Gio

"Gio, you stretched out my girl!" Chase complains the instant I'm in the garage.

"What's he blabbing about now?" I ask Oscar.

"I think he's talking about... Angelina?" Oscar throws a questioning look at Chase.

"Veronica! Her name's Veronica!" he enunciates, lifting a potted plant. "This is Angelina."

"Can we get this over with?" I drag one of the chairs to join Oscar in the corner of the room.

Purple lights bathe the entire place. Below them are platforms with rails that have been attached to the ground and wheels that move them from left to right, allowing to save space.

Sixty cannabis seedlings in individual pots are lined across the racks. If anyone enters the garage, they'll see a small, dark room that's been built to cover this up with a hidden door.

"Look man, this isn't a quickie, " Chase tells me. "This takes time and patience. Oscar write that down, time and patience."

"Time and patience..." Oscar pulls out a notebook and starts writing.

"Why is he taking notes?" I ask.

"For you, just in case." Chase pushes Veronica in front of my face. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know... looks fine."

"Looks fine..." Chase repeats like a disappointed grandmother. "Look closer!"

I scowl at the green seedling. "It looks like it's stretching a little sideways."

"A little? No, that's her begging for sunlight because your cheap ass bought cheap ass Chinese LED lights that don't satisfy her heart. Oscar, measuring tape."

Oscar whips out a measuring tape from his backpack for Chase, who measures the distance from the pot to the light like some mad scientist. "You need to lower her light about five inches and brace her until she can stand on her own."

Oscar snorts. "You think if you paid this much attention to actual girls you'd maybe get with one someday?"

"Why would I need a beautiful, flexible, obedient baddie when I already have Gio?"

I rub my eyes tiredly. "Move the fuck on."

"You're a little more grumpy than usual and it can't be your cycle because we're all synced so..." Chase contemplates, then gasps theatrically. "Did you and Celia get in a fight?"

"When do we sell?" I ask, changing the topic.

"Gio, my man, you're sprinting," he chuckles, glancing at Oscar. "You still have ten weeks of feeding the girls, then you need to chop, dry, trim, cure and then we sell."

Why would Celia do something like that? I can't get the image out of my head.

Oscar squeezes my shoulder and Chase claps his hands, then slides a plastic bin of labeled syringes between us.

"Okay, nutrients." He sits on the ground with the bin while Oscar scribbles some notes and I try to translate gibberish. "This is cal-mag for cell structure and photosynthesis, you add two milliliters to a gallon of distilled water—"

I can't shake the cold terror off. I can't stop thinking the worst that could've happened.

"Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium strengthen the plant from root to bud, but don't ever splash them in the face⁠—"

I shouldn't have left her like that, but Chase won't be available and I need learn all this. These plants are so damn sensitive, we're already running into issues—

"Gio!" Chase snaps me out of my thoughts. "What's going on, man? Talk to us."

I notice Oscar is staring with the same wary expression as Chase and rub my neck. "Nothing, Celia and I got in a fight... I got mad, she cried, then I came here."

"What was the fight about?" Oscar asks and I dread the words that come out of my mouth.

"She pointed the gun... to her mouth..."

"What?" Chase voice lowers with terror. "Why?"

"I don't know..." I grit my jaw, gaze absent. "She wanted to know how I feel about her?"

"That's... insane." His voice is barely audible.

"She was messing around, she wasn't serious."

"Oh..." Oscar frowns at Chase and I jerk out of my seat, turning away.

"Fuck, man, I'm so sorry." I run my hands down my face. "Shit."

"No, it's okay," Chase says behind me, standing up too.

I slowly face him, reading the thoughts swirling in his eyes and shake my head. "No, I already talked to her. She won't do it again."

"I can still talk to her, I don't mind," he says quietly but I give him a hug, patting his back.

"No, man. It's okay. I took care of it."

"Why would she do something like that?" Oscar asks, seated between us.

"I don't know..." I look at the ground as if an answer will somehow appear.

"Maybe she doesn't care?" Oscar wonders out loud. "Maybe she doesn't care about herself enough to be afraid."

"How do you feel about her?" Chase asks me, referring to Celia's question.

I shrug, tone dry. "Does it fucking matter? I'm the last thing she needs in her state."

"Um no," he scowls, "you might be exactly what she needs."

