Page 137 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

I’ve wanted to see these shrubs up close for a while now, so I don’t regret the decision to duck inside. His white shirt clings to him, soaked through with sweat. The scent of a forest by the ocean fills the air between us, making me realize even his sweat smells good. His hair is free of gel and hanging down after a hard workout, causing the wet tips to stick to his forehead.

It’s the tint of his cheeks that I find irresistible, the slightest red from his body’s heat. He’s incredibly good-looking and makes my mind go fuzzy. I rattle off the first thing that comes to mind. “Enjoying the weather?” I’m tempted to bury my head in the dirt to give him time to realize he would have been better off if he’d kept walking.

Rascal’s not hearing of it and tugs me sideways.Traitor.Anything to get to Andrew.

Petting Rascal’s head, he replies, “I am. I went for a run and was just cooling down when I saw you. Other than running away from me for some unknown reason, what are you doing in there?”

“Did you know,” I say, taking a green leaf between my fingers, “that a large swath of the population confuses the doublefile viburnum for a small, non-concealing tree? It’s actually a shrub and can spread easily if not managed. Not as bad as bamboo if we’re looking for comparisons, which we’re not.”Shut up, Juni.

“That is interesting.” For a second, I’m not sure if he’s being truthful, but the sincerity in his eyes relieves me and causes me to smile.

“I always thought so.” But then I remember I do not want to have a conversation with this man, at least not right now, so I clap my hands together. “Well, this bush looks healthy.”

He stands, but his eyes remain on me. “Are bushes and shrubs the same thing? I’ve always wondered that.” He’s cute when he wonders too.

“To a layperson, yes.”

“What if you’re not a layperson?”

Botany was never sexier than when Andrew is talking about plants. My heart patters against my rib cage, and I rest back on my hand. “No. One’s denser than the other.”

“A bush has denser branches. Is that right?”

“Yes,” I reply, suddenly content spending all day hiding behind a shrub if I get to talk botany with him.

He takes a step back to give me space. Offering his hand, he asks, “Would you like help up?”

I’m already hating the distance, but I shake my head. “I don’t feel comfortable accepting charity.”

He scoops Rascal into his arms, making me jealous of the little guy, and then sits down where the sidewalk meets the dirt. “Then I guess I’ll have to join you. That is, if you don’t mind the company.”

“I don’t mind.” And that’s the truth.

As he scratches Rascal’s back, Andrew says, “As a New Yorker, why do you know so much about plants?”

I laugh. “What does me being a New Yorker have to do with my knowledge about plants?”

When he shrugs and lets his shoulders drop, I notice how relaxed he is. No coat hanger posture in sight. “I figured most people live in apartments without gardens.”

“Ah. Well, that is true, but once upon a time, I lived in the Berkshires.”

“I’ve heard it’s beautiful there.”

I love that New Yorkers walking by see us in the bushes but don’t say a thing. It’s like we’ve seen it all. A woman sitting in a bush?Okay.Just another day in this vibrant city. “So beautiful. It’s been years since I’ve been back.”

“What’s stopping you?”

I pluck a leaf from the plant and study the skeletal structure, running my finger along the spine and turning it over in my hand. “Myself.” I glance up at him. There’s a soulfulness that comes with this more laid-back side of him. I like it.

“I used to surf with my brother almost every morning before high school. We’d come rolling in just as the first bell would ring. Two kids from Beverly Hills?—”

“You’re from Beverly Hills?”

I bet not much embarrasses him, but for some reason, this does. Dipping his head down, he runs his fingers through his hair. It’s dried messily, but not any less sexy. It might even be more so. God, I’m so shallow. And apparently sexually deprived.

He replies, “Yeah, don’t hold it against me.”

“Why would I do that? Is it an awful place to grow up? I thought it was always fancy when I saw it on TV.”

---