Flowers from a lover [rewrite]

7.0

It had been a week, and since then Leo's inner demons had subsided. He continued to speak to Lucas , and Daniel (if he wasn't busy with work), and since then he had been feeling better. Not perfect, but better. At that moment he had been on the phone with Lucas , talking about their favorite thing of certain categories. "Hmmm," Lucas mumbled, "favourite animal?" Leo got up and walked over to the small pet bed on the floor and picked up his cat Patches, "Cats. Say hi, Patches." He put the phone up to Patches' nose but obviously she was in no mood to say hi to anyone. "She's moody." Lucas smiled, "Did you wake her up forcefully?"

Leo put Patches back on her bed, "No comment." Lucas shook his head with a laugh, "I like cats too." He told him, "I used to have one named Daisy." "Cat people are the best." Leo said and Lucas hummed in agreement. "What haven't we asked?" Lucas wondered out loud after a few moments of silence. Leo was looking outside his window when he saw a man pull up in his neighbor's driveway. His neighbor came out and she smiled at the man, who presented her with brightest and fullest of red roses. She happily took them from him and gave him a hug, and he picked her up and spun her.

Leo immediately assumed these were people who had not seen each other for a while meeting for the first time again. These kinds of moments made Leo slightly jealous. He had never had serious romantic connections other than the occasional one time date that usually ended in disaster. He would have loved to be the one to bring someone flowers. "Leo? You're quiet but I feel like I can hear your thoughts." Lucas said after a while, snapping Leo out of his head. "Sorry ." Leo apologized, "But, I thought of a question." Lucas hummed, "Alright, what is it?"

"What's your favourite flower?" Leo could not handle watching the happy couple any longer, so he shut his blinds and covered his windows with his white curtain. "I don't know much about flowers," Lucas began, "but I do admire orchids or calendulas." Leo knew exactly what those flowers were, as he had helped his mother in her flower shop for years. He knew his flowers and he knew how to take care of them, and he loved them very much, He thought about Lucas 's answer, "Any particular reason?" "Well orchids were my mother's wedding flowers, they were everywhere apparently." Lucas explained, "As for calendulas, they're just quite beautiful."

"Cool. Now I know what flowers to send to you." Leo half joked. "How would that work?" Lucas was genuinely curious. "I've given you items before." Leo suggested. "Flowers from 1970 couldn't survive 50 years in a time capsule, Leo." Leo sighed, "Well I know that." He sat down against the wall, "I'll figure it out." Leo would be in his near 70's if he was still alive during Lucas 's time. That fact physically hurt him to think about, but still he brainstormed ways to get flowers to 2020. He then came up with an idea, "Lucas , I have to go get some stuff from the store, but I'll call you again tonight." There was a small scuffle from Lucas 's end before he responded with a "talk to you later", and they both hung up.

- - -

Leo drove his car to the nearest flower shop. It was near his house and was squished between a night club and a bookstore. He walked in and the smell of fresh flowers overwhelmed him, but felt clean and new. The door also rang a few bells when he opened it, which he found cool. "Welcome." The man running the store greeted him, wearing an apron and tending to some plants hanging up from the ceiling, "Need anything specific, sir?"

Leo walked over to him, "Yes actually. Do you sell seeds by any chance?" The man stepped down from his small staircase ladder and gave him a goofy smile, "As a matter of fact we do. Follow me." Leo followed the young man over to the back where seeds and other various gardening supplies were kept. "They're organized alphabetically in these little drawers." The shopkeeper explained, "I'll be tending to those plants outside, but if you need any help finding something in particular just give a shout or come find me." He grinned again before walking back to where he was working earlier. Leo laughed and shook his head as he walked away, amused by the young man's energy. He then walked to the drawers and looked for orchid seeds, but could not find any.

Leo was too shy to call the man over so quickly after he had just walked away, so in the meantime he went over to find calendula seeds. To his luck, he opened the drawer and found one last packet of calendula seeds. He took them and walked over to where the shopkeeper was. "Excuse me." Leo looked up because the man was high up on the ladder snipping little leaves of plants. The man looked down, "Oh hello! Find what you need?" Leo  nodded, "Yes, but, do you keep orchid seeds by any chance?" The man frowned, "No, actually. They take years to grow properly from a seed and we just can't get our hands on them to stock."

Leo gestured his understanding, "That's alright," he smiled, "I'll just be taking these then." He shook the seeds to show him. "Calendulas. Pot marigolds. Very pretty when they grow." He stepped down from his staircase ladder once again and led him to the counter. "Yes," Leo agreed, "the person I'm getting them for thinks so too." "Oh, so you got a girl that loves to garden then?" Leo chuckled at the innocent question, "It's a bit complicated." "It always is." The shopkeeper agreed, "My little lady hates flowers, so it's complicated for me, too." "Who could hate flowers?"

"Her apparently since she's allergic." He grinned nonchalantly before handing Leo the seed packet and taking the money. Leo smiled back, "Well thank you uh-," he squinted at the nametag on the man's apron, "Jason." "You're welcome sir!" He waved goodbye happily before going back to taking care of his plants.

- - -

Leo came home and packed the seeds into a time capsule and burying it in the usual spot he'd put it in, then called Lucas , notifying him that he indeed had figured out a way to get him flowers from 1970.