Better Man

- - 5 - -

- - chapter five - -
find me at a quarter to three

Indigo was so taken back by the fact that the rude customer had wished her a good day that she wasn't even worried about the fact that he had refused to tell her his name. Her stomach was full of butterflies and she was sure that if he had turned around before leaving, she would have exploded with how happy she was. She didn't know what was happening to her. Why was she feeling this way about someone who had been so rude and cold to her ever since they first met? She hadn't even seen this guy smile before, maybe it was impossible for him to smile, why was she catching feelings for a stranger that she knew nothing about? The guy was so mysterious that she didn't know his name, his age, what he did for a living, she didn't even know who the flowers were for. He mentioned that his mum is the one who orders them, so are they for her or for a family member? Maybe she would never find out but she hoped that she would, because that would mean growing closer to the ginger haired man and for some reason, she liked the sound of that.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Basil purring at her feet and she cursed under her breath, realising that she must have forgotten to close her front door that morning and now her cat had escaped. He wasn't a street cat; he was definitely a house cat and she had had him ever since he was a kitten. He was the kind of cat that preferred to live in luxury and refused to go outside, hunting mice when he could easily wait for six o'clock and a plate of cat food to be placed in front of him. Anyone could see from the way that he was groomed, that Basil didn't venture out much, he was like his owner in that sense. Both preferred the comfort of the flat rather than the daunting nature of the outside world and enjoyed each other's company rather than going to fend for themselves outside. However, George must have left the door open when he stormed out and Basil decided to test the waters on this slightly warmer than usual summers day.

"Basil!" She shouted, running away from the counter and chasing the cat out of the shop, because he wasn't used to the street and she was worried that he would get run over as soon as he put one paw on the road. The customers from the shop moved out of the way so that the florist could safely retrieve her cat and most of them watched with fond expressions, having a soft spot for the young businesswoman; laughing as she chased him down the road. Basil was faster than she was expecting, as a housecat, he was more on the plump side but he was still running as fast as he could to get away from the screaming madwoman behind him.

Luckily, someone had dropped some food on the street corner, meaning that when Basil sniffed it, he decided to stop and attempt to eat whatever scraps he could find. Again, as quite a plump cat, he was excited when it came to anything edible and couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat something despite having a full stomach. Indigo almost jumped for joy when she saw that he had stopped and scooped him in her arms when she reached him, smiling gleefully when she knew that he was safe from the cars nearby. Her cheerful expression may have faltered if she had seen what was happening on the other side of the road but due to a large van parked outside, her view was sheltered. If the van hadn't been parked there, then she would have witnessed the man that she was developing feelings for, give away the bouquet of flowers that she had just created, to another woman. Thankfully, she didn't see a thing and managed to carry a heavy Basil back up to the shop; letting the customers stroke him gently before taking him back up to the flat and ensuring to lock the door so that there was no chance of him getting back out. He had never tried to escape before, not wanting to venture past the flat but for some reason, today he had wanted to explore, maybe he was having a change of heart. Maybe he wanted a change of scenery, something that his owner had been waiting for, for a long time.