Flowers and Grapes Lead to a Date

...I can buy myself flowers...

Jessica hummed to the latest hit by Mylie Cyrus on her headphones. It was definitely the jam and, ironically, what was playing as she browsed the flower section of her grocery store.

She loved bringing home fresh flowers every week while doing her shopping. It gave her home a life that her fake plants just could not do. This week was filled with new choices as they finally entered spring after a brutal and cold winter.

Today, she chose sunflowers and baby's breath to take home. Jessica was not exactly sure how it would look together, but she would try to make some kind of arrangement either way. She always changed up what she got to try new arrangements. Except for roses, she didn't care for those.

After picking her flowers, she was ready to start her weekly grocery haul. There were some weeks where the haul was a lot--and it made her hold her breath as the items rang up at the register. But fortunately, this week was supposed to be a light shopping trip. She just needed to get the staples. Some milk, bananas, bread, and a fruit of choice to munch on during the week.

Grapes! Grapes were finally in season and ready for her at a great price. Giddy, she made her way toward the veggie and fruit isles and began picking her salad kits for the week.

And, then, at a turn, there it was: the stand filled with red seedless grapes that were singing to her. Grapes were her favorite fruit; she loved them even more if they were red and seedless.

Inadvertently racing to get to the stand to pick her grapes, Jessica was quickly cut off by the sight of a strong back in a tight muscle T.

Hitting her brakes, it was too late, and she accidentally bumped into the back of a man who was also staring at the grapes. "Oh, shoot, sorry." She mumbled out of habit. Why are you apologizing if HE cut you off, Jessica? Her mind chastised her. Looking up at him, she realized that he had turned toward her and was looking down--because he was easily 6 feet tall--at her with a confused look on his face.

"No problem. Are you okay?" His teeth were pearly white as he smiled innocently.

This guy is hot. This guy is hot! Oh, my god. Okay, Jessica. Don't overthink this. He was the one who lacked self-awareness and got in front of you last minute.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. Great. Now I sound like a teenage girl who just got her first crush. He was tall, tan-skinned, and had the most beautiful chestnut eyes. His dark brown hair was cropped short but long enough on top to give him enough volume on top.

"You know, maybe you don't need to be racing to get your groceries done." He stated as he reached into a bag and pulled one grape before putting it in his mouth.

"Well, maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings and understand that some people just want to get what they need and go home." She crossed her arms across her chest as she met his eyes. A smirk crept up as he slowly ate the grape he technically stole.

"Possibly. But that likely won't lead to me meeting such a beautiful girl at the market."

Blushing, she said, "I appreciate the flattery, but I really need to get going." She stated. He might be hot, but she did not have time to banter with him when she had an entire schedule she needed to stay on top of. Making her way to the stand, she quickly grabbed her case of grapes and put it in her basket.

She smiled one more time before taking her to leave to the dairy section. "Hey, before you go, I didn't catch your name." He started.

"Jessica," she said as she grabbed bananas and looked around to make sure she did not miss anything.

"Jessica, my name is George. Would it be okay if I got your number?" He pulled his phone from his pocket.

She stared at him for a second as if he had a third eye. "Um…sure." She grabbed his phone from his hands and dialed her number.

"Great. I'll text you later." He returned his phone to his pocket and smiled. "I guess I should let you finish shopping then?"

"Oh, uh. Yes. I need to be home soon." Jessica excused herself and said goodbye.

~~~

Placing her bags on her kitchen counter about half an hour later, she popped a few grapes into her mouth and laid out her flowers to make a small arrangement. Then, grabbing a pair of scissors, she began cutting the pieces to fit her vase, which was short and round. After trimming leaves and excess twigs, she realized her arrangement would not be great. It would still look nice but did not reflect her best work.

She gathered all the excess foliage and plastic wrap to throw out before seeing the screen of her phone light up. There was a message from an unknown number. Curious, she grabbed her phone and went to her messages.

Hey. It's George from the grape section. The message said.

No way, he was serious about texting her. She blinked twice to make sure she saw that right. Then, hitting the text box, she thought about what she would say. In the middle of her thoughts, she did not notice the three dots that appeared under his previous message.

It was great meeting you today, even if the circumstances were a little weird. I'm sorry for getting in your way. Anyway, I wanted to know if you would want to grab dinner tomorrow night. He added to his first message.

No way. No FREAKING way did he just ask her out on a date. Jessica was caught entirely off guard. Clicking the text box again, she wrote: Hey! What do you have in mind?

I thought we could go to the local Italian place everyone raves about, he suggested.

Michelangelo's? Jessica offered.

Yeah, that one. Do you want to go? He asked again.

She stared at her phone for a good two minutes until she figured there was nothing to lose if she went. The food was expected to be amazing, and she could always cover her bill if things went awry. Sure. 7 pm?

That works perfectly. I can pick you up if you'd like, or we can meet there.

Let's meet there. It's not far from where I will be.

Great! See you then.

And, just like that, she had a date with the guy who got in between her and her grapes.