Jay and Jonathan have been best friends since they attended the same preschool. They're so close that some people who see the young men together think they're a gay couple. It's hilarious, according to Jonathan and Jay. Until, one day, in order to spare himself the mockery of his unbearable and somewhat homophobic workmates, Jay, in a panic, blurts something really, really bad – a lie that could make Jonathan's life very difficult. Jonathan is furious at this betrayal, and Jay realises that he will lose his lifelong best friend in mere days if he can't find a way to apologise enough.
A short story set in present-day New Zealand, 'Purple Flowers; Or, How To Get Your Best Friend To Forgive You' features purple flowers, pink cocktails, nosy colleagues, and a brutally frank older sister – because sometimes we all need someone to tell us when we're being idiots.