Playing with Fire

✨ Chapter Seven | ​Inferno

— Carlos —

The morning was already in full swing when I dragged myself into the plant nursery, barely awake and clutching my coffee like it was my only hope of survival.

Then I saw the herb stall. It looked like a damn hurricane had hit it.

Pots were knocked over, dirt everywhere, and a rosemary plant, of all things, had somehow flipped itself over in the middle of the chaos. I could already hear Hudson's voice in my head, and sure enough, there he was.

"You know, for a guy who sells plants, you've got a real gift for killing them," Hudson said, leaning in the doorway, grinning like he wasn't even surprised.

"Good morning, sunshine..." I muttered, shooting him a half-hearted glare as I set my coffee down and started picking up the wreckage. "It's not my fault, you know. I just walked into this..."

Hudson laughed, shaking his head as he came over to help. "You sure it's not 'cause you keep forgetting to water them?"

I was ready to deny it, but one look at his raised eyebrow, and I knew I was caught. "Alright, maybe once or twice. But hey, the important thing is they're still mostly green, right?"

Hudson picked up the sad-looking basil, holding it up like some prosecutor presenting key evidence. "This one looks like it's auditioning for a zombie flick."

I snorted, knocking the plant out of his hand and into the trash. "Well, it didn't get the part."

"Oh my God!" Hudson tried to hold back a laugh but totally failed, grabbing my hands as I struggled not to laugh along with him. "Stop it! We're supposed to be taking care of these things, Carlos."

I shook my head, still grinning. "Dude, that plant's been through worse... Trust me, I've got a system now."

He rolled his eyes but didn't let go of my hands. "Maybe you should stick to cooking... Less risk of accidental murder." He paused in thought. "I mean... Just barely."

I pulled my hands back, feeling a little awkward, not just about my basil-killing skills. There was something about Hudson that could read me better than anyone. He always had this unshakeable confidence, like he knew exactly who he was, while I... well, I was still working on that.

We worked together for a bit, cleaning up the mess, with Hudson tossing out sarcastic remarks about my gardening skills.

The guy was like my personal cheerleader-slash-life coach, always ready with a joke or some random piece of advice. He kept me grounded, especially when my mind started drifting to Chuck... I was always grateful for Hudson's friendship.

"So... What's up with you and Chuck lately?" Hudson asked suddenly, breaking me out of my daze. "You haven't been talking about him like, at all..."

"Hudson... Don't make it weird."

"Oh, I'm not making it weird," Hudson replied, fake innocence dripping from his voice. "It's already weird. I'm just pointing it out."

I forced a laugh, grabbing the broom to sweep up the rest of the dirt.

Hudson grinned, leaning on the counter with that smug look on his face. "Hey, I'm just looking out for you... Besides, it's not every day I catch you making heart eyes at someone who isn't one of the million thirst traps you keep sending me."

I groaned but couldn't fight the smile creeping onto my face. "Alright, fine. Maybe Chuck is... I don't know, different."

Hudson's grin got wider, and he nudged me with his elbow. "Different, huh? That's what we're calling it now?"