Lessons on Love

Tiger Lilies

This kiss could probably kill me.

This will definitely kill me.

I'm going to die.

If the tension and static that have existed between Jade and I was any indication of what this kiss could be, then I'm pretty sure the world is going to implode as soon as our lips touch.

Our lips.

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the heat radiating off of hers. The warmth of her breath dragging, caressing, and gliding along my lips.

In that moment there was no farm, no school, nothing else existed; there was only her and I together in this moment. Only Jade's cool hands on top of mine and her body angled to face me.

At the last moment, I open my eyes and see that Jade had her eyes closed and her brows were creased loosely on her forehead. She wanted this too. She wanted me and that made a wave of pride and happiness bloom in my chest. Without another thought, I cupped the back of her neck with my free hand then pulled her towards me.

Fate suddenly bucks, sending Jade and I swaying away from each other and scrambling to stay on the horse. The hand that was just stroking the soft hairs on the back of Jade's neck now gripped the rough leather  reins once again, pulling on it to stop the horse's sudden restlessness.

Jade's hands grip mine tightly and only lets go once Fate settles down. "Sorry..." I say, running a hand through my hair, "I don't know what's up with him today."
"It-- It's okay. Just--" Jade pauses to slip a lock of loose hair behind her ear, "Just ride with me." she adds before turning stiffly back towards farm.
Without a need for an answer, I gently kicked on Fate's stomach and clicked my tongue to urge him forward.

I whisper a silent thank you to the Gods that Jade couldn't see my face because if the heat I could feel radiating from my own skin was any indication of the blush on my face, I was pretty sure I was red as a tomato.

"So--" I clear my throat before nodding towards the farmhouse, "This is the main house where we let the caretakers live. This is also where I grew up. Over there is the nursery where we care for buds, it's air-conditioned and temperature controlled to make sure the flowers are grown in the best possible conditions."

It was the regular spiel that my father and I would tell our clients and I had it down pat. It was a routine, show them the farm, the buds, the good conditions and the sample flowers; that was all they needed and they'd be on their way but with Jade, anything rehearsed felt off.

"Right now though, we've been working with conservation groups to save a rare flower only found in the Philippines." I say as Fate walks carefully into the large greenhouse, stopping by the door just enough to give us a good view of the whole space and the large hook shaped vines hanging from the pergola; the wooden beams running along the ceiling.

"There are beautiful."
"These are just the buds, this flower takes two years, sometimes less, to grow and it only grows here in our little country." I mutter as I reach up to gently lift the end of a single vine. "They turn purple or bluish green when fully mature, which is a few months from now. Hopefully."
"What are they called?"
A soft laugh escapes me as I allow the vine to fall back into it's natural drape. "Strongylodon Macrobotrys..." I say before pulling Fate back outside of the nursery, just in time for the scheduled watering from the sprinklers.

"Wait, it has to have an English name."

"It does."

"Well what is it?" She asks, turning her head towards me in an attempt to give me a convincing look.
I smile and answers, "It's called the Jade Vine. One of the most beautiful, yet endangered, flowers in the world."

Jade snorts ungracefully, "No, come on. Seriously, what's it called?"

"The Jade Vine." I answer without missing a beat.