Pt 4
Sunday
It was the last day of Larissa's conference. You found yourself in the third botanical garden, sketching a really interesting plant from Florida, Dendrophylax lindenii, or Ghost Orchid. You loved this hotel and this garden, how you would love to work here. The conservatory at Nevermore was as much as you could handle by yourself, but to work somewhere like this, it would be a dream. The smell of the plants every time you walked in the garden was refreshing, and made you extremely happy. You loved your Nevermore family though, and you would never want to leave them. They accepted you, and you accepted them. As you were sketching and taking some photos of the plants, you were thinking about Larissa. You hadn't realized you were, until you did. You thought about last night and how she had stood up for the both of you. You thought she didn't know about you and was fighting for herself, but she was trying to protect you. At the same time you were protecting her, even though you thought nothing of it. She was fun to be around when she was Larissa and she was striped of her principal duties. She was always nice to be around, of course, but when she wasn't stressed to the max, she was funny, chill, sweet, precious and an all around good person. You could see the hopefulness, the glimmer, the love, and the life in her eyes every time you looked at her. Those sapphire blue eyes, ones you could never find an answer for as to why nobody loved them. Nobody loved them, perhaps like you. You had thought about what she had asked you nights ago, about erasing her memory from last year. The only other memory you had ever taken was your fathers, you couldn't let him relive it any longer, even though you were only a kid. You thought, no, you knew that you wanted to take Larissa's memory for her. Even if this was all a lie, even if she didn't like you as much as she acted like she did, even if she was using you just to get rid of the memory, you would take it. You wanted nothing more than for her life to be happy and well lived. She was the mother of the outcasts, she took care of them like they were her own. Her supposed friend had tried to murder her for frig sake, she had to know somebody cared about her. Someone had to take care of her, in one way or another.
What you weren't aware of was, as you observed the flowers, someone was observing you.
*Larissa's POV*
They were sitting on the walkway right next to some white flowers. It was adorable how they talked about and treated plants. They were wearing a dark red jumper and platform strap sandals, you thought it looked stunning on them. You couldn't help but think about last night, how they had lied to help you defend yourself. You thought you were being over protective, but in those types of situations you would never back down. You didn't want to scare Peyton and come off too strong, but when they told the girls off with that kiss and their powers, you thought it was hilarious. Hot, and the best thing ever. They looked so pure, so overjoyed to be learning about new plants, so at peace to bask in the atmosphere of the garden. You couldn't help but wonder if they would want to work here. It would be the best place for them, maybe even better than teaching at Nevermore. You hoped not, but you wanted to support them in any way you could. You smiled while you observed them, you couldn't stop thinking about their long hair and tan skin. The way their style changed everyday, the way they were so open to things, the way that they were so helpful, the way they treated you; with respect and love and adoration. You thought that, - oh, they spilled their drink. They stood up, they look mad. You saw them mouth something, 'fuck'. You laughed, out loud. You caught yourself and looked back to the presenter who was staring at you, but didn't stop talking. You gave him a forced smile and tried to focus.
"Fuck" you said aloud by accident. You looked around, nobody was near you. As you looked, you caught a glimpse of white hair through a window in an upstairs room. Larissa- was she stalking you or were you staking her? Probably the latter, accidentally on purpose, you thought. You looked to her, she looked so focused on her work, she probably didn't know you were down here, right? As you were lost in thought, she looked out the window at you, and gave a knowing taunting smile. You put on your fake annoyed face at her, and pouted your lips, which made her laugh. You loved her laugh. You couldn't hear it from here, but you wished you could. You gave her a wink and waved goodbye, going to clean off the drink you spilled on your leg.
You weren't sure when Larissa's conference would be done today, so you ventured to the mall alone. You decided you needed some new clothes. You hadn't gone shopping in a while, besides the new bras and underwear that Ren made you buy before the trip. Larissa's conference had ended while you were at the mall, therefore she found your shared hotel room empty. She looked for you before deducing that you were probably back out at the garden, drawing some plants and taking notes. She got a shower and freshened up for the evening. As she walked towards her bed from the washroom, she noticed your notebook on your bed. Odd, you would have it with you if you were observing the plants. She picked it up and opened it, tracing her fingers over some recent sketches. She admired your work, the detail you put in, and the way that you put effort and thought into everything you did. She flipped back to Fridays work, where she saw your sketch of Physostigma venenosum. Shivering, she flipped a few pages forward, and found a beautiful sketch of a garden. There was a building on the left, a fountain and pond on the right, sky lights and a pathway between plants and trees. Someone was walking down the pathway. That someone looked familiar. They were adorning a matching cream colored outfit with a lip brooch. Their hair was up, and they looked rather tall. Was that… Larissa's eyes lit up and she gasped in awe. In amongst all the plants and trees, the stunning botanical garden, you were sketching her, when she wasn't even with you. You were thinking of her, while the beauty of all these plants that you loved was right in front of your eyes. You were sketching her, when you could have been sketching anyone. She flipped the page once more, eyeing a poem on the back of your sketch.
"If Larissa was a season, she would be Fall. Fall is my favorite season of all. She's chilly, not cold, she's wise, not old. I feel safe wrapped up in her leaves, no doubt, as although I am small, like a tree she is tall. But maybe she would really be spring, no, winter. When the frost hits and it's like a glaze. The silvery, blue, cool tones fit her just right, when you look in her eyes and they give you a light. They remind you of summer, so warm, so inviting. Like the ocean, you'd love to jump right in. You have to refrain, alas, it is true, for summer was not meant only for you. It was meant for the people, for the people to love. They wake in the morning and put on their gloves. Not in the summer, in winter it's true, but don't worry, you'd wear them too. For if she was winter and summer and fall, she'd have to be spring, she'd be them all. A breath of fresh air, it cuts like a knife. Like the flowers and animals, she gives me new life."
Her eyes filled with tears and she caught herself, daring to let them fall. Where did you come from? And why did you appear in her life? Were you sent to make up for all the things that she had been through? Were you here to be a friend when she needed it most? She had thought she had a friend before though, and she turned out to be wrong. Horribly wrong. Larissa was usually right in her decisions and judgement, but lately she had been second guessing herself.
Larissa found herself at the mall. She figured you would be here or in the hotel somewhere, exploring no doubt. You weren't answering your phone, but she figured you were just caught up in something. She entered a jewellery store, spotting a pair of gorgeous dark amber earrings that would match your eyes perfectly. They reminded her of old fashioned gothic décor, something she knew you would love. Exiting the jewellery store, she caught a glimpse of you standing across the corridor, reading something on the wall. She felt herself become giddy at seeing you and she suddenly felt blessed to mean more to you than just another stranger at this mall. She came up behind you and embraced you, leaning her head on your shoulder. She scared you, making you drop your bags on the floor. You realized who it was by her smell, before you even caught a glimpse of her. Who else could it be though, really. You wrapped your hands around hers, closed your eyes and leaned your head against hers. "Hey Riss, how was your day?" you giggled, basking in her touch. She brought her lips up to you and gave you a kiss on the cheek, making you blush harder than ever before. You were screwed, you thought, absolutely screwed. "It was good, very good, but it's way better now that I found you." She gave you another kiss on the cheek and grabbing your hand, she lead you out of the mall.