#hyreth

“Okay, but I won’t share my umbrella with you when it starts to rain while we’re at the beach,” Hyacinth said.

“If it starts to rain” he returned.

“When,” Hyacinth asserted.

Hyacinth kept her mouth shut as they walked from her mothers house to the beach, even though she could see clouds brewing in the west. Gareth would just have to learn his lesson. If he did end up getting drenched, it would be a fitting punishment for not listening to her.

They did have a fun time at the beach, though Hyacinth was getting more smug as the clouds moved in. Until, of course, they hung in the sky for 3 hours without releasing a single drop.

“Hey Hy,” Gareth said, returning from the beachside bar with their drinks, “your drink has a little umbrella for you if it starts raining.”

“Ha ha,” she said, taking the fruity drink that was garnished with a paper umbrella, “hilarious.”

As the day wound down, Hyacinth was starting to fear the worst: that Lee Goldberg, and by extension herself, might be proven wrong. This wouldn’t do, she had to do some research, phone a friend

Hey El, you’re in the city right?

Eloise: I’m in Hoboken, but yes.

Eloise: Why?

Has it rained where you are?

Eloise: Yeah it’s been raining all day

What direction would you say the rain is going?

Eloise: I don’t know Hyacinth, why don’t you look at the radar or something

Because that feels like cheating

Eloise: What? What the hell are you talking about?

Nothing, nevermind. Love you, tell the twins and Phillip that I said hi

Well, Eloise wasn’t helpful.

“Who ya texting?” Gareth asked, tilting his sunglasses down.

“Eloise.”

“Yeah, how is she doing?”

“Good.”

“Are you okay?” Gareth asked.

“I’m fine, just disappointed,” she replied.

“Disappointed that it didn’t rain while we we’re at the beach?” he laughed.

“Maybe,” she smiled, thinking how lucky she was to find someone who found her obstinance endearing in such a handsome package.

“Hyacinth, what am I going to do with you?”

“I can think of a few things,” she said with a wink.

Then, in what seemed like an extraordinary coincidence, there was a crack of thunder followed by a downpour.

“You’re joking!” Gareth said, leaning his head back in exasperation before shuffling to pack up their stuff.

“I knew it! Lee Goldberg wouldn’t lie to me!” Hyacinth said, rushing to grab her umbrella.

Gareth picked up their beach bag and looked at Hyacinth, “Is there room for me under there?”

“I’ll do you one better,” she smiled, “I’ve got an extra!”

“Really?” Gareth said hopefully.

Hyacinth mumbled a quiet curse under her breath. There were plenty of things that interested her but learning to do complicated hairstyles wasn’t one of them. Messy buns and high ponytails had always been her go-to hairdo, it was easy enough, got the job done, and looked good on her. In a way, it was also practical. If her nieces were to learn she could braid hair in ten different ways, she would never again be able to sit at the adults' table at family gatherings ever again. And she loved her nieces, dearly, but she would rather help them climb trees than spend hours sitting on the floor tangling locks of hair together.

But Gareth St. Clair was a man proud of his hair. It was just as much a part of who he was as was his sense of humor or his good-natured personality. He loved to tend to it, braid it, and try different styles. And since he loved Hyacinth, he wanted to make her part of one of the things he kept closer to his heart.

And how was she supposed to refuse his request to just relax and let him run his hands through her hair, applying coconut scented oils to it while softly sharing stories about his mother and how she used to do the same to him when he was a kid. Even with her back turned to him, she could hear the nostalgic smile in his voice. Gareth hardly ever spoke about his late mother but when he did there was so much longing in his eyes that it made her heart swell in a way she wasn’t sure was healthy. Hyacinth knew well the hurt of losing a parent before you even had the chance to form significant memories with them. The only difference was that she had nothing that truly belonged to her to remember her own father. She had stolen pieces and bits of the stories her siblings and mother shared with her in order to craft her own memories with a man she would never come to meet. In her mind, Edmund had been the one to teach her to ride a bike with encouraging words, never letting go until she was confident enough to try on her own. He had attended all her school functions, always early to get a seat on the front row, where she could easily see him from the stage. In the made-up images of him she had conjured in her mind, he was always smiling, always a serene expression on his face that made her feel safe. Hyacinth had never learned how to swim but in her mind, Edmund had been the one to teach her.

