Corey and Ian walk along the small dirt path, their hands intertwined. Corey is talking a mile a minute, but honestly Ian isn’t hearing much of what he’s saying. Instead, he’s watching.
He’s watching the way Corey’s eyes shine with excitement, his lips as they pull into different shapes. He’s watching his hair, shining in the specks of sunlight coming down through the trees. He’s so beautiful, he thinks.
As they walk, the sky begins to darken. Thunder rumbles in the distance.
“Is it supposed to rain today?” Corey asks. This time his lips form a frown, and this is what draws Ian’s attention to his words.
“I don’t think so… but then, we are in Glimmerbrook. I didn’t think to check the weather here,” Ian responds, gazing up at the sky. As he does, a large drop of water smacks into his face, just below his eye. “Oh… guess that answers that. We’d better find some place to keep dry.”
But Corey has already come to this conclusion. He’s excited, pointing ahead of them.
“Ian, look! A greenhouse! We can stay dry there. Plus, we’ll be able to see all the cool plants!” Corey is racing ahead, towards the greenhouse.
Hope the owners don’t mind us taking shelter here, Ian thinks, following Corey into the glass building.
They are surrounded by gorgeous plants of all kinds. The air feels cleaner in here, but also humid. The windows are cracked open at the top, swinging outward. They allow the smell of the rain in, without actually letting the rain reach their occupants.
Corey walks through the greenhouse, gazing at all the plants.
“I’ll bet you didn’t know this, but I really love plants. Flowers, especially.”
The rain pounds on the glass roof, slides off the windows. Thunder crackles overhead. It’s beautiful in its own way. But it pales next to the man Ian shares the greenhouse with. Ian settles on the brick of the greenhouse floor, watching Corey wander through the plants. He can’t think of any thing more he’d rather be doing, any one he’d rather be trapped in this greenhouse with. Truthfully, he wouldn’t even mind being stuck out in the rain with him.
After he’s seen all there is to see, Corey joins Ian on the floor.
“Sorry I didn’t check the weather. I guess this must really suck for you, huh?” Corey says, looking a little embarrassed.
“What? No way. This is amazing. I like plants, too. I just have a black thumb. I’ve never been able to grow anything. Not to mention…. There’s some really great company in here.” He wraps his arm around Corey, gazing into his eyes and smiling. Corey’s face turns red, and if it’s even possible, Ian thinks it makes him that much more beautiful.
“Would you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?”
But he didn’t get the chance. Corey was already kissing him.