"Chrissy! Open the door!"
Just as I'm watering my beautiful kumquat and trying to distract myself, the phone beeps, and I growl as I realize that I'm not the only whose day was ruined because of Mr. fungus's annoyingness.
Is this your hot boss shou...
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Who would've thought that a symbiosis would feel like this? That the never-ending supply of feel-good vibes it pumps into one's life is so addicting that one would start blaming themselves for not engaging in it earlier.
Ever since last night, the plant in me has been on a high and does not seem to be anywhere near climbing down. Indulging on Ashton's presence, it seems to me that all is possible.
Somehow, the sky is brighter. Wind is gentler. Food is tastier. I am a better version of myself instead of the uptight girl always on her guard. And if this small trip back home has taught me anything, it's that the more I spend time with him, talk to him, soak in all of his aura, the more I want and yearn for.
"Don't tell me you don't smell it!" I cry, burrying my nose into the red fabric and inhaling every last bit of scent it might still hold.
"Just barely," says the fungus, eyes on the road, and radars prepared to spot any plush toy attack, "you probably smell it off your lips. I had a little taste not long ago."
"Behave, fungus!"
"With you? Never."
Holding onto the toy for dear life, another wave of fresh memories hits me, bringing me back up on a high I believe is hard to match. The second Ashton proposed to stop by a local carnival, a little budding Chrysanthemum woke up in me.
After trying most of the rides, and me refusing to admit that I could not let his arm go down the giant trap of death, I was prepared to tell him that he was screaming like a little girl when I saw it. Twirling like clouds, it screamed sweet childhood memories.
Apparently, I had the eyes of a cute little baby when I stopped in place and ogled the Cotton candy parlor, so Ashton got me not one but two sticks of cotton candy. Oblivious to what was to come, I attacked the two and was about to march on, thinking that the fungus was not a big fan of the candy. Only the second "Now I taste" dropped, I knew I was doomed.
Leaving me to reach a deeper crimson than that of the stuffed mushroom I'd won, Ashton locked his lips with mine, taking away whatever cotton candy scent I was still relishing on.
How will I ever say no to these sweet little moments that send my belly to tie in knots?
Hugging the toy for a while as I come back from my little trip back in memory, I give it a little squeeze, then sniff it again. Who would've thought that Chrysanthemum Saaid would one day not only be mesmerized by a fungus, but also fall for a mushroom plush toy?
"Now that we went to the carnival, are you going to tell me why we're going back home so fast?"
Blinking a couple of times, Ashton looks at me for a moment then back at the road. He takes a couple of seconds to process it then says, "According to Mark, the case has been closed, but he wants to get all the documents and tell me the results face to face."
