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As we stroll along the narrow path, I stop now and then to marvel at the different kinds of ferns. There are ones with itty bitty leaves and others with huge fronds, as well as some of the softest looking moss. It’s an ever-changing array of greens and browns and it’s stunning. “I could easily use some of this moss as a pillow.” A flash of teal catches my eye, and I hurry ahead, tugging Blake along. “Oh my gods!” I lean down to read the small plaque. “Jade vine. It’s glorious!”
Two older women give me a disgusted once-over before barging past us, knocking into my shoulder. Blake steadies me, practically vibrating with anger as they scurry into the next room. Before he can call after them, I direct his attention back to the plant, ignoring the incident altogether. “You know, darling, if I could keep plants alive, I’d fill my entire apartment with this. It might be my new favorite plant.”
A burst of purple a few feet away grabs my attention and I coax Blake in that direction. “Oh, my gods, these orchids! The deep purples and yellows are sooo sumptuous.” Whipping out my phone, I snap a few pictures of the plants, then turn the camera on Blake, taking a few shots with all the greenery behind him. “You’re so handsome.” He kisses me softly and squeezes my hand, and I know he’s still upset, but thankfully he’s not letting it ruin our outing.
We wander further into the room, stopping in front of an almost hidden waterfall. Closing my eyes, I listen to the trickling flow as it cascades over rocks and branches. “This reminds me of meditation music. Gods, can you imagine having this whole place to yourself and meditating or doing yoga here?” That would be a tiny slice of perfection, and I make a mental note to put a small fountain in Blake’s office along with the plants I’ll be purchasing for him.
“It would be amazing.” He kisses my cheek. “So, you like it here?”
I nod, letting my joy flow out into the room. “Iloveit. This place is amazing, and I want to come back a lot.” I throw myself at him, and he holds me tightly. “This was a wonderful idea. Thank you for suggesting it.”
“You’re welcome.” His soft brown eyes linger on my face like a sweet caress. I’m quickly becoming addicted to him looking at me like this.
We stroll hand in hand through the room, stopping now and then to examine other unique displays before moving on to the next section. There’s another plaque announcing the Bromeliad House. I glance at Blake. “What’s a bromelaid?”
He chuckles. “It’sbromeliad. They’re mostly tropical flowering plants. Some are kind of like succulents, but others are more like mosses.” I can’t imagine it. To my mind, those are utterly different varieties. Curious to see what he means, I haul him into the room.
The plants are as strange and wonderful as I’d hoped, and I watch Blake’s face light up, his expression full of excitement as he tells me about the different varieties. Some I recognize, like pineapples, but Blake proceeds to blow my mind with new pieces of information about a fruit I thought I knew. “Pineapples grow from flowers? No way!” I snap a few pics to show Jules later.
My joy is momentarily interrupted by an intruding voice. “He looks ridiculous. Men aren’t supposed to wear makeup or dress like that.”
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, letting the words flow through and past me. The same two women from the other room are on the other side of the display, and I know I’m meant to hear their comments. Rather than give them the satisfaction of a reaction, I continue to take pictures of the plants and ignore them.
Blake’s hand grips my arm, and I glance up from my phone. I swear he’s about to crash through the ferns and throttle the woman, so I stand up and take his hand, lacing our fingers together. “Ohhh! Blake, look! These are so beautiful. So many colors!” I pull him toward a patch of vibrant flowers, making a show of reading the small sign. “Guzmania. Can you tell me about this one?”
“Stef.”
The anger in his voice is laced with concern, and I adore him for it—but it’s ultimately unproductive to respond to comments like that, so I ignore them. “My favorites are the coral ones. So beautiful!” Blake quietly follows me further into the room. “Oh yikes! These are scary.” I point at a vicious-looking plant, making a production of reading the little plaque. “Dyckia.” I snort. “I’m all about the dick, but that’s too much.”
Blake relents and huffs out a small chuckle. “They are rather sharp looking.”
“They are.” I press against him, brushing the tip of my nose along the edge of his ear. “I prefer a softer touch.”
He pulls me closer, resting his forehead against mine. “You’re amazing. You know that?”
“Yes, I do.” I grin, and Blake sighs, trying to smile. “Let it go, darling.” Cupping his jaw with my palm, I gently urge him to look at me. “They’re speaking from a place of fear and ignorance.”
“You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”
Before he says anything else, I cut him off with a kiss. “I could try to educate them. I could be angry, or hurt, or have any number of valid reactions, but nothing I’d say or do would change their minds. Not here. Not coming from me. And trying would only damageme. They wouldn’t care.” His scowl says he clearly doesn’t agree. “Blake, trust me. I’ve been dealing with this for years. As a flamboyant, brazenly out gay boy, I was harassed, threatened, spit on, and called every name you can imagine by bullies at school. As an adult, it’s been easier, but there are still vocal bigots.” I gesture in the direction of the snarky women.
“It’s been more difficult as I’ve embraced my gender fluidity, but I am who I am, and I won’t let their negativity rule how I live my life.” Looking into his eyes, I smile softly. “It’s a choice I’ve made. If I wanted to, I could blend in. I could probably pass. But doing that would crush my soul. So to spite every close-minded bigot, I live loud and proud and authentically. And most times it works out fine.” He holds my gaze, not saying anything, but I can see the wheels turning in his mind. I appreciate that he’s thinking about what I’ve said rather than acting on his anger. Kissing him on the cheek, I grab his hand, leading him around the row and back the way we came. “Let’s go see the other two rooms.”
We retrace our steps until we’re back in the central Palm Room, exploring the other half before moving into the Seasonal Room. Once inside, I’m in heaven. I love everything about this section. There are bright, vibrant flowers everywhere, surrounded by deep green fronds of various shapes and sizes, and it’s breathtaking. I spin around and try to take in everything at once. “Oh, Blake.”
His smile is huge, and his eyes sparkle, and it stops me in my tracks, because he’s just as stunning as anything in this room. “They rotate flowers based on what’s growing at that time of year, hence the room name. I came here in December, and they had a Christmas tree with a massive miniature train display, poinsettias everywhere, and everything was lit up with twinkle lights. It was beautiful.”
I slip an arm around his waist and rest my head on his shoulder. “That sounds lovely. Maybe we can come back and see it this year.”
Blake kisses the top of my head and puts an arm around my shoulders. “I’d love that.”
We walk on for a bit, stopping in front of the most delicate, tiny, pink flowers. “Oh! What are those?”
Blake checks the plaque. “Bleeding heart hydrangeas. These are the pink on pink variety.” He points a few feet down the path. “There are white ones, too.”
I scurry over to check them out and feel the glares from across the room. Of course, the rude women are here. I’d hoped they’d done this section first and left. Alas, no.
There are other eyes on me as well, but I’m not sensing any negative energy. As stealthily as I can, I look around. A young boy, about eight years old, stares at me in the way moms around the world tell children not to. I smile cautiously and wave. “Hi.”
