greenhouse ✿ l.h

1// heat lamps

It was nearly midnight and the phone was ringing. She paused the movie and looked down at her phone curiously. No one ever called her. Well, no one that would be up at midnight. She looked at the caller ID and saw that, lo and behold, the person calling her shouldn't be up this late.

"Pearl?"

"The greenhouse!" Pearl yelled. "The—" she paused to cough, "the lights are on and I think I saw the door open!"

"I've got the heat lamps on, Pearl. My tomatoes need to stay warm."

"No!" Pearl sounded exhausted. It had to be about three hours past her bedtime. "I've been watching the greenhouse the past couple mornings. I'm telling you Lo, there is someone in there!" Suddenly Lo realized that there was no point arguing with Pearl.

"Alright," she grunted as she climbed out of bed. "I'll go check it out."

"Call me back once you've investigated. I've got some pills to take. Bring your phone with you, okay? Call the police if someone really is down there."

"Can do."

"Thank you. Call me back soon." The line went dead. She pulled on her robe and slipped on slippers. Grabbing the flashlight on her nightstand, she made her way to the door.

"Damn it." It was raining. Angrily, she took off her slippers and yanked on too-small rain boots.

And then she trekked off into the night. Her hair was wet, she fought to keep Beavis and Butthead pyjamas hidden under a fuzzy pink robe. She was in duckie galoshes and her umbrella appeared to be suited for a children's chair. The flashlight blacked out again and, ardently, she shook it back to life. For a moment, she considered going back home to change, but decided against it. Sure, she looked ridiculous, but there was no way someone was actually in her greenhouse anyway, right?

Once she'd made it down, she paused to catch a few breaths before storming inside. Surely no one had truly broken in there; she lived in the middle of the woods, surrounded by a bunch of hillbillies who carried shotguns in their purses.

Pearl's front-porch light shone through the trees and Lo wondered if she was watching. She probably was. Lo opened the door and went inside.

Initially, everything seemed to be in order. The heat lamps were on, the plants sat upright, and the air was warm. She began to walk to the other side, glancing at the greenery more than anything.

Lo had gotten to the tomato pool when she heard the first rustle.

Her head snapped around in the direction of the sound, even though she kept telling herself that it was just something outside brushing against the plastic tarp. Like a bush. Or maybe it was an animal. Who knows? Anything was possible out in the country like this.

But then she heard a sound that made her heart pound.

A sneeze. A very human sneeze.

"Ah fuck," she heard, her breath catching in her throat. With a grunt, Lo watched in horror as a tall, lanky man rose from behind one of the tables. He had a look on his face like he knew he'd been caught.

"Uh..." She couldn't stop staring at him. He was so damn pretty. He had a hand buried in the back of his long blonde hair and he seemed to have skipped shaving for the past couple weeks. His eyes locked onto hers when he spoke, her heart completely stopping when she saw that his eyes were blue. A silence befell the two and Lo tried to let the sound of the rain calm her down.

"Please don't call the police," he said after a minute of silence. "Just...I-I can't go back." Go back?

"Would, um—" she coughed, "would you like to come inside?" This seemed to throw him for a loop.

"Inside?" She nodded. "Of your house?" She nodded. "Why?"

"You seem cold. Come inside and tell me why you've been sleeping in my greenhouse. I'll let you stay on my couch if you do." He looked at her skeptically, as if sizing her up. Suddenly, he walked towards her, his long legs making him move quickly. Before she knew it, he was nearly on top of her. Hot breaths hit her face and she realized she was only at eye-level with his collarbones.

"Are you going to kill me?" he spoke lowly, his eyes boring into hers. She shook her head. "Good. We're in agreement, then."