"Step, step, step." Haydn cautioned rhythmically as we walked up a few iron steps.

"How many more?" I asked excitedly as I tried to take another step forward only to be met with a level surface and I nearly fell forward.

"Woah." Haydn laughed as she pulled me back into her, balancing me out. "My bad, no more steps." She said sheepishly.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you're trying to kill me, Moreno." I joked as she let go of my waist and it was only with the absence of her body did I notice how cold it actually was.

My curiosity peaked when I heard jingling keys and the door being unlocked before I registered the creak of a door being opened slowly. As Haydn led us into a warm room I instantly I recognized the sweet smell of roses before the door shut behind us.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." She murmured against the shell of my ear as she untied the scarf.

Goosebumps rose to the surface of my skin as I slowly opened my eyes against the dim light. I didn't know what I was expecting but what I saw rendered me speechless.

"Oh my god." I blurted breathlessly as I took in the sight in front of me.

We were standing in the entrance of a greenhouse, a beautiful greenhouse with big glass panels, black metal beams and small vents at the top, but the most beautiful thing were the roses: red, pink, white- dozens of them, everywhere I looked. They sat in white pots on the floor, on the few small tables and hung from the roof, overflowing with leaves and blooms. Haydn had even gone as far as to have little fairy lights hanging from the roof and wrapped in between the rose pots- she had also set up blankets and pillows on some pallet boards in the middle of the room.

No one had ever put in so much effort to do something that special for me, and the fact that she was worried I would hate it didn't even make sense, our date hadn't even started and yet I was sure it was the best date I'd ever been on.

"Is it okay?" She questioned nervously and I suddenly remembered the insanely beautiful, seemingly worried girl who did it all for me.

"Haydn, are you fucking insane?" I whispered as I looked around. "This is perfect," I murmured, stopping to look up at the stars that were much clearer now that we weren't in the middle of a brightly lit town.

"You like it?" She asked, smiling in relief when I turned to at her.

"I love it, what even is this place?"

"Oh, it's my dad's, he owns this nursery." She smiled with a shrug. "We built this greenhouse the first year I came to live with him as a way to try and bond, it didn't work very well but it's become one of my favorite places." She explained and I shook my head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you did all this, thank you," I said sincerely. "No one has ever done anything like this for me."

"Well, I would hope not." She blushed as she took a step towards me. "I don't know if you've noticed but I'm trying to impress you." She flirted and I smiled as I laced my fingers together behind her neck while her arms wrapped around my waist.

"Baby, I promise that you don't have to impress me." I pleaded and I smiled when I saw a twinkle in her eyes.

"So baby is becoming a regular thing, huh?" She smirked and a sly grin made its way onto my face as I shrugged. In an attempt, to both calm her and get her to let her guard down, I leaned forward and kissed her slowly as she tugged my closer by my belt loops. "You know what," I whispered against her lips, and she hummed a reply, "I think should only call my girlfriend baby." I mused before I moved back, tugging on her bottom lip with my teeth as I did. She had an eyebrow in curiosity, her clouded eyes trying to figure me out.

"You throwing out hints?" She smirked and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm throwing out hints that I want to call you, my girlfriend." I smiled slowly, I sounded a little desperate on my part, but no one would know but her, and I was okay with making myself a fool in front of her.

"What?! No!!" She groaned disappointedly and I immediately stepped back in shock, my heart-shattering in the process- I guess that's what I get for assuming.

"No?! Oh, shit I'm sorry I just thought-" I started but she shook her head furiously.

"Wait, oh no no no!!! I didn't mean it like no, I meant 'no' as in 'shit, you beat me to it'." She explained, turning bright red. "But yes, I would love to be your girlfriend, I just wish you let me ask you first." She complained as she brushed a strand of hair from my face.

"Well, you were taking too long anyways." I shrugged bashfully.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make everything perfect because I was so worried that when I asked you out, you'd say no or want someone else or-" She started but I stopped her.

"Haydn, stop," I smiled as I pulled her towards the pillow and blankets and gently pushed her so that she was sitting down before I crouched down so that we were eye level. "You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, but especially not to me because I like you a lot. Haydn, you are the only person I want, and I would do anything to prove that to you- I don't want anyone else."

"Thank you." She whispered and somehow, I knew she was thanking me for reassuring her, not for actually liking her. "I know I can be a lot and be a little too in my head sometimes, it's a habit I'm trying to break." She admitted sadly and I shook my head.

"It's okay, I'm just going to learn how to talk you off the edge sometimes." I shrugged with a small smile.

"You're amazing." She whispered as she leaned forward and pecked me before she pulled me up to sit next to her.

"So, what else do you have planned for tonight, girlfriend?" I grinned as I pushed off my jacket, trying to distract myself from pinning her down and kissing her.

"Well, girlfriend, I'm glad you asked." She smiled as she pecked me before she got up excitedly and walked to the other side. "We have chocolate-covered strawberries, for romance, enough candy to give a kid diabetes," she revealed as she held up a heavy-looking tote bag. "And anything you want on Uber eats because I didn't want to make something you didn't like so I panicked." She went on, biting her lip in embarrassment and I laughed.

