Leafy Green

Borage

I stare out my window as the rain heavily pours down. I had planned on going for a run today to the park, but I guess Zeus has other plans. A little rain never hurt anyone, so I put on my red wellies and grab my black raincoat and clear umbrella with various constellations painted on it, giving off the illusion that the stars are always present whenever I use it.

Just as I turn to open my door, checking that I have everything, all my lights flicker out. The digital clock on my microwave blanks out to a black screen instead of the usual fluorescent green numbers.

I turn off all my lights, so they don't miraculously turn on in my absence and make my electricity bill skyrocket. As I step out of the elevator of my small apartment building, I smile at the landlord who is standing at the automatic doors, looking out at the endless rain with a scowl on her face. A band of daffodils covers her ankle where she rolls up her jeans.

She turns to face me, smiling when she meets my eye, before looking at my attire with shock evident in her expression. "You don't plan to go out in this weather do you, love?" she says. "It's windy out; your umbrella will be shredded by the time you come back!" She jokes.

I laugh along with her momentarily, walking up to her side to look out and admire the God's and Goddesses' work. "Yes," I agree, noticing the scarily bent trees, presumably from the harsh winds. "Anemoi is hard at work," I state, referring to the God of winds.

She gives me a questioning look but agrees nonetheless. "Well, if you still plan to go out, I give you the best of luck, love," she says, before leaving me at the automatic doors, frozen from the lack of power.

"Thank you." I push hard on the heavy doors, fighting with the extreme wind. Once I finally get out, I let the door violently swing close and step out onto the sidewalk. I tilt my umbrella in the direction of the forthcoming wind so that it doesn't bend out of shape, watching through the transparent material at the cars that pass and looking over the faint map of the stars that pattern it.

I take refuge from the wind after I'm tired of getting pushed around in a small café, occupied only by the staff the clean the tables and the few behind the counter cleaning coffee mugs and wiping the bench over.

I scratch at my hip, where my trail of furry buds that stretch over the bone to my bellybutton, tickling my side when they rub up against it. I've come accustomed to wearing bottoms that my neighbour carefully takes care of, cutting out the pocket section so that my buds can breathe, as well as wearing cropped tops and the occasional peplum.

I spot a woman behind the counter, itching at her exposed back at her floral trail. She wears a backless singlet with black jeans and an apron tied neatly around her waist, various pens and notebooks inside the front and side pockets.

My eyes widen as I come close to her and notice how beautiful she is, even if her face isn't facing mine as she fiddles with a cloth, cleaning furiously at the many funnels and faucets attached to a coffee machine that isn't working due to the lack of electricity.

A blush spreads my face as I hear her mumbling something about the power and cursing to every Greek God or Goddess available.

She stops her furious fiddling to scratch at her back, cursing to Chloris, the Goddess of flowers as I approach. I watch her struggle for a bit an I absent-mindedly giggle at her attempt to ease her itch.

She freezes in place, and I instantly stop breathing, praying to Phanes that I can keep my life as she slowly turns around.

I gasp as I see her face. Pale and smooth with red cheeks and dazzling violet eyes, that look to hold a million stars within them. Her hair frames her face with dark tendrils that have fallen out from her messy bun. My eyes search every inch of her face as she does the same to mine before we lock eyes with each other with equally red faces.

I'm the first to break eye contact as I lift my raincoat to inspect my trail, finding that the fuzzy buds are slowly opening to reveal a strange blue-purple star-shaped flower with a red furry stem. My eyes water as I look back up to my soulmates face as her mouth falls agape while looking at my trail still. She looks up to meet my eyes and turns her back, trying her best to look over at her shoulder to see her trail has also bloomed with colourful borage flowers.

She casually stands again, her face contorting into an unreadable expression, mixed with emotions. Her starlight eyes sparkle with wonder, her red painted lips curve into a sad smile, her eyebrows pulled together to convey sadness, and her cheeks stained with a deep red blush. "Oh, Aphrodite," she mutters, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as I watch her leap over the counter, practically laying on the tabletop as she wraps her hands around my waist.

I laugh as she nuzzles into my neck. She quietly sobs, and I try my best to comfort her, tracing circles on her bare back as I look down at the open buds on her back.

I hear her quietly laugh after a few minutes of hugging me close to her chest. "I was so scared you were going to be a guy," she whispers into my ear, laughing at herself. "You smell so nice."

I laugh along with her as she slightly let's go and slides back down to her side of the bench.