His Little Flower (Felix and Flora) novel Chapter 4

I tidied up the room quickly, making the bed, wiping the window panes and dusting all the furniture. I checked in on the washroom to make sure it was clean. It was, but I wiped the counter and the mirror once, just in case. Satisfied with my work, I went back downstairs to the kitchen. Lydia was chopping up vegetables.

“Settled in the master bed.” I told her. “Can I help with lunch?”

She gave me the vegetables and the chopping board, and went to work on something else herself. We worked in silence for a minute, before I spoke, “It’s a beautiful house.”

She hummed in agreement. “The master has worked very hard on it. He designed the interior himself.”

“Oh, what kind of work is he in?” Maybe he was in the creative field, an interior designer or something, or an architect.

Lydia shrugged. “Real estate.”

I nodded. That made sense. It explained the money. “Have you met the owners?” I inquired, “Are they nice?”

She smiled and looked up at me. “Yes, honey. I’ve known them for years, now. I used to work for the master’s parents,” She explained, “He’s a wonderful boy. Kind and caring. When you meet him, he might come off a bit rude, but he has a heart of gold.” I smiled at her description. She clearly had a soft spot for him. From her description, he seemed great.

“You’re a very pretty girl, Flora.” Lydia said softly. She took the plate of chopped vegetables from me, and handed me some cherries to pit. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

I shook my head. I barely had time for myself, a relationship would be so hard to manage. Besides, my father wouldn’t be too happy with it, I think.

“You should meet my son!” She exclaimed. “Liam. He works security on the compound.” I didn’t want to meet her son, but I nodded in agreement anyway.

Lydia stepped to the side, looking back at me with a smile, revealing me to my employer. “Felix, this is Flora White. She’ll be helping around the house. Flora, this is Felix Corsino, the master.”

He had aged, was the first thing I thought. He looked older, more mature. He was a man now. The last time I had seen him, he had just turned eighteen. His hair was shorter then, and his face was filled with boyish charm and innocence. That was gone now, replaced by the hardness that growing up accorded. My eyes met his, and my breath caught in my throat. His expression didn’t change. I think I looked at him for minutes, hours maybe, or maybe it was a few seconds. Felix. My Felix. I wanted to throw myself at him, to feel his arms around me again, to fall at his feet and apologize over and over and over. He spoke before I had the chance to, “Miss White.” He nodded curtly.

“Its nice to meet you, Mr. Corsino.” I let out in a jumble of words. Didn’t he recognize me? Didn’t he know it was me? Had I changed so much? Had he changed? Had he…forgotten me?

I searched his face for his eyes to meet mine again, but he only looked at Lydia, refusing to pay me another glance. “I’ll eat at one.” He informed her, then walked off, brushing past me, like I was invisible, like I was nothing. But it was true. I was nothing, now. Invisible. Irrelevant.