sewing flowers | tewkesbury ✔︎

viii. reunited as one

"Here's an Alstroemeria. You'd know it as the Lily of the Incas." Tewkesbury murmured, handing me one. "It would brighten up the apartment and add sweet smelling fumes."

"Why thank you!" I smiled, placing the iris into my woven basket, where a plethora of other flowers sat.

I had decided to head to the market for my lunch break, closing up my shop and enjoying the beautiful flowers with Tewkesbury by my side.

"They're so gorgeous." I admired, plucking a purple iris from the stands.

"...They are." Tewkesbury grinned, wistfully staring at me as I made my way through the flowers.

The past week had felt like a dream, with Tewkesbury around my life had brightened up considerably. Countless laughs had been shared, and countless memories made. I often found myself smiling to myself while tending to the shop.

"I want four yellow flowers, two blue, and a red one." A familiar voice stood out from the market chatter. "I don't care about the breed, any will do."

I turned around, shadows of surprise etched onto my face, but I soon smiled, "Enola!"

"What are you doing here?" Tewkesbury excitedly asked, pausing his sweeping.

"Why, if you're passionate about flowers, would you come to London?" Enola scrunched her nose, peering at the bits of rubbish left behind from various customers.

"Because I can be lost here." Tewkesbury replied wistfully, while Enola smirked.

"And yet I found you."

"To be fair," I chirped, raising my eyebrow, "I did give you the address of my shop and it is remarkably close to this market."

"Touché, Octavia." Enola's eyes glimmered.

"Why are you here?" He inquired.

Enola's smile was wiped off her face, her eyes downcast. Tewkesbury furrowed his brows, before realisation dawned before him.

"You're here for the money." He said, face ashen with betrayal. "They've offered a reward."

I scoffed, nudging Tewkesbury. She would do no such thing.

"Have they? I didn't know." She advanced, a playful glint in her eye. "Well, I must tie you up and claim it!"

Tewkesbury jumped back in alarm, while Enola doubled over, laughing so hard that tears glimmered in the corner of her eyes. I rolled my eyes, but smiled none the less.

"Stars and garters, are you really so ridiculous?" She chuckled, wiping her tears of laughter. "I've come here because i've grown to like the both of you more in your absence and because, as it turns out, your life is still in danger, Tewkesbury."

Her eyes had no joyous glint now, they were hardened, and my stomach dropped, for I knew every word she spoke was true.

"What's made you like us more?" Tewkesbury asked, handing Enola a flower to match her pink dress, and a blue to match mine.

I scoffed. "Really? That is your question? Not 'Who is trying to kill me?' Really?"

"She has a point." Enola agreed, before turning to Tewkesbury. "I found your flower pressings by the way, they were quite beautiful. I don't give a fig about flowers, of course." She finished, plopping the pink flower into lone flower basket.

"That's because your ignorant." Tewkesbury chimed."

"Ignorant?" Enola looked taken aback. "How dare you?"

"Tewkesbury, if anything, she's the least ignorant of all of us." I said.

"Only in terms of life skills. In beauty, she is ignorant and willfully so." He replied, and received a playful punch from Enola.

"You would change your mind about a boy." She reasoned, walking at a faster pace.

"I'm not a boy." Tewkesbury gruffly said, attempting to deepen his voice and straightening his posture. "I'm a man."

I met eyes with Enola, and within another second, we both gasped in laughter. Tewkesbury glowered at us, scowling.

"A-a ... man!" I chuckled, gasping for air. "Oh Tewkesbury, you flatter yourself too much."

"You're a man when I tell you you're a man." Enola giggled.

Tewkesbury stopped walking, and gazed at Enola. "We've missed you, Enola Holmes." He said seriously.

"I missed you more then he did. Do you know how hard it was to live with this boy? Without another girl in the premises, I thought I was surely to die." I sarcastically muttered, earning a shove from Tewkesbury.

My thoughts turned to Tewkesbury, and Enola's words of warning. What if her words were true? Were Tewkesbury's days now numbered?

I forced the thoughts from my mind, knowing that all would be answered in time. I brought myself back to Earth, and did my best to smile in spite of the worry.