Page 21 of Rooting for Kiran (The Mate-Cute #1)

THEA

While I was excited for the weekend itself, my date with Kiran tomorrow was what really pulled me through yet another hectic work week. Wren insisted on coming over here for our girls' night because I worked late every single day, per usual.

I’m so lucky to have Wren for a best friend. She’s a cosmetologist, and she works really hard to give herself a great work-life balance. I wish I had that and could follow her advice to not give so much of myself to my job that it consumes everything.

But the fact of the matter is, even in my thirties, I still have no idea what the fuck I want to do with my life. So until I figure it out, I’ll run myself into the ground, hoping like hell I can build a life for myself where I someday have the freedom to maybe do something I’ve always wanted to do.

Like opening up a restaurant where everything is served flight style. Burger flights, taco flights, appetizer flights. In honor of all those—like me—who are creatures of habit when ordering out but still want to try something new; having a sampler-type plate of options meets both of those requests.

For now, it’ll stay a dream…

“Soooooo, what are you guys going to do on your date?” Wren asks, staring at my reflection in the mirror as she curls my hair so it’s ready for tomorrow.

I shrug. “No idea. He just told me to meet him at his greenhouse.”

She wiggles her brows. “Do you think he’s going to fuck you silly in an open bag of soil or something?”

“Soil?” My face crinkles before a guffaw spurts out of me. “What about that would be even slightly enjoyable?”

Her jaw slides back and forth. “The fact that you guys would get dirty while getting dirty ?”

I shake my head, accidentally pulling on my hair that’s still wrapped around the curler. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You love me anyway.”

“Always will,” I reply.

Finishing my style with a few spritzes of hairspray, she gives my hair a quick zhuzh and grabs onto my shoulders. “Promise me that if Kiran has any hot, alien friends, you’ll send them my way. Whatever sex you’re getting served seems better than anything any human man could possibly offer.”

“What makes you say that?” I question.

She smiles sweetly at me. “Because you are positively glowing, and no matter what you say, you seem open to taking a chance on him. And that right there is why I’m still rooting for him.”

It’s dark out, the greenhouse parking lot is empty, and the glow from inside the building is soft and flickering. I focus on the way the gravel crunches beneath my sneakers as I make my way up to the entrance, daydreaming about what this date might bring.

Kiran told me to dress casually for what he has planned tonight. A night of comfort and cum is what he jokingly texted. And while I may have sent an eye roll emoji, I secretly am hoping he plans to keep his word about those two things.

Pushing open the door, I peek my head in. “Kiran?” I call out.

“Hi there.” The voice comes from a young man who just popped up from behind the cashier counter.

“Hi,” I answer. “Is Kiran here?”

He smiles warmly at me. “Oh, yes. He’s just about ready. My name is Colton.” He wipes his hand off on his apron before offering it to me. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Shock swims through me before realization sets in. So this is the twenty-year-old advice-giver. “You have, huh?”

“Well, yeah.” He chortles. “Who do you think convinced him to show up at your house with ice cream? That man doesn’t even know how to search the internet for people very well. I was able to find your address in under five minutes.”

My eyes widen. “That’s rather…terrifying.”

He shrugs. “The internet has its pros and cons. But anyway, I’m going to head out so I can lock you guys in. Enjoy your date.” Colton shoots me a wink.

As he makes his way to the door, I feel like I owe him my gratitude for what he’s done. If Kiran hadn’t shown up at my house, I probably wouldn’t be here right now, taking a chance on what could possibly be fate.

“Thank you, Colton.”

All he does is give me a nod before slipping out the door.

“Thea?” Kiran calls out as soon as the door locks. “Are you here?”

I follow his voice, a flickering glow from a room down a hallway guiding the way. And when I reach the first and only doorway with actual light emanating from within, I enter and gasp.

Lit candles line the floor along each wall, and in the middle of the room is a table with two pots, a small container of soil, and various plants, seedlings, and bulbs.

“What is this?” I ask, smiling wide at Kiran, who is standing beside the table, looking nervous, with his hands in his pockets.

Walking toward me, he takes my hands in his. “Well, when you first entered my shop, I overheard your displeasure at buying plants, only for them to die, so I thought we could actually plant some of your own, rather than giving you a bouquet you’d have to place in a vase.”

I wrap my arms around his waist, prompting him to wrap himself around me.

“I don’t know what to say, Kiran. This is very sweet of you.”

Greenery might be growing on me—even outside of Willy—and I owe it all to Kiran. Okay, and maybe Willy, too.