Flowers from a lover [rewrite]

19.0

Samuel Jones, also known as Leo by his closest companions, died on September 8th, 2020, 9:59PM at 71 years old. His polite request for Lucas to take care of the flowers were his last known words. He was still capable of talking after that, he just refused to say any more, because he wanted his last words to have something to do with Lucas. It was Ryan who broke the news to Lucas the next day over text, assuring him he wasn't at fault for any of it and that Leo himself knew his time was running out. Lucas didn't know how to bring himself to talk to Leo over the phone knowing his future counterpart had lost his life, until he remembered what Sam had told him the night before he died.

"You can't. Tomorrow's the ninth of September, Lucas. I made sure you couldn't call again." Lucas was trying to understand what that had meant, but he knew he was still going to sit for however long it took, just to wait for the phone to ring. He'd have to keep the fact that he had died to himself. He needed to hear Leo's voice again. The Leo that he loved. The Leo that was alive. Lucas was busy in thought, when he heard knocking from downstairs. It took everything in him to get up and push himself downstairs. Not to mention the fact that he had not eaten breakfast yet. He opened the door to Ryan, who had baggy eyes that were scarred from too much wiping.

"Ryan?" Lucas led him inside, "I'm so sorry." Lucas couldn't even finish the sentence without getting choked up with tears. Ryan tried his best to smile, "Don't be, nothing's your fault." Lucas couldn't fathom how much grief him and his family were probably in. His heart broke when he thought of Oliver. How Oliver was expecting his grandpa to come back. He couldn't imagine how hard it was for Ryan as a father to sit him down and tell him the truth. They had just gotten close, too. Lucas helped the man walk inside, his footing had been so unsure and confused, "Why did you come here, Ryan?" "I have to tell you something, Lucas." He turned to Lucas, trying his best to keep his composure but it was obviously backfiring.

"Sure, anything." Lucas sat down in front of him, offering a glass of water and some tissues, patting him on the back. Ryan thanked him before taking a deep breath. "My dad was a great man." His voice shook, and every bit of him was slowly crumbling like a sandcastle that a million hands were trying to keep together. Lucas nodded, Ryan had no idea how much he had agreed with him. He listened on, taking a sip of water and trying to keep calm knowing what Ryan was about to say was something about the man he loved. The man who was gone. "He'd tell us stories," "I remember."

Ryan laughed a little, "they were such absurd stories, but I believed them. Scott didn't, he was realistic, but me? Oh I soaked up every word of his storytelling until I fell asleep." He looked reminiscently in front of him. "The stupid one about him climbing a tree to protest not cutting it down, and how he got struck by lightning after, and all those times he and his friend Daniel would go out and set firecrackers into the sky at helicopters." Lucas chuckled along with him, he wondered what other insane things Leo supposedly did in his life. The thought of it warmed and eased his heart a bit. He knew that Leo was satisfied and had lived his life the way he wanted to.

"There was a story for every single night." Ryan turned to look at Lucas, "That was how many he had.""I'm sure he loved telling those stories as much as you loved hearing them, Ry." Lucas comforted. "I did love hearing them. I loved every single one of them." Ryan's fingers were being more fidgety than usual, "But there was one in particular that he'd have so much to talk about." Lucas was genuinely interested, "And what story was that?" "The story of a boy he used to speak to on the phone." Lucas felt his heartbeat stop for a second. Leo told his kids about him? More importantly, Ryan knew about the calls this whole time? Ryan didn't wait for a response, he just continued, "The way he'd tell the story. It felt so real, I just knew he wasn't lying to me. He never did."

"T-then what?" "Then I grew up of course. I stopped believing in Santa, then the Tooth Fairy, then eventually all of Dad's stories." Ryan looked down at his hands, playing with his rings. He glanced at the clock, then hurried his speech, "I met a woman, got married, had a kid, and he knew that. He knew I wasn't his little boy that was in awe of everything he did anymore." Lucas moved closer, every ounce of his body waiting to hear what Ryan had to say next. "Then five years ago he came here." Ryan was gesturing with his hands, "And he told me, 'Ryan, do you remember that story I used to tell you?' And I said of course I did. Then he told me that's why he came. I was confused, why would he visit me just to ask if I remembered one of his fictional stories."