Chapter Text
The weather was still cold, but today at least the sun was shining behind that little bit of fog in the sky. Namjoon was standing behind the counter looking at the park outside the glass wall of his shop. It wasn’t a busy day and he was getting a bit boring. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his job—being able to take care of so many beautiful different plants and making money from it was a dream—but the cold season was always the most boring since only a few people came by.
He kept looking outside thinking about the last client who had entered the shop. It had taken him some minutes to recognise him since a few years had passed since they last saw each other, but Namjoon had quickly recognised what he thought was the most handsome man he has ever seen in his entire life. Seokjin, the said man, had not changed much from college days. Namjoon thought he was even prettier if possible.
And as he was still thinking of him, he noticed the man walking past the shop, still holding the bouquet he made for him. A small smile appeared on Namjoon’s face. A second later, though, he saw him throw it away in a near trash can.
Namjoon gulped. He wasn’t angry, even though the handsome man had just thrown away a gorgeous bouquet of red and coral roses; he was mostly worried about the fact that he might not have liked it.
He didn’t know what exactly made him do that but without even thinking, he was running after him, trying to catch his attention by screaming hey a couple of times and waving his hand.
It took Seokjin a few more screams to turn around and realise they were directed to him. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at the man he recognised as the florist.
“Why did you throw it away?” was the first thing the younger asked after stopping as well, panting a little because of the run.
“What?” Seokjin was confused.
“Didn’t you like the bouquet I made for you earlier?” the other asked again.
“Oh,” Seokjin slowly started realising that the florist must have noticed him throwing away his gorgeous work and felt guilty. “Oh no, it’s not that,” he started explaining, but Namjoon interrupted him.
“I get it if you changed your mind, it’s just… I’m sorry you threw them away. I’d like to give you your money back in that case. I want my clients to be satisfied with what they buy from me.”
Seokjin smiled a little—the boy was cute. “You don’t have to. It’s okay,” he was about to explain the situation but the other interrupted him again.
“No please, I insist. If you don’t want your money back, at least accept something else as a replacement.”
Seokjin looked at him with a sweet look and agreed. At that, a huge smile appeared on Namjoon’s face, revealing his beautiful dimples.
They walked back to the shop and Namjoon started looking around, searching for something that Seokjin could like as he continued to apologise. “Sorry again for the bouquet. I thought it was how you wanted it. You should have told me you didn’t like it. I want my clients to appreciate these beauties,” he said while gently caressing the petals of some red roses, identical to the ones he had used for Seokjin’s bouquet.
“Actually,” the older interrupted Namjoon’s rant, “the bouquet was beautiful as everything here is,” he gestured around to point at the various types of flowers around them. “The fact is… it was meant for my boyfriend. I wanted to surprise him with a present since we haven’t been on good terms lately,” he chuckled a little thinking about what happened after he met with Jaesung.
“Then why did you throw it away?” Namjoon asked innocently, still a bit confused.
“Well, he had another idea for our meeting and decided we needed to break up,” Seokjin stated, a sad expression taking over his face. His eyes watered a little, but he quickly pulled back the tears and, before the florist could pity him, he started talking again. “That’s why I threw your bouquet away. It was gorgeous, really, but it reminded me that I got it for him and didn’t want it with me. I’m sorry you thought you didn’t do a good job because it’s not the case. I don’t want my money back and you shouldn’t give me anything as a replacement, there’s really no need,” Seokjin almost rushed out the words, feeling bad for making the boy sad.
Namjoon smiled gently at him, then turned around and grabbed something. He showed Seokjin a pot with a soft pink flower in it and started explaining. “This is an orchid. It’s one of the most used plants when it comes to ornaments because it represents love, but it also symbolises beauty and strength. It doesn’t take much to take care of it. It must stay in a place with enough light but not directly under the sun and you need to water it once in a while, I usually recommend doing so once every two weeks,” he gestured for the older to take it and when Seokjin grabbed the vase, Namjoon smiled again, his dimples appearing with it. “I’d like you to take care of it while you recover from the breakup as well. I know a flower isn’t exactly the best company but I like talking to my plants when I’m sad or confused or just bored. It might help you too.”
Seokjin looked at the boy astonished, and felt warm inside. This almost stranger did a kind gesture for him and without even knowing, he said the right things without pitying him for his breakup. He held the vase closer to his chest. “Thank you,” he said giving the other a shy smile.
