Instead of texting him, I shoved my phone under a pillow. Tackling the mountains of school assignments, I had would be more productive. After twenty minutes of re-reading the same paragraph of my history textbook, my phone buzzed.
Dakota’s message read:Are you free in the next hour?
I responded with an affirmative, and he sent back an address. It didn’t take me long to get presentable. I pulled on a nice-looking pair of yoga pants, a cropped sports top, and an oversized cardigan that fell to my ankles. The best part about having a shaved head is not having to worry about hairstyling. I put on a pair of hooped earrings before heading out the door.
The drive to the address was long enough for me to get through an episode of my favorite mystery podcast. Once I pulled up to the spot, the podcast’s eerie outro music began to play, matching the aesthetic of the building in front of me.
Since the sun has set, the greenhouse before me was lit up with white light. The large plants behind the glass looked like shadowy figures. When I close my car door, I caught a hint of movement on the inside. Dakota was at the front door by the time I walk to the entrance.
“Come in,” he greeted, stepping aside as he let me in. He dressed casually in sweats and a blue hoodie.
“Thanks.” I took in the rows and rows of plants. The air smelled of dirty water, and something sweet.
“Ever been to a greenhouse?” he asked as we started down one of the many rows.
“Can’t say I have.” I held my camera bag close as we walked. The further we got down the row, the wilder and more untamed the plants looked. “Have you had any classes in here?”
The greenhouse looked peaceful at night. I imagined once the sun came up, this place felt like a relaxing paradise away from the traffic of the rest of campus. Already I felt a calming effect from being around so much green and colorful plant life.
“Nah, I wish. It’s kind of my sanctuary.” Dakota glanced at me over his shoulders. “But upperclassmen get to apply for their own row, so that makes up for it. This one’s mine.”
Dakota paused in front of a row with dark wooden planters. Most of them were filled with long plants that sprouted some familiar things like tomatoes and peppers. The rest I couldn’t place.
“Wait.” I pointed at the row. “You’re telling me you grew these?”
Dakota nodded, cheeks a little red from the shock in my voice. “Yeah… it’s a hobby. Very relaxing to come here and watch something small come to life.”
I let out a low laugh because just when I thought he couldn’t get any more attractive, he revealed another layer. He showed me more of who he was and I loved the tiny details. Before my eyes gave away my imminent falling for him, I turned back to the plants. A small section of barely blooming flowers captured my attention. They were in nursery pots with stems too small to reach out of their dirt. The colors were what attracted me. I’d never seen such pastel mixes of purple, yellow, and pink in flowers before. I reached for my camera to snap a few photos.
“Do you mind?” I asked before turning on the camera.
He gestured for me to go ahead. “Of course. Take as many as you want. This is actually supposed to be a community greenhouse, but most students don’t know it exists. The school does a poor job of advertising it.”
“What kind of flowers are these?” I asked while still shooting. The colors translated well on my display screen. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
“That’s cause they’re cross-breeds.” Dakota reached out, touching the petal of one of the flowers that were pink on the inside and purple on the outer edges. “I was in a botany class that experimented with genetics last year. I’ve continued messing around with the combinations.”
“They’re beautiful. I don’t ever think I’ve seen this shade of purple. I think it’s my new favorite,” I said, unable to mask the impressed tone of my voice.
“Thanks. This is the first time I’ve shown someone besides my professor.” Dakota smiled, pleased with my response.
“A shame, really,” I whispered while taking photos from a higher angle.
“Come on.” He released the flower and started towards the staircase at the back of the greenhouse. “Here’s what I originally wanted to show you.”
I slipped my camera back into its bag as I followed him up the steel staircase. The space upstairs was about half the size of the downstairs. But there seemed to be more free space up here. There were hardly any plants and tons of gardening supplies stored on shelves. The back area of the space let in an impressive amount of moonlight, reflecting white off the gray floor.
“Watch your step,” Dakota warned a second too late when I tripped over a wayward bag of fertilizer.
He grabbed my wrist before I face-planted onto the floor. Dakota pulled me close enough for my breasts to graze against his chest. This close, I could feel the warm air from his breath on my neck. My soft stomach pressed against his solid body made me feel protected. Silly, yes. I’d gone to enough self-defense classes to feel semi-capable of warding off danger myself. Yet, something about him being more than able to do it for me made my heartbeat loud enough as I drowned in romantic thoughts.
“It’s a little messy,” he apologized without letting go of my wrist but lowering our arms to our sides. Like many men before him, Dakota’s gaze couldn’t help but flicker towards my chest. He corrected himself within the same second. The speed was impressive.
I smiled at him when I noticed red on his neck. The color didn’t travel to his cheeks. His face didn’t show any signs of embarrassment. If it wasn’t for the clearing of his throat, I would have assumed our closeness had no effect on him.
“You okay?” Dakota’s grip loosened on my wrist but wasn’t removed. Instead, he traced down my skin until his fingers aligned with mine. If I curled my hand, our fingers would interlock. His touch could feel more permanent if I move.
I didn’t. Not because I didn’t want to but because of the sigh that escaped from his lips.
