A Tense Moment in Oto's Plants

“Hayami, please!” Oto cried out as he held the phone camera in place. “Just one picture with your face in it, I beg you.”

“Absolutely not!” She yelled in reply, smacking the phone from the boy’s hand. “I said no photos.”

Without missing a beat, he had already begun to withdraw a backup smartphone from his pocket. He would not be thwarted, especially when Hayami looked as beautiful as she did in her southwestern, bohemian-inspired outfit. It wasn’t just the look itself that worked on her, but the way the earthy palette of the long, flowing maxi dress stood out against her skin. She had even put on the recommended turquoise necklace and bracelet, which complemented the three-quarter-length sleeves and deep V-neckline.

Hayami noticed the second phone emerging and began her spin. She carried through, her leg emerging from the deep front slit of the dress, causing the paisley and floral patterns to flare as she kicked her brown cowboy boot up. The heel connected with the thin device, knocking it from Oto’s hand and sending it flying over the cliff.

“No! My backup!” He cried out, rushing to the edge and watching the phone flip through the air as it tumbled to the ocean far below. “This calls for drastic measures. Giles! The drone!”

A sudden, distant whirr of propellers could be heard as a white object flew from the third-story window, its camera panning and focusing on the terrace.

“What the hell?!” Hayami bellowed, shielding her face from the drone as she glared at Oto. “You just had that ready? And you—Butler! Have you just been sitting there, waiting...wherever you are? Don’t you have better things to do?”

Oto approached quickly, placing himself at the girl’s side with a smile. A gust caught his unstructured linen blazer, revealing the subtle paisley pattern of the lining. His airy, semi-sheer shirt, loose and partially unbuttoned, ruffled against the exquisite, beaded necklace. Loose-fitting, pleated trousers of the same material as the blazer tightened as he stepped, pulling taut around cuffed ankles that showed off a similar paisley pattern.

“Of course I did! Didn’t you notice how well we match today? I mean, sure, I’m a bit of an effortlessly cool, Mediterranean-summer style and you’re more of a ruggedly hot, desert-boho—but the fits are fitting!”

He reached up and took her hand, lowering it from her face.

“Come on, just one photo together. It’ll be a quickie! I doubt it’ll even trend!”

Catching a glance at her face, Oto felt his heart drop. The scowl was present. A look that meant one of two things was about to happen. Either he was about to get hit, or Hayami was about to run. Her fingers began to flinch, and he responded by throwing his hands up.

“Not the face, Hayami!”

But she had deceived him and, with her hand now free, sprinted off.

“No! Hoodwinked! Giles, pursue her. Get me action shots!”

With that said, Oto and the drone pursued Hayami as she raced towards the edge of the terrace. She barely hesitated, launching herself over the glass divider separating the patio from the metre drop to the strip of grass beneath. Unfortunately, the boy was not as bold, reaching the edge and freezing as the fleeing beauty turned to eye him.

Sticking her tongue out, she flipped him off with a wink before continuing her flight from fame.

“Damn! That open front really allows her to put on speed.”

“Sir.” Giles’ voice called from above, drawing Oto’s attention to the third-floor balcony. “She appears to be making her way towards the rosarium.”

“Perfect! What a picturesque place. Thank you, Giles, keep on her. I shall join her momentarily.”

Oto took his time climbing over the glass divider, ensuring not to snag his linens. Carefully lowering to the grass, he clapped his hands together to remove any dust that may have dirtied his palms. Finally, adjusting his look once more, he began to run after Hayami in the most fashionable way he knew how.

The rose garden wasn’t far beyond the villa's boundary. Just past the tennis courts and Victorian gazebo stood the archway to Grace’s Rosarium. It was ten acres of carefully manicured climbing roses, grown to a height that transformed the space into a giant maze. With a singular entry point, the labyrinth concealed a hidden shrine at its centre that Oto frequented.

But as he neared the edge and eyed the drone high above, Oto could immediately tell that Hayami was hopelessly lost in the western quarter. This was perfect for him, because he knew the space like the back of his hand and secretly hoped that she had stumbled upon the Fountain of Freyja. He imagined the photos of them together at the edge of the clear waters that poured over her winged head and sprayed from the pair of cats that rested at her feet.

The thoughts consumed him so thoroughly as he raced through the maze of pinks, reds, and whites that he didn’t notice how close he had come to the position of the drone. It wasn’t until he sprinted around a corner and collided with Hayami that Oto realized just how much ground he had gained on her.

The collision was not graceful or beautiful in the slightest. She had been fleeing the drone, her head back and up, stealing glimpses of her pursuer as she attempted to navigate the maze. When they made contact, Hayami was ill-prepared and fell backwards with a start. Had it not been for Oto’s quick reflexes, she would have cracked her skull on the stepping stone path she raced along.

Instead, as they fell together, Oto embraced her, catching her long, wavy hair above the nape and cradling her head. Landing, he held himself on the ground with one hand, stopping short of fully collapsing into her. With him now atop Hayami, their bodies mere inches apart, they rested in a moment of quiet tension.

Hayami opened her eyes, staring up at Oto as he passionately looked down at her. Their faces were the closest they had been since the train car. Their perfectly outfitted bodies pressed ever so slightly into the other's waist. Roses flanked them on either side with stone and trimmed grass beneath them.

The moment was perfect.

“Hayami—” Oto whispered, looking into her amber eyes.

He wanted to kiss her. In this moment, there was nothing he wanted more as he looked down into the soft glance she gave him. Her cheeks were as rosy as the flowers beside them, but her gaze was thornless.

Hayami opened her lips to say something, struggling with the words. Oto leaned in, his nose brushing against hers.

Then the whirring propellers grew louder as the drone descended to the ground feet away from the tender moment. Simultaneously, Oto and Hayami shifted their collective gaze towards the camera that adjusted and zoomed, snapping quiet photos.

While the moment had been ruined, Oto was still thrilled by the prospect of the photographs Giles would have snapped in those brief seconds. He began to think about the story he could spin online and how, if he was lucky, he could be trending once again.

That was when he felt a fist connect with his gut, sending him up and off of Hayami.

“Ouff!” Oto gasped, collapsing to the ground as the girl stood.

With a kick of her leather boot to one of the set stones, it raised from the ground enough for her to grab it firmly.

“Stupid drone!” She screamed, curling the flat rock towards the side of her body before whipping her arm out.

The object flew with deadly precision, striking the drone and sending it down to the ground. Within seconds, the whirring blades stopped, and the two were bathed in silence.

As Hayami huffed frustrated breaths, a gentle breeze rustled the tops of the roses and billowed her dress ever so slightly. Oto, on the other hand, had finally managed to center himself after the sneak attack, crawling to his knees and looking to his companion.

He wanted the tension to be back. To be close to her once more. But even he could tell by her posture alone that the ferocity had returned. The moment was gone.

So close… He thought to himself, admiring her. I just hope we got a few good pictures out of it.

“Hayami…” Oto spoke softly.

Her deathly gaze turned towards him, fury in her eyes.

“You!” She screamed.

“Oh no! I’m sorry!”