The Flower Shop [A Gaara Love Story]

23: The Roof

It wasn't often that they weren't in the office during the afternoons, but today Gaara had needed a breather and Momoko was more than happy to give him one.

There seemed to be a few more things for Gaara to do lately, more paperwork that needed filled out and more meetings that called for his presence. They had planned to go out again the night before, but something had called his attention away and he was unable to leave the office at a decent time. So he made up for it with this: the idea of going out to lunch instead of bringing it to his office. He had insisted that he could take the hour or so out of his day, and after reassuring her that it wouldn't interrupt his schedule, Momoko had agreed.

It did cross her mind that this would be the first time she and Gaara were out during the day, and she vaguely wondered if he cared that they would be seen together by the village. Of course they had gone out together before, but that wasn't in the middle of the day where the foot traffic was the highest.

She met him at the doors of the Kazekage Tower, where he stood waiting in his casual clothes. At the sight of her, Gaara offered her his arm and she took it without hesitation.

"You look nice today," He said, and the words brought some color to her cheeks.

Like usual, Momoko had done herself up for the day. Her hair was up and twisted into two buns on the sides of her head, and she had tucked a few small daisies between the strands. The dress she wore was a simple cotton fabric with a few ruffles around the bodice and hem, and was the color of honeysuckles. Her shoes were simple sandals, and they paired well with the ease of the outfit. It was light and comfortable, and Gaara couldn't help but like her in white.

"I think that's the first time you've ever complimented how I look," She said, no malice in her words. It was more a pleasant observation than anything else. "Thank you,"

"I'll do so more often." He replied, and Momoko was glad to see that even though they were in public, he still spared her a small smile.

Momoko placed her other hand on the arm she was already holding as they walked together in stride. With a smile still on her lips and her hands on Gaara, Momoko slipped easily into the comfort of his company.

"You picked a nice day to go out," She hummed, a little spring to her step, "It's beautiful outside!"

It was true: today seemed to be an especially nice day. There were clouds that rolled lazily in the sky, blocking the direct light of the sun but keeping all of the warmth from it. Around them, people bustled and went about their busy days. Children too young for the academy or not meant for the shinobi lifestyle accompanied their parents who walked the streets, and Momoko couldn't help but smile at every one they saw. Some people would greet Gaara, to which the Kazekage replied with a nod of his own, but others were content to just stare at the two of them or offer them smiles if their gazes ever met.

The closer they got to the marketplace, the more they could smell the food from restaurants that had opened for lunch. It was a little different than in the mornings, when the only food stores open were the bakeries. Momoko would open her window before the shop opened for the day and sit with a cup of coffee, enjoying the smells of fresh pastries and sweets. The afternoon brought the opposite, filling the market with the scents of cooked meats and seasoned dishes. It wasn't often that either of them got to enjoy this village during the day and the fact that they got to do so together kept a smile on Momoko's lips the whole time.

Gaara seemed to be in a better mood now as well. When she had come to drop off new flowers this morning, he was a little more tense than usual. It was no doubt from the two stacks of papers piled high on his desk and the few stick notes she saw that reminded him of meetings for the upcoming days. Like always, the sight of her did seem to soothe him, but even she couldn't distract him from  the amount of work he had to do. Once she had set down his new bouquet- red camellias, today- and given him his tea, Gaara had really only mentioned the idea of going out for lunch before burying himself in his work again. Momoko was alright with that, glad that he still wanted to take a moment for her in the day.