Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny -- though a bit chilly -- and Evan was in a good mood from the moment he got out of bed, and remembered Sascha had agreed to spend some time with him outside of his flower shop. Evan was still not going to call it a date though, because he knew that wasn't how Sascha saw it. He had probably just agreed to keep Evan from complaining, but Evan was perfectly fine with that as long as he got to spend his Saturday with the florist.
So, on that day, Evan cheerfully got up, got dressed and got ready to leave, not caring that it was early. He thought he could probably go out for an early breakfast, look around a few shops and then stop by at Sascha's shop a little earlier than planned and chat with the florist for a bit. With his plan set, Evan left his home, already looking forward to how his day would go.
The weather outside was nice, with clear skies and Evan decided to switch up his plans a bit as he walked to Sascha's shop a while later. He hoped the florist wouldn't mind, but it wasn't a big change in plans and he though Sascha might enjoy it. Evan was so distracted, that he almost got run over by a painfully familiar teenager on a bike.
"Jason, why am I not surprised?" he said dully, as the boy stopped to apologize.
"You can't blame me this time, you were pretty distracted," Jason was quick to defend, and Evan couldn't deny that the boy was right. "If you're going to the shop, Sascha's closing up already," he informed the older man.
"I know, I'm supposed to meet up with him," and Evan regretted saying that almost immediately, because Jason was giving him a sly grin, eyebrows raised teasingly.
"Oh really?" said the teenager.
"Go home, Jason," Evan told him with a glare.
To his relief Jason did as told, although he was cackling as he rode away. Evan just shook his head, muttering about nosy kids as he stopped in front of the flower shop. He nearly bumped into Sascha, who was just walking out, hand reaching for the keys in his pocket.
"Oh, Evan, hello," said the florist, taking a step back.
"Hey, you weren't going to close up and ditch me were you?" Evan joked, and Sascha just gave him an amused look before shutting the door to his shop.
"No, but I can if you want," he said innocently, pocketing his keys.
"Nope, it's too late, you already agreed to this," Evan pointed out, crossing his arms.
"Besides, it'll be fun, I promise. You need to get out more often; you're always at the shop, that can't be healthy," Evan said, leading the way down the street.
"I like the shop," Sascha argued, as he walked beside the other man. "And you're always there too, so you can't talk."
Evan supposed that was true, but it wasn't like he was there for the flowers. He was pretty sure that, were it not for Sascha, he wouldn't have returned to that shop unless he was after some girl. It was his hope, however, that he'd be able to get Sascha out of the shop more often; if things went well on their current outing, that was.
"So, where are we going?" Sascha asked a bit later.
"Just to a coffee shop nearby, then I thought we could take a walk around the park or something. We don't have to, though; it's just if you want to," he added, because Sascha was looking at him a bit oddly.
"No, it's fine, I like the park. I haven't been to it in a while, so this'll be nice," the florist agreed.
A short time later they were walking out of a nice little coffee shop with hot drinks and making their way to the park nearby. It was a pretty big place where people liked to go for a run, or just to spend their lunch hour if they worked nearby. Kids had a special part with a playground where they could go during the weekends or after school, and benches were spread out along the paths for anyone who just wanted to sit and relax for a while. In general, it was a nice place, clean and well kept.
"You know I've never been to this place before," Evan commented as they strolled down a path.
"Really? I come here sometimes, but I've been a bit too busy lately," Sascha said.
"Well, I don't live around here, I just work nearby so I pass by sometimes. It's nice, pretty quiet actually," the man noted, as they sat at a bench on the side of the path, coffee cups warming their hands. In all honesty, Evan wasn't the type to go to parks, but he thought it might not be too bad every once in a while. Especially if he had company as good as Sascha.
"So, what's it like to be outside in a flower free environment?" Evan asked with a grin.
"You mean like those," Sascha laughed, pointing at a small bunch of tiny yellow flowers on the grassy area across from them.
"You know what I meant," Evan said, but he couldn't help but laugh along.
"I guess it's not so bad," Sascha admitted.
"That's because you're in great company," said Evan.
"How modest," the florist teased. "But I guess it is better than coming here on my own."
It looked like Sascha really meant it too, despite the fact that he looked away from Evan and focused his gaze on his cup of coffee. There was a small smile on his face and some color on his cheeks, but it could have just been the cold. Of course, Evan hoped that weren't the case.
"Hey, I'd never seen that before," Evan said suddenly, pointing to a ring on Sascha's hand.
The florist looked at the object Evan pointed out. It was a silver ring with a circle in the middle containing a small four leaf clover, still a vibrant green color that stood out against the white background it was set on. The small leaf seemed to be perfectly preserved.
"Oh, I usually take it off while I'm working so I won't lose it," Sascha explained.
"My sister gave it to me when I first opened the flower shop, for good luck, she said," he finished with a smile, Evan just stared blankly at the florist.
"You have a sister?" he asked after a moment, only to receive a nod from Sascha.
"Yes, I have two older siblings, a brother and a sister. They live in the same town as my parents though, so I don't see them all that much," he shrugged, sipping his drink, and Evan tried to imagine what Sascha's sister would be like, considering the way the florist looked.
'Hot, definitely hot, there's no way she isn't,' he decided.
"What are they like?" he asked, pushing away his previous thoughts, because he didn't think Sascha would appreciate them.
"Hmm, I don't really know how to describe them," said Sascha, looking thoughtful. "I suppose my sister is very smart, she's actually a dentist. She's very pretty and friendly, but she does have a bit of a temper. It's very hard to get her really mad though," he added, because Evan was looking rather worried about ever meeting her.
"My brother is a bit more patient, but he tends to be a bit serious. He's very nice though, he's always taken care of me and my sister since he's the oldest. His wife is also very sweet."
"He's married already?" Evan asked, wondering how much older than Sascha the guy was.
"Yes, he just got married two years ago, it was a very nice wedding. I had to go back home to help with the flower arrangements, but it was fun," Sascha said, smiling fondly at the memory. "Oh, I think I have a picture of them in my phone," he said, digging in his coat's pocket for the gadget.
