When a man you've never met, suddenly gives you flowers...

About two weeks ago, I saw some really lovely flowers in the grocery store. Festival poms, they were called. They were very brightly colored and looked - I don't know, like the floral rendition of a firework. Kevin had gone with me shopping, and I looked at them, said they were cute, and promptly forgot about it.

The next day, I get a knock at the door around 11am. Flowers.

For a brief moment, I vaguely considered the possibility that they might be Kevin-sent, but they weren't. They were orchids from Reflect as a "Thank you for refilling your very expensive custom shampoo and conditioner with us the requisite three times. On your next purchase, we will send you something else free." Actually, I shouldn't mock them. I really really like their shampoo and conditioner, even if it is ungodly expensive.

So, I tease Kevin a bit when he calls at lunch that I got flowers. He seems mildly grouchy about this and said he was planning on picking up some of the flowers I liked on his way home from work, but he wasn't going to do it now, as I had gotten flowers from someone else.

Well...

So, this week, I go back to the grocery store and decide to get two bunches of these festival mums. Did Kevin not say he wasn't going to get me flowers? So, if I want them, I'm going to have to buy them myself. And I really like them.

I do the rest of my grocery shopping and push my cart into the line. No one's up there. This isn't unusual, it is like 10pm, and the night shift people have a lot of extra work to do, so they're frequently stocking shelves or whatever.

"Hold on, I'm right here," says a very deep, extremely sexy, heavily accented voice. I turn around. Woah.

Milan Sorchevek (no, I'm not sure if I spelled that right) is my cashier for the evening. Dark hair, black eyes... very cute. And extremely flirty. He tells me about his schooling. He is in the United States to get a college degree. He's working full-time, night-shift at the Harris Teeter. He takes classes during the day.

He talks non-stop through the entire time he's ringing up my groceries, watching me, smiling. He has a nice smile. When he gets to the Festival poms, he says "Are these for you?" And I said "Yeah, I think they're cute." "So are you," says he and puts them in the basket without ringing them up. "I will buy them for you. A pretty girl shouldn't buy her own flowers."

I am, of course, both flattered and flabbergasted. I explain that I am already married and while I'm very flattered, I...

"No. If your husband will not buy you flowers, I will buy them for you." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked extremely stubborn.

So... I have the festival poms in a vase in the dining room.