N/A: I love you guys so much, reading your comments is my favorite thing ever!
***
March 15.
Karlie
"Taybear, just put them wherever and let's go!"
"I can't, Karlie always told me to be careful with these. I only have this time in the year to sow them, if I don't do it right I lose my job."
"You can't lose your job, you own the shop..."
Taylor shrugs and I see Selena growing impatient with the blonde.
The blue eyed girl had promised to cook lunch later today, so Selena could meet Dianna, but she ended up getting caught up in work in the greenhouse, which annoyed the hell out of her best friend.
A hungry Selena was never a good thing to have around, mind you.
"C'mon, Swift, think..." Taylor paces around the greenhouse with a plastic vase filled with fresh soil, brow furrowed as she wonders what would be the best place to leave it.
I keep my distance from the two, not wanting to be noticed by Taylor so she can concentrate. The cold generated by my approach would certainly make her feel uneasy with Selena so close.
Most part of my time as a ghost is spent like this, watching Taylor's daily life. Sometimes I allow myself to visit other people, explore places that I've always wanted to see or even stalk some celebrities (those are always fun times), but at the end of the day, my spirit returns to her.
You know you've found the love of your life when you'd rather see her playing with the cat for two hours than watch Jennifer Lawrence throw up on Miley Cyrus' shoes in a Rihanna after-party, live in HD, right in front of you.
That's true love, man.
"Those are Narcissus, they need special fertilizer, the one you keep on the second drawer, Tay..." I say, rather uselessly, since she can't hear a word from me. "You always forget it..." I shake my head.
"I hope you figure this shit out in less than thirty minutes. I'm gonna start cooking lunch so we don't starve your friend to death." Says Selena, giving up on waiting for the blonde. "You better not take longer than that or I'll kick you on the throat."
The wooden door is shut closed by the latina and the place is silent again. I watch Taylor slip her phone from her back pocket and google the neede information while I take a sit on one of the wood counters, near the Violets.
I get distracted by the small flowers, reaching in the back of my mind for their sweet smell. One of the worst parts of being a ghost is losing your senses of smell, taste and touch.
"Crap, no signal." She puts down the vase and lifts up the device, searching for better signal. "Whatever, I'll just leave them here." Taylor says, setting the phone back in her pocket.
"Nooooo..." I jump from my spot, perching on the table right behing her. "They're gonna die and I wanna see you try to grow them once Spring ends."
Not realizing how close I got from her, I see her looking down at the table and letting out a long breath. As usual, a shiver runs through her body and she looks around, eyes wide open. I grip the counter border at my sides, mentally kicking myself when her eyes stare right at my direction and I stare back at her, even though I know she's just looking at the wall behind me. She knows I'm here.
"I miss you, Kar..."
See? That's why I didn't want to be noticed. She was just fine two minutes ago.
"You were always great doing this stuff, a lot better than me" She softly laughs and I sadly smile back.
"Yeah, you suck, babe." I smirk. "But hey, I still love yooou."
I smile watching her fidget with the necklace she hid beneath her shirt, a habit I grew used to everytime I got close to her.
I don't know exactly how this works, how she feels my presence, but these situations happen pretty often with us. Which made me learn to control myself not to catch her off guard in certain cenarios. I know that it could get physically unpleasant for her if I got too close, so I draw my limits everytime.
Breaking the silence that wouldn't be interrupted by me, her phone starts to ring in her pocket.
"Oh, now you've got signal!" She grabs it and I see the subtle change on her demeanor when she looks at the screen. It's not really hard to guess who's calling her. "Hey, Di!"
I observe her with a weak smile as she talks with the girl she's been friends with for the past few months.
"Sorry I'm late, I got stuck in college, but I'm almost there"
Her voice comes from the phone. Taylor put it on speaker since she was busy climbing up a ladder to replace one of the fluorescent lamps on the kitchen garden in her greenhouse.
"It's okay, Selena asked me to grab some carrots, she's cooking today." Explains, "And I'm just organizing some stuff at one of the greenhouses."
"You're gonna fall on your butt" I warn.
"Did you sow the Narcissus seeds?"
"Yup, but I... ugh... didn't know where to p-put them." She stretches her right hand to unscrew the burnout bulb. I watch in agony as her body leans out of the ladder in a dangerous position.
"Swift?"
"The bulb is hot, you're gonna get burn-"
"OUCH! FUCK!"
"Taylor??? Are you okay??" Dianna sounds worried.
"Told ya'"
"Shit, no way I'll be able to cook now, Sel's gonna kill me." I grimace at the sight of her index finger's burned skin.
"What happened? I'm worried."
"I'm fine, just burned myself a little..." She says before blowing on the now red palm of her hand.
"Put in in the water, babe. The sink is right behind you." I laughed. Situations like these were not uncommon at all for Taylor.
Throughout the entire exchange I'm just sitting on the counter, watching the girl create chaos out of something so simple as a first degree burn. I'm already over the time when I tried to help her 24/7. It's useless. I just keep on watching everything and swinging my feet at the side of the counter untill the doors open and the new blonde appears.