"Maybe you should stop smoking so many plants," I try to lighten the mood.

"Chase is right." Oscar twists towards me. "The whole reason I'm married and Chase is running a business is because of you. Because you support and push, no matter where we come from and what we go through. I would never fund a project like this..." He smiles at me warmly. "But I would do anything when it comes to you."

"Shut up..." I grimace, rolling my eyes.

"He's right, man." Chase steps closer, angrier. "You act like you were born to die alone, but you're wrong. Ari's lucky to have you and so is Celia. You need to realize that."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Look where I brought Ari, look what I'm doing in secret," I scoff, throwing my arms up. "I'm running a pot operation just to be able to send her to college because my dad chose to be a dick and rob me for his own debts. What the fuck am I going to do with Celia? Ruin her life too?"

"Her life is already ruined, why else would she act like that?" Chase tilts his chin to match my height. "And I bet you're the only person in her life to give a shit and she knows that."

"He's right!" Oscar stands straight, voice final. "Celia has the chance to go to New York with that rich guy and live in luxury, but she doesn't and you know why? Because she's smart enough to realize that freedom isn't about where you are, it's about who you're with."

Chase points his finger at me, speaking slower. "You might think you're holding her back, but from where I'm standing, you're only giving her what she's been missing. Think about that."

I fill my chest with air and slowly release, trying to clear my head and stop them from worrying. "Look guys, I appreciate you more than you know, but it's not so simple. So can we please move on for now and focus on the project? I want to go back and check on her."

"No problem..." Chase sits back on the floor and Oscar grips his pen and notebook again.

I take a seat too and watch as Chase slides a plant between us. It's a couple of inches tall with five or six leaves grown already.

"Okay, sometimes these nodes that grow at the top need to be cut so the ladies stay low and spread apart." Chase says, poking the little green part at the top. "See the node?"

I nod while Oscar snaps a picture.

"Thanks, man," I say to him and he nods, then takes a selfie of us.

Meanwhile Chase lowers two fingers over the leaves in a very questionable manner.

"You gently spread the node open," he says, pushing the leaves apart. "And be careful because all the future buds grow right in the crotch."

"Can you talk like a normal person?" I raise my brows. "For once, like for once?"

"I know this gets you horny Gio, but keep it in your pants, this is serious business. Anyway, a lot of people like to get in there with their fingers, but I prefer to use scissors."

He grabs a pointed scissor and snips the node off, then dips his head for a deep, deep inhale and sighs with a satisfied grin.

"Nothing gets me more excited than the smell of her flowing juices."

"For fuck's sake!" I laugh with Oscar. "Why am I friends with you?"

After an hour of Chase showing me what to expect for the next two weeks, we create a feeding schedule before finishing for the day. Then I walk them to their cars and head back home.

When I take off my shoes by the door, I find Ari sitting against the couch with markers and papers on the coffee table. Of course, none of the drawings actually made it onto the paper.

"Nice tattoos you got there," I smile and she quickly lifts a finger to her mouth.

"Shh, she's sleeping," she points behind her and that's when I realize the little burrito is Celia.

"Did you put your blanket around her, baby?" I whisper to Ari, kneeling before her as she nods.

Celia's curled into such a small ball that at first I thought she was just a blanket around pillows. Now from this angle, I see a part of her face.

"I finished my homework, then we watched Shrek and Luna kept trying to leave so Celia let, then she said she was tired and I told her she can nap while I draw a little."

"Good job." I kiss the top of her head, stroking her hair. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"She was going to make spicy mac 'n' cheese, but I can make us peanut butter sandwiches, would you like that daddy?"

"No, angel. I'll order some pizza, would you like that?" I whisper and she beams, nodding enthusiastically. I pinch her chubby cheek before shifting towards Celia.

Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable when she wakes up with me in the living room, I decide to move her to my room. Ari's bed is too small and after that meltdown, she could use some rest.

Gently, I slide my hands under her and scoop her to my chest. Ari scurries ahead of me to open my bedroom door, then pulls my sheets away as I lay Celia down on my pillow.

"Thank you, baby," I murmur to Ari. "I got it from here."

~ A/N ~
Man, I would kill for spicy mac 'n' cheese right now! What's your favorite comfort food, y'all?