The taller bowed a little. “It was my pleasure.”
“I’m Seokjin by the way. Kim Seokjin.”
“Oh, yeah. I— I know who you are,” Namjoon admitted shyly. Seokjin’s expression turned into confusion and the younger quickly explained. “I know you from college. We had one class together for a semester.”
Seokjin looked at him up and down, trying to understand if the boy reminded him of someone, but it didn’t. “Uhm, sorry. I am not good at remembering faces,” he said embarrassed, but Namjoon just scrolled his shoulders.
“Don’t worry. It’s probably me who’s good at it.”
Especially when I like the other’s face, he wanted to add but he didn’t say it out loud.
Seokjin nodded. “Well, thank you again Namjoon. You’re a good person,” he gave the florist another gentle smile before walking away from the shop.
🌷
Seokjin closed the door behind him and went to place the flower on the kitchen table. He sighed.
Being back home, surrounded by silence, made him feel completely alone.
He decided to take a shower to relieve some tension. While washing he felt tears coming and this time, he let them fall. At least the water would have washed his sadness away. He didn’t make any sound, he just let them roll down and washed himself. Once he was done and had put on his pyjamas, he reached for his phone which was still inside his coat’s pocket and hadn’t been checked for a while. He noticed a few unread messages from Taehyung asking how the date went and then more concerned ones since he wasn’t answering.
[Tae 🤍 ]:
Hyung?
Is everything okay?
It’s late…
Just text me or call me when you can, please
I am worried
[Seokjin]:
I am okay, don’t worry
[Tae 🤍 ]:
How did it go?
[Seokjin]:
He broke up with me
[Tae 🤍 ]:
Are you okay?
[Seokjin]:
I’m fine
[Tae 🤍 ]:
I’m coming over
[Seokjin]:
You don’t need to
[Tae 🤍 ]:
But I want to
[Seokjin]:
Bring ice cream then
[Tae 🤍 ]:
Everything for my baby❤️
They were cuddling on Seokjin’s couch, Taehyung gently stroking the elder’s hair. Seokjin’s head was resting on the other’s chest, arms circling the younger’s waist.
It wasn’t new for them to do something like this, they basically grew up with each other. Their mothers were distant relatives who lived near one another, and since the three-years-younger boy was born they were inseparable. It was still true now. They couldn’t stay apart for too long so when Seokjin decided to move away from their hometown, Taehyung followed him right after. They moved to the same city together, in the same apartment at first—while they were still in college, and later in different neighbourhoods as they found their way in the world of work. Nevertheless, they kept meeting regularly, spending nights at each other’s houses and having a good time just the two of them and catching up on whatever happened in their lives that they didn’t already talk about. They were always going to be there for each other, both when they needed comfort or someone to have a good time with.
This time it was Seokjin who needed someone to hold and cry on. But he hadn’t shed a single tear since Taehyung arrived. However, the younger had noticed his red eyes—hinting that he had been crying—right away as the older opened the door.
They had ended up eating ice cream while one of their favourite romcoms was playing on the tv.
“Do you still want ice cream or should I put it away?” Taehyung asked, reaching out for the almost empty jar.
Seokjin shook his head. “You can put it in the freezer. Can you also bring me a glass of water please?” he asked watching the other standing up and walking to the kitchen. The end credits were rolling so he turned off the tv.
“What’s this?” Taehyung appeared again with his glass of water in one hand and holding the orchid in the other.
“A flower.”
“Clearly, I can see that,” Taehyung rolled his eyes and gave him the glass. “I meant, what is it doing here? You’re never been the type to buy yourself plants,” he added, frowning a little.
“The florist gave it to me,” he shrugged.
“The florist gave it to you?” the younger repeated looking at him even more confused. Seokjin nodded. “Explain, please.”
Seokjin sighed. “I told you that Jaesung and I decided to meet at the park, right?” Taehyung nodded. “There’s a small flower shop there, and since I was early, I thought of buying him a bouquet of roses. Then I met with him but we broke up and he obviously didn’t take the flowers. So, to avoid having any memory of that moment, I threw them away while I was coming back. The owner of the shop apparently saw me do that and ran after me to ask why I did so. And then he started rambling about wanting to either give me my money back or give me another plant. I tried to explain the situation to him and I said I didn’t want the money, so he gave me this orchid and told me to talk to it if I ever felt sad or lonely.”