"And here comes Supergirl!"
"How did you manage to get burned in a greenhouse?" Questions the shorter girl, entering the greenhouse with a huge box in hands.
"That's just Taylor being Taylor..."
"Well, that's me..."
"Okay you should put running water on it, we don't want any blisters, right?" The shorter blonde sets down the box so she can help Taylor.
"Alright let me get off this ladder." She moves quickly to climb down the stairs.
"Hey, moron, careful with the-"
"Oops!"
My eyes widen in fear as Taylor's foot slip on one of the stiles and her body falls from the top of the ladder. There it is, now we're definitely gonna see each other again.
In a heartbeat, Dianna's silhouette flies across the room and, yes, like a ninja, she catches the blue eyed girl in her arms before she can hit the ground.
It happens so quickly that there's no time for any of us to react properly. It looks like something straight out a The Vampire Diaries episode, like when Stefan moved at a superhuman speed to save Elena.
Dianna's arms are under her legs and back as she holds her up in a Superman scene worthy position. I watch as they silently stare at each other, eyes wide open and heavy breathing, their faces only inches apart.
"TAYLOR?!"
Selena's voice catches all of us and I see her standing at the door with a blank face.
***
Taylor
"TAYLOR?!"
I stare at the confused and surprised brown eyes, only then realizing the position we're in and snapping out of my shocked state.
Could it get any worse?
"Humm... I-I think you can put me down now...?" I nervously say to the blonde, not meeting her eyes.
"You sure? Are you really ok?" She asks with her brow furrowed in concern.
It would be cute if my friend weren't staring at every move of mine.
I nod quickly and dart my eyes to Selena still standing near us and that seems to make Dianna snap out of it.
"Oh! Yeah, s-sorry, I was..." She stutters at my friend's stare as she carefully releases me. "Taylor fell from the ladder." Explains as fast as a child saying 'It wasn't me' when their mom finds a broken vase in the house.
That seems to soften my best friend, who chuckles while shaking her head.
"Why am I not surprised..." I roll my eyes at her comment, but then she looks at me worried again. "Did you get hurt, Taybear?"
"Nah, I'm fine." I laugh, "Thanks to Dianna, of course. Seriously, that would be a really bad fall." I meet the hazel eyes still watching me carefully. "Thank you."
"Yeah, no problem..." The awkward feeling still lingers in the air between us and I'm just starting to hate it when she speaks again. "So, did I hear it correctly or you mentioned food when you called me over?"
"Right!" I remember.
"Lunch is almost ready, you guys set the table while I finish it." We walk out the greenhouse and I feel Selena tugging on my arm to slow us down before whispering: "You own me an explanation, Tiffany Wilson. We'll talk later."
"About what?"
"Oh, don't play dumb. I saw that."
"Saw what??"
Selena stares at me blankly before answering. "...I'm not sure what I saw, but I saw that."
I gulp, not daring to face her inquisitive eyes.
As soon as I walk in the kitchen, I lift my eyebrows at the sight of Dianna opening one of my cabinets. I look at Selena, who shrugs, giving me a confused look as weel.
"Um... What are you doing?"
She doesn't reply, keeping concentrated until she grabs a small white box that I didn't even remember I kept in there.
"Found it!" The blonde opens the first-aid kit, organizing the materials on top of the counter and then pulling me closer to it. "Five years of scout camp, sixty-eight medals won, including the 'emergency procedures' ones." She says delicately placing my hand under the open tap.
"Emergency? That was barely a scratch."
"Taylor, you cried."
"I did not!"
Dianna gives me a skeptical look, quickly taking my hand and brushing a piece of bandage on the sensitive skin. I instantly recoil my hand, whimpering in pain and looking at her as if I'd just been stabbed.
"Ouch, D!!" I pout.
"Now put your hand on the water and let me work."
I end up smiling as I watch her hold the tape between her teeth while her hands made my bandage and used some ointment. I look behind me and find Selena occupied with the pans, but I know she's keeping an eye on us.
Dianna finishes nursing my injury carefully, her hands skillfully bandaging mine without pressing too much the aching area. I watch her focused eyes, only stopping when Selena tells us that lunch is ready, then I see my best friend smile fondly at the blonde during the entire meal.
We spend the rest of the afternoon between laughter and light conversations. My best friend seems pleased with Dianna's outspoken and unconstrained personality. At some point, we start talking business and I'm happy to hear about the restaurant and how well the girls are taking care of it.
Eagerly, Dianna and I tell my friend about the increasing sales in the shop and the rise on the number of deliveries, which was our favorite part of work. I can't help but think that such changes are directly connected to Dianna's presence in my daily routine. I've come to find out what a master of logistics she was and, where I lacked on organization and stock, she worked with maestry and a photographic memory that came just in handy.
"Alright, lunch break is over." Selena says finishing her glass of water. "If I don't get back to the restaurant right now, Cara might stab me right in the eye.
"Sweet." Dianna smiles.
"Oh, she's a cupcake."
