Page 43 of Not Until I Found You

I shrug, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “My dad taught me about plants when I was a little girl. They make sense to me. Plants are honest about what they need. Even when they might look dead, most plants will surprise you and come back to life when given the right attention.” My gaze drifts back to him. “People aren’t all that different.”

He exhales a breath. “Yeah. I guess we all need the right conditions to grow again.”

“Exactly.”

I place the plants back into the bag before zipping it closed again. Zane stands up, wiping away the crumbs his protein bar left behind, which Sven moves to eat, and starts to take off his flannel. My smile vanishes as he peels away the layer and ties it around his waist.

“I’m keeping the shirt on, just so you know.”

“I was starting to worry that you’re a secret nudist or something.”

“Or something,” he chuckles.

I reach over and give his arm a playful smack before settling my bag on my shoulders. He mirrors the motion, and we start down the trail, with Sven leading the way, and the silence stretches comfortably between us this time.

“There’s a store downtown you should visit while you’re here,” he says after a few steps.

“What kind of store?”

He grins. “They sell homegrown seeds, herbs, and spices. A few houseplants, essential oils, you name it.”

“That sounds like my kind of store.”

“I thought so.” His eyes glint like he knows something I don’t.

“Maybe you could go with me sometime?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual, though my heart picks up speed.

He hesitates before answering, “Yeah.”

He looks down at me, giving me a friendly smile, and the doubts I had before about us possibly building a friendship together dissipate for a moment.

“Okay, that’d be— Zane watch out!”

Zane’s boot catches on a hidden tree root, and he pitches forward, both of his arms flailing before he tumbles down. I hear a sharp grunt followed by the snap of twigs under his weight. He lands with a thud on his side in a bush, his boots sending a cloud of dirt into the air.

Sven whines and licks Zane’s face. A high-pitched buzzing erupts from somewhere nearby before Zane yelps, swatting at the air as several wasps zig-zag toward his face. Sven bolts away as Zane jerks backward but not quickly enough. One of the insects lands on his cheek, and he grunts in pain and smacks a hand against his skin. It leaves a bright-red welt that instantly swells.

“Zane!” I shriek, rushing to his side.

His eyes are wide, lips parted, and there’s a thin streak of sweat on his forehead. His cheek is already swelling where the wasp stung him, and pain flashes across his features. He swats at the air again, more out of reflex than coordination, before sitting up. I kneel beside him, swatting away the rest of the wasps who thankfully buzz away, and reach for my backpack.

“Hold still,” I say, fumbling inside until I pull out the small plant I’d shown him earlier. I place it into my hand and rub against the leaves for a second, bringing out its natural oils which will help to sooth his stinging wound.

“What are you doing?” he asks, but I ignore him as I take the plant and press it against the sting.

My hands brush against his cheek, and our knees touch as I hold the plant in place. He flinches at first then relaxes under my careful touch.

“Better?” I ask softly, our faces only a few inches apart. There’s a sense of longing that coils tighter the longer I remain in Zane’s space, especially when my body registers the moment his eyes dip to my lips.

“Yeah…thanks.”

I need a distraction, and so I reach into my bag and pull out the first aid kit he packed for me. “Hold this,” I tell him, placing his hand onto the plant to keep it in place, and I grab a large Band-Aid to place over it. “There. Leave that on for about twenty minutes, and it should help.”

He rubs his cheek, his eyes lingering in a way that promises this moment isn’t over. “You’re something special, Max.”

A flustered laugh escapes me, and I quickly shove the kit back into my pack, hoping my face doesn’t betray how his words make me a little lightheaded.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”