she doesn't want to move away from him, but the seconds stretch on. she strains to hear something on the other side of the door, some sort of inkling as to what the hell bo is doing. or if he's still there at all.

she stands, finally releasing roman, wanting to fulfill her promise of at least getting him something to eat. the door opens when she's pulling the tinfoil off a veggie lasagna and she moves with a start, coming 'round the fridge just to see with her own eyes that he's come back.

there's something off about him and it adds a little something to the guilt swimming in her gut. her mouth goes dry and she looks away, focuses on heating up the food instead. 

"yes, it's alright. roman, honey, come sit down at the table so we can all talk." because she wants to hear this too. 

and, just to help put roman (and herself) at ease, she looks over her shoulder to bo and adds, "and after dinner, i'll get the spare sheets and we'll set you up for tonight on the couch."

boruta maher  & Roman Maher

☉

it takes everything in her not to break when bo turns his back on the two of them. she swallows the pain and refuses, absolutely refuses to let it show on her face. she's gotten quite good at that over the years. no, instead she smiles softly and she keeps fussing with his hair because she needs something to do with her hands. she needs to keep moving or she's going to start shaking.

"no, sweetheart. he's just worried about you. we're both worried about you."

but roman's gaze is longing after bo too, when she finally has the courage to look him in the eyes, and she cracks. just a little bit. just enough to say, "i'm so sorry. i'm so sorry i..." wasn't enough. 

she grits her teeth, steels herself. 

"you need to eat. i'll see if your dad wants to stay the night." to put his mind at ease. to put their minds at ease. 

boruta maher  & Roman Maher

☉

she doesn't really realize she's waiting to hear him say those words until he doesn't. and it's with a quiet acceptance that she swallows down those feelings, as she tells herself she's doing the right thing - moving on. she'll care for him, always, and they'll be tethered to each other through roman.

and they'll continue to heal, day by day, until being near each other doesn't mean thinking of all the once-wases or could-have-beens.

she smiles softly, tucks her hair behind her ear, and lifts her head. her eyes find bo, finally, as nacho twists against her, exposing his belly for more rubs.

"it'll be okay, bo. everything will be okay."

she tilts her head as she looks at him, standing there all frozen, clinging to his phone like it's his last salvation. and her heart gives a painful squeeze, but that's alright, too. reminds her that he's here, that she's not alone.

"i forgive you." for leaving and coming back and for kissing her and making her world turn upside down.

boruta maher

☉

"i'm known for doing things a bit out of sorts," she says with a smile. and for skipping ahead. a mother too young gave her a penchant for not knowing her own boundaries, or limits. age has come to sprinkle a little bit of wisdom on her, but she's young at heart, and it comes out in moments like this when she realizes just how much of her youth was stolen from her, is still escaping before her. 

dishes done, she flips the radio off and takes the stairs. elisabet is still packing up for the day. when she's finished, she'll retire to her pot upstairs, and cozy by the fire with a pitcher of mineral-packed water willow leaves out for her. 

but now, she refills the water in the vases and stores them in the cooler, skirting out of the way so willow and lance can pass by her. 

outside, twilight has fallen over the farm. they get a longer day, being up so high and away from the creeping shadows of the western side of mt. coronet. cowslip and buckwheat, her tauros, regard her with flicks of their tails, and continue to munch on the hay she and Roman Maher had given them early this morning.

the dirt trail splits around the stable. one way leads to the bee boxes on the western side of the property; this one isn't as well-worn and stepping stones have been placed closer to the bees' habitats. to the left is hard, packed earth. the grass doesn't even try to grow there anymore. 

she reaches out, takes lance's hand, and draws him closer to the glowing greenhouse. 

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

she's quiet. very little steam still curls from her cappuccino. and with the mug no longer warming her hands, the cold finds its way through. she coaxes nacho into her lap and settles her free hand under his chest. his purrs rumble over her. she smiles into the phone. 

"okay," she says. 

a beat. "you know, sometimes i used to think, before i changed my number, that one day my phone would vibrate and your face would be there. and i'd answer and pretend nothing had ever happened.

"and we would talk, like we used to. because i missed your voice, and the way you said my name." she tilts her head, but still she doesn't look at him. that would break the magic. that would make this real. all the consequences and all the obstacles between them would come back. 

it's selfish of her, but her lips are warm with a memory he shouldn't have given her. 

"i wouldn't ask you why you left and i wouldn't be angry with you. or sad. we would just...talk. you'd tell me about your day and i'd tell you about mine and you'd say, at the end, 'love you, will. see you soon.' and it'd all be okay. everything would be okay."

boruta maher

☉

the vaporeon's eyes have turned to near slits now and his rumbling purrs, like the tide coming in, soften her just a little bit more. if it were all part of bo's plan, and she's sure it's not, it's a damn good one. and she's almost a little annoyed that he won't come over to her, that he can't just pretend it's normal. 

but it's not. because she'd always felt a little something with the way he looked at her, knew he'd kept on hoping these past couple of years. and maybe she should have been more forward. maybe she shouldn't have let his gaze linger. 

she swallows and picks up her phone. rather than texting him back, she taps the screen and holds it up to her ear, listening to the dial tone while she sips on her coffee.

when he picks up, she props her elbow on the table and leans into her hand, her phone. her hair falls, shielding half of her face, and her gaze rests back on the vaporeon. almost like she's not calling the man standing twenty feet away from her. 

