A pleasure doing business

Gaining elevation

Natalie's pov :

The past week has been good, well , as good as it could be considering the fact i have barely seen Scarlett .

She's been prepping all week for this silly upper-faction business trip she's going on, doing PowerPoints and practicing speeches like its some sort of very expensive assessment. She's been super quiet as well as busy, so i did my best not to disturb her but i simply don't think i can last a week without her. Is that bad?

I lay still under the covers, gazing at the ceiling in the midst of my Sunday after-nap existential crisis. The soft orange hue of the warm summer sun basked my room in its aura. I could hear the gentle tingle of my curtains swaying to and fro in the gentle breeze and the song of a woodpecker that travels through the breath of air. I don't care if it's bad, then and there , i decide i want her.

——-

The bagged compost is slightly damp, cool contrasting the beating heat of the sun on my back. I hum a general tune to accompany myself in the lonely quiet of the day, the only sounds to oppose me being the rustle of the bag and the metallic 'chink!' Of my tiny metal trowel.

I'm glad to reunite with my Sunday tradition of gardening after a long and bittersweet cold season, the soft soil and fresh air welcomed is with open arms, the remmenants of winter all but damp grass under my shoes, slightly slippy to walk on with my little pink pumps.

I planted tomatoes and herbs in the first bed, wetted with my trusty dog-chewed watering can , and fed with a sprinkling of auxin root-growth. I placed my DIY pantyhose bug guard around the budding parsley and chives, as a forcefield . My babies are a common favourite of our friends , the molluscs. Contrary to popular opinion, i actually like to eat the plants i grow myself.

In the second planter there sits a dozen onion bulbs and around four strawberry plants. That was my dads all-time favourite tip, the austere pair actually works really well together, the strong odour of the onions fighting away those pesky caterpillars for me . Give him the slightest chance and he'll slip that zinger into the conversation. I smile lazily in the warmth, Patting the soil with the palm of my hand.

Yet, even in my happy place, even in the midst of my beloved hobbies, amongst my favourite memories,there's one thing in the back of my mind, one person.

And that's her.

Scarlett.

The one person that makes me feel like i did back then.

She's one of the only people I've been able to eat around, especially recently. Ever since i was a child i have struggled with a crippling fear of being perceived, this feeds into my eating habits . This means that i rarely ever eat in the company of others. It has gotten worse after he passed away, my dad.We rarely ever went out for meals or ate at parks when he was alive, i know he struggled too. Yet , me and Scarlett sit with each other to eat lunch on a Wednesday, and she brings me a crossant every Monday to make sure i eat, and i do!

For some reason, I'm just comfortable around her.

I know , it's hardly been three weeks but i feel like she's all I've ever wanted, i feel safe around her, like i know she will protect me.

And she likes dogs.

So it's a win-win situation really.

I'm perched on the corner of my raised planter , thinking of the times i walked Cadence this week. It was the only real interactions I've had with Scarlett this week as we walk to her car together. I know she has a dog walker, I've figured her out. She likes me walking Cadence. And i like walking her, so i play dumb.