The Enchanted Greenhouse(92)

Terlu began to climb after him. Don’t look down, she ordered herself. The rungs felt sturdy, even though they had flecks of rust on them. Against the glass, she could almost see into the next greenhouse, a smear of deep tropical green with splashes of bright red. Behind her, she could hear the water sloshing within its tank. She was panting by the time she reached the top.

Yarrow was there to help her onto the platform.

“High,” she puffed out.

“Look,” he said. He nodded to indicate behind her, and she turned.

They had reached the top of the greenhouse, snow-flecked glass above them and the blue-white sky above that. Before them was the surface of the water. Kelp and other seaweed floated on top. And then a sea turtle poked its head above water.

It swam toward the edge, and Yarrow grinned at it. “Good to see you, buddy.”

“We have a sea turtle?” Terlu said with a gasp.

Yarrow grinned more broadly. “You said you like sea turtles. He’s been with us for decades. My sister tried to release him once—she did release him. Three times, actually. And each time he beached himself, then dragged himself, on flippers, back to the greenhouse. I guess he decided we’re his family.”

Terlu reached her hand into the water, expecting it to be as cold as the winter sea outside. Ooh, it was summery warm. “I’m swimming with him.” She immediately began pulling off her tunic before it occurred to her that maybe that wasn’t okay with Yarrow. She peeked over the collar before she had it fully over her head. “Is that—”

“Whatever you want.” He was looking up at the ceiling and blushing so hard that his golden cheeks practically glowed.

She hesitated for only half a second and then her top was off. Pants followed in a heap next to it. In undergarments only, she climbed over the edge and lowered herself into the water beside the sea turtle.

He swam around her, bumping gently into her.

“You should come in,” Terlu called to Yarrow. “The water’s perfect.” She used to swim with the sea turtles outside Eano. There was one breed in particular that was very fond of humans, perhaps because they associated the people of Eano with treats, but this turtle was the same kind. She laughed as he danced around her.

“You go ahead,” Yarrow said. “I’m more of a land mammal.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Enjoy yourself. I’ll have a towel ready when you’re done.”

She hadn’t thought about a towel, or the fact that it was winter outside. Yes, she’d taken off her outer clothes, but her undergarments were now soaked. She probably should have thought this through. The sea turtle headbutted her again. He seemed eager to have company in the pool. She wondered when the last time was that anyone had swam with him. The turtles of this breed she knew had been friendly creatures, happy for interaction.

She gripped the edge of the sea turtle’s shell and took a deep breath.

The turtle plunged down into the water. Terlu hadn’t swum like this in years, and she felt every bit of childhood joy flood into her. She was eight years old again, beneath the waves. Fish darted around her, in the bubbles of the turtle’s wake. She saw the kelp forest in front of them, and the turtle weaved through it before swimming up to the surface again.

She broke through and took another gulp of air. “Again!”

They circled the greenhouse tank, creating their own current, rising so that she could breathe before plunging down again. At last, she released the turtle’s shell and floated on her back on the surface of the seawater.

“Thank you for showing me this place,” Terlu said to Yarrow.

“It’s nice to see you happy.”

“I am happy,” Terlu said. “You’ve been kind to me, and this place … this entire island is amazing.” And so are you, she wanted to say but didn’t dare. She swam to the edge, and Yarrow helped her out of the water. He wrapped a towel around her—he’d magically produced it from somewhere. Fingers on the edges of the towel, he hesitated before he stepped backward. “I’m thankful to be alive and to be here. Without you, I’d still be a statue, much less able to swim with a sea turtle again and see star flowers and … all of it. I don’t even know how to begin to express how grateful I am.”

“I don’t want your gratitude.” He turned away.

She dried herself and wrung out her hair with the towel. “I am grateful, though. You saved me.”

“I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know. But…” Terlu didn’t know how to put into words how she felt. Even though he hadn’t known her, hadn’t meant to save her, had only meant to help his greenhouse, he had changed her life. He’d given her a second chance.

He turned toward her again while she was still drying her hair. His eyes widened, and she realized she was only in very wet undergarments. Whatever he was going to say was lost.

He wants me.

I think.

“There were sea turtles in the water around the island where I grew up,” Terlu said lightly, as if he were a bird she didn’t want to scare off. “I used to swim with them all the time. After I moved to Alyssium … there weren’t any sea turtles in the canals, and you didn’t want to swim anywhere near the capital island. The closest water wasn’t clean, with that many people living there. I think this sea turtle missed having someone swim with him.” She wasn’t sure why she was saying all of this. Maybe to avoid saying what she wanted to say, which was, Do you want me like I want you?