"hi," she says softly. "tulip's doing well. i think she'd like to thank you soon, for saving her."

what am i doing?

she swallows and grips the phone a little tighter. 

boruta maher

☉

willow isn't too big into texting, but lately she's found herself checking her messages like some sort of lovesick teen. not much has transpired between herself and LANCE VOLLANS, but she still gets a flush every time she thinks about that small kiss. his work keeps him busy, she knows this, but that doesn't stop her from checking for a message every so often. 

she's doing this now when she gets a notification from bo. her heart and her stomach do a couple of strange things, but she can't parse through the weight of all those feelings. so she shuts them carefully in a box and is about to start texting him back when she feels something grazing her leg. 

when she peers under the table, nacho is looking up at her with his big purple-black eyes. the scowl on her face softens as she reaches down to stroke the waxy fur of the water-type. 

"are you causing trouble for bo or did he put you up to this?" she says with a murmur, lips tilting though she doesn't want them to. 

boruta maher

☉

it's a big, dumb purchase. and he doesn't deserve it. really, he doesn't. not after the soiree. not after disappearing and nearly giving her a heart attack every day for a little over a month. and yet since then, he's been trying. in his own way, he's been trying. 

and maybe this will help repair whatever holes she'd put there in the first place. maybe this will help him take his anger out on something that can't do lasting damage. 

she doesn't have time to take off and go all the way to lilycove. Ophelia Reyes 's help at the shop has already lessened her burden a great deal, but it's really the first time ever she's left the place in charge of someone else for the day. and a seventeen year old, no less. 

so her stress is nearly immeasurable and she has to stop her shopping and take a moment. she finds a small coffee shop sculpted into the side of a living tree. the weather is a bit dreary and her fingers are cold, but she doesn't mind sitting outside. her knit hat is pulled over her ears and is keeping her warm, and the cappuccino she's cradling is doing wonders for her. 

boruta maher

☉

her nose scrunches at the pause. the music drones on and all she can think is how silly the statement is - how silly and how wonderful. no pressure. 

"i do," she says enthusiastically. but she drops her arms now, for the moment, because she's sorely tempted to kiss him again and she's rather afraid that's too much for now. no, she'll show him the greenhouse and the tauros and she'll open her home (her heart) to him, piece by piece. 

"come. i'll show you the rest of the greenhouse. we'll actually do the whole date thing." and then maybe share a kiss good-bye. 

LANCE VOLLANS

☉

she has too much on her plate to worry about him. she has too much on her plate to care about him. there's too much history. there's too much something there. she needs a fresh start. they need a fresh start. and lance is just that for her. and maybe she should tell him this, all these words in her head, but she doesn't trust herself to say them right. 

and she doesn't want to hurt him more than she already has. even though she's the one with the gash on her arm and the unwanted kiss still warm on her lips.

"no," she says. "she'll be better off with me." and she doesn't mean for it to sound so cold, or callous, but her brows are knit with frustration and her face is long with her exhaustion. she could have nodded off, really, sitting next to bo like she had, if he hadn't gone and messed it all up. 

"i'll set her up proper. she'll have everything she'll need. 'sides, i know you're busy with your ranger work. i can handle it," she says firmly, standing a little straighter.

boruta maher

☉

ophelia's certainly welcome to stay and learn under her as long as she keeps her attitude up. willow is incredibly thankful the young girl showed up when she did. drowning had turned into treading water. and she's pleased to see the girl unphased, and better yet, all the more eager to get to work. 

she will, of course, have to teach her about speed when it comes to the bouquets, but they'll get to that down the road. she's already putting out good enough work that willow's sure it won't take more than a couple days to properly get her up to standard. 

"thank you," she says and takes a swig of water. "i've worked very hard to make it so." the store empties out and now that the mid-afternoon rush it out of the way, she knows they'll have a stretch of time where no one will enter the shop. elisabet can man the front just in case, anyhow. 

"so tell me about yourself, ophelia. you already have the job, by the way. i just want to get to know you a bit." she smiles. 

Ophelia Reyes

☉

well, there's probably no shortage of people who'd rather make themselves useful as farmhands rather than fight the good fight against aliens and monsters and who the hell knows what else? more often than she'd care to admit, she wishes bo would offer to work full time on the farm and give up his duties as a ranger, if only to keep him out of harm's way. 

"you're welcome to bring her," she says. "like i said, feel free to come and go on the property. all i ask is for a head's up." she takes a bite of food and sits back. 

"seems like you and your family have always wanted something like this. what's kept you from it?"

Greyson Connors

☉