Ororo turned to see Rogue and Kitty scrambling down the stone steps into the greenhouse, obviously out of breath and excited. "Yes, girls...what is it?"
"The professor said yes!" Rogue gasped. "We asked him and he said yes!"
"We wanted to have a dance...you know, like a prom," Kitty added. "I mean, normal high schools have them. Why shouldn't we?"
Ororo smiled and wiped the dirt from her hands with a rag. "I think that's an excellent idea, ladies. Will this be formal?"
"Oh, yes, definitely," said Rogue, her eyes shining with excitement. "And we already have escorts and everythin'!"
Ororo placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I think that's wonderful. Anything I can do to help?"
The two girls glanced at each other, then Kitty spoke up. "Well, actually, yes. We were wondering if you would DJ for us."
"Me?" Ororo was mildly surprised, but the girls only nodded and looked at her hopefully.
"Puh-leeze, Storm? Logan already said no," Rogue pleaded.
That made Ororo laugh. "I'm certain he did, and probably not as nicely as you put it." She tilted her head and looked at the glass panels of the ceiling for a moment, then sighed. "All right, girls...I'll do it."
"Yess!" they shouted in unison, both of them rushing to throw their arms around her. "We sooo appreciate this, Miss Munroe!" said Kitty, then she grabbed Rogue's gloved hand and the two of them rushed back up the steps and out the door.
"C'mon, Rogue...now we've gotta find Jean!"
Ororo watched them go with a smile, then turned back to the orchids. She reached out and stroked one of the large petals, still damp from the watering system, and marveled as always over their brilliant, unusual beauty. The orchids were probably her favorite flowers in the greenhouse...the cultivation of flowers was one of Xavier's many hobbies, and the greenhouse was full of all different kinds, but whenever she came here to tend them the orchids always drew her attention the longest.
Lately, diverting her attention was something she worked at very hard. Anything to keep from thinking about him.
Logan...the heat from his back as she had clung to him on Scott's motorcycle. The smooth tautness of his stomach muscles beneath her clasped hands...the thought of him made her knees a little weak and sent a delicious shiver through her body...
Don't do this to yourself, Storm, she told herself. He's your friend...your teammate. You shouldn't be thinking about him like this.
"Hey, 'Ro."
She looked up with a start and saw Logan coming down the steps into the room, his dark, unreadable eyes focused on her intently. Against her will, her gaze slid down his body, taking in the outline of his muscles against the flannel of his shirt, the tightness of his worn jeans, before returning to his hard, handsome face.
Just a friend...he's just a friend...
"Hey," she answered, giving him a shy smile. No matter how much time they spent together or how well she had come to know him, his presence still had the ability to make her feel weak.
He sat down on the low wall surrounding the plant beds, reaching out to finger one of the roses, then pointing at the purple orchids beside them. "What kind of flower is that?"
"It's an orchid," she replied, cupping a bloom in one hand. "Do you like them?"
He grunted, and she wasn't sure if that was a yes or no. After a moment, he continued. "I had a good time last night...you know, the ice cream and the park and all."
She smiled again. "So did I." He met her eyes for an instant, and Ororo felt her heart ache with longing.
Just a friend...she reminded herself. Let's keep it together, shall we?
He jerked his head toward the open door. "I just met Rogue and that friend of hers coming from here...what did they want?"
She turned back to the roses with a small laugh. "Apparently, Xavier has given his permission for the kids to hold a dance." She picked up the small pruning shears and began trimming the rose stems. "They wanted to know if I would provide the music."
"They asked me the same thing." He paused. "You didn't say yes, did you?"
"Of course I did." She grinned as Logan groaned in disgust and shook his head. "What? It's not like I have anything better to do."
"Yeah, but..." He ran an hand through his thick hair, making it stand up even more wildly than usual. "Hell, 'Ro. You're not going to be enjoying yourself very much stuck behind a DJ booth."
"If I wasn't behind that booth, I would just be sitting there blending into the wallpaper. This way, at least I have something to do to keep me busy." Suddenly angry, she tightened her lips and cut away the unwanted growth on the roses with a vengeance.
"You wouldn't just be sitting there...you'd be dancing, right?" Logan watched her, his expression serious.
"With who?"
