House Plants

When I started renting my apartment a few months ago, I wasn’t planning on having to be stuck in it. I had only intended to use the tight quarters as a place to sleep and cook.

I leaned back in the loveseat that sat against the wall, giving me a good view outside the glass door to the barren balcony.

I grabbed my coffee mug and stood up, going outside for the first time since I had been laid off because of the pandemic. I stepped onto the balcony, feeling a little heat on the cold cement on my sockless feet. I took a sip of the bitter coffee and I rested my arms onto the white metal rails that lined the small rectangle, staring out at the nearly empty street. Only a few people had ventured out onto the sidewalks, their heads adorned with a mask, trying in all their efforts to stay safe even when the only safety was in isolation.

“Hey,” I heard a voice say snapping me out of my own head. I looked to balcony on my right to see a man, about my age looking back at me. He wore a blue Superman tank top and gray sweatpants. His hair was light, but it looked like there was a brown towards the roots. He had light skin, but not as pale as mine. I could see a few visible freckles on his face and shoulders.

“Hello,” I said walking to the right end of my balcony as he stood at the left of his. there was roughly about 7 feet between his balcony and mine.

“Are you new here?” He asked. Behind him on his balcony I saw a single patio chair sitting out and a matching table next to it. There was a few pots of different types of flowers and plants around it as well as some sort of a rug on the ground my the door, which wouldn’t have been too visible except that it was bright yellow.

“I moved in a couple months ago,” I explained.

“And you still haven’t put anything on your balcony?” He asked, smirking a bit.

“I’m usually at work and don’t bother to come out here.”

“I’m just teasing you a bit. I understand. My neighbor on the other side have apparently been here for years and still haven’t set anything up on their balcony.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,“ he said snickering. That sound of joy was contagious enough for me to laugh with him.

“So, how long have you been here?”

“Almost a year now. After I finished college, I needed to find a job, and this was the only place that had potential for me.”

“So, what do you do?”

“I was a biologist. I was just doing part-time work at the animal sanctuary about a mile from here. But because no one’s allowed out, I’ve just been spending some time here.”

“That’s pretty cool. I just worked at the law firm down the street. But, they were about to go bankrupt so I got laid off.”

“That’s too bad, man. But on the bright side, this will be over soon.” The way he spoke, made it seem like he actually believed it would all go back to normal soon. I, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.

“So, what’s you name?” I asked, realizing I knew more about his life than his name.

“Oh, I’m Oliver Zol. And you?”

“My name’s Leo Mane.”

“Leo Mane,” he repeated softly. “That’s a really nice name.”

“Thanks,” I said, starting to feel my cheeks heat up.

He cocked his head to the side and smiled at me. “What color are your eyes? It’s hard to tell from over here.”

“Oh, they’re blue,” I said, subconsciously brushing my hair out of my face.

“Blue eyes and black hair is always a beautiful combination,” he said flirtatiously.

“Are yours brown?” I asked, just being able to make out a color that looked like honey sitting in his eyes.

“Yeah,” he smiled relaxing his shoulders and leaning towards me on his railing.

I wanted to try to say something witty or flirty like he did, but my mind couldn’t make out any sentence, instead focusing on every aspect of him. The way he stood. They way he tilted his head to look at me. The way he rested his arms, crossed on the railing. All the way down to how he seemed to subconsciously rub at his thumb.

When I looked back up at his eyes, he was already looking at me. Then, in a split second, I saw his eyes light up. “I’ll be right back!” He said excitedly before he went running into his house.

“Okay,” I said, even though he was already gone.

I took a sip of my coffee and shook my head, smiling at the adorable dork that was my neighbor.

From inside my house I heard my doorbell ring. It almost seemed like too much of a coincidence that Oliver left and then my doorbell rang, but I walked to the door anyway, looking through the peephole at the empty hallway.

After I opened the door, I saw a small potted plant sitting in front of the door. I set my coffee on the table that rested by the door before picking up the plant. I saw a ripped piece of paper sticking out of the dirt. I took the plant inside and pulled the paper out to see a 10-digit phone number written on it. Above the phone number it said “Oliver :)“ in a sloppy handwriting, but it was still obvious to what the numbers were.

I carried the plant back out to my balcony, leaving the paper on my table next to my phone on the coffee table.

“A plant?” I asked, unable to hold back a smile.

“It’s called a Pig ear succulent,” Oliver said with a big smile on his face. ”I figured you could use a house plant.”

“Thanks. I like it,” I said setting the plant down on the outer right corner of the balcony, mirroring what Oliver did with a similar looking plant.

“I was hoping you would.”

I took a deep breath hoping this would work. “Well, since I have your number now, maybe you would let me treat you to dinner when the restaurants open again?”

I saw Oliver start to blush under his freckles. “Yeah. I would really like that, Leo.”