Of Flowers and Fire

Chapter 5

Sawyer shuffled through the opening of his workshop, angling his body so he didn't disrupt the floral arrangement he was carrying rather precariously to the back room. It was colder in the floor room than Sawyer had expected it to be, but he just rolled his eyes and moved acrobatically to the countertops in the back. He was humming some song whose name he didn't remember. There was a tap on the front door, and Sawyer hollered, "I'll be with you momentarily!" He gently set down the giant vase and breathed in carefully, planting his hands on his hips. He turned around and smiled when he saw Diego standing awkwardly in the doorway. Sawyer wiped his hands on his apron and moved toward Diego in easy but cautious steps. 

"Hey," Diego said reaching up and moving some hair out of his eyes. (If they were in a romantic comedy, this would be the scene where Sawyer would swoon, but Diego had previously explained his distaste for romantic comedies, so Sawyer didn't.)

"Hi," Sawyer waved four twitching fingers and jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the workshop. "I have a lot to get done, do you want to talk?"

Diego swallowed, nodding, and followed Sawyer to the workshop. Sawyer sat on the small wooden stool shoved haphazardly against the workbench. He pushed up his glasses with his wrist and leaned forward to inspect a bright yellow, crumpled iris. "There's a chair over there," Sawyer said gesturing with a small pair of metal scissors he had taken from the pocket in his apron. Diego went to the leftmost corner of the room and pulled out the black, metal stool. He sat on it delicately and leaned forward to admire several beautiful bouquets lined up on the tabletop.

"What are you working on?" Diego asked. Over the four months of knowing Sawyer, Diego had grown to love watching  him work. He seemed so calm when he was working, so focused and dedicated. It was the only time Diego could catch Sawyer slouching. He rocked backwards on his stool, careful not to tip it and cause a scene.

"Wedding," Sawyer murmured softly, twisting a pink carnation into a white, silk bouquet wrap. His voice was almost a whisper, and he had explained to Diego before why he got quiet when arranging flowers. ("I think it throws off the way the flowers move." "What does that even mean?" "Who knows.")

"Whose?"

"Sara Knoles," Sawyer said pulling out another pink carnation.

"Ah."

"Do you know her?"

"No," Diego answered quietly and quickly. He looked around the workshop. He had been there before, but it was the first time he had actually looked around. Usually when he was inside the workshop, Sawyer was almost done, now he seemed in the midst of a large project.

Sawyer nodded and tied a ribbon around the flowers, pulling them together. He set it aside, next to three other, almost identical, ones. He sighed and ran a hand through his toffee hair, spreading pollen through it. He turned on his stool, grinned at Diego, and stretched his back. "How's your day going?" Sawyer asked. He looked around the room, seeming to search for the appropriate flowers.

"It's alright," Diego said watching Sawyer stand and reach up to grab a handful of cool, bright red roses. "How's yours?"

"Slow," Sawyer explained, nodding, and setting the roses on the table. "Long. I've been working on these bridesmaid's bouquets all morning,"

"It's two in the afternoon." Diego interrupted.

Sawyer kept on as if Diego had said nothing, "and now I have the bridal bouquet and all of the groomsmen boutiners left."

Diego almost smiled, hands folding together in his lap. "The bouquets look nice." He told Sawyer. Sawyer smiled over his shoulder at Diego, seeming stunned when he caught Diego's small smile. He was reaching for a bundle of yellow chrysanthemums.