Mr. Love Queen's Choice: Time Stands Still In Your Arms

Queen of the night

'There is a special light show in the Palm house for the event guests only and I thought you would be interested in it. Take it as a reward for the garden project. And I know I have quite a few on my record too so...'

'Let's go!' She smiled for the first time that night.

Nobody else seemed to be interested in the Palm house even thought it looked breathtaking with the fairy light tunnel and all the colourfully lit plants. They started off in a smaller, cooler section with an artificial creek and a small bridge across it.

'This must be the fernery.' She looked around. 'Ferns are quite primitive plants. Fossils prove that they have been around since before the dinosaurs and they thrive ever since.'

She kept pointing at plants and blurting out their scientific names while she was dragging him along. Victor secretly checked the plates. She got them all correctly. He was honestly surprised and impressed by her knowledge. He listened carefully for every word she said.

'Am I talking too much?'

'Yes. But at least it makes sense for once.' Seeing her knitted eyebrows, Victor quickly pointed at a vaguely familiar looking plant. 'What is that one?'

'That's a bird's nest fern.'

'Scientific name?'

'Asplenium nidus. I remember you almost killed yours in the office.' She shook her head contemptuously. 'I took a week off so I put that one on your desk because it loves a damp soil. But miraculously, you suddenly stopped dumping water on the plants...'

'Because you told me not to.'

'How was I supposed to know that you would listen to me?' She laughed and the plants seemed to brighten up around her.

Unlike during the formal event, she was lively and cheerful now. He couldn't help but notice how she glowed up ever since they entered the greenhouse. They were crossing the fairy light tunnel and all those soft lights made her look even more beautiful. Victor smiled a little bit only because she wasn't looking.

'And that's a Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum. I'd really love to have one but it's too big for my apartment. Maybe I'll get one for the office.'

'We already have enough plants.'

'No, we don't.' She smirked.

'Look!' She came to a sudden halt and pointed at a plant up high. 'An Epiphyllum oxypetalum and it's about to bloom.'

It was hanging right next to a white winding staircase. But it was closed with a chain.

'Let's take a closer look! Be careful, the steps might be slippery.' He removed the chain.

He stood two steps below her on the narrow stairs so their eyes were levelled.

'This is called the queen of the night. It's a cacti. It blooms once a year and only at night and the flowers wilt before dawn. I've never seen one in bloom. We are a little early but...'

She glanced around, leaned in and glided her finger along a bud then breathed a kiss on it.

The bud started growing rapidly and opened up. One by one the buds popped open and in a minute the plant was covered in intricate white flowers. And the fragrance was indescribable. It was dense and intoxicating like a perfume. Victor was amazed.

'I've never shown my evol to anyone before.' She looked at him sheepishly. 'It's not as cool as time control though.'

'It's cool.'

She was searching his gaze curiously. There was something about the way she looked at him.

'So... You were really holding my hand for hours when I was at the hospital?'