It was different being down here with the grass and flowers, like it was even more peaceful than it usually was in the gazebo.
From the moment she first stepped out here, the garden had taken her breath away, and it only continued to do so. It seemed to only grow more and more beautiful to her.
“I didn’t know you gardened.” The thought that was meant to stay in her head came out in a whisper.
“I don’t really. I mean, I used to with my mom, here and there, when I was young, but it’s more of a recent thing.”
Chloe really looked around now, seeing that the garden looked better taken care of since she had first seen it months ago. That was why she thought it had only grown more beautiful.
Looking over at Lucca, an eerie feeling settled inside of her, something that sunk to her soul, and she asked, “Why did you start gardening?”
Asking him a question was a dangerous thing since the answer would be nothing less than the truth. You just had to be prepared for the answer.
His eyes turned the most beautiful shade of green she had ever seen as the sunlight played off them. It almost hurt to stare back at him, but to look away from them would be impossible.
“I did it for you,” he revealed the answer she already knew. “When I saw you under that gazebo for the first time, surrounded by the snow, I wondered what you would look like surrounded by flowers instead. Then I wondered how much more you’d love it out here.”
Swallowing hard, she finally managed to look away from him, taking in that piece of information and trying her best to understand it. To understand him.
I’ll never understand him …
Lucca stood. “Stay here.”
She watched him take his now empty plate and water bottle into the house. Then he returned a minute later, putting on his gloves and moving to the same spot where she had found him when she had come out here.
“Come help me, darlin’.”
Huh? “What?”
“There’s an extra pair of gloves in that bucket.” He pointed to the bucket as he slipped on the last glove. “You wanna help me? Or do you wanna stay in the house all day again?”
She thought about the calculus she really didn’t want to do before she stood and went over to the bucket, pulling out the spare gloves. She put them on before she came over to Lucca and got on her knees on the ground beside him.
“Do you know anything about gardening?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she figured she was in way over her head right now.
He laughed, sensing her thoughts. “That’s okay. I’ll teach you.”
She swallowed. “Okay.”
“I’m just cleaning up the garden, getting rid of weeds and any dead flowers.” He showed her how to do so by explaining what the weeds looked like and how to spot which part of the flower was dead. “Now you try.”
Going to the next patch of flowers, she carefully removed the weeds surrounding it and clipped off a now dead bulb. “H-How was that?”
Lucca grinned. “Perfect.”
For the first time since being here, she smiled. “You were right.”
Confusion marked his handsome face. “How?”
“I do love it more.”
His features went back to his usual haunting appearance, knowing she was talking about her loving it more surrounded by flowers. “Good.”
Thirteen
Good Night
Is his leg getting closer?
Chloe focused on the television screen, trying her best to ignore the heat coming from Lucca’s leg next to her. She had thought it was getting easier, but tonight, she felt like there wasn’t enough space between them.
Strands of hair moved off her neck, causing her to look back, and when she did, her breath caught in her throat. Lucca was twirling a piece of her black hair.
“Did you enjoy today, darlin’?” His voice was as dark as the strand he expertly twirled around his finger.
“Y-Yes,” she quietly spoke.
“Would you like to help me finish up the rest of the gardening tomorrow?”
Her nerves over watching him continuously twirl her hair made her blurt out, “No!”
The stand he held fluttered to his lap, falling along with his face. “Okay.”
“No, I-I mean …” She turned to better face him. She hadn’t meant the word to come out as harsh. “I would like to, but I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?”
“I haven’t finished my calculus assignment, because”—looking down at her hands, she began wringing them—“I don’t really understand it, and I have a test coming up.”
“Oh.” He once again picked up the strand of hair, beginning the twirling motion again. “If I can get someone to help you with your calculus tomorrow, would you want to help me garden on Monday instead?”
She looked up from her hands, stunned. “You would do that?”
“Yes, darlin’.” He grinned down at her. “Even if you didn’t want to help me.”
Chloe found herself strangely smiling back. “If you’re sure you can call in Monday to get off work, then I would like to.”
He seemed to be amused by what she said. “I’m sure.”
Unsure of what she had said, something told her she didn’t want to ask.
“Okay.”
After he gave her hair a final twirl, she sensed a longing in him as the silk left his fingertips.
“You may go to bed now.”