Page 43 of Evergreen

“So,” he said, stretching luxuriously across the mattress. “Spring break plans. We’re going to the grove, right?”

“If you want to,” I said, settling down next to him. “I need to check on things there, make sure the heartwood is doing okay without me and recharge a bit. But I understand if you’d rather stay on campus.”

“Are you kidding?” he asked, rolling onto his side. “Of course I want to go with you!”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I admitted, running my fingers through his dark hair. “I’d love to spend a night there or something, under the stars where we first kissed.”

Cass smiled at that. It was soft and genuine and still caught me off guard. “Yeah? You want to take me back to the scene of the crime?”

“Something like that,” I said. “Plus, the grove is beautiful right now. The trees are starting to come back to life, and the whole place smells incredible. There might even be a few snowdrops if the weather has been good. I think you’d like it.”

He reached over and grabbed my hand, threading our fingers together in a way that had become second nature over the past few weeks. “As long as you’re there, I’ll like it.”

My magic flared at that, golden light dancing across my skin in response to the simple declaration. It was still so easy for him to affect me, to make my entire body respond with want and affection. I was starting to need him as much as I needed air or sunlight.

“We should probably eat something before we do anything else,” I said, even though what I really wanted was to kiss him until we both forgot our own names. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

“Food first,” he agreed, sitting up and stretching. “Then we can figure out logistics. When do you want to head out to the grove?”

“Tomorrow night?” I suggested. “Later on so we can get a nap in or something. That way we can spend the whole night there and come back just after dawn.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cass said, swinging his legs off the bed. “Come on then, big guy. Let’s go find something to eat.”

We made our way to the dining hall, which was noticeably emptier than usual. Most of the student body had already scattered for spring break, leaving only a handful of stragglers like us. Even Nerion and Teddy had gone back to their cottage in Greece. Their absence made the space feel almost cavernous, our footsteps echoing off the high ceilings.

As we grabbed our food and found a quiet corner to sit, I found myself watching Cass more than eating. The way he moved, the expressions that crossed his face when he was thinking about something, the way his eyes lit up when he was excited about something. I was becoming increasingly aware that I was falling for him. Hard.

It wasn’t just the sex, though that was definitely a factor. It was the vulnerability he’d started to show me, the cracks in his armor that were slowly widening to reveal something real and honest underneath. And the way he made me feel like I was alive. After all these years of keeping to myself, I finally felt like I was coming into my own, that I was blooming at last. And it was all thanks to my Sparks.

“You’re doing it again,” he said, pointing his fork at me. “You’re thinking too loud.”

“Sorry,” I said, focusing on my food. “Just going through what I need to do at the grove tomorrow.” It was a lame lie, but it seemed to work at least.

“What do you need to do?” he asked, going back to his food.

“There are still a few more cuttings I want to get for the greenhouse,” I said, which wasn’t technically untrue. “I’d like to bring some soil back with me too to inoculate the greenhouse again. Just to make sure the soil flora is recovering well.”

“Sure, yeah,” Cass nodded. “Soil flora. Whatever that means.”

“It’s the microorganisms that live in the soil,” I grinned. “The ones that do all the decomposition and transfer nutrients and⁠—”

“Yep, uh-huh. Science stuff. Right.”

I laughed, reaching across the table to steal a bite of his food. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

“Not even a little,” he said, swatting my hand away but not before I got what I wanted. “So tomorrow night then. We head out to the grove, spend the night under the stars, and come back in the morning. That’s simple enough.”

“Should be,” I agreed, though there was nothing simple about what I was planning. I’d decided, somewhere between the moment I’d called him my boyfriend and now, that I needed to tell him about Professor Paulson’s offer. About the graduate assistant position. About the possibility of staying on campus for two more years while he finished his degree.

But not tonight. Tonight was about celebrating what we’d accomplished with the greenhouse. Tomorrow, in the quiet of the grove under the stars, I’d find the right words.

We finished eating and made our way back to my dorm room. The campus was eerily quiet as we walked, the usual bustle of student life replaced by an almost peaceful stillness. It was nice, actually. Like the whole world had slowed down just for us.

Once we were back in my room, Cass immediately stripped down to nothing and climbed into bed, burrowing under the covers like he was planning to hibernate for the rest of the winter. I stripped off my own clothes and joined him. He shifted against me immediately, seeking out my warmth like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, running my fingers through his dark hair.

“For what?” he mumbled, already half-asleep.