Pomegranate Kora, Ch. 1
The flower was white, nothing short of lovely. Nick smiled, running the pads of his fingers over the soft, curved petals. He thought it would look beautiful on the bedside table, blossoming up as a backdrop to Kevin's sleeping face. He snapped a quick photo of it with his phone, sending it to his lover with a simple note: How about this one?
"That's a narcissus."
He looked up at the boy addressing him, offered him an easy smile. "Yeah? Like the story of the guy who fell in love with himself, right?" He snapped his phone shut, slid it into his pocket and lifted the plant carefully with both hands, turning it this way and that. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
The boy nodded, stuffing his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans. "It is. It's almost as lovely as you." Nick blushed. The boy grinned, held out his hand. "I'm Joe."
Nick tipped his head to the side, with an air of tolerance, and accepted it in a shake, tucking the plant under his left arm. "Nick. Do you work here?"
Joe shook his head, sweeping the room with a surveying gaze. "No. I'm really not from around here. But, you always meet the most interesting people in greenhouses." He let a slow smile accompany the words, leaning his hip against the table and folding his arms over his chest in one smooth action. "So, Nick. Would you like to have coffee with me?"
Nick chuckled, shaking his head and pressing a hand to his chest in a show of modesty. This wasn't the first time he'd been hit on by some random guy. "No, thanks. I'm flattered, really, but I have a boyfriend."
"Ah, I judged you correctly." Joe followed him toward the cash register, taking a deep breath, enjoying the musky smell of wet dirt and dying plants. "I knew you were partial to men from the moment I laid eyes on you."
Nick turned, shot him a quizzical look, even as he kept walking. What a weird thing to say. Why was he talking like that? "Um. Yeah. I guess you could say that." He placed the potted plant on the counter, smiling at the cashier and asking how she was. He shifted uncomfortably, all too aware of Joe still standing close behind him. He had nothing in his arms, no intention to buy anything; it was obvious he was following him. He turned after paying, waved awkwardly at Joe, let his hand slap idly against his thigh. "Well, um. It was nice to meet you. Have a nice day."
That easy, eerie smile was still in place on Joe's face. He nodded, letting his eyes run along the subtle curves of which Nick's snug-fitting close awarded him a view. "I most certainly will. Thank you."
Nick lent him a nervous, unsure smile and padded out of the greenhouse. He emerged into the sunshine, fishing his keys from his pocket, the weird encounter already sliding to the back of his mind. He was thinking about his lover, who had just responded to his text with one that said, It's pretty. For the bedroom? as if he'd read his mind. Even something as simple as buying a houseplant turned into a declaration of love when it came to Kevin.
He felt more than heard the car rumbling up behind him, and he veered his course toward the cars parked to the right of him, hugging their bumpers so the person could pass. The car was a black convertible. Its top was up, its windows dark. Nick couldn't put a name to the type of care it was, and looking for the brand proved fruitless.
He jumped back when the passenger's door shot open, revealing the inside of the car, as dark as its exterior, smelling of leather and incense. Joe's face appeared, smiling, leaning toward him from the driver's seat. There was something odd about his expression. "Want a ride?"
Nick bristled. Can't the guy take a hint? "I have a car. Thanks." He cut the words short, making himself intentionally less friendly. He was wondering if he had inadvertently started flirting with him at some point. He cast him an icy smile, turning and starting to walk away.
To his astonishment, he found himself in the next moment settling in the passenger's seat, clicking his seatbelt into place, the door slamming closed behind him.He stared angrily over at Joe who grinned easily back at him, shrugging casually and draping his arm over his shoulders. "What? You're the one who got in."
Nick huffed indignantly, fumbling with the buckle and growling irritably when he couldn't get it open. "Look. You're nice enough - creepy and definitely lacking in the ability to take a hint, but nice. I have a boyfriend. I'm desperately in love with him. So if you'll just get this stupid thing off me, I'll go home and won't press kidnapping charges."
Joe laughed, curling his fingers into Nick's hair and pulling him in for a kiss which Nick protested with outraged sounds and insistent pushes against his chest. Joe just groaned, pleased, and pressed his foot on the gas, keeping Nick pinned to his side as the car exploded into life.
