What would you be willing to sweep under the rug in order to impress your crush?

Linn really wants her new roommates to like her. So when Dajana, the resident Mom Friend and Plant Parent, asks her to take care of the houseplants—including the Christmas tree—while everyone else goes back to their families over the holidays, Linn is quick to agree. Being alone in their shared apartment for the first time starts out well, but as the text message flirting between Linn and Dajana increases, so does the quantity of needles Linn finds under the tree every morning.

Not wanting to admit she screwed up something as simple as watering a tree, Linn sweeps up the needles and hopes no one will notice. But as the St. Knut's Day party to throw out the tree approaches, the little lie starts to feel bigger. And as for trying not to fall in love with her roommate... well, that ship has definitely sailed.

Pine Needles and Fireworks is a queer, New Adult, contemporary romance novelette about houseplants, independence and responsibility. It is set in Stockholm, Sweden and is about 17,500 words long.