Holding it up to his face, Lorcan gave the garlic clove an experimental whiff. The smell burned his nostrils and made his eyes water sure enough. It was a garlic clove and not a fake.
Which meant Rose wasn't an agent of the gnomes. And that meant Rose really was asking him out on a date.
"So..." Lorcan awkwardly stood there, searching for an adequate response. "You want to go on a date. With me. And you've brought me flowers."
The repetition made the words sink in. Fully. And his heart could have chased itself out of his chest, it was beating so fast.
His palms were sweaty as he returned the garlic clove and said, "I want to go on a date, with you, and keep your flowers."