"Well, Scott will be there..."
She laughed, a little harsher than she intended. "Don't be stupid, Logan. He'll be dancing with Jean." She made a particularly vicious cut and misjudged her aim, and suddenly a rosebud was thumping with a soft sound on the dirt below. "Shit," she muttered, picking up the snipped bloom in her fingers.
Logan surprised her by bursting into laughter. "Since when did you start cussing?"
She gave him a sheepish grin. "I guess you're rubbing off on me."
Logan shook his head. "Great. Give One-Eye one more reason to kick me out." He grinned, then his voice grew more serious. "I didn't mean to upset you, by the way. I didn't know."
She stared at him suspiciously. "Know what?"
He shrugged. "That you had...you know...a thing for Scott."
Ororo almost choked. "What?! What gave you that idea!"
He spread his hands wide in confusion. "Well, damn, you got so upset about him dancing with Jean that I thought...you know, that you were jealous or somethin'."
"I am not jealous! I..." She fought for the words, then sighed and sat down beside him on the wall. "All right, I guess I am jealous, but its not what you think."
"Then what is it?"
She didn't answer, and then Logan surprised her by putting a gentle arm around her shoulders. To be so close to him...she nearly stopped breathing, but somehow she managed to keep her expression neutral.
"C'mon, 'Ro," he said softly. "You can talk to me...I won't laugh, if that's what you're worried about."
She kept her gaze on the cut rose, still in her hands.. "I guess...I'm just envious of Jean. Not Jean as a person... Jean's like a sister to me. I guess I'm just jealous of her looks."
Logan's voice held a note of surprise. "Why?"
"Because she's so pretty, and I'm..." Her voice sank to almost a whisper. "Well, I'm not."
She heard him snort. "What in the hell makes you think that?"
"Look at me, Logan! She's everything I'm not!" she snapped. "Jean is tall, beautiful, sweet..."
"And boring," Logan interrupted. She glanced at him, her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, please, Logan. That doesn't make me feel better, because I know you don't really think that." She shrugged off his arm and stood up. "Everyone knows you're attracted to her."
He stood up as well. "I might've been, once. Hell, I've been attracted to a lot of women over the years. It doesn't mean anything, though." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't get me wrong, 'Ro...I think Jeannie's one hell of a gal, but she ain't you."
"No, she isn't." She stood there in silence, feeling tears prick her eyelids and wishing that he would just go away before she made an even bigger fool of herself.
But Logan didn't leave. "It's like this, Ororo," he said, reaching out and taking the rosebud from her hand with startling gentleness. "See this rose?"
She blinked back tears and nodded.
"Red roses. Everybody loves 'em. They're perfect, the color, the shape, the smell...everything, right?"
She nodded again, and dared to look him in the eyes. They were so beautiful they broke her heart.
"But, that's just it, 'Ro," he continued. "They're perfect, and so people buy 'em because they're pretty, and predictable. Walk into any grocery store and you'll find a million of 'em...each one as perfect as the last. Jeannie's that perfect rose."
"But then there's this." He reached past her, and Ororo turned to see him touch his fingers to the purple petals of the orchid. "You're more like the orchid, 'Ro." He studied the flower intently. "Kinda unusual, right? Not many people buy these things...they're for people with more exotic tastes." She watched him in silence, and when next he spoke his voice was almost tender. "Some people are never attracted to 'em, because they only like what is always the same...predictable, like the roses. But that doesn't change the fact that the orchid is just as beautiful as the rose..." He smiled a little. "Maybe even more beautiful."
She looked at him in stunned silence, and he only returned her gaze, his expression thoughtful. Ororo felt a single tear spill over her lashes. "I think that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, Logan," she whispered. "Thank you."
"Yeah, well...I don't like seeing you upset." He cocked an eyebrow, then reached out and touched a warm finger to the wetness on her cheek. "Looks like I made it worse, though."
"No, you didn't." She laughed a little, then on impulse reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're a very good friend, Logan."
"So are you." He clasped her hand briefly, then released it. "Well, I need to get going. I promised Scott I'd help him get the engine block out of the Bentley."
"Okay."
He nodded and jogged up the steps out of the greenhouse. Ororo watched him go, then turned and gently caressed one of the orchid blooms.
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