“Sophie just texted me that we’re ten minutes from the town with the greenery,” Raven piped up. She glanced back at the two of them, smirking a little. “Mira, did you forget who your boyfriend was?”

“Kalmin’s comfortable, leave me alone,” Mira mumbled, nuzzling deeper into his chest. She makes him want to jump out of the truck, she’s so cute. “And I’ve cuddled with you and Annie and the others all the time, what makes this different?”

“Is it because Kalmin’s a guy? Are you reinforcing toxic heteronormativity?” Deimos and Raven said in unison.

“Was that an impression of Mira?” He barked out a laugh.

She groaned into his chest.

“Absolutely,” Deimos said sarcastically.

“We know she’s just being Mira, she likes to break the new recruits by cuddling the shit out of them. If they reciprocate, they’re a keeper,” Raven joked.

“You probably went through a lot of people,” Kalmin bounced back.

“Did we ever,” Mira mumbled.

“Am I the lucky new member?” Kalmin joked.

“You were a keeper from day one,” Mira chirped. She looked up at him with a lazy grin on her stupid cute face.

“Day one being..?” Deimos asked promptly.

She hummed. “When we met at the gas station that one night?”

“Before the art party?”

“Before the art party,” she smirked and hugged him. “You’ll never be able to escape us now.”

He giggled. “Was this your underlying plan all along? To kidnap me?”

“Shit, he’s onto us,” Deimos said dramatically, swerving the car around to bolster a round of laughs. Soon, they passed a sign welcoming them to a small town within the intricate matrix of forests that soon thin out to dirt pathways, wooden cabins, desolate streets and two traffic lights. It had that abandoned, ghost town feel to it, with only the inclusion of a few cars parked around a brilliant sign that read “GREENERY” across it. It was tucked at the side of the highway, a little oasis from the stretching, cracked, sun-dried roads. Sophie’s van was parked in front of it and soon was Deimos’ truck followed by Daniel’s car. The group of young adults all piled out, stretching from their hour long ride to seek out the mysteries the ominous greenery sign foretold.

As per usual, Deimos and Mira immediately stuck to each other like glue, Raven shooting Kalmin an eye roll before joining their side. Aaron and Gabriel greeted him at the entrance, where Sophie and Rika were chatting happily with the owner. The greenery was split into several large greenhouses full of ripe flowers and fairy gardens, the air humid and thick underneath the glass windows. The large group split into smaller ones and searched through the little tourist spot with ease. Kalmin stuck close to Aaron and Gabriel, and ended up in the little koi fish garden.

“How’s it going?” Aaron asked as the three of them bent down to gaze at the little fish. The pond was connected to a little waterfall with layers upon layers of flowers and vines that cascaded down beside it.

“Pretty good,” Kalmin replied bluntly.

Gabriel glanced over at him, curiously. “How’s Mira and Deimos?”

Kalmin laughed and rolled his eyes. “Lovey dovey.”

“It’s unfortunate that you’re the third wheel in every situation you’re in now,” Aaron joked.

“Yeah, it is,” Kalmin said sarcastically, getting up and nudging Aaron with his shin. “Raven is my only ally.”

Gabriel and Aaron exchanged looks and got up with a grin. “Why don’t you just date her and join the couple trend that’s happening?” Gabriel joked.

“You jerk,” Kalmin shoved him lightly. “You know exactly why I’m not dating Raven.”

“Because you’re gay?” Aaron laughed.

He laughed sarcastically and shoved him next. “You’re they gay one.” He knew they were just joking around, but his face still turned red. Raven just wasn’t someone he could see dating, and he wasn’t going to have the pressure of all the couples around him to force him to pair up. He hated pairing up.

Eventually, after a few more jokes, the three of them wandered through high arches covered with vines, leaves, and bright red and pink roses. The sun peeked through the little holes in the architecture, golden dots splattering across the soft ground. Kalmin stopped to appreciate the little figurines hiding amidst the vines and fencing, little fairies spying on the many tourists that pass by. Then, he heard the click and whine of a camera at his right, where Mira and Deimos suddenly appeared from thin air.

“Did you just…” Kalmin was at a loss of words.

“You’ll get used to it,” Deimos said calmly. He was smiling at him.

“It was the perfect shot, ok,” she mumbled. Delicately, she plucked the polaroid from the camera and waited quietly as it developed. Kalmin joined her side with Deimos, the three of them silently watching the colours appear. Slowly, Kalmin came into frame, his expression calm with the sun streaming across his eyes and lips. He could understand why Mira would take a shot, but he wasn’t as pretty as, well, Deimos.

“Nice,” Deimos commented bluntly.

“I’m friends with such beautiful boys,” Mira hissed.

Kalmin blushed a little. “You’re stretching it there.”

Mira’s eyes narrowed. “An hour ago you loved being called cute.”

“Never happened,” he teased. Deimos shot him a sly sneer. Mira sighed and pushed the two tall boys into the next garden where rows upon rows of hanging flowers resided. The three of them paused for a moment to fully appreciate the circular room. Pastel-coloured flowers circled around the dome, sweet-smelling and beautifully hung, overflowing from their little pots to the cool floor. It was a waterfall of flowers from every direction, walls of soft colour that were cool to the touch. Mira gasped and pushed them further inside, this sort of concentrated yet ecstatic twinkle in her eye. She directed them to stand in front of a pink and purple wall that smelled of honey.

“Does she do this often?” Kalmin joked as Mira got set up.

Deimos smirked at him and nodded. “She does.”