I laugh out loud, knowing all about our friend's strong personality.
We exchange our goodbyes and Selena leaves my house after making me promise we'll have a serious conversation later. I feel trapped, but there's no point in arguing.
***
"Whatcha' doing?" Dianna asks as she walks into my kitchen, standing near the counter where I'm seated at.
It's late in the afternoon and we're waiting the night fall so we can make a special delivery. Someone decided to surprise their girlfriend with a two hundred roses bouquet in celebration of their anniversary.
"Uh, just reading a bit 'bout these Sweetpeas." I say, not darting my eyes from the laptop screen. I show her the picture with the delicated and pastel pink flowers. "You know Ed, from down the street?"
"The guittar guy? He's such a cutie." She smiles.
"Haha yeah, well, he ordered me a dozen of these and, instead of buying them from our provider I decided to grow them here." I explain, "But I never tried this species, so..."
"Hmmm, let me take a look" She stands behind me and my eyes slightly widen when I can feel her breathing on my shoulder. "Oh, I know these flowers. Did you know that in the 1800s these were the only flowers they used at English weddings? Like, every marriage ceremony was decorated with the same set of flowers, it was ridiculous."
I stare at her in surprise while she continues to talk still staring at the laptop screen with an easy smile.
"Aaand, during the Victorian times, giving out Sweetpeas meant 'thank you for the lovely time', I think our Eddie just had a one night stand." She concludes with a skeptical face.
"You do have a lot of these trivia facts stored in here, don't you?" I say poking at the side of her head.
She just grins in response.
"It is said that the Sweetpea grows rapidly if it is planted in a sunny Friday morning."
"Okay, human wikipedia. Let's go to work and tomorrow we can buy the seeds."
I close the laptop as she laughs and we walk out of the house towards my van.
***
1:33am.
Those characters shine in a bright red on the digital clock placed next to my bed. I knew I'd have to get up in a few hours, but that thought only seemed to make it harder for me to fall asleep.
During nights like this, I'd usually jump out of the bed and search for paper and a pen so I could have one of my midnight writing sessions. However, my writing hand was too sensible and sore thanks to the burn I got earlier.
I toss and turn in the bed, until I accidentally rub the sensitive skin against the fabric of my pillow, letting out a muffled whimper. If there was something I hated about myself, that's how weak I can be when it comes down to domestic injuries.
"Ouchhh!" I whimper, shutting my eyes closed so the tears would go away and cursing myself for having taken out the bandage. "Karlie..."
I immediately feel the familiar cold sensation filling the room. Taking a deep breath, I wipe at my tears, feeling her presence get closer and closer to me and making the small hairs on my arms bristle in response.
The cold intensifies on my hand, instantly soothing the burning pain, as if someone had just put an ice bag on top of the injured area. This is one of the rare times in which Karlie has 'touched' me and I smile grateful.
I surrender myself to sleep while still feeling the freezing touch on my hand and feeling completely and utterly safe.
***
Morning comes and I get up with a radiant smile when I realize the pain is gone. I take a quick shower and enjoy my breakfast at the sound of The Beach Boys, my favorite band from childhood.
Wouldn't It Be Nice echoes through the kitchen as I do the ditches and serve Olivia's food. Then I hear the engine of a car parking on my driveway and turn down the sound before walking out to the front door.
The black Maserati is carelessly parked there and I hear the sound of AC/DC coming from the inside until the driver turns it off and jumps out of it. Dianna smiles at me graciously, her sunglasses on top of her head pulling her hair back. She wears dark ripped jeans and a worn out green sweater, nevertheless managing to look like a model straight out of a magazine.
"So what're we doing today?" She asks as soon as she enters my living room.
We make a quick plan for the deliveries and run to the greenhouse to get the right flowers in the boxes, plucking them in silence and the taking everything to the van.
When I take Sally's keys, I feel a gentle nudge on my ankle and I turn to see an Oscar worthy scene.
"Olivia, stay. You can't go, you're grounded!" The cat just shines her sad eyes to me in persuasion. "No, nobody told you to eat Mrs Cabello's daisies."
"Relax, Dibs. She's just too jealous to share me with you." Dianna says as she passes me by with a smirk and then enters the van.
Asshole!
"Shut up." I laugh before jumping in the seat and igniting the car, throwing it on reverse.
She throws her head back laughing and I smile, watching her side profile. She displays her round sunglasses and I notice a single white daisy attached to her hair, right behind her ear, creating a hipster vibe that matched perfectly with her.
"You haven't denied it." She says, rolling the window down and letting the wind mess up her hair.
"What is there to deny?" I question, noticing her hazel eyes staring at me inquisitively and urging me to look back to the road.
"Nothing..."
I blush at the feeling of her eyes remaining on me, but the moment is abruptly interrupted. Without any kind of warning, I feel a familiar shiver running down my spine and the tiny little hairs at my nape bristling in response to the drop in the temperature.
Karlie's here.
***
Question: would you rather lick Austin Swift's foot or kiss Joe Alwyn?