The air before them shimmered, shifted, and Nick's face drained of color. Oh, hell, no. This isn't possible. Any other time, he thought, as the massive onyx doors appeared, rumbled open, he would have laughed at his own inner exclamation. They sped through them, into darkness. The word "hell" certainly seemed fitting.
"That's a narcissus."
He looked up at the boy addressing him, offered him an easy smile. "Yeah? Like the story of the guy who fell in love with himself, right?" He snapped his phone shut, slid it into his pocket and lifted the plant carefully with both hands, turning it this way and that. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
The boy nodded, stuffing his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans. "It is. It's almost as lovely as you." Nick blushed. The boy grinned, held out his hand. "I'm Joe."
Nick tipped his head to the side, with an air of tolerance, and accepted it in a shake, tucking the plant under his left arm. "Nick. Do you work here?"
Joe shook his head, sweeping the room with a surveying gaze. "No. I'm really not from around here. But, you always meet the most interesting people in greenhouses." He let a slow smile accompany the words, leaning his hip against the table and folding his arms over his chest in one smooth action. "So, Nick. Would you like to have coffee with me?"
Nick chuckled, shaking his head and pressing a hand to his chest in a show of modesty. This wasn't the first time he'd been hit on by some random guy. "No, thanks. I'm flattered, really, but I have a boyfriend."
"Ah, I judged you correctly." Joe followed him toward the cash register, taking a deep breath, enjoying the musky smell of wet dirt and dying plants. "I knew you were partial to men from the moment I laid eyes on you."
Nick turned, shot him a quizzical look, even as he kept walking. What a weird thing to say. Why was he talking like that? "Um. Yeah. I guess you could say that." He placed the potted plant on the counter, smiling at the cashier and asking how she was. He shifted uncomfortably, all too aware of Joe still standing close behind him. He had nothing in his arms, no intention to buy anything; it was obvious he was following him. He turned after paying, waved awkwardly at Joe, let his hand slap idly against his thigh. "Well, um. It was nice to meet you. Have a nice day."
That easy, eerie smile was still in place on Joe's face. He nodded, letting his eyes run along the subtle curves of which Nick's snug-fitting close awarded him a view. "I most certainly will. Thank you."
Nick lent him a nervous, unsure smile and padded out of the greenhouse. He emerged into the sunshine, fishing his keys from his pocket, the weird encounter already sliding to the back of his mind. He was thinking about his lover, who had just responded to his text with one that said, It's pretty. For the bedroom? as if he'd read his mind. Even something as simple as buying a houseplant turned into a declaration of love when it came to Kevin.
He felt more than heard the car rumbling up behind him, and he veered his course toward the cars parked to the right of him, hugging their bumpers so the person could pass. The car was a black convertible. Its top was up, its windows dark. Nick couldn't put a name to the type of care it was, and looking for the brand proved fruitless.
He jumped back when the passenger's door shot open, revealing the inside of the car, as dark as its exterior, smelling of leather and incense. Joe's face appeared, smiling, leaning toward him from the driver's seat. There was something odd about his expression. "Want a ride?"
Nick bristled. Can't the guy take a hint? "I have a car. Thanks." He cut the words short, making himself intentionally less friendly. He was wondering if he had inadvertently started flirting with him at some point. He cast him an icy smile, turning and starting to walk away.
To his astonishment, he found himself in the next moment settling in the passenger's seat, clicking his seatbelt into place, the door slamming closed behind him.He stared angrily over at Joe who grinned easily back at him, shrugging casually and draping his arm over his shoulders. "What? You're the one who got in."
Nick huffed indignantly, fumbling with the buckle and growling irritably when he couldn't get it open. "Look. You're nice enough - creepy and definitely lacking in the ability to take a hint, but nice. I have a boyfriend. I'm desperately in love with him. So if you'll just get this stupid thing off me, I'll go home and won't press kidnapping charges."
Joe laughed, curling his fingers into Nick's hair and pulling him in for a kiss which Nick protested with outraged sounds and insistent pushes against his chest. Joe just groaned, pleased, and pressed his foot on the gas, keeping Nick pinned to his side as the car exploded into life.
The air before them shimmered, shifted, and Nick's face drained of color. Oh, hell, no. This isn't possible. Any other time, he thought, as the massive onyx doors appeared, rumbled open, he would have laughed at his own inner exclamation. They sped through them, into darkness. The word "hell" certainly seemed fitting.