wildflowers

      He shifted his weight to hold her in place, attempting to pull her closer to him, “Worth your while, hm? And how do you suggest I do that?”

“There’s no fun in suggestions. You’re a smart man, Petran-- I’m sure you can think of something.”

    “I think it should — “ he grumbled, reaching out to grab Alice by the arm to pull her back down. “You can go in late, can’t you?”

She didn’t resist him, letting herself be pulled back onto the bed. “Well, I could... but you have to make it worth my while.”

      Niko acknowledged the dog as he trotted over to them, rolling his eyes as Alice burst into laughter. Obviously what he said had been awkward and pointless small talk as the answer on it’s own was obvious. “Okay, yeah I get it.” he retorted, giving the brunette a knowing look as he tried to dull down his embarrassment. What else did he have to say, however? What do you say to someone you were friends with for years and haven’t seen and assumed you were dead for longer? Kneeling down as a way to pass over the awkwardness, Nikolas began to pet  the dog with an amused chuckle, “Yeah — I’ve been busy with work though, getting settled, I don’t… try to announce myself everywhere I go.” He straightened himself as she popped back off of the sofa, nodding towards the offer, “Coffee will be fine.” he stated, running his fingers over the wall closest to him in thought, “So — Alice, what have you been doing this past…. I don’t know, lifetime? Not just this past year.”

At Niko’s request for coffee, Alice padded into the kitchen and set about getting the coffee maker started, picking a regular blend rather than one of the many flavoured varieties she had, just to be safe. With that done, she stepped back to the entryway to the kichen and leaned against the frame, watching Niko like he mght disappear. “I haven’t had anyone ask about a huge chunk of time since my aunt visited. I don’t know, I’ve had a pretty average life... Danny’s married now and I’ve got a nephew, I pick him up from school a lot since he loves Tony so much,” she rambled as she fiddled with her necklace. “I’ve been working towards my shop for more of my life. I haven’t done much else.” 

      There was a glimpse of confusion flickering over Niko’s eyes, not understanding how he had suddenly gotten to Rockford, forgetting that it was Alice’s home town. Perhaps it was some kind of fate that brought him here, his heart longing for his old friend without even realizing. “I wonder if that is true…” he mused, more to himself than to the dark haired woman in front of him, one in which he couldn’t help but continue watching as if to strike any differences between her now, as opposed to the past version he had seen in the two small photographs she had sent him once before.  As it were — he couldn’t find any which was becoming more unsettling as each moment went by. “I’m not worried about dogs.” he murmured, following her, though not too close as if to make the situation more uncomfortable. Cautiously, Nikolas followed Alice up the set of stairs, keeping himself attentive to the details before taking each one. “So —- you seem to like flowers?” he stated, internally kicking himself for making such a useless statement, but not sure of what else to say until he was at the top of the stairs, “I’m just surprised we haven’t run into each other, I’ve been here for almost a year now.”

Alice couldn’t help it-- she burst into laughter, the sound exciting Tony who trot over to greet Alice and Niko. You seem to like flowers. After a moment that Alice used to calm herself, she nodded at Niko with a smile. “Yeah. I like flowers. I’ve owned the flower shop downstairs for a few years now,” she said as she herded Tony back to the couch and beckoned for Niko to jon with a wave of her hand. “A year... wow, who knows how many times we could have passed each other without realizing,” she quietly mused as she sat, popping up again before even a beat could pass. “Can I get you a drink? Coffee or tea?”

       “ — How did you …. “ he started, taking half of a step back again. “How did you know where to find me then?” His death had been an obvious ploy set up by his Romanian mob boss and while it was told to him that it was a way to …. ‘keep him hidden’ from those after his family — it had turned out to be much more than that. That, however, was a thought that he preferred to keep out of direct thought and to her offer, he nodded slowly. An effort to catch up with such an old friend was perhaps exactly what he needed. “For a little while, I … I have a meeting.”

“Find you?” Alice repeated curiously as she wiped away a stray tear, her voice shaky even as she tried to compose herself. She wasn’t in the habit of crying in the street, and she didn’t want to break her streak just because someone had come back from the dead “I didn’t find you,” she said softly, Niko’s question starting a flood of her own in her mind. “I’ve lived here all my life. If anything, you found me.” Alice’s fingers found her keys again, nervously twirling the set around her finger. “Okay, for a little while sounds good.” Her fingers stopped, and Alice jerked herself into turning and stepping back into the alley, managing to unlock her floral painted door even as she feared Niko would disappear with her back to him. “I’ve got a dog, but I promise he’s a sweetheart,” Alice blurted uncomfortably with an aborted smile just to have something to say to Niko before making her way up the stairs and slipping through the open doorway at the top of them.