Flowers from a lover [rewrite]

15.0

Leo could have taken advantage of Lucas's calls.
He could ask for the winners of future sports games and bet on them to become rich. He could ask for the secrets to the future and use it for personal gain. But what did Leo want? All he wanted was to talk to Lucas. Given the opportunity to speak to someone fifty years ahead of him, and all he wanted to do was to talk to a lonely boy who's never had someone care about him the way he did. Leo never had intentions that helped himself. Maybe in the beginning his curiosity led to longing for more answers but after getting to know Lucas all of that disappeared and was replaced by what he saw as a beautiful friendship. These phone calls were their little secrets. Their few hours in the dark, gloomy nights to relax and be themselves to someone who would comfort and laugh with them. It was something the both of them had gotten used to.

- - -

Lucas had woken up groggy having slept in an uncomfortable position all night. He made to check the time on his phone but realized it had died due to the song playing on his phone during the night. He groaned and got up, almost falling over but catching himself on time. He decided to get breakfast and go for a walk since it was such a nice day outside, and it'd be perfect since his phone would be charged by that time. After eating a couple leftovers and brushing his teeth, he ran back to his room to his phone, unplugging it before going back downstairs. The sun was newly risen and illuminated the neighborhood in such a way that everyone who took the time to step outside would consider it the perfect day. Lucas continued to his usual routine of checking the planted flowers.
He patted the soil, "Nothing yet, I guess." He told himself, sighing before getting up and walking across the newly sprinkled grass, water slightly seeping through the material of his shoes but not enough to throw him off the course of his good day. No plans had been made, and Lucas was going nowhere in particular. He decided it was better to walk than drive, because his cardio had been awful and something he needed to work on. Town Square was a close enough walk that it was bearable, but also far enough to get some good exercise in. It housed various shops and restaurants, including Jason's flower store. In fact, Lucas had not been back to town square since he had gone to Jason's store. It was a fifteen minute walk, and he took his time because he liked listening to songs during walks, so he'd walk to the beat of the music, which in this case were slower.

Once he arrived, he had not been hungry so he skipped over the small cafes and fast food places, and explored the stores he had never seen before. There was an old, sort of run down arcade that still attracted lots of kids and adults who longed for a hint of nostalgia, a shop for teas that had free taste testing (which Lucas had a blast in), and other hidden gems Lucas had never known about. While he was walking, he had stepped on a piece of gum on the floor. He made a disgusted face as he lifted his shoe up and the gum stretched up off the concrete with it. He kicked his shoe on the pavement, attempting to peel it off. After he had successfully cleaned his shoe, he looked up and saw a small door to his left. He never would have seen it if he hadn't had stopped in front of the door. It was a bookstore, with the paint on its windows missing some letters due to peeling.

Lucas was immediately drawn to it, walking mindlessly inside as a cowbell rang when the door opened. It was much bigger than what he had expected after seeing it from the outside. There were aisles that housed not only books, but music as well. Including records, cassettes, and CD's. The thing that caught his eye, though, was who was behind the counter. It was Scott. He was bagging a book for a customer, thanking them for their purchase and after seeing they had a child, he included a sheet of stickers and a bookmark. His true colours were showing. He didn't really hate children. Lucas walked over confidently, and Scott didn't notice him until he was right in front of the counter. He was still toying with the cash register, looking down.

"Hello wh-" Scott looked up and saw it was Lucas, "Lucas. I've never seen you here before." Lucas looked around, eyebrows raised, "Well, I've never been here before." Lucas nodded, "I know. I usually get the same customers and I know them all by now, so seeing you here is a surprise." Lucas eyed the shelves behind the counter, promoting new arrivals and books who's stock were low. On a book stand was a book called "The Art of War", almost proudly displayed in the center of the top shelf. "So you work here, that's a cool thing." Scott chuckled lightly, "I own this place." He clarified, and George was shocked and impressed at the same time. Scott's appearance never gave off an energy that implied he worked at such a place.