Afterlife

12 | Flowers, (girl)Friends, and Firsts

"Not the first look I was expecting," I say. Vines looped around poles hung above my head, creating a tunneled entrance. The vines were just a plain green, so it just felt like being in a forest.

"You could at least act like you're having a little bit of fun," He says, as he hit me with another puppy dog face. He softly touches his heart and continues, "Just to spare my big heart."

"You are so full of yourself sometimes," I say, starting to walk ahead of him, until he catches up.

"I am not!" He pouts, still continuing to walk. His strides are bigger than mine, so I have to walk even faster to keep up with him. "I just think I am a pretty great person, and people should put more of my feelings into account." I raise an eyebrow at him, which just causes him to grin like a child.

We walk a while longer, and I start to realize how many people were flooding the tunnels. Each of them clutching each other's hands, some even sharing kisses.

"Did you bring me to a romantic spot." I hiss, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his tracks. He stares at me as if he is about to die of laughter.

"This is the city of love isn't it?"

"That is Paris, you idiot," I say, smacking him in the arm. He sucks in a breath and rubs the spot quickly. "Now seriously, did you?" He nods, with a confused expression, as if there was something about this awkward situation he wasn't understanding.

"I mean, where else would you go on a date?" He asks, shrugging his shoulders.

I stop in my tracks, causing a man behind me to stumble into the woman next to him. After several quick apologies, I got back to Flint.

I couldn't believe he thought we were going on a date. I mean, it is not like he had even mentioned it or asked me. It was just so out of the blue.

"Flint, you didn't even ask me!" I whisper-shout, still jogging to keep up with him.

"Ask you what? On a date? Ana I have seen you naked already. I think that counts for far more." The bright light of the opening started to fill the tunnels and it seemed almost too bright to see through. He hands me one of the glasses we picked up before we entered. They remind me of those 3-D glasses at movies. Hopefully, they aren't as uncomfortable.

"Seeing me naked doesn't mat-" I stop talking, when I get a glimpse of the garden. It was so beautiful.

Couples fill the whole place. Each touching the nature, or staring at the butterflies. The flowers seem brighter than the world outside. Like each on has a special glow to them. As I look up, I start to realize why. A giant ball of light filled the room, and it took up almost all the space of the giant room. The parts that aren't basking in the light, look like dead, dried grass. Only some couples occupy that space. Most of them are whispering amongst each other.

"Do you still want to go home?" Flint whispers, as I shake away my awed face.

"No-" He cheers, drawing attention from groups of people. I interrupt, before he can get louder. "But, we are going to talk about this very soon. I just need to relax in this pure light."

"Doesn't it just give you life?" He puts an emphasis on life, making me suspect this garden isn't what I had thought it to be.

"Flint... What is this place?"

"It is the garden of life!" He exclaims, and more people look at us once again. I can't go anywhere with him without handing out awkward heisalwayslikethis smiles to strangers. When my attention draws back to him, he grabs my arm and leads me into the light. "This is the only public area that leaks a patch of the human world into here."