Chapter 309: Seven days, seven dates.
Six days had passed since the fever and Sienna had noticed a significant change in Elias from the day she brought up the idea of a divorce. Since then, he had been transformed--attentive, deliberate, almost boyish in his eagerness to keep her close. The wall he had erected between then had come down. Every day he found a new corner of the city to explore with her, as if it were a bouquet he was offering, one petal at a time.
He introduced her to three of his closest friends, men of wit and loyalty who all happened to be from common families. They welcomed her warmly into their circle. He avoided working late, choosing instead to spend evenings with her and the children, weaving himself into their daily lives.
Tonight, the family found themselves at the famed Winter Iris Farm, a marvelous institute of high technology where flowers bloomed all through the coldest and hottest months. The air was crisp. but the fields glowed with color, rows of blossoms nurtured by hidden heating systems, artificial sunlight panels and delicate irrigation lines that shimmered like silver threads.
Cute robots shaped like different insects and rabbits, darted about to entertain children, their metallic laughter chiming like bells. Couples strolled hand in hand, and bride and groom posed beneath an arch of the largest roses Sienna had ever seen. Their photographer was chasing the perfect angle with a smart drone camera as artificial butterflies fluttered around them.
Sienna felt Elias’s arm firm around her waist, steady and possessive, as though he feared she might disappear into the flowers. His warmth pressed against her side, and though she tried to keep her composure, her heart betrayed her with quickened rhythm. He smelled so addictive lately, much better than the flowers. Even Honey Thunder and the Crimson bee had noticed. Lately, Sienna got the feeling that he was using fox seduction on her.
He leaned close now and then when she saw an interesting flower, whispering observations about it or the farm, teasing her gently, his voice low enough that only she could hear. Every once in a while, his tongue seemed lick her ear, making her shiver and look around wildly in awe. It was the kind of intimacy in public that she had not expected. She found herself both unsettled and comforted by it.
Ali, ever the glutton, was busy picking edible blossoms from rows and stuffing them into her mouth. If one had a memorable taste, she pocketed it.
"Mama," She called out with a frown, "This one tastes like soap!" she declared, scrunching her nose.
Sienna blinked a few times. "When did you eat soap?"
"When soap started smelling nice." Ali replied, skipping to a patch of brown roses. With quick hands, she picked one and took a bite. "Bleh, too bitter. Why would anyone eat this mama?"
Sienna had no clever reply. And she didn’t have to, because Ali raced off, in the company of three bumble bee robots.
"Papa, I found one that sweet like candy, but it’s too sticky." She called out. "And mama, don’t eat the yellow ones, they are yucky and slimy!" Her childish language, blunt and unfiltered, drew laughter from nearby couples, who found her commentary more entertaining than listening to the guides and professors accompanying them.
Sienna looked at the yellow blossoms she had been about to smell and backed off. "You need to knock sense into your daughter. She ate soap Elias! It seems like she is on a mission to taste everything in the world!"
Elias laughed. "I will have a guard that is knowledgeable on medicines and poisons start following her around to prevent disasters. We can also hire professors of botany to educate her on all edible and non-edible vegetation."
Sienna sighed and looked at Eli. Their son was captivated with the butterflies, showing zero interest in the flowers. He darted from one row to another, pointing excitedly at each winged creature.
"That’s a monarch! And that one is a Snowfinch!" Professor, did you see? That one’s fake, but it looks so real, right? Can I catch it?"
The professor shook his head.
Eli’s face fell. "No? Okay, but I can name them all!" His enthusiasm returned quickly. It was infectious, and the professor guiding him was amused and impressed.
He began quizzing Eli on the species, only to be surprised when the boy answered correctly every time.
Sienna watched them both with a mixture of pride and exasperation. Her daughter’s mouth was stained with polled, her son’s hands fluttering like wings as he gestured wildly. She sighed, but Elias only chuckled, pulling her closer.
"They are like me and you," he murmured, as if the chaos were proof of their bond.
She tilted her head toward him, catching the glint of mischief in his eyes, and for a moment the world narrowed to just the two of them. But that sweet moment was broken quickly by her daughter’s next statement.
"Mama, this one tastes like a fart." Ali screamed, sticking her tongue out, nose scrunched.
People laughed, while the professor went on to explain why the beautiful pink flower smelled like a fart.
The tour continued wound through glowing tunnels of blossoms, past fountains that sprayed mist scented with lavender, and into a greenhouse were rare orchids bloomed in experimental colors.
Ali continued her edible critique. "This one’s crunchy, we can eat it with chicken nuggets. This one can be added to ketchup. This one is just ew!"
Eli did not continue to chase butterflies but color patterns of the orchids. All through the tour, he had been like a scholar cataloging his discoveries.
At the end of the tour, their small family gathered in the souvenir hall. Shelves brimmed with floral based products: perfumes, teas, honey, soaps, and toys shaped like different flowers that could sway, wiggle or sing. The adult ones could be used as lamps, or treated as pets.
Sienna bought oils, soaps, honey and mature gifts. The children bought toys, flower shaped candies, plush toys. Elias, ever indulgent, bought them all, his arm never leaving Sienna’s waist. He seemed determined to anchor her, to remind her that she belonged with him, with them.
Finally, they stood at the commemorative floral decorate photo booth shaped like a giant rose, a glowing arch of blossoms framing the family. The photographer gave a few suggestions while they posed.
Just as the shutter clicked, Elias leaned in and stole a kiss, swift and daring. Sienna’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, but the moment was captured forever in the photograph. At that exact same moment, Ali punched Eli on the cheek. "Mama, he said my breath smells like a fart!" she shouted.