Page 53 of Petals and Plot Twists
“You promise I’m not going to hurt it?”
“I promise. Just try not to damage the roots.”
She nods and slowly starts working the soil loose. “So, when are you going to tell me about last night?”
I freeze. She knows about last night? Would Peter have told her? Maybe he told Archer on the way to racquetball, and Archer already texted Willa?
“It didn’t mean anything,” I say. “All we did was sleep. I only asked him to stay because I had this weird experience when I was a teenager where I thought someone was breaking into my house, so when I heard Reggie, I just got really freaked?—”
Willa holds up her hand. “Hold up,” she says. “What are you talking about?”
I look at her, completely confused. What isshetalking about, if not that? “About Peter sleeping in my bed last night.”
Her eyes widen. “Wait, what?”
“What did you think I was talking about?”
“About Jake,” she says, her voice getting higher and louder. “Peter said you guys went to get dinner last night, and he assumed that meant the flower bloomed.”
That’s right.Peter saw Willa last night. “He came to see you just to tell you that?”
“Of course he did! I was honestly surprised you didn’t text to tell me.”
“I didn’t text because the flower didn’t bloom,” I say. “Wedidgo out to dinner, but only because Jake said we could go as friends. I told him I didn’t think we had any chemistry, which we really didn’t, but he said he’d like to be friends. That’s all that happened.”
“So he’s not your soulmate.”
“Definitely not. Which is good because…” I hesitate, suddenly feeling nervous to admit this next part out loud.
“Because what?” Willa prompts.
“It’s a bit of a plot twist, actually,” I sheepishly say. “But I actually think I have a crush on Peter.”
Willa freezes, her eyes going wide. “You what?”
I grimace. “Is that totally crazy? I know I’ve been all ‘he’s my best friend, blah, blah, blah,’ but I don’t know. This morning, I was looking at him while he was sleeping, and I just…I don’t know. Something shifted.”
“You looked at him while he was sleeping,” she says. “Should we pause and talk about how that makes you sound like a serial killer?”
“I promise it wasn’t creepy,” I say. “But he was in my bed, and he looked so peaceful, and he was so gentle and good to me last night, and?—”
“Sophie,” Willa says, cutting me off. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned him being in your bed. Please back up and give me some context here. Because so far, everything you’re saying sounds creepy or naughty, and I need to know up front if we’re dealing with either of those things.”
I finally free the first orchid from all the soil compacted around its roots and grab my gardening shears to trim off the dead and damaged roots. I talk while I work, telling Willa about Peter comforting me last night when Reggie was scrounging around outside my window, then I back up even further, telling her about the handholding and the conversation when Peter told me I’m beautiful and all the other flutter-inducing things that have happened.
“Honestly, it’s your fault,” I say as I lower the orchid into a bucket of water so the roots can soak. “You’re the one who suggested I try to look at him differently. Well, I did, and now I do, and I have no idea what to do about it.”
“That feels pretty obvious, doesn’t it?” Willa says. “You just go for it.”
I roll my eyes. “I can’t justgo for it.I have no idea if he feels the same way. I also just started this whole big dating experiment,” I say. “I have four more dates lined up this week.”
“Why go on any of them?” Willa says. “Sophie, you and Peter are already so good together. Your relationship would barely change if you started dating. You know it would be great.”
“It would absolutely change,” I say. “Of course it would change.”
“You would still have the same emotional connection,” she says.
“True.”