It was different for Gareth, she knew. He had known his mother, loved her, and lost her. And, for better or for worse, that was a flavor of pain Hyacinth was quite familiar with too. Maybe that was the reason she enjoyed the rare times when he narrated tales of his childhood so much. He was sharing a precious secret with her, yes, but it was something else too. He was baring his soul to her, showing the most vulnerable parts of himself. That was trust in its most primal form. And knowing he had chosen to expose himself to her out of all people made her warm and fuzzy inside.

Hyacinth had never been particularly fond of having people touch her hair but it was different when the fingers entangled in her dark locks belonged to Gareth. She quite enjoyed the soft chills that the action sent down her spine. And that had to be one of the scariest things in the whole world.

There, sitting on the floor of his living room, with her back pressed against Gareth's chest, each of his legs secured at her sides while he hummed contently behind her, the realization hit Hyacinth like lightning hits a tree during an enraged thunderstorm; suddenly, completely, devastatingly, leaving nothing but destruction and chaos behind. Right now, right there, what they had; it was happiness. And she didn’t want to let go of it. She wanted Gareth in her life for as long as he would have her because… because she was in love with him. She didn’t just love him, she was in love with him. It had only taken something as ridiculous as thinking about her dad to make her finally realize what she had known for a long time. Maybe there were more similarities between her and her siblings that she cared to admit. What a horrific thought.

“Everything okay?” The gentle, mild concerned voice of her boyfriend brought her back to reality. Hyacinth turned to look at him over her shoulder, nodding with a soft smile. The concern in his eyes didn’t seem to vanish but he made no further comments. She was grateful for it.

“Time for the student to become the master. Move aside, peasant.” When her body spun around to exchange positions, her feet that had been fighting a silent battle against the chilly evening air, brushed against his thighs. He leaped, let out a surprised yelp, and retracted his legs so fast Hyacinth lost balance and ended up falling face down against his chest.

“Ah, your feet are ice-cold!” It was a protest but it sounded more like an accusation as if somehow Hyacinth had orchestrated the whole thing and had been patiently waiting for the perfect time to make her move. And as much as she hated to admit it, he was not that far off. It was definitely the kind of thing she would come up with. He knew her well, way too well.

Rather than feeling ashamed, she placed a sweet kiss on his nose and smirked down at him. It was that special smile she seemed to have reserved for him and for him alone. “Maybe you should warm them up, huh?”

Gareth’s brow curved, amusement overtaking his whole face. So she wanted to play. He could do that. His hands brushed against her thighs, slowly moving down her legs until they reached her ankles. He stopped to look at her then, his eyes burning into hers as he leaned in to place a kiss on her parted lips that took her breath away. He was so close she could still taste his breath. And then, he pushed himself back and centered his attention on her cold feet. Both hands closed around one of her small feet, rubbing and rubbing at a fast pace almost as if he was trying to start a fire. The motion tingled her, making soft giggles escape her lips. Hyacinth tried to free herself from his grasp but he was firm and refused to let her go.

“Stop!” The word was hard to understand as it was said in between fits of laughter. “Stop! Come on!”

Gareth grinned, shaking his head. At this point, his hands had abandoned her feet and were focused on tickling her sides. “What’s the magic word?”

“Please?” She was tossing, desperately trying to get away from him. Laugh filled the air around them.

He shook his head again. And Hyacinth finally understood.

“I love you!” She exclaimed breathlessly.

He froze in place. The room grew quiet. It was not the magic word he had been looking for, no. But it was one million times better.