Coworker accused him of flirting with his secret girlfriend over a bouquet of flowers. One problem: they both knew he was gay
His innocent gesture towards Candace was mistaken for a flirtatious move by her boyfriend
No matter what the world says, a man and a woman can be just friends, especially if one of them is gay. On September 23, 2026, a 22-year-old (u/procyon_lotor724) turned to Reddit to share how his innocent gesture towards a female coworker was mistaken for a flirtatious move by her boyfriend. He explained that Candace, a much older coworker, had recently lost her father, so he surprised her with fresh flowers to cheer her up. However, his very gesture didn't sit well with her boyfriend. Billy. He accused the author of flirting with Candace even though Billy knew he was gay.
A sweet gesture
Candace and Billy, both in their 50s-60s, worked at the same company as the author. Soon, they started dating, and nobody except the author knew. He explained that Candace and Billy's relationship violated company policy, but he never spoke in front of management. "I like Candace, and she deserves to be happy," he wrote.
After Candace's stepfather passed away, the author noticed that she was visibly upset. He wanted to do something nice to lift her mood, and bought her a bouquet with a card. "To me, that was a small gesture. The least I could do. I've gotten her and other employees flowers for their birthdays/special occasions before. It's just a little something to brighten their day," he wrote. On top of that, the author was an entry-level employee, so there were no power dynamics involved.
The shocking accusation
When Billy heard about it, he confronted the author when he was alone in the kitchen. The first words that came out of Billy's mouth were, "I don't appreciate you making moves on my girl." Stunned by the accusation, the author asked what he meant. Billy responded, "You're making me look bad because you got her flowers and I didn't. I don't want anything or anyone to come between us." He could not fathom how Billy came to that conclusion. He thought of Candace as his grandma, given the age difference. Moreover, she was definitely not his type, since he was gay. The craziest part was that Billy knew the author was gay, but still accused him of flirting with his girlfriend.
Flowers aren’t flirting
Gifting someone flowers does not always have to be romantic. A study by the Society of American Florists found that 80% of Americans feel happy receiving flowers while 88% say giving flowers makes them happy. Similarly, 60% feel flowers have a special meaning unlike any other gift. Perhaps that was all the author was trying to do. He wanted to cheer Candace up, not try to woo her with a bouquet. On another note, Billy acted out of jealousy, which is unusual for an older man, as a 2015 YouGov survey found that people aged 18 to 29 (42%) were more jealous than those aged 45 to 64 (26%) and 65 years and older (19%).
'Give Billy flowers too'
Meanwhile, netizens commented hilarious ideas on how the author should "apologize" for overstepping. For example, u/Old-Ninja-113 wrote, "He knows you’re not making any moves. The problem is he is a loser and didn’t do anything for his girlfriend. You stepped in, and it just looks bad for him, as he’s too self-absorbed to console his woman." Similarly, u/IJustWorkHere000c mischievously suggested. "You should tell Billy that you got Candace the flowers to break them up so you could go after what you really want... Him!"
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