Work Text:
Wiping your hands on your denim shorts and quickly running a sleeve over your sweaty forehead, you place the hose reel off to the side before walking towards the shop when you notice a customer.
"Hi! Can I help you find something?" You ask with a friendly smile.
Scratching the back of his neck, the man shoots you a sheepish look. "Yeah, I'm looking for a few tomato plants."
His uncertainty is as cute as his accent.
"Yeah, sure! We've got several in stock. What variety are you looking for? There's beefsteak, heirloom, Roma, pink, cherry tomatoes or yellow tomatoes." You spout off while leading the Aussie over to the plants.
"Um, yeah...there's way more than I thought there'd be." You smile and nod.
"So, you're new to gardening then. How about I pull a few that are good for newbies?"
"I'd appreciate that." After discussing his plot size and soil, you gather a few plants that you think will suit him the best.
"Do you see a lot of wildlife in the yard?"
"No clue. I just moved in." He nervously laughs.
"Let's grab a few cages to go around the stakes. They'll keep them away from your plants."
"You're the expert." You finish loading the items onto his flat.
Brushing your hands together, you offer the gentleman another smile. "That should do it. Feel free to look around some more, and Tim can help you settle up when you are finished."
Shortly after you head to reconcile the drawer, the man steps back into the shop. You scribble down numbers before you forget and look back up.
"I just wanted to thank you for all your help."
"Anytime! Did Tim take care of you?"
"Yeah, he did. I didn't realize you were closing up. I won't take any more of your time." He said with a wave.
"Wait! Can I help you load up?"
He nods.
Turning to Meagan you instruct, "Please finish up in here. If you don't mind, check on Tim after to see what he might need a hand with."
Stepping outside, you see the large man loading up his truck.
"Here." You hand him the items as he stands in the bed. After the last item is loaded, he jumps down and closes the gate.
"I can't thank you enough..."
"It's Y/N and anytime." You smile.
"Right....it's your shop, or so the sign says." He laughs. "I'm Jai."
His laugh was contagious and you find yourself laughing. "Good luck, Jai!"
______________
You are in the middle of inventory when you spot Jai. He is nervously looking around and smiles when he sees you.
"So...I'm pretty sure I killed all the plants,” he says with small wince.
You raise a brow.
"I didn't know raising plants would be so stressful."
You can't help but laugh. "Let's go over what you did and then we'll get stuff for another go?"
Slipping his hands into his pockets, he replies, "That sounds good."
After gather more plants a bag of fertilizer and soil neutralizer, Jai was set to attempt another hand at gardening. Closing the tailgate, he rubs his hands together and says, "Here goes nothing."
You laugh again at his uncertainty. "You'll be fine. I promise."
"This would be so much easier if you came with the plants." He joked.
"We close early tomorrow. I could swing by your place afterwards and help. "
Jai's brows shoot up in surprise. "Really?! You'd do that? That'd be great. I could make you lunch for the effort."
You hand Jai your phone and he quickly enters his number. As he hands it back, he says, "Just text if something comes up and you can't make it."
"Absolutely!" You wave as he drives off. Looking down at your phone and seeing his number makes you feel giddy. When you turn around Meagan and Tim both have huge smiles on their faces.
"You saw nothing and get back to work."
__________
You knock on the door, patiently awaiting Jai. When he answers you are greeted with a huge smile and a heavenly aroma wafting out of his house.
"Oh, my! That smells amazing!" You say, your voice radiating with excitement.
He laughs. "Well, I hope you like Thai."
"Are you kidding? Thai is one of my favs." You pause as he closes the door.
He places his hand on the small of your back as he ushers you through his place.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
"Water is fine."
He hands you a bottle before turning to stir the pots. "I need a few minutes to finish up.” He calls over his shoulder. “Since it's nice I thought we could eat on the patio. Just wander about."
Swallowing your water, you quickly reply, "Okay."
You step out on the covered patio. There's a large table with several chairs, an outdoor bar, a ceiling fan, and lights strung from the roof. The uncovered section has a grill with a few lounge chairs nearby and a fire pit. His outdoor space is certainly set up for entertainment.
"I'm almost done." He shouts from the house.
"No worries." You call back. The space is wonderful and you are soaking it all in.
As you stand on the edge of the patio, a raised garden bed causes you to double take. It's full of tomato plants. In fact, the tomatoes look heathy and are starting to bud. With a knitted brow, you step closer to examine them.
"I hope brought your appetite, because it’s ready." Jai's voice loudly summons you to the table.
You turn with a look of confusion. It takes Jai a moment to register the look. He takes a step towards you.
"Nice garden." You softly say.
"Y/N...." Jai starts to say, but you cut him off.
"Jai, I'm confused. I thought you were having trouble and needed help."
He looks pass you at the garden, and with a heavy sigh, he mumbles, "Yeah." He pauses before looking back to you. "I clearly didn't think this one through. I came back to the center to ask you out, but I choked last minute."
"You wanted to ask me out?" The words swirling through your head still doesn’t make sense. "What about the plants you bought?"
"I gave them to my neighbor." He says, tilting his head at the house next door.
A small laugh escapes at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Y/N, I'm sorry for leading you here under false pretenses. If you want to leave I completely understand."
You study his face as you mill over the options. You bite the inside of your cheek before slowly releasing the flesh from between your teeth.
Jai is nervously tapping his fingers on his thigh as he waits for your response.
"I...um...I'm flattered… really."
"I feel like a but is coming..." You quickly shake your head no.
"I'd like to stay for lunch." You say with a small smile.
"Yeah?!" He loudly exclaims in disbelief.
"Yes. It would be stupid to pass up a good meal, especially one made by a cute guy." You quickly add.
Jai smiles at the compliment. He slowly takes your hand, dragging you to the table and pulling out your chair.
Once he's seated himself next to you, he softly laughs. You quirk a brow at him asking, “What’s so funny?"
"I thought for sure you thought I was some loon and you were going to run." He admits.
You laugh before dead panning, "The afternoon isn't over yet."
He stops and looks at you. "That's very true. You haven't seen my collection of doll heads yet."
The two of you erupt in laughter.
"Seriously. I'm glad you stayed."
"Me too." You offer with a smile.
______________
You help Jai clear the table and clean the dishes. Lunch had lasted for a couple of hours as the two of you shared stories and joked around. You lean against the counter after the last dish has been washed and sigh.
“I hate to run, but I actually need to get going.” You feel guilty for bolting.
“Yeah, I’m sure you weren’t planning on staying this long.”
Shaking your head you mouth “no”. Jai looks up at the ceiling in laughter and slowly licks his lip after straightening up.
“I know I keep saying it, but lunch was soooo good, thank you.”
“I love to cook so it was my pleasure.” He offers with a shrug.
Slipping your hands into your back pockets, you look up at Jai. “I really did have fun this afternoon.”
“Even if I lured you here?” He asks with a smirk.
“Yeah, even if you lured me here like a creep.” You retort with a large smile.
When Jai takes a step towards you, your breath hitches as your heart rate increases. He swallows before leaning in and finding your lips. Your hands reach up and wrap around his neck as he deepens the kiss. Parting, he tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear as he stares you in the eye.
“Do you have plans tomorrow night? I’d like to take you out for a proper date.”
“I’m all yours.”