my moonflower. - damie.

ten.

jamie woke up tangled in dani's arms. she blinked her eyes open, observing the room as the sun shone through the sheer curtains. 

the night before was mentally and emotionally exhausting for both of them, digging up those past memories and regrets is hard for someone to do. it would have been ten times harder if they had to do it alone, but no, they had the company of one another to get them through. 

the gardener gently lifted dani's arm that was wrapped around her torso, careful not to wake her. she slid her way out of the bed and downstairs, not even getting dressed before going out to the greenhouse.

it was moments like these when jamie needed her plants, when she had so many thoughts to process. her mind was a swirl of memories and past hardships, it was like a recap of her grueling childhood was playing through her mind on a loop. 

her plants served as a salvation when she got like this, they pulled her out of that deep dark hole and into their life. tending to the plants helped her tend to herself in a way, making sure her and the plant were both happy and healthy.

sometimes though, the plants weren't enough to completely dig her out. sometimes, she needed something else, a final push to escape the misery in her head. 

she sat on the wicker chair in the green house, breathing heavily. her eyes were wide, she felt trapped. closing her eyes so tight she couldn't see any light, she pressed her back against the cold chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. 

stampeding through her head came the memories of her neglectful parents, her disgusting foster-parents, and her old town that would constantly laugh at her as she walked by. she sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking her shirt that she was desperately trying to claw off of her.

jamie wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd entered the green house, since she began spiraling, until she felt dani's hand on her shoulder.

"jamie? jamie?" she heard dani say, bending down to be level with her. "jamie, what's wrong?"

jamie barely opened her eyes, shaking and whimpering. "i-i'm sorry. you don't need to see me like this." she desperately tried to hide her face, tucking it between her knees and her chest. 

"no, no, listen. you're okay, i'm here, tell me what's wrong." dani's voice was stern yet concerned, her eyes showing genuine worry for the gardener. 

jamie looked up, "i don't know what happened, it was just like it all came back to me at once and i, i just freaked out." her voice was shaky and soft. 

dani nodded, understanding. "hey, it's okay. i get like that too sometimes. all that shit is behind you, it's gone. you made it out, you're okay. you're here and you're stronger than ever." dani said, reaching out and touching her face. "you're okay, i promise you. nothing's gonna happen to you here." 

jamie took in a deep, shaky breath in attempt to center herself. she rubbed her cold hands over her face, looking at dani. "thanks, a lot, really." she pulled her knees away from her chest, slouching over momentarily to breathe.

"why'd you come out here all alone, why didn't you wake me? i could've helped you through this from the start, baby." dani asked, rubbing her leg.

"i didn't want you to see me like this, so i thought i could come out here and focus on my plants to get me re-centered, and well, here we are." she sighed, standing up.

dani frowned, "listen, i love you, and that's not gonna change. you don't need to be embarrassed or ashamed of any part of you, i want to know the real, whole you."