zelan’s four simple words repeated over in her head as a deep pink flush spread across the tops of her cheek bones, “i-i mean,” she stuttered slightly as she walked closer to him, “i wasn’t going to say no to you,” her voice was soft as she nervously dropped her gaze to her hands that were clasped in front of her. it would have been comical just how nervous and embarrassing she was around her friend’s twin brother to an outsider looking in. she had known him for a while now, but she always seemed to be like this around him. she could be described as a nervous person on her day to day life, but something about the boy took her stuttering and nervous energy to a whole other level. just a look from him could cause butterflies to erupt in her tummy. on more then one occasion she had made a fool of herself around him. in the past she had tried to keep her distance from him, mostly because to her it felt like ingrid had a permanent claim on him and heaven knows she wouldn’t have dared to try and take a boy from her. even now after everything that had happened, he still had that feeling of being ‘ingrid’s’ to her. she couldn’t compete with her, she never could. so instead she chose to pine from a distance. it didn’t stop her heart from skipping a little when he invited her to hang out today. she spent an embarrassing amount of time choosing an outfit. “o-oh, ok,” she said softly as she followed along side him, “are you going to give me any hints?” she peered up at him from the side of her eyes.
her stuttered words brought a slight smile to his lips and he walked alongside her, maintaining little distance between them. “i am pretty hard to say no to, aren’t i?” he teased, softly nudging her with his arm. “you shouldn’t say things like that though,” he warned, “then i’ll be calling you to meet up nonstop,” he added, offering her a grin as he looked over at her. though they were walking together, z was walking ahead slightly to lead the way. he wasn’t oblivious to any interest grace might have in him. it was another reason why he found himself drawn to her; too much self interest, and how he liked the validation of knowing his effect on her. she made it so obvious without even trying. “hints?” he hummed thoughtfully, wondering if he should bother. it wasn’t like they were going too far, but he shrugged, figuring a hint or two wouldn’t hurt. “green. lots of green,” which was vague enough that she probably wouldn’t be able to figure it out from there, but it was still a hint. he led her up to the rooftop, which he’d previously gained access to through a money bribe with the groundskeeper. zelan learned at a young age that almost anyone could be bought, if he found the right price. walking across the rooftop, he took her hand in his. “this way,” he said, nodding in the direction he was leading her. he opened the door to reveal a greenhouse; some plants were overgrown, some were dead. it was obvious that it’d been abandoned for awhile, but zelan had still been intrigued by the discovery. “so?” he questioned, like she should already know what he’s thinking, “do you think we could do something about it? save the plants, or whatever.”
