Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[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.

"Did you choose these two flowers because they added something to your life?" He asked.

The awkwardness between us faltered and faded away as I felt a little more comfortable in his proximity.

"Yes..." I said, gazing at the forget-me-nots. "Their presence in my life somehow filled the absence of everyone else."

What followed was a prolonged silence between us.

"How long... have you been alone?" He asked.

"Always." I said with a smile.

"So these flowers were the companions of your loneliness?"

I shook my head and looked at him as he stood beside me.

"They were the companions of my solitude."

I could feel Asher's gaze linger on me as I took in the beauty of the horizon beyond the hills.

It's not like I never felt lonely. I did. But I preferred my peace over wrong companionship. And I found peace in books. I received unadulterated love from the books and gave it all to my flowers.

"I shouldn't have taken them from your garden," Asher said. "I'll put them back. They aren't happy to be with me. They have wilted."

I took a deep breath and kneeled in front of the flowerpots.

"I don't think so," I said. "They just need to be placed somewhere where they can get more light." I pointed towards the other picture window on the other side of the room. "They'll be super happy to be there."

"Oh. Is that so? Can you help me make them feel at home? I wish to feel their companionship as well," he said in his deep voice, maintaining the softness in his tone.

"Sure..." I picked up the flowerpots in both my hands when the curtains flowed all around me. Entangled with the curtains, I panicked, trying to find my way out of them when I felt Asher's firm grip on my frantic wrist from over the curtain. "Stay still," he said. As he tried to free me from the curtains, I tripped.

Tangled together, both of us tumbled on the floor as the curtains fell on us.

"Asher's hand wrapped around my head just in time, preventing it from colliding with the floor."

Asher lifted himself off me and helped me out of the curtains.

Lying on the floor, I stared at him blankly as he straddled my hips.

"I saved the flowerpots," I said, cradling the flowerpots against my chest.

We broke into laughter. His laughter faded away a few seconds later, but I had to turn my head towards the bed to suppress mine. "Beautiful..."

Before my mind could comprehend what he just said, he got up from me, and then helped me to my feet.

"Next time, save yourself first," he said, brushing off the soil that had spilled onto the shirt I was wearing.

His fingers slowed down as they grazed past my nipples. I took a silent gasp, shutting my eyes when he withdrew his hand from me. "The flowers..." he whispered, dropping his gaze to my parted lips, which were just a few inches away from his. "R-right!"

I placed them at the spot where I thought they'd grow better.

"Forget-me-nots need light shade so they'll be better like this." I slid the pot of forget-me-nots in jasmine's shadow. "How do you water them?" He asked.

I glanced at him and, with a quick gulp, I told him how to take care of those plants and he literally took notes on his phone. "Although... this realm is a lot different from mine... so..."

"Why don't you stop by now and then to check on them for me?" he asked.

"Sure..." I said with uncertainty lacing my words as I struggled to maintain eye contact with him.

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

I touched my hair, confused. My eyes followed him as he got to his feet.

He stretched out his palm before me. Taking his hand, I got to my feet.

"They must be your favorite flowers," he said.

"My?"

He nodded, tilting his head.

"Yes, my mother adored them. They were her favorite flowers," I said, smiling at the flowerpots.

"I... asked about 'your' favorite flowers, Xanthea."

"I love them too," I said. "Uh... what's your favorite flower?" I asked, hesitantly.

Asher looked at me with his usual inscrutable face as he replied. "I haven't figured it out yet."

"Oh..." I averted my gaze and turned around to face the cityscape. "Your home is... beautiful."

"You like it here?"

"Yes. I could have never imagined being in a place like this. Ever," I chuckled.

God! Why am I saying all this? What is happening to me?

I wanted to put a leash on my mouth, but it felt as though it was ok to speak.

Maybe it was because of the way he called my name. Or maybe it was because of the way he called me his wife. Or maybe it was in his care and caress, in the safety he provided, in the space in which he allowed me to be a little more alive and free.

No matter the reason, being in his presence always felt special.

"You can stay here if you want," he said, and I looked at him.

Right then, the door opened again and Raven walked in. His unbuttoned shirt revealed his chest and abs as he walked in.

I quickly looked away before the scratch marks on his body resurfaced more of last night's memories.

"Asher, what am I supposed to do with that boiling mess?" Raven grunted. "And what the hell are you doing-" His eyes squinted into a scowl when he looked at me. "Having a nice time, omega?"

His words shot right through me.

"Don't let me find you wasting time again," he said sharply. "If you were awake, you should have come out-"

"I told you to turn off the flames when the broth comes to a boil," Asher said calmly, stopping Raven in his tracks toward me.

"Do it on your own. I'm not a fucking chef. The only thing I can cook is coffee," Raven said, glaring at Asher.

"Coffee is brewed, Raven, not cooked," Asher sighed, pulling him out of the room with him.

"Wash up and come out, Xanthea. Breakfast is almost ready if Raven hasn't already burned it all down," Asher said and they left.

I gingerly walked into the washroom. Splashing water on my face, I took a deep breath.

My eyes widened at my reflection in the mirror.

Now I understood the reason behind Asher's playful smile and Raven's anger.

I reached out towards my ear. Asher had sneakily tucked a forget-me-not flower above my ear.