Short Story: About Your Plant...

About Your Plant...

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but...”

At the hesitation coming across the phone, Grant leaned against a column by the gate for his flight. He tried to keep out of the way of the hustle and bustle, but listened to announcements. He would board soon after the business class and families were finished. While he listened to his boyfriend, Brayden, he tried to ignore the noise and craziness around him.

Brayden didn’t often hesitate over anything. It wasn’t part of his make-up. Grant swore his honey had some form of hyperactivity, which caused Brayden to be on the constant move, especially when he woke up way too early in the morning. No matter what, he wouldn’t trade Brayden in for anything else.

Still, this hesitation didn’t bode well for the rest of the incoming statement.

Grant shoved fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh. “What mischief, mayhem, or catastrophe did you cause now, baby?”

“Spideyturnedallbrownandcommittedplantsuicide,” Brayden said, running the words real quick together. He let out a long ‘whew’. “Got it all out. Thank Gawd! I was...”

“Whoa. Whoa. Back up a moment,” Grant said and rubbed the back of his neck. He thought he heard everything, but wasn't quite sure what Brayden said. He checked out the boarding procedures and knew there would be time to get through this conversation.

“To what point?”

As he pinched the bridge of his nose between forefingers, Grant heard the high-pitched, childish tone in his lover’s voice. He could easily imagine the look on the gorgeous, youthful face of his baby, those big pale blue eyes would be wide-open wide and surrounded with lush black lashes to match the artfully designed and gelled layers of thick hair, and the tip of his tongue poked out one corner. From experience, Brayden would either shift or dance from one foot to the other. His baby never could stay still, except after Grant aroused then satiated him in bed until he fell asleep exhausted beyond belief.

“What happened to Spidey?” he asked about the bushy spider plant growing in the kitchen. He nurtured it from a cutting of his mother’s plant. It was a type of long-distance connection to his parents.

Upon seeing it and learning the name of the plant, Brayden gave it the nickname of ‘Spidey.’ It stuck.

“Everything you wrote down in the note and told me, Grant. I watered, fed, gave Spidey sun, and I even sang to it! I even turned him around so all sides could get fresh sunlight from the window.”

A laugh turned into a cough as Grant tried to hide his amusement behind a stern front. Then he Grant listened to his lover’s explanation about how the plant when from green and thriving when he left for his week-long conference to yellow, brown and withered.

“I told you I don’t have a green thumb! I kill any growing thing I come near,” Brayden pleaded.

“What else did you do to the plant?”

“Everything on the list like you told me.”

“Did you open the windows?”

“Umm…” There was more hesitation. “Yeah, there was a nice chill in the air so I opened the windows.”

“Including the one in the kitchen by Spidey?”

“Yup.”

“Did you move Spidey away from the window when you opened it?”

“Nope.”

That was the kicker. Spider plants don’t always like a chilly breeze. Still, Grant didn’t dare tell his baby he did something wrong.

“Why do you ask?”

“No reason, baby, was just checking on any other possibilities other than you swearing you have a death thumb with plants.”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. Did you deliberately wait to tell me this just before I’m about to board a plane so I couldn’t yell at you for killing my plant?”

“Mebbe?”

“Oh, baby,” Grant said and chuckled. “It’s a plant. That’s all. I can get another.”

“But... It was a baby of your mama’s plant! It meant something to you. And I killed it!” Brayden said, almost finished with a desperate cry-whine of agony.

Grant chuckled at the over-the-top dramatics. He wondered if Brayden even threw himself down onto the nearest piece of furniture. He wouldn’t put it pass his baby.

“I let you down. I let Spidey down. This is why we can’t get a pet. Imagine what I would do to a poor defenseless little animal?”

“You would love, hug, and dance with it, baby. You would let our pet climb all over you...”

“Umm. Eww! Hair and slobber on MY clothes? Umm, no, someone needs to keep up our appearances and reps as a fab-uuuuu-lous dresser in this duo.”

Grant hooted with laughter.

“Am I forgiven?”

“I don’t know. Let me think about this,” Grant said, holding the teasing tone out of his voice knowing it would drive Brayden up a wall.

“Grant! Don’t do this to me. What if I bribe you with the most fantastic, longest and best ever blowjob in the entire city of Orlando?”

“I don’t know. I already get that from my boyfriend every night.”

