Sterling hardly anticipated that his words of reassurance would be met with such heartfelt sincerity. Those words that so left Henry's lips brought a soft hue of pink to his own cheeks to discover that, after all this time, and after all they had gone through, Henry still thought so particularly highly of him. "I know you are," He offered back, "It's okay, Henry. Everything's okay." And truly, he meant it. It hardly mattered to him the lust that overwhelmed his lover or those 'alone times' that Henry so relied on, what mattered to him was that they were together and would continue to be so. Still, he hardly expected that offer to ease back into the more physical aspects of their relationship to be met with such blatant hesitance. "I know, I don't feel pressured Henry. I want to. Weather or not you believe it, I do miss the feeling of your hands on me." He could hardly help the grin that crossed his features as those words came to his lips. Speaking of such sexual things was hardly an area Sterling excelled in, he was grateful, in the past, that Henry preferred to show him that affection rather than the dirty talk that others so often employed and too, enjoyed. Such crude words made him entirely embarrassed to say those wants out loud and it was perhaps that reason too that saw Sterling so eagerly embrace their newfound adventure within the gardens.

Sterling was all too quick to become entranced with those leafy plants that lined that walkway, that greenery certainly managing to attract his eye as he moved with fascination from one plant to the next. They were mostly foreign to him, leaving him wondering which were edible and which were not. His love for plants was solely rooted in his love for food, the fresher the ingredients the more delectable they were. Still, there was something about that flora and fauna that helped ground him, calm him in a way. It made him miss tending to the makeshift garden he'd established in Henry's apartment. It was a lamentation he hadn't really realized he had until earlier today. The sky seemed willing enough to hold as they made their way through the gardens though Sterling equally made a point to not linger too long at each plant, wanting to see them all rather than indepthly stare at one. After all, he was well aware they were on a time limit of sorts.

Thankfully, they had gotten to the last section when the sky began to open, pouring upon them a near torrent of rain that started out of nowhere with no immediate relief in sight. The sheer amount of rain soaked through his clothing quickly, that light colored shirt clinged to every aspect of his figure, his jeans, already on the tighter side, seemed just as willing to constrict to his body as those long, dark locks fell within his face. Still, even despite the decidedly nearly miserable state they found themselves in, Sterling was smiling. It was the sound of Henry's voice that caused the boy to turn, entirely ignoring the few stray individuals that rushed to their cars. His bright blue eyes fell upon his lover in that moment, his head tilting to the side as he merely stood there, simply enjoying the view he was provided. His head reached out to settle inside of Henry's and yet, he hardly turned towards the exit to rush back to their own apartment like he knew he should. Instead, Sterling found himself stepping forward, his other hand coming to rest upon Henry's chest as he leaned into his companion, his lips immediately found those of his companion's. For several moments he was content to simply stay there, against his lover, simply kissing him - at least, until a shudder ran down his spine at the chill of the rain. A sheepish smile crossed his features as he stepped away, nodding ever so slightly. "Yeah, we probably should." He responded, turning to lead his lover back towards the exit. As much as he hated to admit it, it was getting cold.

STERLING TENEMBRAGE