Petals
Marluxia & Kairi

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“He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not…” The girl swung her legs on the park bench, whispering the words tenderly to herself. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the caretaker of the park grounds was bent over by a tree, nurturing the pansies that some kids had trampled playing tag. He listened to her, curious. Kids these days, he thought to himself. They fall in love so easily. How odd for him to call her a kid, he realized. He had to be only a few years older.

“He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not…” The pallid petals of the daisy she picked dropped to the ground beneath her, piling up slowly but steadily for she was determined. The caretaker finished fixing the flowers and now sat against the trunk of the tree, watching the girl intently.

“He loves me!” She suddenly cried triumphantly. She threw the stem of the daisy in the air and grinned like a fool, not caring that people who were passing by were staring her down. She looked at the caretaker and waved him over. At first, he was reluctant, but then he got up from his spot in the grass and made his way to the bench. She patted down on the spot beside her, offering him a seat.

“He loves me, you know,” she spoke, her voice melodic and almost proud.

“How do you know that for sure?” the caretaker questioned, his faded eyebrows raised as he awaited a reply.

“The flower told me.”

The caretaker smiled. “You are a foolish kid,” he told her, and he patted her on the head as he got up to leave. He was sure that there were more flowers to save from the clutches of reckless children.

“Hold on a moment, sir!” the girl spoke up. She grasped his hand and pulled him back down to the bench. From her sundress pocket, she pulled out another white daisy. “You try.”

The caretaker laughed.

“Come on!” she irked. “It’ll work, I promise.”

He shook his head and got back up from the bench. “Maybe some other time.”

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A few days later when a the sky was clear as a bell and the birds flew wildly overhead, the caretaker was back at the same tree, fostering the same flowers. He decided not to get frustrated, even though it was the same kids who ruined them the first time. What good would that do him?

“He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not…” He could hear the girl’s voice as he worked on the pansies. “Look, Kairi! He loves me! This has got to be real because this is the second time I’ve done this!” the girl exclaimed joyously.

The caretaker spun around suddenly, surprised that he was so caught off-guard to find that the girl wasn’t alone this time. With her was a friend, or so he assumed she was a friend. And for a second, their eyes met and it was all over. She was lovely with her fair skin, auburn hair, and thick eyelashes. She was smiling softly as she accepted a daisy from her friend. She bid her friend farewell and without looking back, she began to walk away.

“Sir!” the girl beckoned him over, holding out a daisy. “How ‘bout today? Will you try today?” Her eyes gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. The caretaker approached her, cocked his head sideways, and gingerly plucked the daisy with his slender fingers. She smiled at him and ran after her friend.

He wore a sideways smile and sat on the bench. He examined the flower delicately, its aroma pleasant and refreshing. It would be a shame to pluck away the petals, he thought to himself. But then he remembered her face and his heartbeats quickened.

“She loves me, she loves me not…”

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Drabble much? I like it though. It makes me all tingly inside : Reviews, please and thank you!