Chapter 01: Apocynum

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When Evan's girlfriend slapped him and told him it was over, it wasn't a big shock, and the worst thing about it was the stinging pain on his cheek. There was no desperate pleading for a second chance or the sharp pain like a stab to the heart, just a call to a friend with a proposal for a night out drinking. As always, Drew – Evan's friend – accepted the offer, and the two went out to their usual haunt. It was a Friday night, Evan had just been dumped, and all in all, it wasn't such a bad day.

"You don't even look bothered," Drew said, looking at the man next to him with a quirked eyebrow.

They were sitting at the bar, not even out of their work clothes and looking very much like a pair of miserable office workers. Evan shrugged and took a swig from his beer, answering only once he had set down his drink and turned his hazel colored eyes onto his friend.

"Well, she was the third one this month," he said nonchalantly. Drew just sighed and shook his head, running an hand through his short black hair.

"So, why did this one leave?"

"Said I didn't spend enough time with her," Evan told him. "Apparently I'm supposed to drop everything when she wants to go shopping," he scoffed.

Drew didn't say anything to that as he finished his beer and asked for another. He knew Evan very well, and he was pretty sure it wasn't that simple. It wasn't hard to tell what had happened, and he had drunk enough to actually tell Evan this time around.

"Let's be honest," he said, leaning on the bar top. "What really happened is you lost interest and just started making up excuses not to meet her until she got fed up and dumped you."

Evan sent his friend a halfhearted glare, not bothering to respond, because Drew already knew the answer.

"So, what's next? Are you going to try again or are you taking a break from dating?"

It was more of a habit to ask, because Drew was pretty sure Evan wouldn't be able to live without women for long. The longest he'd gone without a girlfriend was a month and he was in the hospital that time.

"Well, there is that blond in accounting," Evan said with a grin, just as Drew had expected.

"You're hopeless," his friend said, shaking his head.

Evan just laughed, just like he always did.

Monday arrived and Evan woke up in a good mood. He got dressed for work, making sure his light blond hair was neatly combed and his tie was perfectly done before stepping out of his apartment and right up to his car, idly whistling some catchy song he must have heard on the radio. That day, he thought, he would manage to get a date. He was sure of it, because while Evan couldn't hold a woman to save his life he damn well could get one. At the moment, he had his heard set on Laura, the blond he had mentioned to Drew before. Laura with her slim frame, long legs, and long, glossy hair. All he had to do was stay positive, keep up a smile, and be confident.

Just in case, though, he'd stop by a flower shop before he got to work, because he'd seen the woman's desk adorned with fake flowers and thought she'd like some real ones for a change.

Evan pulled up to the front of a small shop with potted plants and fresh flowers adorning the front. A wooden sign hung on wrought iron with the word "Clover" written on it in curling black letters. When Evan stepped in, a bell chimed above him and he took a moment to appreciate the neatly kept plants and flowers inside, bathed in the bright sunlight that streamed in through the wide windows covering the front wall.

"Welcome, I'll be with you in just a minute," came a soft voice from farther back into the shop.

Evan only caught a glimpse of light brown hair and a large bouquet of flowers before the shop attendant was gone. He waited patiently by the counter, still whistling the same tune as before, wondering what he should get.

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