His Dark Obsession

Chapter 33: Bloom and Blossom

Tara dumped some potting soil in a Bougainvillea pot, carefully dispersing it evenly over the surface. She watered the plant only enough that the soil might retain moisture but not so much that it be completely dampened. Before placing it neatly among a plethora of flower pots of various genus, Tara lovingly touched the magenta petals of the young flower - admiring the marvel of nature.
Tara loved her job and today, she felt a different energy in herself as she àpproached her desk to begin decorating a gigantic cardboard box, with a cardboard cutout of a heart in the center. She filled the outside of the square box with chocolates of different varieties, brimming it with tasteful confection. Next, she cut out a piece of foam in shape of a heart and placed it within the heart shaped center of the box. The foam provided her the supportive ground she needed to decorate her red and white roses. Beginning at the very edge of the heart, she worked her way in, in a spiral fashion, as she punched the roses in, close to one another, over the foam surface. She did the borderline of the heart in white roses with the red ones filling the center completely. Her intricate detailing soon became a point of interest for a customer who came to stand next to her and exclaimed in utter delight. "You do this so well!"
Tara, continuing the task at hand, replied with a smile, "Thank you so much! May I ask, what brought you here today?"
"My sister just had a baby girl! We are so excited! She is the first child in our family." The girl answered with marked enthusiasm.
"Congratulations! Have you found the right flowers?"
"I was thinking Jasmine since that's my sister's favorite flower."
"Yes...that would do nicely." Tara then left her current task and went on to collect a bunch of Star Jasmines. She brought them to her work station and looked over at the girl for approval.
"Yes! They're beautiful." The girl replied to Tara's silent question.
"How would you liked them wrapped? We have a collection displayed here", Tara commented, directing the girl's attention to a rack with decorative paper, "you can pick your favorite!"
The girl headed over to the rack and after considering various options, chose a paper in pink, coupled with glittery, taffy pink net. She handed them over to Tara who went on to dexterously wrap the flowers, which she then handed over to the girl.
"They look lovely!" The girl said admiring the bouquet.
After the girl paid Tara and left, Tara got back to her heart-shaped gift box but it was not long before the bell atop the shop door clang again indicating that someone had entered the store.
"Tara!!" Rachel came into Blossoms and rushed over to Tara to give her a fierce hug.
"Rach, you are hugging me like you haven't seen me in ages!"
Rachel shrugged at her comment and began interrogating Tara, "Tara, how are things between you and Jake? He called me yesterday asking about you...said your phone was turned off!"
"I called him back today. I didn't go home last night...he was worried."
"Yes, he told me..." and after a contemplative pause Rachel continued, "why didn't you go home last night?"
Tara hesitated, "How about we have lunch at the new indian place that opened near-by. I heard the food's amazing."
"Sure." Rachel asked Tara the same question again, "Why didn't you go home, Tara?"
"I will tell you all about it over lunch! By the way, Rach, what did Jake ask you?"
"He told me you had gone to visit your parents and hadn't returned. I let him know that you often stay over when you go to visit...Tara, is something wrong? You were at your parents last night, weren't you?"
Tara didn't answer and instead looked guiltily at Rachel.
This further bewildered Rachel and she decided to press on, "Tara, you are being so mysterious. What's up?"
Tara couldn't hold anything in any longer. Rachel and her had been friends for so long and they told each other everything. Tara felt like truth was being coerced out of her. "I slept with Ian."
Rachel's expression was one of complete and utter shock. "You what?! How did that happen? And when? And also, whyyy?"
"All extremely logical questions...!"
"When did this even happen, Tara?"
"Yesterday...today?"
To Tara, Rachel was beginning to look like a robot malfunctioning due to information overload and as Rachel connected the dots, her eyes widened while questioning Tara, "Are you coming to work from his place, Tara?"
"Yeah."
There was deafening silence.
"Rach...I know I shouldn't have slept with Ian while I am still with Jake...."
"Tara, I am your friend. I have known you for years. I know you don't play around with guys...but I had no idea that there was something going on between you and Ian?"
"It just happened, Rach. I know I have surprised you. And you might not be holding me in high regard but I think...I like him."
"Tara, I am so not judging you! Believe me! I just want to know how things got to where they are right now. Above all, I am curious...!"
And then Tara related everything to her; how she and Ian grew closer over time, how they became something like friends and how after all that, Ian kissed her as she slept. And then she related to her his line about liking her a little too much. Rachel's emotions went through several switches during Tara's story, her interest matched that of a cinemagoer watching their favourite hollywood flick!
"Tara, this is all so bloody...romantic! Ian? God! I can't even believe what I am hearing! I feel bad for Jake though. But I have to be honest with you. I have always kinda liked Ian more."
"You never told me about your preference before?"
"Well, it wasn't a point of concern before this!"
"That's true! What do you think I should do now?"
"You need to discuss what happened between the two of you with Ian, and what it means for the future. You need to let Jake know what happened."
The door bell clang yet again, forcing Tara and Rachel to cut short their conversation and plaster a smile on their faces. They looked towards the door in expectation of a customer.
Ian walked into Blossoms in black suit - exuding raw masculity and suave self-confidence. One look at his handsome face and Tara's heart painfully lurched inside her chest. His eyes found hers in a mere seconds; he held her gaze as he came straight towards her.
"Tara...Hello!" As he said the two words in his thick, British accent, Tara blushed crimson. Her discomfort wasn't lost on Ian and Rachel and just to rile Tara up further, Rachel teasingly addressed Ian, "Ian! You don't see me standing next to Tara? You didn't even say hi!"
Tara blushed deeper as she saw the stunning, broad-shouldered hunk turn to Rachel and say a polite 'hello' apologetically.
He then looked at Tara. "Can we talk somewhere privately?"
Tara didn't know what he was going to do when he had her alone with him. Her first urge was to make an excuse and avoid such a situation, but then, she considered the fact that he had come to see her before heading into work and she realized that she couldn't possibly ask him to leave without hearing him out first. "How about we head to my office in the back?"
And as Ian followed her while she led him to her office, his seductive whisper, close to her ear, made her weak in the knees. There was little doubt about what he intended as his words reverberated in Tara's mind - "There's nothing I'd like more!"