❝botanophilia❞ royce au

prologue

Jacob remembers when he first fell in love with plants.

He was hanging out with a couple of his friends. Jacob ran with the weird crowd. The boys were photographer and the girls were the models who wore odd clothes and thick make-up. This was high school. Jacob didn't really fit it; he didn't take pictures and was awfully camera shy, but they let him hang anyway, because he was cool. They were sitting in his friend, Rick's, room with their Fiji bottled waters and cameras in tow. They played Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches as they olayed on their phones and looked at the pictures they'd taken that day.

Jacob had been sitting with his hands tucked under his legs as he listened to the music. "What's so special about this kid that he keeps hanging out with us?" Jonathan asked. "I've been wondering the same thing. He doesn't take pictures and he doesn't model so why are we keepin' him around?" Rachel asked. The guy who'd originally brought Jacob into the group and the "leader" of the group, Christian, stood up. "If you think our group is only about modeling and taking some pictures, then leave, because you don't belong here. Every single person in the fuckin' room is special. No one more special than the others. I better not hear any more of this 'Why's he so special shit.' I do, then you're out."

Jacob blushed and looked away over to a table beside Rick's bed. He had a collection of rainbow anodized knives and two plants sitting out. "What kind of plants are these?" Jacob asked.

"Pygmy Date."

It was love at first sight for Jacob. When their hangout was over Rick pulled Jacob aside.

"I saw you looking at my plants and knives. You can take the two plants if you want. I'll let you have a few of the knives. You can pick out three you want."

From that moment on, he thought of Rick as a God.

He and Rick had actually started dating, but that's another story for another chapter.

Since then, Jacob had started getting more and more plants.

Once he greduated high school, he'd decided not to go to college and moved out of his parents house and bought a one-roomed apartment in New York with a huge window taking up one wall.

Since Jacob moved in, he'd gotten three tables that were full of plants and a job as a Florist. Jacob was basically living the dream and even after three years, he was still the happiest man alive. Even without many friends or other companions besides his co-workers and plants.

→

Chresanto remembers when he fell in love with Jacob.

It was his first year at the local university and Chresanto was getting ready for an early class. He'd packed a bag full of the books he needed for class all day and then gone down to the coffee shop to get coffee and a bagel for breakfast. He'd gotten to the coffee shop an hour and a half before he had classes and his school was right down the street from the shop.

The coffee shop had been busy with students coming in and going out and people on their laptops and phones. There are at least thirty no more than fifty people inside of the shop. The door bell jingled and he heard someone happily call out a name. "Jacob." Chresanto looked up and saw a boy with his hair pulled back give the cashier a small smile as he made his way to the register.

There seemed to be a glow surrounding him. He's not sure whether he imagined it or whether it was the lighting. It was love at first sight for Chresanto. He couldn't take his eyes off of the boy even when he left the coffee shop and walked across the street going into the flower shop.

Since then Chresanto had been coming to the same coffee shop for three years to see Jacob. He'd never said anything to him except for one time Chresanto bumped into him so he could hear him say one thing.

When he did, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard. He heard as he Jacob's breath hitched and then he said a soft 'Sorry' as he stepped back and let Chresanto pass.

He'd come back one day after his classes and caught Jacob right before his shift ended and caught hime putting one of the plants on display in the front of the shop into his bag and then waving to another one of the workers and then leaving.

The one thing Chresanto noticed was that Jacob never missed a day of work. He always had a smile on his face, too. He was beautiful.

If only Chresanto had the nerve to talk to him. He almost did several times. But none of them were successful.

The first time, he'd been interrupted when a girl from his Psycology class, Ora, asked him for class notes in exchange for anything he wanted off the menu. He tried explaining to her that she could just get them and then give them back in class and that he didn't want anything out of it. But when Chresanto had gone up to buy what Jacob buys everytime he comes to the shop (a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, devil's foodcake donut, and a cheesecake brownie), she paid for it before he could even get his wallet out of his pocket.

She had sat with him and talked with him as she copied his notes and he didn't want to be rude to her and tell her to go away. Afterwards, they walked to school together and she gave him her number. Chresanto never called. He wasn't interested in even becoming her friend. Chresanto was holding a grudge against her actually. He hadn't built up the courage to talk to him again until almost a year later.

Chresanto was so close to succeeding. He planned to go over to the flower shop across the street buy a plant and sweet talk Jacob in going out with him. It didn't work that way. When Chresanto walked up, Jacob smiled at him and was prepared to greet him, but another short woman with curly hair pulled up into a bun. Stepped in front of Jacob and helped Chresanto instead. She constantly flirted with him and then slipped him her number. Damn his good looks.

He had been watching Jacob as he walked around the store and tended to the plants and then talked to some coustomers. He looked so happy and Chresanto could tell he loved this job.

But today, Chresanto wasn't going to school until he talked to the boy from the flower shop. He'd gone to buy the pastries Jacob orders and then he walked across the street.

"Hey Jacob, here's some pastries I got for you. I know you like them because I've watched you come over to the coffee shop and order the same things eighty-three times in the past three years. I love you and I was hoping you'd go out on a date with me and have my children."

Of course not. He'd probably call the police.

There wasn't much more time for thinking because Jacob was standing in front of Chresanto with a smile on his face. "Uh, hey. I uh, I just came from the uh, coffee shop across the street."

"Oh yeah, I see you there sometimes." Jacob said the smiled never leaving his face. "Yeah, I uh, wanted to talk to you. I bought you some pastries. The girl at the cash register told me you liked them." Chresanto said handing over the bag. "How sweet. What'd you want to talk to me about?" Jacob asked as he took the bag from Chresanto.

"Uh, I was, uh, wondering if, after you're done with work, you'd maybe want to go out with me. It doesn't have to be today, and you don't have to say yes, but I bought you pastries to convince you and it'd really make me happy if you said yes." Chresanto rambled on quickly. Jacob smiled and let out a chuckle and Chresanto almost died because why is everything this beautiful man does so majestic.

"I don't even know your name." Jacob smiled. "Chresanto. My name is Chresanto. It's weird but you'll get used to it. I mean if you say yes." Chresanto rambled. "Chresanto." Jacob said slowly. At that moment Chresanto imagined Jacob writhing under him screaming his name as he pounded into him. "You okay?" Jacob asked chuckling. "Uh, yeah. Yeah. Just thought about something." Chresanto shrugged.

"I said yeah. You can pick the spot. We can go today. Just... here, my number. You text me the time and I'll text you my address. You're not a psycho killer, are you?" Jacob laughed. "No."

"I'll see you later, then." Jacob said.

And that is how Chresanto and Jacob meet.