Chapter 11
Riah
I always hated going to hardware stores with my dad.
Endless rows of random supplies, tools and dusty men.
It didn’t help that he either knew or could get to know almost anyone he crossed paths with.
He would stop and have conversations with the workers about things I couldn’t care less about.
After so many hours of complaining, he learned to drop me off in the garden section and come find me when he was done.
But Korie wasted no time. I didn’t even have a moment to be overwhelmed; I was too busy swooning as she guided me through the store with her hand on the small of my back.
The way she confidently floated through the aisles with me close by her side, like she was proud to be with me, doused me with a dangerous dose of hope.
She is just doing this to be nice. Because your parents took care of her. Because you’re her best friend's little sister. Nothing else.
“Anything I can help you ladies with?” An older man in a bright yellow apron uniform planted himself next to us.
I had already been drifting off as Korie browsed the aisle, but the man’s deep, slightly belittling voice snapped me back to attention.
Even if I didn’t know what I was doing or what I was looking for, I hated being talked to like I was an idiot.
But before I could snap back, Korie gripped my side tighter.
Her thumb rubbed soothing circles over my hip bone and the irritation was quickly replaced by the threat of my knees buckling under me.
She met his sly attitude, listing off confidently what she was looking for and asked politely but firmly if he could point her in the correct direction.
His eyebrows nearly disappeared over his forehead as she spoke, obviously impressed.
I rolled my eyes with a huff as he waved for her to follow him.
But before she followed, she gave my hip a tender squeeze and leaned over in my ear.
“Why don’t you go look at the plants? I saw you eyeing them earlier. I’ll handle this, okay? I’ll come find you when we are ready to go.”
My heart dropped, a wave of longing washing over me as she let go of my waist. I nodded and with a wink, Korie turned and followed the employee around the corner.
Even though my skin burned and ached where her hand rested, begging to be touched by her again, I was still thankful to be relieved from the broken window task.
Shaking off the inconvenient feelings, I headed for something safer to obsess over… houseplants.
I browsed the garden section, taking my time to inspect the different kinds of plants and imagine where I’d placed them in my home.
As I walked through the flowers, I mentally mapped out exactly where I’d plant them out front and how long it would take me, specifically to see if I could swing it before the housewarming party.
Deciding it was impossible, I made my way back to the indoor plants.
I immediately snatched up a huge, healthy Monstera, excited to fill all of my empty jars with propagations.
With that thought, I had to grab a couple of pothos to hang from the ceiling and drape over the stairs.
Then I spotted a few gorgeous snake plants for the entryway.
Already struggling with what I had balanced in my arms, a perfect fiddleleaf caught my eye, begging to be mine.
As I stepped towards it, an intense prickling at the back of my neck stopped me in my tracks. Chills ran down my spine. The burn of eyes on my back made me feel like a target in focus.
Someone was definitely watching me.
I whipped my head around, my feet staying solidly in place. All around me, shoppers filled their carts with soil and plants, none looking my way. I studied each face as they passed, trying to pick out anything familiar. Anything suspicious. Anything that could pin them as my stalker.
But everyone was utterly normal and wholly uninterested in me. I was just being paranoid. Korie was here with me…somewhere. I took a few deep breaths and gazed around one last time, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
Trying to move on, I shifted my new babies in my arms, gripping each pot with all the strength in my fingertips and leaned down. But before I could grab my last pick, it floated up and away, right in front of my eyes.
“Hey!” I shot forward, scrambling to keep the plants secure in my arms. “I was going to-”
I swallowed my words as I spun around and found Korie carefully placing the fiddle leaf on top of a flatbed cart with all of the window-fixing supplies.
She reached for the rest of the plants, my arms sighing in thanks as I stood there completely mesmerized by her easy smile.
Her presence eased my worries immediately.
All the prickles and chills melted away.
“Any others you want to grab? We’ve got room.” She looked way too good with her forearms resting on the cart handle, her chiseled arms on full display in the afternoon light and her hat backwards with a light sheen of sweat over her brow.
“Uh, no. That’s okay.” I shook my head. “We should get going.”
“Aw, come on. You haven’t even looked at the succulents. We have all day.”
Without waiting for my response, she turned the giant cart around and headed for the succulent section. A smile stretched across my face as I followed her, my chest filling with excitement and something else that I couldn’t quite name.
We browsed over the shelves of succulents. I piled at least 10 onto the cart already full of plants.
“What about this one?” Korie held up a tiny pot to her face. “Kinda reminds me of you.”
I stepped forward to get a better look, wrinkling my nose.
“I remind you…of a bear paw?” I couldn’t mask the slight disappointment in my voice.
She scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes as she brought it closer to her face, pointing her finger over the individual, fuzzy leaves.
“It's small, soft and…” Her eyes flashed to me for a split second. “And really cute.”
My whole body floated into the air. I tried desperately for my brain to create words, but all I could do was stare at her, my lips parted in surprise as a million questions ran through my mind.
Cute? Like best friend’s little sister cute or I wanna make out with you cute?
I reached for the first plant I saw, trying to come up with a reply just as cute as hers, but my brain function was nonexistent. Instead, I placed it onto the cart with a small smile.
“Ready to go. I don’t think my little house could fit much more and still have enough room to host guests.”
As Korie nodded, her small smile falling just a bit, my heart sank.
I most likely just ruined any chance I had at getting as close to her as I’d like.
I followed just behind her, my feet slightly dragging in disappointment as I tried to convince myself I wasn’t the most useless lesbian on the planet.
We reached the checkout line and Korie busied herself looking at the little cooler of sodas while the cashier rang everything up. I tried to keep the dread from my face as the total slowly climbed up and way out of my budget.
“Thirsty?” Korie asked as she placed an energy drink on the checkout stand.
“No,” I sighed silently doing the math in my head on how much this shopping trip would set me back. I might have to cut back on food for the housewarming party, but I was pretty sure I could swing it.
It felt like a punch in the gut when the cashier read off my total. My fingers ached as I reached into my purse, silently protesting the reckless amount of houseplants I was going to buy. But as I lifted my head to insert my debit card, Korie was already tapping her phone against the keypad.
“Wait! I-”
I tried to stop her, but Korie held her hand up as she shoved her phone back in her pocket and grabbed the receipt.
“It's okay,” she reassured me.
She pushed the cart forward with one hand and rested the other on the small of my back, my skin warming at the returned sensation. She led me out the door and back to the car.
“You really didn’t have to. I’ll pay you back.”
“Riah, your parents paid me way too much to guard you. I didn’t want them to pay me at all. I wanted to do this. You are not paying me a dime.”
I squeezed my lips shut with a small nod. As much as my mind rejected it, my body was reacting to her gentle, confident, dominant nature.
“Now, go get in the car and I’ll load all this in the trunk.” She squinted as my lips parted to offer my help. “Right now, Riah.”
I was absolutely ashamed to admit the slight dampness I felt between my legs as I turned to walk towards the passenger seat.
As I settled inside, I realized that for the first time in my life, I’d enjoyed a trip to the hardware store.
Or maybe it wasn’t where we were that mattered, just that I was with someone who considered me.
Who made sure I was comfortable. Who cared for me.
Somehow, everything I’d ever wanted in a woman was always right here. Always right in front of me.
The small smile that crept across my lips was quickly ripped away. The butterflies in my stomach twisted into harsh knots as a text message appeared on my screen. My blood ran cold as I read the message.
You think your little girlfriend is going to stop me? I've waited too long to give you up. You're mine, Riah. Finally mine.