Chapter Text
The sky was rumbling softly, clouds had gathered all around and the petrichor had already started to seep in the air. Win sighed while he stripped out of the muddy sweats, he had been working on the garden for five hours straight because he suspected that it would rain by the night and he had to dig out the mud and mix it for natural replenishing. It was a chore but necessary for the new batch of flowers he had planned for the backyard garden.
He had been doing it since he was 14, the day when he chose tree planting as his “for the nature” campaign in school. Everyone was pretty sure that the Neem Plant that was planted in the backyard of his family house will be abandoned to fend for itself after the project because Win had never been a constant doer with any of his hobbies.
He had bought a guitar to learn music at the age of 12 and abandoned it 6 months later.
He had declared that he wanted to be a reader at the age of 10 but had not completed half of the biography before he was bored.
Basketball had seen the same fate at the age of 9.
So it came as a surprise when he watered the tree every morning even months after the project and spent his allowance buying nutrients, he even started reading botanical books and plants became the best friends he always searched for in other hobbies, and what had started as a school project easily became a passionate hobby. And then his profession.
He had different herbs planted on his Grandparents farm for them to use, by the time he was 16 so that they could use medicinal plants straight from their backyard. His likings to planting was a surprise to his family but everyone supported him nonetheless.
Now at the age of 25, he was a proud florist and also owned a small Plant nursery used for retail and display simultaneously. He was also doing a thesis on the “future of the plants on the modern Earth” for his Ph.D. in Botanical science. Plants had very much become the essence of him.
The warm shower helped to ease the sore muscles but he figured a Cup of Hot Chocolate was long overdue, his body needed the sugar. So, he prepared a cup for himself and decided to sit on the porch for a while, he had always loved the smell of the first rain and the gentle breeze was soothing the scorching heat the city had been facing for a while now. He leaned on the fence he shared with his neighbor, Aom, Aom had also become a very good friend of his over the years he lived in this small neighborhood. The houses were good and posh, in the outskirts of Bangkok and it was in no way possible for him to live in a house this nice if his grandparents hadn't rented it to him because it was closer to his work.
Aom was also a freelance coder and worked from home because she also managed a Daycare. It was something she had started six months back so that she could take care of the maintenance of the house which she had inherited from her deceased mother. Win had taken care of her every now and then and they had become each other’s confidant along the way. She was like a sister he never had. And the sounds of kids' laughter was refreshing whenever he was home during the day. Aom was pretty good with kids.
Someone was tapping at the fence he leaned on. He decided to look over the side of Aom’s Porch to see what caused the tapping.
A little girl sat on the other side, her head tapping on the wooden fence in a repetitive manner while her focus was aptly on the Rubik's cube in her hand, her hair was made in pigtails while she sat on the chair curling herself. She seemed very cute by the little of the face he could see of her.
Win decided to not call her attention till she is done solving the cube.
He watched from over the fence a small smile graced his face while the little girl focused on her cube, taking exactly five more minutes to solve it.
“Hi, Mr. Win”
Win was startled when the little girl acknowledged him by his name, he stared dumbly while she stood up on her chair, coming almost face to face with him. Her eyes were big while she looked at him sharply, he took a step back. And then she smiled.. and Win had seen kids in his life. He had cousins, His friend ran a daycare for god’s sake. But he had never seen a child this beautiful. She waved at him. And it was love at first sight for Win.
“It’s going to rain soon?”
“It seems so, Little miss, but may I ask you what your name is?”
“My name is Jing, Jing vachirawit Chi-varee”
Win smiled, this little girl was so refreshingly adorable.
“It’s nice to meet you Jing, how old are you, sweetheart?”
“I am five” she stuck out five fingers, tilting her head and giving Win a blinding smile. He wondered what this beautiful child was doing at his crackhead friend’s house.
“What are you doing here little one, How do you know Aom?”
“I am at the daycare, My daddy had to go on an urgent.. Confe.. Confi..”
“Conference?” win supplied, heart-melting at the little pout the girl held before trying to mouth the word.
“So, she agreed to look after me for the night”
“She did?” Win was surprised by his friend’s generosity because this was not something Aom did for just anyone.
“Most of the people, like the lady in the grocery store or the lady at the mall or Miss Aom, they do things when Daddy asks them to, I think it’s because he is very pretty but daddy says it’s because he requests nicely”
Win tried to hide his amused smile. This tiny girl was so observing.
“Dad says people will agree if what I ask is fair, and I ask them nicely” she pouted again putting her hands on her hips “but even if they don’t it’s alright” she mumbled the last part.
Win let out an amused laugh, this girl was a breath of fresh air raised by a dignified man.
Jing perked up suddenly, looking at him with a bright smile.
“Will you bring me the beautiful rose from your garden, Mr. Win?” she asked nicely, voice brimming with hope.
Win nodded, hands itching to pull her puffed cheeks. “Of course, I will.”
“It works.”
Win laughed again. Patting Jing on her head affectionately.
“How do you know my name, Jing?” Win leaned on the fence. Jing did a little shift from toe to toe.
“Oh! I asked Miss Aom when I first saw you, you were planting the beautiful roses, I like roses.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, they are pretty.”
“Not more than you though”
“My Daddy says the same thing.”
Win laughed again at her pleased expression, “he is a wise man”
“So, Aom told you about me?”
“Yes! She laughed at me, but then told me your name, but you are always busy so I could never greet you”
He wondered why Aom never told him about this.
“Why did she laugh at you, my sweetheart?”
“Because I told her and My Daddy that I wanted to marry you”
“What?”
“They screamed too, just like that”
“Ow, sweetie. You are so cute” Win tried to hug the girl but the fence wouldn't let him.
“You looked so pretty with the roses, and I like roses so I liked you”
“But..”
“But?”
“My daddy said, girls below the age of six are not allowed to marry”
Win laughed again, thinking how many arguments had the miserable father thrown before settling with this one. Jing, was a clever kid.
“Ow, but I want to marry you too”
“You do?”
“Of course, that way I could be with you”
“I have another plan for us to be together, Mr. Win”
She leaned, looking at her sides making sure no one could listen as if it was a secret.
“Already?” you are so smart”
Jing beamed at him, and Win patted her head again.
“You could.. Marry my Dad, be my mom?”