"This, actually," I answered, crouching down again and picking at a small green stem.
"You studied... clovers?"
"Is this what this plant is called?" I asked, looking up at him, and he nodded.
I slipped the clover inside my bag, right next to the bouquet of daisies, hoping it wouldn't be completely crushed.
"I wanted to learn about plants," I answered, shying away from V's curious eyes on me. "I was wondering if it was possible to grow a garden...", I looked hesitantly back at him, and his curious eyes encouraged me to continue, "...in that exterior part of the house."
He seemed surprised, but not displeased.
"Is that why you tried to open the door to the atrium the other day?"
At first, I was confused by the word atrium, but then I understood that it was the name of the exterior part of the house.
"Yes, why?"
"No, nothing," he answered with nonchalance, but he did seem a bit flustered. "You really do like plants, then."
I sucked in a breath, realizing that my amazement at the street vegetation, in the loop, and through the Agora, might not have gone as unnoticed as I'd thought.
V seemed just as observant about me as I was about him.
Maybe I should have been wary of that realization. After all, I was trying to hide my real identity. I shouldn't want him paying this much attention.
But somehow, I liked that he was.
"I do..." I continued, holding my ballerinas in my back as we kept on strolling through the grass, almost reaching the center of the field now. "I was curious about plants, and mostly the ones that give fruits and vegetables. But I kept getting answers about printing pots for decorative flowers. Houseplant setups. About tree planting programs or conserving water... But nothing much on how to grow a garden. Every time I tried asking for information about it, it was as if it wasn't understanding me. I kept turning in circles between orchids and—"
"So, you found Nora."
"Nora?" I repeated.
Another woman, now?
"NORA," V said again, "Neural Online Resource Assistant. It's on your tablet, right?" I nodded, and he continued. "NORA is expected to answer like that."
"What do you mean?" I stopped walking, really curious now.
"Some information is withheld from citizens for our own security," he explained. "You don't have governance clearance to have access to horticulture documentation," he stopped too, turning to me, his fists still holding his pants and shoes at the same time. "Our agriculture depends on a fragile ecosystem. I remember they taught us at school about crop contamination," he looked like he was trying to recall the details, "Something resulting in a famine...? Anyway, they decided they couldn't leave such a big responsibility in the hands of just anyone."
I slowly nodded, looking down at my feet in the green grass, watching my dream of a home garden fading away. Maybe I could try planting grass at least? Or I'll have to find another hobby to do at home, even though it seemed like I had overused the 3D printer.
"But I can get you access."
I looked back at V, who had an indescribable look on his face.
"Would it be allowed?"
I didn't want to cause him any issues.
"Are you planning to disrupt the agriculture of the City?" he joked.
"No," I answered very seriously, "I only want to try to make a small garden in the atrium-"
"Then, we will be fine," V shrugged with a smile, dismissing my concerns already. "Come to work with me tomorrow. I'll show you the library."
The library, I repeated in my head, The library!
A blaze of excitement replaced the small twinkle of hope I had in my chest. I was going to learn more about gardens! I was going to visit V's office and discover a new place! I was going to get to roam around a real library! Tomorrow couldn't come any sooner.
"What about you? What did you do today?" I asked in return, remembering the advice of the other Love Machinas.
"Oh, mhmm," his eyes averted mine, "I studied too. My research project."
I bit back a smile.
Yeah, lots of dating research.
Out of nowhere, a sudden whoosh startled us. Behind us, a shimmering jet of water shot through the air, arching above our heads.
V gasped beside me.
The next split second, he grabbed my wrist and rushed us back to the wooden path. Each step seemed to set off another sprinkler, sending bursts of water in our direction. We barely dodged them, one after the other. By the time we reached the safety of the path, we were panting for air, shoes clutched in our hands. We turned back to see the entire field now covered in sweeping arcs of water.
"This wasn't on my list," V gasped between breaths, his chest rising and falling fast. Then, after a beat, he added with an incredulous smile, "But I have seen it in some."
I frankly laughed, and that was when he seemed to realize his fingers were still wrapped around my wrist. Too soon, he pulled his hand back, running it through his hair to brush away the lingering droplets.
His parted hair was ruined, giving place to his charming, dishevelled black strands of wet hair. The boyish look I had seen on him the day before appeared again.
Even though we had mostly escaped the sprinklers, our hair and clothes were still damp. We found a public bathroom to dry up, before deciding to head back to the house.
V surprised me one last time that evening by taking us to the GlideCab floor at the loop station.
"You seemed interested in it," he said, and I realized once again that I probably wasn't that discreet.
The tiny pod shot forward, propelling us through sleek tunnels at the highest speed I had ever experienced. I gripped my seatbelt tightly with both hands. It felt more like a harness than a standard belt, and when we arrived, a wave of dizziness hit me. V instinctively reached for my elbow, steadying me as I regained my balance, and again, I wished his hand would have lingered longer on my arm.
"Go wash up first," V offered when we arrived at the house, and I immediately sneezed at the cooler air inside.
When I exited the bathroom, the house was quiet. I looked down to the first floor, and no one was there. An interstice of light below V's door let me assume he didn't go to sleep yet.
I considered for a second whether or not I should leave him alone. But I was so happy with the events of the evening, and more than anything, I was so relieved that V was finally letting me help... I couldn't resist.
In my pajamas, I headed to his door and softly knocked.
I had to knock again for him to finally open the door, looking surprised just like the last time that I could be popping up like this, unannounced.
"I'm sorry to bother," I began, fidgeting with my hands in my back. "I imagine your list wasn't including that..." I added, referencing the idea that people going on a first date were probably not living together. "But I just wanted to thank you for today. I had a great time."
V seemed a bit taken aback, his hair still messy from our adventures, his clothes not changed yet.
"And thank you for trusting me with this mission," I said with thankful eyes, "You even gave up on your list for me. I know it's not a small thing coming from you," I smiled, hoping he would join in.
Instead, V's black eyes fluttered on me as if he looked even more baffled than ever.
Not sure how to end a conversation that had never really started, I took in a deep breath and wished him goodnight before quickly turning around, feeling embarrassment flushing all over my face.
I should have just gone straight to sleep.
"Sade, wait."
I turned around, surprised in turn.
His eyes were averting mine, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in his throat.
"You'll find a message from me on your tablet."
I tilted my head to the side.
Then, I realized.
"This is from the list, right?"
My eyes narrowed on him again. I didn't even try to hide the smile slowly breaking on my face.
A faint grunt escaped from his lips as he pushed his hair again to the back. His sad black eyes looked so kind in the soft evening light of the hallway. I felt a pinch in my heart at the idea that our first date was already over.
"The idea, yes," he admitted, finally looking at me. "But the words are mine."
This time, it was my turn to gulp my nerves.
"Don't forget you're joining me for work tomorrow. Be ready for 8 AM," he said with one last shy stare at me. "Good night, Sade."
As soon as he closed his doors, I jetted off to my room. On my tablet, an icon that I had never seen before was being pushed to the front. I clicked on it.
I had a great evening. We should do this again soon.
Already, I had fallen into bed, my excited legs batting the air.
It was interesting to see the world through your eyes.
I grabbed a pillow to muffle my squeaks.
And you were really pretty, too.
🗓️ Next chapters: this Monday, August 18th 🗓️
In the next chapters, our two cuties will go to V's workplace together! ❤️
PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE 🥺
Thank you for being here ❤️