Untimely Love (Book 3)

♤Chapter 41♤

Was hit with massive writer's block. I did not know where this chapter was supposed to go, but when it happened, it flowed.

Good news is, (TMI) I stood in the shower today and plotted the next few chapters in my head, so we should be good until Part IV. Manifest consistent weekly updates. Thanks for sticking it out, fren!

♤♠♤

♤ARIANA♤

"Okay," I announced as I narrowed my eyes on my room, "it's watering day!" I held up the black metal watering can, careful not to spill any through the sprout. "And how convenient is it that there's a thunderstorm tonight, hm?"

"You in here talking to them plants again?" My mom's voice came from the doorway. Always lurking, that lady.

"She can never keep walking, can she?" I muttered to my rubber plant—a six-foot giant in the corner of my room behind the door. A thought hit me, making me pull the can back from watering it. "You think I should put the big ones outside?" I turned around but could only glimpse my mom because the door was hiding us from each other.

"I put the others out on the back porch." Others, as in, all the plants I'd brought home over the months, either from work or whenever we went to the store and plants were on sale.

I sat the can down in the corner next to the rubber tree. "You didn't put the succulents out there did you?" Somehow, I already knew the answer.

"I'm not supposed to?"

"Mom!" I rushed into the hallway, toward the living room. She responded after me but I didn't hear, already too far away to even care.

I squeezed between the dining chair and high chair behind the bar to get to the glass sliding door that led to our generous wooden porch.

Pressing my palms against the glass, I eyed the dark sky and pouring rain. Lightning struck and, not long after, thunder rolled. It was unnecessarily ominous. Maybe I shouldn't bring the rest of my plants out here. It was windy and the trees were going crazy.

Too busy contemplating, I forgot why I was here in the first place until green on the porch caught the corner of my eye.

"Shit!" I slid the door open and ran out there.

That woman had brought all ten succulents outside. They sat in tiny pots and were basically used for décor on the bookshelf I ended up gifting her. I specifically remember telling her that they didn't need a lot of water. Especially not a thunderstorm worth. It didn't matter that it was rain—they weren't planted outside!

Some of them had fallen over, soil spilling onto the picnic table. It took me making two quick trips before she came out to help me. And she only took them from me at the door and sat them on the bar counter.

By the time I was back inside, I was drenched from head to toe.

"Don't drip all over my floor."

I stood in the door, staring blankly at the back of her head while she placed the succulents in the sink on the opposite side of the open kitchen.

She glanced over her shoulder only for a second to say, "Ariana, you're letting the rain in."

I slid the door closed and headed toward the hall. She could complain all she wanted, but I'm going back to put my plants outside. I'll clean up later.

"Talking bout some 'don't drip on my floor'. Girl..." I muttered under my breath as I entered my room.

It didn't take long for me to lug my bigger plants outside. Did she complain the entire time? Yes. Yes, she did. But I've gotten better at not taking most of what she said at face value these past few months.