The Plant

An unusual dinner

As we went down the stairs I heard several voices from the kitchen and the food was simmering in the background. Oh. Right. We had guests too.
I slowly opened the door looking for who it could be. ____ came closely after me and we froze in the door opening. I was unsure of how to act with just coming in the door with a boy no one (but my sister) knew about even was here. But it took some time before I realized why he froze too. He wasn't looking at my parents, but our guests.
"My parents" he whispered to me. And I finally understood the whole situation.
We all sat down, pretending that everything was normal.
"What are you doing here? Is she your classmate?" His mother asked.
"Yeah. She's my friend." He answered as if it was natural.
"You're lucky we prepared a lot of food. I didn't know we had one more visitor." My mother said turning to look at me. It was a hint only meant for me; why didn't you tell me we had one more to feed?
My sister got it all and nearly began laughing.
"Hey. Stop that." I warned her. But I couldn't stop myself from laughing a bit at myself too. It was stupid after all.
"...It will only make it harder for you" came to my mind. And I felt like this was said to me with care. How can he say so caring things without knowing the whole situation. Does he see right through me? Maybe he already knows? But how could he. No one can read minds. Ah. I'm getting paranoid again.
The chatter around the table had slowly become natural. We were so many we had 3 different conversations going at the same time. Constantly changing. Some slow, some fast. The food was sent around the table in the chaos of words floating in the air. Organized chaos.
I was just glad it all went well. I tried to answer questions as best as I could trying to avoid topics leading into our "friendship"? Does that mean he see me as only a friend or was it just the easiest answer to avoid conflict? I keep wondering what his intentions really are. I was the one inviting him in. I was the one who talked to him first. But he seemed so happy afterwards. Maybe it's just that I defended him that day.

The dinner was eaten. There wasn't anything called leftovers. ______'s parents said their good byes and left, leaving me with my family and him.
They had asked him if he wanted to stay or come with them. And he chose to stay.
Afterwards I became so happy for some reason that I forgot to pay attention and stumbled on the door step. Immediately after I fell on something else than the floor. It was a soft and strong plant arm that stretched all the way from behind me and around the stomach. Soon there was another one.
He reeled it in as if it was a fishing rod/ as if he was fishing me up to get me back on my feet.
I felt myself get lifted and dragged back to him. He seemed to want to hide that he caught me with plant arms and not hands. And looked around. We had been lucky no one else was around.
That's probably why he had to drag me close enough to make it seem reachable for his arms. But maybe it was a bit too close?
"T-thank you." I nearly mumbled.
"You're welcome!" He answered with a smile. "But be careful next time."
"Of course." Does he think that I'm usually this clumsy? If he only knew it was because of him... in a way.
We went upstairs. My foot hurt a bit still but I kept going knowing that it would soon be better.

As I came into the bedroom my foot seemed to hurt a bit more and I saw there was blood coming out of my sock.
"Oh no. Are you okay?" He lifted me up, carried me to the bed and sat down.
"Just lay down I'm going to try something."
"Try what?!" But he seemed so occupied and concentrated on my foot that he didn't answer. He carefully pulled off my socks. It tickled once and I kicked with my feet as pure reaction.
"Lay still." As he said that he placed his plants around my foot. And I saw my small wound start to close up. The pain soon faded away. Maybe that is a healing plant?

"You're amazing." I said happily. He seemed surprised as he faced me.
"Thank you... I wasn't sure if this was going to work."
"Now you can heal people."
"Uhm... I'm not so sure about that. They would only think it's weird or scary."
"But ...what if...?"
"No. Stop it. It's just not possible."
"But..."
"You saw it yourself, the day with the bullies. They saw it and ran away."
"But that doesn't mean everyone is like that."
"Hmm... maybe... but still..."
"Well, thank you for healing me at least." I said trying to change the mood.
He smiled proudly while staring at me. I stared back.
"You're not hurt anywhere else?"
"No. The foot was all."
"That's good"
"Wait. Maybe my arm. Heal me! Heal me!" I laughed teasingly.
He laughed too. "As you wish." He said and pushed me up to look at it. He pretended to heal me. It was like we had become small children playing house. He wrapped my arms up in plants and released them again. It felt so weird having both my arms wrapped up like that. And I imagined how it would be if I really had been properly injured, being healed by him.
"Would you save me if I had been really injured?"
"Of course. But don't go hurting yourself for it."
"I'm not a child! Of course I wouldn't do it on purpose." We're the same age. Why does he keep saying things like that?
"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way."
"Then stop making me feel like a child"
"Hey... I'm not... I am just..." His usual smile faded instantly. He pushed me away.
(I was so shocked and confused.) What did I do? What did I say that made him this frustrated? Is he going to leave?
I saw him looking at the clock, then the door, then a glance at me. Then he got up, out the door and closed it behind him.
In my confusion about what to do I hesitated a bit before I hurried after him. But I couldn't see him in the corridor. Maybe he has gone down already? I went to check, but I saw no one. I opened the door and looked outside. But he wasn't there either. How did he disappear so quickly? Did he run? Can he run this quickly and quietly?
"...uhm... are you looking for me?" I turned around seeing him standing behind me. I felt a tear on my cheek. Maybe I was afraid I had lost him. His face, still not smiling, changed a bit as he saw the tear and he gave me a hug.
"I'm sorry." I said feeling more tears coming. Even without his plants he still is good at healing... emotionally. I held tightly around him, wanting to stay like this for longer. But the hug didn't last long.
"I guess we're both still tired, huh?" He said seeming at ease again.
I nodded smiling carefully.
"So I see you would go look for me if I disappeared. At least that says something." He said suddenly.
"You... tested me?"
"No. ... not on purpose at least...I was really frustrated. But seeing you this sad when you thought I had left made me really happy..."
"What? That I was sad?"
"No. I mean... not that part..." he seemed to become more nervous about the wording. As I saw him getting uneasy I laughed. "Who would want to lose someone like you?... You can heal people." I said it half jokingly, half truthfully.
"I guess you would keep me, then... as a healing... uhm... friend..."
"Hey. You two. Stop flirting beside the door and go to a room." I heard my sister's voice from upstairs.
"We're not fl... we're just talking!" I yelled back. She just laughed and left. "Hey. Wait!" But she was gone.
"Just let her be. It's not worth it."
"But she just... it's so frustrating."
"I know. But right now I don't care." He took my arm and dragged me with him to my room as if he was the one living there. I was so confused by it that I couldn't do anything other than accept it. Suddenly he feels so close. Closer than before. What's going on?

And again we sat on my bed chatting away until we both ended up on the floor with a controller in our hands.