Page 22 of Rooting for Kiran (The Mate-Cute #1)
KIRAN
Thea’s hair smells like grapefruit, and I can’t help but take a big whiff of her fruity scent as I hold her tight against me.
“Anything for you, sweet girl,” I breathe against the top of her head. “Come on. Sit down.”
Leading her to the table, I slide my chair over to sit on the same side as her and hand her the terracotta pot I prepped for her.
Strewn across the table are various types of succulents and other beginner plants, along with a mass of gardening tools. I wait for her to see the surprise I got for her.
Thea gasps. “Are those tiny tools in a bag? Are they for me?!” Her voice raises an octave with every word. “Oh my gosh, Kiran! I want to pinch them.”
I laugh. “They are for you. I thought you’d like them. You can use them while we plant some succulents.”
She nods. “And why are we planting succulents?”
“Well, they’re one of the easiest plants for people to grow and take care of. With your plant aversion, I figured they’d be the easiest bet.”
“You’d be correct in assuming that. But still… apologize .”
“For what?” I ask, a smile pulling up at the corner of my mouth.
She levels me with a piercing stare. “For assuming I’d need something as easy to plant as succulents. That’s rude.”
I smack a hand to my chest. “I’m sorry I offended you, but am I wrong?”
A loud groan falls from her lips as her eyes roll back so far in her head, I’m sure she looked at her brain. “Whatever, Kiran. What the fuck everrrrrrr.”
About an hour later, we’ve planted, laughed, and cleaned up in the bathroom.
“Colton should be here any minute now,” I announce while we wait by the entrance.
Thea looks over from the bouquet display wall. “And what is Colton coming for?”
I smile. “He’s bringing us our dinner.”
The second my answer is out of my mouth, there’s a knock on the door. “It’s me, boss.”
When I open the door, Colton strides in with two bags that I take from his hands. “Let me put these in the back room. I’ll be right back.”
Colton was kind enough to go grab my pickup order from the nearest Japanese steakhouse. I ordered both chicken and steak hibachi, some sushi, rice, soups, and starter salads. Hopefully, among all of the choices, there will be something Thea will like. That’s one reason I planned this date the way I did—to give myself a chance to learn some more things about her. It was fairly easy getting her to open up as we put together the succulents, and now, I can commit to memory what she prefers from the spread I had delivered.
Once I have the containers opened and ready to go, I snag some waters from my office refrigerator and head back to where Thea and Colton are chatting.
What I find nearly stops me in my tracks.
Thea seems stiff, her hands gripping each other tightly as she peers at Colton with a questioning gaze.
“Well, I better head out, Kiran. I’ll see you on Monday.” He runs out the door like the building’s on fire, while Thea continues staring after him, even after he has disappeared.
I take a few steps toward her, unsure of what happened. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure…” Her voice is quiet, and her eyes remain trained on the door, as if she might flee.
Moving even closer, I stand in her field of vision. “Did Colton say something to you?”
I can’t imagine Colton would ever say something to offend someone, but nothing else happened, at least, not that I know of.
“Something about how I purchased a love plant that you’ve protected since you placed it in the greenhouse when I came here with Wren. What did he mean by that, Kiran?”
Shit …