Jake sat in what was left of the garden him and Katie spent so much time on, a pad of paper and pen in his large hands. He jotted down the things he would need to fix it back up after Dallas and the Ice Hounds destroyed it. He was so transfixed in his thoughts; he didn't even notice his girlfriend Katie take a seat beside him. After a moment of her boyfriend not even taking a glance at her, she speaks up. "Jake?"
He looked over at her, a bit startled at the break in silence. When he realized it was her, he couldn't help but smile, in which she immediately returned. "Katie, hey; what brings you out here?"
The blue eyed girl looked down at the notepad in her boyfriend's hands, before looking back at his face. "I could be asking you the same question, Mister." She replied, a hint of playfulness in her voice. He glanced down at his scribbled list for a moment, before looking at his girlfriend again.
"I was just writing down things we need to fix this place up." He sighed, his frustration evident, as he ran a hand through his short hair. "It looks like practically everything needs to be replaced. There's really nothing salvageable; not even the plants."
As soon as those words left Jake's lips, Katie stood up and started to look around the garden. "Katie, I already looked-" She holds her hand up towards him, signalling for him to stop. He obeyed and just watched his girlfriend, intrigued at what exactly she was doing. When he saw her kneel down, he set his notepad down beside him and walked over to her side. "What?" He questioned, kneeling down beside her. He had to admit, he was curious.
"Look." She smiled, pointing to a small plant within a broken pot. She reached for it, Jake holding her waist lightly so she wouldn't tip forward and cut her hands on the broken materials. When she got a hold of it, she carefully lifted it out of the mess and steadied herself with Jake's help. Once she was upright on her knees, she held the small sprout of green between their faces. "I knew you weren't looking hard enough."
He smiled at his girlfriend, appreciative of the fact that she was trying to make him feel better. He must admit, it was working, as per usual. He didn't know how she managed to do it, but Katie always seemed to find some way to make him feel better or cheer him up.
Jake carefully took the small plant from Katie's palms after they both stood up. He inspected it a bit. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, which caused Jake to smile a bit more. Seeing this, Katie took Jake's free hand within her own and led him over to the middle of the garden.
The center garden was raised out of the ground, cement sides surrounding it. It was filled with only dirt, having been tidied up a few days earlier; the first of the entire garden to be cleaned up. Jake was thankful to the volunteers who were willing to help rebuild the mess the hockey team left, making a reminder to himself to repay them when they were finished.
Katie let go of his hand once they were at their destination, and without hesitation, dug a small hole in the dirt. Jake watched her until she was finished, before setting it carefully into the hole. They both filled dirt in and around the hole, until the plants roots were all covered.
The two of them stood there and looked at the small green sprout, a comfortable silence falling between them as they smiled. After a moment, Jake laced his fingers with Katie's. "Well it may not be much." He started, looking in his girlfriend's eyes. "But it's a start."
She smiled, and nodded, leaning up on her tip toes and capturing her boyfriend's lips with her own.
Hope you guys enjoyed this little story :) Also, look forward to a multi-chapter fanfic coming soon!