Blades of the Heart

A few days later, The flower shop was quiet as the evening settled in, the soft glow of the setting sun filtering through the windows and casting long shadows across the shop floor. The scent of fresh flowers lingered in the air—lavender, roses, and jasmine mixed with the earthy smell of soil, a scent Leo had come to associate with comfort and safety.

Leo was at the counter, arranging a bouquet of wildflowers with a focus that was almost meditative. His hands moved with practiced precision, but his mind was elsewhere. He kept glancing out the window, his thoughts distant, lost in something he didn't want to acknowledge. He hadn't been himself lately, and Elias had noticed.

Elias, standing at the far end of the shop, watched him with quiet concern. He'd come to care for Leo like a son, and it pained him to see the boy he'd raised with such care become withdrawn and unsettled. The lighthearted, carefree Leo who loved nothing more than spending hours with flowers—his one true passion—had changed. The boy now seemed burdened, as though carrying a weight he couldn't share.

"You're different these days," Elias said quietly, his voice breaking the silence. He leaned against the counter, watching Leo carefully as he adjusted the bouquet. "You've been quieter. Is something bothering you?"

Leo froze for a moment, his hands halting mid-motion as Elias's words sank in. He didn't meet Elias's eyes, his gaze dropping to the flowers in front of him, suddenly feeling too exposed. He didn't know how to answer. How could he explain what was swirling inside him—the confusion, the strange emotions, the new thoughts he had about someone like Zane? It was all so new, so uncharted.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words stuck, tangled in his throat. His thoughts immediately darted to Zane—Zane, who was just 15, but already so different from anyone Leo had known. Zane, who had stepped in to protect him from the bullies and made Leo feel something he couldn't quite place—something both thrilling and terrifying. Elias would never understand.

"It's nothing, Elias," Leo finally said, his voice softer than usual. He forced a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just... thinking."

Elias didn't press. He knew Leo well enough to recognize when the boy was holding something back. It wasn't unusual for him to retreat into himself from time to time, but this was different. There was a distance in Leo now, something unspoken hanging in the air. Still, Elias was careful. He'd seen the way Leo looked when he thought no one was watching—thoughtful, uncertain, lost. He wasn't a child anymore, though Elias wished sometimes that he still could be.

"Well," Elias said gently, leaning in slightly, "if you ever need to talk, you know where I am."

Leo looked up at him, and for a moment, there was something like relief in his eyes. Elias's words were a comfort, like a soft blanket against the cold. But a part of Leo still felt that tug—a yearning to explore, to understand the new things in his heart and mind.

Zane was 15, and he was from the slums, rough around the edges, everything that Elias warned him to stay away from. But Leo who was 10 couldn't understand nor could ignore the pull he felt. He couldn't ignore how Zane had been there for him when he needed someone—how his presence had shifted something in Leo that he couldn't explain. No matter the differences between their worlds, Leo couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I know," Leo whispered, his voice barely audible as he rearranged the flowers again. His fingers brushed the petals, but his mind was far away. "Maybe soon."

Elias studied him for a moment longer, his gaze softening with concern. He didn't push. Leo was growing, learning to navigate a world that had so often been kind to him, but he was still just a boy—one who needed time, space, and care. Elias was protective of him, as any father figure would be, but he also knew that Leo had to find his own way.

"Take your time, Leo," Elias said, his voice warm. "Whatever it is... it'll make sense eventually. And when it does, you'll know what to do."

Leo nodded, though his heart still felt heavy. He didn't know what the future held, or how things would turn out with Zane, but Elias's words were a comfort.

For now, he would stay in the shop, surrounded by the flowers he loved. They had always been a safe place, a world he understood. But as much as he cherished this moment of peace, a part of him couldn't help but feel the weight of something more waiting just outside the shop doors.

Zane's Visits

In the days following the incident with the bullies, Zane's visits to the flower shop became more frequent, though they were always brief and unannounced. At first, he would simply appear in the doorway, his tall figure filling the frame as he scanned the room with a quiet intensity. He never lingered long, and his presence was more like a shadow than anything else—silent and unobtrusive.

It was clear that Zane wasn't interested in the flowers. He never commented on the arrangements or asked about the blooms in the shop. Instead, he would stand by the door for a moment, glancing over the various bouquets, his gaze distant, as though lost in thought. He never seemed to have a purpose other than to be there, yet something about Elias's shop seemed to pull him in—whether it was the calm, the scent of the flowers, or perhaps the memory of his brief, yet important interaction with Leo.

Each time he came, his visits were short. He would offer a simple nod to Elias and sometimes an awkward wave to Leo before disappearing just as quickly as he came. His visits weren't long enough to leave much of an impression on anyone, but they were enough to make Leo wonder. Why did Zane keep coming back? Was he just passing through? Or was there something else—something Leo couldn't quite figure out?

Their First Real Conversation

One afternoon, as Leo arranged a bouquet of roses at the counter, he felt a familiar presence in the doorway. He looked up and saw Zane standing there, arms crossed, his face as unreadable as ever. The boy was back, just like before, but this time something was different. The air between them seemed thicker, charged with a tension Leo couldn't ignore.

Zane wasn't a regular, that much was clear. But something about his presence, the way he hovered at the door without fully entering, still made Leo's heart race. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered again as his eyes met Zane's.

This time, though, Leo wasn't going to wait. He wasn't just going to pretend Zane wasn't there. He was going to speak up, maybe even make some sense of why the older boy kept showing up.

