The Wisteria Arch
Alianna arrived outside the gardens just after six o’clock, as agreed. She found Rionan waiting for her under the shade of a tree, leaning against its trunk, a half smile on his handsome face. She felt his eyes scan her, moving down from her face, taking in the sight of her, and up again.
At home, Alianna had found herself reaching for dresses that she rarely got the opportunity to wear, and had video-called Natasha, who helped her pick out an outfit.
“The red one. Definitely the red one,” Natasha had said through mouthfuls of popcorn, as Alianna stood away from her phone, holding up a floaty red summer dress, and a light blue casual day dress. The red dress was a bit more of an occasion dress, but wouldn’t look out of place on an evening stroll through the gardens. Plus, she found herself wanting to make a bit of an effort.
“You’re sure the red one isn’t too over the top?”
“You’re only saying that because it’s red. Wearing a red dress can sometimes be a statement, but it isn’t a bad one. Be the girl that’s confident enough to wear the red dress, Alianna.”
“You’re right. My hair?”
“Down. Curl it. Keep your makeup subtle, natural, but match it to the dress. Maybe a bold lip colour. I want pictures before you go, alright?”
Alianna had done just that, sending a mirror selfie of her finished look before leaving the house. The dress plunged down towards her cleavage, stopping before nothing was left to the imagination, and hugged her waist. From there, it floated outwards and down, its loose chiffon material light and airy, stopping at her knees. She had paired it with some simple gold earrings, chunky black wedge sandals, and shehad curled her hair as Natasha had suggested, brushing it out to create a loose, salon blow-out look.
Approaching Rionan, she carried a small, brown picnic basket. He eyed it suspiciously, although the smile didn’t leave his face.
Rionan was wearing another pair of formal black trousers, with a black shirt. The top two buttons were again undone. Alianna felt like he’d been dropped out of a fashion magazine, into the gardens, like a figment of her imagination.
“You look positively wonderful,” Rionan smiled, dropping into a mock bow. “Although you look just as nice in an apron.”
“You’re too kind,” Alianna replied, motioning for him to stand up. “You know, I’m not sure how long you’re going to be in Porthan, but it’s warm here, and you’re once again wearing trousers. I think we are going to have to go shopping to get you some shorts.”
Rionan smiled but said nothing, returning his gaze to the basket in her hand. “What’s that?”
“A surprise,” Alianna beamed. “You’ll see.”
As they stepped into the gardens, Alianna’s jaw dropped.
“What…how is it…” Her words trailed off, and she gazed in wonder, turning in a slow circle to take in the fauna, the butterflies that moved between the bushes, and the life that bloomed around them.
“I thought you said it had seen better days,” Rionan commented. He would not be revealing that he had been here last night, that it had looked tired, and he had given this garden a much-needed injection of energy. “Looks lovely to me.”
“It….it had. The last time I was here, it was bedraggled, everything just looked like it needed caring for, but had nobody to do it…now it’s,” Alianna didn’t finish her sentence. Rionan waited. “It’s beautiful.”
Rionan paused for a moment, his eyes not leaving Alianna’s face. He took in her genuine expression of awe, of wonder,and noticed how her eyes glazed over in appreciation of the space around her.
“It is.”
Alianna turned to him, sniffing briefly. She tried to ignore the well of emotion rising in her chest, caused by seeing a place she truly held dear looking cared for once more. She smiled warmly, eyes glistening. He noticed that her breathing was deeper and steadier than it had been when she arrived.
“Come on. Let’s go for a walk. This place is bursting with colour tonight. I want to see it all.”
***************
After an hour of walking and talking, laughing at each other’s jokes, and discussing the various flowers that were blooming in the garden, Rionan and Alianna sat on a bench which overlooked a small water fountain. Atop the fountain was a statue of a couple, holding each other and resting their foreheads together, as water sprayed down over their heads.
“Am I finally going to find out what’s in that basket?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, opening it. She pulled out two glasses, handing them to him, and then pulled out a large bottle. The liquid inside was a summer orange colour. She held it up, beaming.
“Mimosas!”
He laughed, looking from the bottle, to the glasses, to her. “First, I buy a phone while I’m here. Now, I am going to have my first mimosa.”
“Absolutely. Not just any mimosa, though,” she took one glass, filled it, then reached back into the basket. From a small, previously covered dish, she pulled out a strawberry which had been partially cut down the middle. She gently slid the strawberry onto the glass, passing it back to Rionan. “A strawberry decorated mimosa.”