"You know, you didn't have to do all this- I would've been happy with dinner or a movie or anything really," I stressed, and she scoffed.

"No ways, you deserve to be treated like the princess you are, and besides, this is my first relationship, so I want to do things right." She explained, setting down the tote bag in front of me.

"You're amazing," I murmured honestly, and she smirked, the twinkle in her eyes leading me to believe she had something else planned.

"I wasn't finished, I also brought this!" She winked as she produced a short glass cup with a well-rolled joint and a lighter sitting in it. "I thought we could smoke this first. I don't want you to think I'm always stoned but I'm not gonna lie, opening up is something I struggle with but I'm trying, and this helps."

"You, Haydn Moreno, really do know the way to my heart." I smiled as she moved to sit next to me before she took the joint and the lighter in her hands.

"I'm glad because that's where I'm tryna get to." She winked at me before going to light the joint- I had never been more attracted to her.

I watched Haydn connect her phone to a portable speaker as I smoked, smiling as music softly played in the background, obviously from a playlist as every song had a similar vibe to the previous one. We lay on our backs as we passed the joint between us, watching the smoke swirls disappear into thin air as we decided on what to get from the Thai restaurant and had just ordered the food when I saw a shooting star streak across the sky.

"Woah! Did you see that?!" I exclaimed pointing up to where I just saw it.

"See what?" She asked softly as she reached up and interlaced our fingers before bringing our hands down to her chest. I blushed.

"The shooting star." I smiled, turning to look at her and she shook her head.

"No." She smiled softly. "But you should make a wish." She suggested and I smiled before I closed my eyes.

Please let Haydn be mine.

When I opened my eyes again Haydn was smiling softly at me, seeming to be deep in thought about something.

"What?" I smiled; her gold eyes focused on me.

"Nothing." She said as gently shook her head. "So, what did you wish for?" She asked as she played with my hand.

"Nuh-uh." I grinned as I sat up. "I can't tell you or else it won't come true," I said as watched her gaze move from my eyes to my lips before she quickly made eye contact again.

"Can I get a clue?" She pouted and my unwillingness to tell her no actually took me by surprise.

"Maybe," I whispered as I bit my lip, slightly hovering over her.

My plan was to tease her a little before giving in to her, but I was quickly learning that I couldn't say no to her. I gasped as she leaned up towards me while simultaneously pulling me down so she could claim my lips with hers.

I knew weed was supposed to make you calm and relaxed, but it seemed to give Haydn more confidence as she pulled me onto her lap so that I was straddling her as her tongue ran across my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I tried to deny her but when she moaned into my mouth, I became putty in her hands as her grip tightening on my thighs. Goosebumps rose to the surface my skin as her warm hands caressed my legs before her fingers slid up, under my shorts and when I gasped in surprised, she took the opportunity to slip her tongue inside my mouth.

Haydn kissed me deeply while her hands gently squeezed my thighs and as I moaned into her mouth, she pulled me closer, her hands traveling to caress my waist. My fingers were laced at the back of her neck, trying to hold onto reality as the intoxicating, electric sensation consumed me- I didn't want it to end. Unfortunately, I needed to breathe and once I started to get lightheaded, I unwillingly pulled away. However, that didn't stop Haydn as she moved to pepper kisses along my neck, making it hard for me to think about anything else but her- that was until I heard her phone ringing.

"Haydn?" I whimpered hoarsely, my eyes fluttering as she sucked the most sensitive part of my neck.

"Hmm." She hummed, the vibrations making me lose my train of thought, again.

"Your um, y-your phone is ringing," I whispered, and she groaned before she leaned back and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" She answered and I tried to move off of her, but she stopped me by wrapping her arm around my waist, keeping me in place. "Okay, I'm coming." She replied, shooting me an apologetic smile before ending the call.

"Who was that?"

"The delivery guy." She sighed. "He's at the gate outside."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked as I climbed off of her and stood up before she followed, shaking her head.

"Nah, it's cool. I'll be quick." She smiled, quickly kissing my cheek before walking out the greenhouse, and as soon as I saw her disappear, I sat back down because if I was being honest, my legs were weak from our kiss.

It wasn't long before Haydn came back with our food and even though I really wanted to pick up where we left off, I was starving. Instead, we sat across from each other sharing childhood memories, crazy stories and struggles with anxiety and depression as we ate before smoking again and finishing the strawberries. It shocked me how easily I could trust Haydn, how easy it was to open up to her and for the first time in my life I felt understood.

Eventually, and reluctantly, we had to leave, pulling ourselves out of our bubble just after midnight and once we were sitting in my driveway, unable to leave the car (nor her)- so I asked her to stay, and she did...

"Hey, Cristina?" She whispered; my head nuzzled in her neck as we laid together in my bed, her arms wrapped around me.

"Yea," I murmured lazily, I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open because Haydn kept tracing patterns on my back, her hands under my shirt.

"Thank you for giving me a chance, not many people have before." She explained and I shifted my position so I could look at her with tired eyes.

"Hey, don't say that. I didn't give you anything, I want this just as much as you do so don't thank me." I murmured and I saw her smile before she pulled me closer.

We didn't speak much after that, she just kissed my forehead and held me tighter, and I knew there was nowhere else I wanted to be.