FREE⇡RIDE⇣HOME [Elevator Hitch || COTAG]

Keep it in my locket, away from others' sight

"Woah," he whistles, "don't run away yet! Here's your water."

I've already left the vehicle, and he's trying to hand the water bottle to me reaching his arm over the passenger's seat, forcing me to bend down and get it. "Are we going to stay here all day, that we need portable water?"

"Well, no, but it's sunny, so you might feel dehydrated." He exits his car and locks it.

He leads me to the entrance, and buys us tickets. I feel obligated to repay him somehow. Once we pass the large fence, I whisper: "How much did it cost?"

"It shouldn't matter to you," he replies. "It's on me!"

"Everything'sonyou," I mutter under my breath.

"Hm?"

"It's nothing." I pop the dents in the water bottle in nervousness.

The first step I set in the botanical garden is already full of fragrant smells and colourful flowers. I can't stop looking around. I glance at my coworker from time to time, but mainly admire the beauty of the flora.

I subconsciously grab his hand, when I notice him walking away. I mind it at first, but then I don't.

"Those are Hortensias. My parents used to keep those in their gardens." He points to a wall of dark bushes, that's almost completely covered up by colourful, fluffy-looking balls with densely spread petals. "They're quite common, but you don't see them often around here. What a bummer."

"Yeah..." I love listening to his loud, rambly voice. I'm seriously dumbfounded by this fact.

"And what are these?" I ask, as we walk past a large flowerbed of red, white and purple bundles of petals on long stems.

"Bellflowers... or snapdragons." He leans in close, to observe them better. "Yes, snapdragons. When these die, their petals resemble skulls. It's terrifying."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Eh... I don't know how to prove it..." he shrugs. "I could give you my book about plants, if you'd like."

I titter. "I think I'll pass, but we'll see."

I hadn't realised yet that there are other people here. They're staring at us, and our hands, in disbelief. I try to release him, but he only squeezes my hand tighter.

"We shouldn't..." I start.

"We shouldn't pay attention to other people," he completes. "We're not hurting anyone. They're being rude for staring at us."

I nod and follow him farther into the gardens. At first, there are only bushes of flowers, but as we walk a little longer, we start seeing fountains, streams watering the plants, and a few elderly ladies voluntarily weeding the plots.

The whole group of them locks their eyes on us, and I hear them exclaim something along the lines of "what a cute couple!"

I feel like melting into the floor. My coworker seems worried about my tomato-red face.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing..." I cover my eyes. "Those ladies..."

He laughs and drags me away from them. "Embarrassed?" He likely heard them too, but he doesn't act fazed at all.

"Yeah..." When I take my hand off my face, I realise he brought me to a giant flower field, similar to those in the Netherlands. There are tons of long, colourful strokes of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, and paths inbetween them, like the one we're standing on, right now.

There are a few other people here, but they're so far away, I can't even make out their age. "It's..."

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I smile at him and nod, walking back and forth a little. I try to determine where the field ends, but there is no end. I turn to him. "Should we go to the other side–"

The flash of his polaroid camera startles me. I yelp. "D-Did you take a picture of me?!"

He pinches the photo between his thumb and index finger, and shakes it around so it dries faster. "Yeah~" He laughs perversely.

I try to steal the photo from him, dragging on his face and clothes. "Give it to me! T-Throw it away..!"

"But I don't want to~" He stares at the picture, like it's the only thing in the world. "I think I'll put this one in my locket."

I snatch his polaroid instead. "Why..."

"Because you look nice."

"Really? Show me! Shooow me!" I persuade, as I try to pull him down.

"Nuh uh~ It's mine now!" His chest quivers, trying to hold back his laughter. He folds the picture in half, and puts it in his back pocket, before steadying me by my shoulders. "Calm down. It's not a weird picture. You know that."

I pout. "It's not about that... What are you going to do with that photo, anyway?"

"Keep it in my locket, away from others' sight."

"...Okay." I sigh. I return his camera.

"Then, shall we race to the other end?"

I smile snidely, and push him back, so I have a tiny advantage. "Catch me if you can!" I rush forwards, staring at my feet, making sure I don't crush any flowers.

I run at my fastest for a while too long, and feel an upcoming cramp in my abdomen. I slow down a little, allowing my coworker to outrun me. He pushes me on the soft, grassy ground, and gets on his knees, hovering over me.

He leans in so close, my heavy breaths and quiet giggle brush against his face. He smiles shyly, tracing my jaw and closing his eyes.

He moves towards my lips, and faintly squeezes my arm, before kissing me, tenderly. He doesn't force his tongue anywhere. It's purely consensual and respectful towards me.

I caress his face, and hold it lightly. He doesn't pull away for a long while, instead, he tries to maneuver his arms between my back and the ground, to hug me. I feel so warm and my vision is getting blurry...

Lastly, he leaves a trail of delicate kisses, starting on my cheek, and ending on my collarbone, and finally pulls away. He fixes my glasses and tucks my bangs into the hair on my head with his fingers, fully exposing my face.

"You're gorgeous," he states.

My previously relaxed face turns into a blushing mess. I sit up, and take his hand out of my hair. "What do you mean..?"

"I'm trying to say, that you're a much more stunning sight than this field, and I chose to waste my polaroid film on you, instead of the scenery."

✂