15-05-2021-052358It-Ends-with-Us

“It grew on its own,” I said. “Most plants do need a lot of care to survive.
But some things, like trees, are strong enough to do it by just relying on
themselves and nobody else.”
I had no idea if he knew what I was trying to say without me coming out
and saying it. But I just wanted him to know that I thought he was strong
enough to survive whatever was going on in his life. I didn’t know him well,
but I could tell he was resilient. Way more than I would ever be if I were in his
situation.
His eyes were glued to the tree. It was a long time before he even blinked.
When he finally did, he just nodded a little and looked down at the grass. I
thought with the way his mouth twitched that he was about to frown, but
instead he actually smiled a little.
Seeing that smile made my heart feel like I had just startled it right out of a
dead sleep.
“We’re just alike,” he said, repeating himself from earlier.
“Plants and humans?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. Me and you.”
I gasped, Ellen. I hope he didn’t notice, but I definitely sucked in a rush of
air. Because what the heck was I supposed to say to that?
I just sat there, really awkward and quiet until he stood up. He turned like
he was about to walk home.
“Atlas, wait.”
He glanced back down at me. I pointed at his hands and said, “You might
want to take a quick shower before you go back. Compost is made from cow
manure.”
He lifted his hands and looked down at them and then he looked down at
his compost-covered clothes.
“Cow manure? Seriously?”
I grinned and nodded. He laughed a little and then before I knew it, he was
on the ground next to me, wiping his hands all over me. We were both
laughing as he reached to the bag next to us and stuck his hand inside, then
smeared it down my arms.
Ellen, I am confident that the next sentence I am about to write has never
been written or spoken aloud before.
When he was wiping that cow shit on me, it was quite possibly the most
turned-on I have ever been.