Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-48. Flowers

[Xanthea]

Asher remained silent, contemplating me as though he were drinking in every minor detail of my face.

His gaze turned stoic as they skimmed over the flowers.

"Let's just say... I've found a new hobby," he said.

I tried to read his eyes, his face, but failed. Except for the soft warmth in his eyes, I couldn't get a glimpse of his soul or his thoughts whatsoever. "Hobby of collecting flowers from the earthly realm?" I asked.

Asher looked at me with a faint smile and gave a curt nod.

"Hobby of collecting flowers from 'your' realm," his voice was just as caressing as the breeze flowing around us.

I couldn't tell if my heart skipped a beat at the way he said those words or at the way he held my gaze and I felt lost and found at the same time. "Oh!" I briskly averted my gaze as soon as I realized he had somehow seized my breaths and stolen words right off my lips.

With a quick gulp, I cleared my throat.

"Makes sense," I smiled awkwardly. "Umm. There... there are many other beautiful flowers in my realm."

I was breathing, but there was a pleasant suffocation in my chest, something that made me breathless, as if I had just run a hundred miles.

"Is that so?" he peered at me.

Gathering whatever courage I could amidst my pounding heart and heating cheeks, I looked into his gray eyes. But that was a wrong decision, a very wrong decision. Asher stepped closer to me.

"I wanna know the names of all the flowers you like. Every single one of them."

With a gentle touch, he delicately scooped a few strands of my hair, cradling them between his fingers.

The intensity of his gaze was far beyond my endurance. My chest heaved faster as I turned around and nervously ran my eyes over the flowerpots.

I could feel his body heat on my back, and I knew he was standing closer.

"Umm. Well. There are many... umm... roses, tulips, peonies, lavender, daisies, carnations, dahlia. There must be thousands of them and each with hundreds of varieties," I said in one long, cold breath. "My house would be too small to collect them all, right?"

I looked at him.

"Well... you can collect the flowers that mean something to you. Which you think might add value, beauty and positive energy to your house," I said.

He looked in deep thought as he glanced at the flowerpots.

flowers because they added

and faded away as I felt a little more comfortable in

gazing at the forget-me-nots. "Their presence in my life somehow filled the absence of

was a prolonged

long... have you been

I said

these flowers were the companions of

my head and looked at him as he

were the companions of

feel Asher's gaze linger on me as I took

my peace over wrong companionship. And I found peace in books. I received unadulterated love

from your garden," Asher said. "I'll put them back. They

breath and kneeled in front of

I said. "They just need to be placed somewhere where they can get more light." I pointed towards the other picture window on

feel at home? I wish to feel their companionship as well," he said in his deep

my way out of them when I felt Asher's firm grip

the floor as the curtains

just in time,

off me and helped

stared at him

flowerpots," I said, cradling the flowerpots against

few seconds later, but I had to turn my head towards the bed to suppress mine.

mind could comprehend what he just said, he got up

the soil that had spilled onto the shirt

gasp, shutting my eyes when he withdrew his hand from me. "The flowers..." he whispered, dropping his gaze

them at the spot where I thought

like this." I slid the pot of forget-me-nots in

him how to take care of those plants and he literally took

now and then to check on them for me?" he

said with uncertainty lacing my words as I struggled

flinched back when he reached out for my hair and tucked them behind my ear. A playful smile flickered

followed him as he

me. Taking his

be your favorite flowers," he

"My?"

nodded, tilting

them. They were her favorite flowers," I said, smiling at the

asked about 'your'

love them too," I said. "Uh... what's