Bloom

8. Earth

"Our love was born outside the walls, in the wind, in the night, in the earth, and that's why the clay and the flower, the mud and the roots know your name."

~Pablo Neruda~

•••

   "Oh, thank God, housekeeping came in while we were out!" I sigh in relief as Seb and I step into the hotel room that we have for the next three nights.

We just went out to dinner — nothing too fancy or over the top, but I treated Seb to a wonderful first date that honestly rocked my world. Conversation was lovely, the food was to die for, and our little stroll around downtown Hollywood was rather cute.

     We took tons of adorable, screech-inducing, soft selfies and even managed to sneak in a few things on social media, so fans, followers, and friends know that Seb and I are at the very least spending time together. We want to break the news as gently as we can, not drop a complete and utter bombshell.

     The only thing is, we haven't gone public and made the announcement yet, so our social feeds haven't blown up just yet either.

We wanted to capture the moment and spend time with each other, away from the drama of the internet.

But, now that we're back in the hotel room, it's time to say the words, brace for impact, and run damage control.

I smile when I spot Seb sitting in the middle of the bed with his phone in his hands, scrolling through the Endgame group message. He's probably letting everyone know that we're going public in just a few short minutes.

He looks up at me as I walk over to the bed, and he hums with pleasure as I kick off my shoes and join him.

He grins as I pull us back toward the pillows, saying, "Someone's already handsy."

"I want to snuggle, you goof," I smirk.

"You're like a Baby Koala," he muses, settling against me as I wrap my arms and legs around him and bury my face in the back of his shoulder.

He smells like cedar, whiskey, and vanilla.

"You can't hide behind me, baby," he laughs as he turns his head and presses a kiss to my temple. "You're much bigger than me."

"Really now?" I grin.

"Oh, for the love," he sighs. "Behave."

I press a kiss to the back of his neck before resting my chin on his shoulder, watching the hum and buzz of his phone notifications go by. He clears out the notifications and then he goes to Instagram.

"Ready?" He asks softly.

"Ready when you are, love," I say, squeezing him gently, hoping to reassure him. "We can do this."

"Okay," he sighs, and then he smiles. "I love you, Chris."

I smile and kiss his cheek, saying, "I love you more, Seb."

"Remember to stay hidden behind me for a second, all right?" He says.

"Of course, babe," I tell him.

I lie back against the headboard, just out of view of Seb's iPhone camera.

"Perfect," Seb tells me.

I watch the screen in silence. A second later, he goes live, and thousands immediately gather in the audience, sending hearts and all sorts of crazy shit.