Brayden let out his sweet laughter over the phone and it went right down Grant’s spine to his cock. “Yes, you do, and it better only be from ME! I’m possessive about my man.” He let out a soft sigh. “It’s been a long week. I’m so lonely. I can’t sleep alone in our bed.”

“I’ll say, too damn long. I couldn’t sleep in the hotel without you,” Grant agreed, shoving a hand through his hair.

“You’ll be home soon. A short flight home and you’ll be in my arms.”

“Are you going to remember to be at the airport? Have all the flight information? I texted you the confirmation this morning,” Grant said, loving Brayden’s exuberance and issue with forgetting daily tasks – like watering a plant – when he’s deep in a wedding planning project.

“Yes, I have everything and will be waiting with anxious breath to see you walk down the long hallway. I do know how to run a business and get to places.”

“With a few extra reminders on occasion,” Grant teased.

Brayden huffed. “What about the plant’s suicide?”

“It’s okay, baby, but I need you to do something with Spidey before you toss it out.”

“Umm...”

“Am I too late? Did you toss it?”

There was no answer from Brayden, but Grant knew. He shoved another hand through his brown curls and scratched his chin.

“No big deal. Mom can send me a fresh clipping or I’ll pick one out at the garden shop.”

“Sorry?” Brayden said in a pipsqueak pleading tone known to soothe Grant’s ruffled temper.

Grant turned to look at the gate when he heard the flight attendants call for his section to board. “Babe, I gotta go. They’re boarding my area. We’ll discuss plant care again, when I get home.”

“Would it help if I mentioned I got two extra-large tubes of new flavored lubes and a really thick delicious toy?”

Grant groaned.

Chuckling with pure madness, Brayden sent him kisses and hung up.

“Devilish brat did it deliberately,” Grant said as he shut down the phone for the flight and shoved it in his pocket. He used his backpack as cover to rearrange his swollen waiting cock. “I’ll definitely make him pay for that one.” Still uncomfortable in his khakis, he swung the backpack over a shoulder, grabbed the handle of his suitcase, and joined others in the line to board the full flight home.

***

Two and half hours later, Grant exited the breezeway with the other departing passengers and looked around the opened area of the concourse at Orlando International. There was no familiar black head and bouncing slender body decked out the latest fashionable outfit anywhere.

Even with the reminders, Grant couldn’t believe Brayden would forget to meet him. Stranded unless he wanted to take a taxi, he found himself steamed at Brayden’s playful forgetfulness. This went too far. Yanking his phone from the pocket, he pressed the button to call his lover.

“I’m here! I’m here! Running late, where are you?” Brayden answered in a breathless tone.

“I’m waiting for you. I can’t believe you forgot—”

“I didn’t. I didn’t. Had to finish a special errand...”

Grant moved the phone when Brayden squealed over the phone and heard it echoing in the airport. He saw Brayden running from the escalator and down the middle to where he waited by the large flight boards. He braced himself when Brayden slammed into him, skinny arms draped in cashmere wrapped around his neck, as his lover hopped and wrapped his legs around Grant’s hips.

“Holy crap!” he murmured before Brayden’s lips crushed against his stunned mouth in a desperate, passion filled kiss. He enclosed the skinny frame in his arms and kissed his lover in return. After a week, the smell, taste and sight of his lover excited him.

“Ahh, I missed you. Missed you,” Brayden said, pressed more kisses around Grant’s face before he dropped back on his feet. “Can’t stand a week apart. It’s horrible.”

Capturing Brayden’s runaway mouth in another kiss, Grant knew it was the only way to shut him up at times like this. He heard Brayden’s moan as he leaned harder against him. He felt the smooth manicure on Brayden’s fingers slide against his cheeks and scalp as his lover moved to cling to his curls.

Giggling, Brayden hugged him and stared at him. “About your plant…”

Grant lifted an eyebrow as he leaned back. “What about it?”

“It had babies! I called your mama and she told me how to rescue the babies, even with my fickle fingers and living things. We have Spidey back! Well, Spidey Junior,” Brayden said with a wicked, mercurial grin.

With gales of laughter, realizing this was the reason behind why Brayden was late, Grant hugged his precocious lover closer and nuzzled his neck. “About those new lubes, toy, and mention of the longest blow job...” he murmured into Brayden’s ear while they left the airport. His laughter continued as Grant began to draw out his personal promise to make Brayden flush, squirm, and wiggle with sensual pleasure for the death and rebirth of Spidey.