Foxgloves

Words by runi

The room is quiet, save for the clinking of bottles and the rustles of plastic and leaves. Helga fiddles with the stems of the foxgloves laid on the table, placing them back down when Kota comes into the room, a brown satchel in his hands. Her eyes watch his back as he moves around, taking vial after vial of extracts into his hands and depositing them into the satchel. He spares a glance her way, a frown tugging at his lips when he notices her unreadable expression.

“What’s the matter?” He asks, turning away from the shelves to face her fully. She averts her eyes, becoming increasingly interested in the flowers on the table.

“Nothing.”

He stays silent for a few beats before sighing. “That pout on your face says otherwise.”

Her expression shifts, eyes downcast as she nibbles on the inside her cheek. Finally, she relents, looking up at Kota’s face and into his eyes.

“What?” He asks, startled by the sudden attention.

“You wouldn’t betray my trust, would you?” She asks.

His heart skips a beat, the question catching him off guard. He clears his throat, looking at anything else but her. He quickly schools his expression into something akin to genuine confusion before looking her way again to reply.

“What makes you think that I would?”

She averts her gaze once more and shrugs.

“Don’t you trust me, Helga?” He asks, chuckling nervously.

She looks at him like she’s piercing into his very soul, like she knows what he’s done. She stares as if she knows what he plans to do. The thought grips his heart like a vice, guilt rushing through his veins.

“I do.” She says, voice level and cold. It sends a shiver down his spine.

“Then?”

“Then nothing.” She replies and conversation ends there. He watches her every move as she stands, picking up a flower as she does. Slowly, she walks towards him, twirling the stem between her fingers. He ignores the urge to hold his breath when she stops in front of him, a small smile on her face. She takes his hand, pressing the stem into his palm almost painfully.

“It’s just that you’ve always been a terrible liar.” She adds with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.