Pearl fiddled nervously with the zipper on her jacket. It was a pink blazer-type thing, and Pearl hadn't been a date in...well, a long time. She had no idea what to wear honestly. Actually, Pearl had no idea how to behave in front of a romantic prospect in general. She was completely content with being single. Sure, sometimes she felt like writing romantic vignettes to some beautiful girl, but none of her poems sounded right ever since she stopped writing them to Rose.

Damn. Pearl didn't want to think about Rose and her flowing curls tinted with the most perfect pink...ugh. Earlier that month she had received an invitation in the mail, to a certain Rose Diamond and Greg Universe's wedding. It had stung like a thorn...fitting, Pearl chuckled bitterly, Rose and her thorns.

Anyways, Ruby and Sapphire, Pearl's almost sickeningly sweet friends who were also an adorable couple, had basically forced her to "get back out there," whatever that meant. Pearl had no interest in it. She wanted to stay home, choreograph tearful ballet routines and clean her house. Making sure everything was neat calmed Pearl like nothing else could. It was a sort of coping mechanism, as usually Pearl's brain whirled with thoughts rushing around in a disconcerting blur.

"Hey...you want anything?"
Pearl jumped, surprised out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a bored-looking employee of the coffee shop. The waitress had wavy, slightly tangled violet hair, cute dimples and a gold nose ring. Pearl assumed she was Hispanic, and she desperately wanted to smooth out the knots in her long hair. Amethyst-that's what the woman's slightly askew name tag read-wore a beige apron with the name of the coffee shop.

"Uh, no thank you! I'm waiting for someone!" Pearl told her awkwardly. The waitress seemed amused, and Pearl felt a hot blush creep across her face. It didn't help that Amethyst was quite cute, and here was Pearl making a fool of herself.

Amethyst walked back to the cash register and Pearl checked the time. Her "date" was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. Pearl glanced down at the bouquet of pink and yellow tulips draped across her feet. Yes, she had bought flowers for her blind date. Pearl thought it would be a romantic gesture, and yet here her date had not even arrived yet.

Ten minutes later, Pearl had pretty much given up all hope. She had ordered a green tea so as not to seem like a loser sitting alone at a cafe not even buying anything. She had texted Sapphire, who told her to just go home and that her so-called date was a piece of shit. Ruby probably texted the piece of shit part. Pearl stood up, ready to go home and feel lonely and unattractive, when she remembered her flowers. Pearl didn't what to bring them home, the bouquet would just serve as a constant reminder of her failed date. She glanced at Amethyst, who was staring blankly out the window, twiddling with her nose ring absentmindedly.

Suddenly, Pearl stood up, knees trembling with nerves slightly. She grabbed the bouquet and walked over to the counter.

"Hello," Pearl ventured, voice quavering slightly. She couldn't believe what she was doing.

"Oh, 'sup. You want something else?" Amethyst asked, looking up. She had a mole right above the dimple that appeared when she grinned. She smiled a lot, Pearl knew this already.

"I-well, my date didn't come and I thought…" Pearl trailed off, blushing again. "Would you like some flowers?"

Pearl placed the bouquet awkwardly on the countertop, nervously maintaining eye contact with the barista. Amethyst's face lit up, she practically beamed at Pearl, which made the uncomfort of giving her the flowers all worth it.

"Shit! That's so sweet, uh, wow…" Amethyst told Pearl delightedly. "No one's ever given me flowers."

"Really? You're so pretty though." Pearl said, surprised.

"You're not so bad yourself, hon," Amethyst responded, giving the other girl a flirtatious wink.

Pearl's face grew even redder and she couldn't help but smile a bit. They stood there smiling at each other, until it grew slightly awkward and Pearl turned to go. But, before she could leave Amethyst was putting a warm hand on her bony shoulder.

"Hey, wait! You can't just give a girl flowers and not your number." Amethyst grinned again, grabbing a sharpie from her apron pocket and scribbling her number on the back of Pearl's hand. "Alright, sweetheart, you can go now but you better call me, k? Amethyst told a shocked Pearl, winking once more, and then walking back to the counter, lavender hair dappled with the sunlight shining from the windows.

Pearl walked out of the cafe in a slight daze. Usually, she'd be consumed with anxiety about the sharpie staining her pale skin and possibly poisoning her or some other awful thing, but what was written in the sharpie was too distracting.

Pearl felt the sudden urge to write a poem about the way Amethyst smiled.