I'd love to help." She said earnestly. "I bet she'll be so happy!"

Seeing Flavio admire the necklace made her proud of how good Ainsley was at making jewelry. She just had to brag a little bit. "She made it all by herself, it's real amber, like my name." She said, grinning as she thought of her friend. "She is the best friend in the world." She said firmly.

She nodded in his agreement at his suggestion. "Let's start looking." She said, taking this quest very seriously. As they started to walk, she looked around for the best flowers. "This girl you want to give this flower to, what house is she in? What's she like?" Amber was burning with curiosity. She wondered if it was someone she knew. The name didn't sound familiar, but Amber knew a lot of people by sight from just seeing them around the castle.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio could relate to the way Amber spoke about her friend as it was similar to the way he spoke about Kylie which was with total admiration. He understood why the girl described this Ainsley as her best friend in the entire world and smiled at how happy she seemed as they began searching for the perfect flower. He walked slowly, eyes scanning the flowers around them while he answered Amber's questions. "Kylie is in Ravenclaw, like me, but she is older, in her sixth year." He said. "She is very beautiful and kind. Pia told me that she can be very competitive but I have not noticed that from her because she is always so nice to me." As he continued to speak he paused his steps momentarily to bend over slightly and smell one of the roses on a nearby bush. The flower smelled lovely but it still did not seem like the perfect one. "Oh, she is the girl who organized the rose delivery, you might have met her." He added as the realization hit him. Hopefully Amber at least knew Kylie by face as it might help their quest as Amber could also attempt to imagine which flower would look perfect against Kylie's complexion and long brown hair.

sorry this took so long

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber had to adjust her mental image of the girl Flavio was talking about quite a bit with this new information. She had been picturing someone their age, a pretty girl like Evelyn maybe. But a Sixth Year? They were so old!

She realized her surprise was showing on her face and quickly schooled her expression back to normal. She didn't want to be rude to this boy, and besides, she didn't know this girl. And maybe liking someone older was natural, maybe that was where Amber should be looking for her crush too. It was a bit of a scary thought, older boys were huge and she tended to avoid them in the hallways. They seemed so grown up, so different. But maybe that was part of the appeal?

Her storm of thoughts was keeping her oddly quiet for a bit too long, and when she realized she hadn't said anything in a while, she blushed. "I think I did meet her." She said quickly. She did have a vague memory of the girl that had arranged the delivery thing, but she hadn't really talked to her much. The older girl had mainly seemed very busy. "She seemed nice." She said, at loss for what else to say