"Hey, Zane," Leo said cautiously, his voice quieter than usual, unsure how to start. He paused for a moment before adding, "Thanks again... for before."

Zane shifted slightly, his eyes flicking to Leo before quickly looking away, his posture stiff and guarded. For a moment, it seemed like he wasn't going to respond, but then he spoke, his tone gruff but less distant than before.

"Don't mention it," Zane said, his voice softer than usual. He stepped closer to the counter, his gaze drifting across the rows of flowers. His eyes were still distant, but there was a faint change in his expression—a slight softening, something Leo could almost mistake for warmth. "You look better than the last time I saw you."

Leo smiled faintly, grateful for the comment but still unsure of where they stood. He had never been good at reading people, and Zane was no exception. But it felt... different this time. Like the air between them was less heavy, less uncertain.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Leo replied. "I guess I'm getting used to things."

Zane's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Leo, his gaze intense but not unkind. He studied the younger boy for a moment before responding, his voice quieter, almost like a warning.

"Good. Just don't go looking for trouble."

Leo blinked, surprised by the sincerity in Zane's words. It wasn't the usual dismissal or teasing he was used to hearing from others. Zane wasn't ordering him to be careful. No, there was something more real, more grounded in his tone—a concern, maybe, or just an understanding that Leo hadn't fully grasped.

"I'll be careful," Leo promised, though a small part of him wondered if he ever would be. The world outside the shop was full of dangers, and he hadn't even begun to understand how to navigate it all. He didn't want to disappoint Zane, but he also didn't know if he could live up to his expectations.

Zane seemed to notice Leo's hesitation. For a brief moment, the distance between them seemed to shrink, and the older boy gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod.

"Good," Zane muttered, his voice still rough but with a touch of something softer. He turned to leave, but before stepping through the door, he glanced back at Leo one last time. "Take care of yourself."

Leo watched him go, a strange feeling tugging at his chest. There was something about the way Zane had spoken to him, something about the way he'd shown up for him without question, that left Leo both confused and... comforted. Maybe Zane wasn't as rough or distant as he appeared. Maybe there was something more there—a bond Leo couldn't quite explain.

For now, though, he stood there, holding the bouquet of roses, wondering just what kind of connection was beginning to form between them.

As the door to the flower shop clicked shut behind Zane, Elias stood at the counter, his eyes fixed on the space where the older boy had just been. His brow furrowed with concern. There was something about Zane—his silence, his guarded nature—that made Elias uneasy. He'd seen people like him before, people who didn't wear their hearts on their sleeves, people whose pasts were as difficult to read as their present. And when it came to someone like Zane, whose life had been shaped by the slums, Elias couldn't help but be wary.

Zane had shown up for Leo when he needed him, and Elias had to acknowledge that. But there was also something about Zane's presence that felt like a storm brewing on the horizon. Leo was still so young, still so impressionable. Elias knew that people, even well-intentioned ones, could hurt him if they weren't careful.

The thought of Leo getting caught up in a world that was too dangerous, too foreign to him, weighed heavily on Elias's mind. He had created this quiet, safe haven for Leo in the shop, a world of flowers and calm. He couldn't let that be threatened by someone whose intentions weren't clear.

Later, as they were cleaning up the shop for the evening, Elias broke the silence that had lingered between them. His voice was casual, but his eyes studied Leo closely, as if trying to gauge the boy's thoughts.

"You're quiet today, Leo. Everything okay?" he asked, his tone gentle but laced with concern.

Leo looked up from his task, his hands stilling as he met Elias's gaze. "Yeah, just... thinking about stuff," he replied, his voice soft, distracted.

Elias watched him carefully for a moment, noting the way Leo seemed to be avoiding his eyes, a sign that there was more going on inside the boy than he was letting on. Elias didn't push, but his worry deepened.

"You know," Elias said, his voice casual yet carrying a weight of sincerity, "the people you let into your life matter. It's good to be kind to others, but not everyone has your best interests at heart."

Leo nodded absently, though he didn't quite understand the depth of what Elias was trying to say. His mind wasn't fully on the words; it was somewhere else—on Zane. He trusted Elias, he always had, but there was something about Zane that felt different, something that kept drawing him in despite Elias's quiet warnings. Zane had stepped up when no one else had, had shown Leo a side of life he hadn't seen before. Leo didn't know how to explain it, but Zane made him feel like he mattered in a way that no one else did.

"I know," Leo murmured, though his tone lacked conviction. "I just... I think Zane's different, Elias. I don't think he'd hurt me."

Elias's eyes softened, but there was a flicker of something else in his gaze—something that spoke of the quiet fear he'd been holding back. He didn't want to scare Leo, but he couldn't ignore his gut feeling that Zane, for all his help, wasn't a person who could offer Leo the stability he needed.

"I'm sure he doesn't want to hurt you," Elias said carefully, his voice almost a whisper, as if testing the waters of a conversation he hadn't expected to have. "But sometimes people have their own battles, their own baggage. And when you're too close to them, you can get caught in the fallout."

Leo nodded again, but his thoughts were elsewhere. It wasn't that he didn't trust Elias—he always had—but something about Zane was different. His presence, his quiet strength, the way he had come to Leo's aid without hesitation... it made Leo feel like he wasn't just some orphan from the mountain. Zane saw him—really saw him—and for reasons Leo couldn't yet understand, it felt important.