Page 31 of Love Grows

It was muted pastel and white. I thought I knew enough about Steph to say that the room was very Steph. Classy, feminine but not overly. King size bed without fifty-gazillion pillows sprawled across the top of it

She waved at the bathroom door. “Toilet, bathroom, laundry, etc.”

Then just as we were about to breeze past what had to be the spare bedroom. Steph paused, shook her head, then tugged on my hand to lead me away.

“You okay?” I pulled her back.

“It’s just the spare room so no big deal.”

I paused. “Okay. Cool.” I stepped forward to make my way back to the kitchen, but Steph pressed her hand to my chest. She seemed to come to a decision.

“Promise you won’t be mad.”

“Depends on the thing. What am I not being mad about?”

She let go of my hand and opened the door. I was right. It was a spare bedroom but the bed had been pushed up against a wall so there was more floor space. There was a rather expensive-looking camera on a tripod, which was aimed at a portable green screen and a native Lilly Pilly had been arranged in the middle of a piece of black matting. A large roll of florist’s wire sat behind the tripod.

I looked quizzically at Steph who was holding her hands together, fingers entwined.

“So, you know that idea I had about the reels on Insta and the videos on TikTok? I know you said that it would be a waste of time, but you didn’t say no. Not really. But I wanted to have an attempt at doing it.” Steph’s hands and fingers were tightening their grip on themselves. “If it was a complete failure then so be it. But it hasn’t been. SoNatsNativespresents info about native plants and mental health and accompanies it all with a dancing plant.” She ran out of breath.

I narrowed my eyes at Steph, then gazed at the equipment. “O-kay.” I drew out the word.

“Well, that right there isNatsNatives. Me. I’m Nat or my mother was. Natalie. She was the green thumb and I just thought that if…” Steph faded off because my face must have shown the conflicting emotions across my face. Surprise, slight sense of betrayal, sympathy. Probably impressed as well, when I really thought about it. All in a continuous loop.

“And no one else knows?”

“No. I nearly didn’t show you tonight. I debated all day and only just then at the door, did I know you’d be okay with this.” She grimaced. “I think.” Then she sighed. “I didn’t want you to think it was silly.”

I gently disentangled her fingers and held her hands. “I think it’s inspired. So much better than the QR TikTok videos thing that Benjamin Walker was going on about. This is educational, and fun, Steph. I really thought it would be a waste of time, but I was wrong,” I admitted. “It’s perfect.”

Steph blew out a breath.

I pointed to the little Lilly Pilly. “Is this your next star?” I asked with a wink, and space and time did that little narrowing and widening thing that they do when moments happen between two people who are highly attracted to each other. Steph’s lips parted slightly at my wink. Well, then. I added winking to the things that made Steph’s motor run.

“Yes. I’m going to add some text boxes about the spoons theory. The one about limited energy resources and how spoons represent both the physical and mental load required to complete tasks.This video’s about not taking too much on, as a human or as a plant.”

I stared at the plant. The whole idea was so clever, and to have made such as snap judgement about the videos’ worth simply because I didn’t want it to look like what Walker’s was doing was just plain stubborn.

Turning back to Steph, I blew out a breath. “You’re amazing.”

Steph grinned. “Want to help me make this video?”

“Okay.” I was starting to feel like I needed to be in Steph’s personal space every minute of every hour. Not just because of the kisses and sexy glances. But for the smiles, and the jokes, and the general goodness of her. The Lego block of attraction had joined with admiration, and now affection. Steph was addictive.

I was instructed to stand behind the camera and press the shutter on Steph’s command. She made minuscule adjustments to the tiny twigs and branches after each time I created a photo that wirelessly arrived on the computer monitor on the desk at the edge of the room.

“There. That should do it. I’ll put the info boxes in tomorrow,” Steph said, standing and brushing her hands over her thighs. She beckoned me to the monitor and we stood, bent over, heads nearly touching, as the software created a hilarious stop-motion video of a Lilly Pilly executing an extremely accurate version of the oscillating impact sprinkler dance.

I chuckled again then turned my head towards her, nearly brushing her cheek with my nose. “This is so cool,” I murmured. She drew back and smiled.

“I’m so glad you’re fine with this. As I said, my mum was the green thumb, and she was really into the idea that plants could heal people, or at least bring some comfort.” She leaned into me and together we stood, holding each other’s hands and smiling softly.

Then I lifted our combined hands to my lips.

“I’m not mad at all.” I kissed her knuckles. “In fact, it’s kind of a turn-on.” Then I shook my head in wonder. Steph was awesome. I released her hands and lifted mine to place them lightly on her waist. “I think you’re terrific,” I whispered. It was time to be bold. Shy, yet bold. I slowly slid my hands from Steph’s waist up, up to her ribs, then cupped her breasts.

The little hitch in her breath just about dissolved my kneecaps.

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