Taehyung chuckled at the story. “What a cute oldie.”
“Uhm, actually I think he is not more than two years older than you,” Seokjin corrected him and smiled a little remembering the cute tall guy from the shop.
“No way,” Taehyung laughed, making the older do the same. “Well, at least he was kind and gave you a beautiful flower. Try not to kill it or he would probably come after you,” he joked, making both of them laugh again.
“Oh, and he said he knew me from college and that we had a class together but I don’t remember him at all.”
“Really? Maybe it was because you were already head over heels for Jaesung back then and you barely noticed anyone who wasn’t him or me.”
“Yeah… you may be right,” Seokjin sighed, the laughs dying and his face becoming sadder.
The younger didn’t miss that. “Do you want to tell me what happened precisely with him?” his voice was calm but you could hear a trace of worry in it.
Seokjin exhaled again—for what seemed to be the thousandth time that night—but nodded and faced the other. He told Taehyung that his ex had already decided to break up with him and wanted to meet to only do so, barely giving Seokjin space to talk back and try to fix things. He told him what Jaesung had said—that they both knew it was coming since he felt like he didn’t love Seokjin anymore and he wasn’t sure if he ever did. And he admitted in a whisper how that sentence managed to break his heart. “It’s like I’ve lived in a fantasy for three years, Tae.”
The younger hugged him the whole time, listening to him and helping to let everything out. He knew it wasn’t easy for the older to open up and talk about his feelings but it was the only way for him to move on. It was even less easy to let himself cry in front of someone else, but he knew he could throw his walls down with Taehyung.
Once Seokjin had calmed down, he was tired but didn’t want Taehyung to leave and be completely alone in his house again, so they both stood up and went to the elder’s room and laid on the huge bed to sleep, Taehyung back-hugging the other to make him feel safe.
🌷
I am late for work, could you please go at mine and pick Tannie up for his morning walk? And you can stay at my apartment after that, I’m coming back for lunch.
Tete
Seokjin had just taken Yeontan from Taehyung’s apartment, as the note he found on the table that morning asked. He decided to take him for a walk in the park to enjoy the weather. It was cloudy but at least not too cold, he only hoped it wouldn’t start raining any time soon.
As they walked, he was looking down at the cute dog never leaving his side and smiling at the fact that even though he was Taehyung’s, he has always felt like an uncle to the puppy. Yeontan had always loved him and didn’t even once misbehave while they were alone. Lost in his thoughts, only once he raised his head he noticed he was walking past the flower shop from the previous day.
He didn’t know exactly what, but something pulled him in and he found himself opening the shop’s door. He was immediately engulfed by a mixed scent of different flowers he couldn’t recognise. He looked around, taking in the structure of the place. He noticed how everything was well organised. All the colourful flowers were arranged along the shop window, but there were pots with smaller blooms placed in a cart. On the wall on his left there were taller and bigger plants—that Seokjin had no idea what they were called—which ran toward the counter. Behind it, there was a see-through door, which led to what he thought was the greenhouse, and another room that didn’t have a door but just a curtain to hide it. The place was cosy and bright at the same time. He didn’t really notice it the first two times he came in, but he now had the time to since he was in no rush and because no one had showed up yet.
He frowned at the thought. “Hello? Is anybody here?” he asked loudly enough to be heard from the back.
“Coming!” a shout answered him.
A couple of minutes later a man around his age emerged from behind the curtain. “Good morning, sir. How can I help you?” the boy asked.
But Seokjin was more interested in looking at him from head to toe and realise he wasn’t the cute boy from the previous day. Not that this one wasn’t cute as well. He was rather petite, had shining eyes and a big smile which could have brightened the entire world. Still, it didn’t give him the same feeling of comfort and peace that the one with dimples gave him the day before.
“Uhm sorry, I thought there would have been Namjoon here?” Seokjin asked, not even sure of what he was saying.
“Namjoon is not here this morning, sir. Did you need something in particular from him?” the other man asked, looking both confused and curious.
“Uhm, no. Never mind, I was just passing by,” he said, making his way to leave.
“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” the man behind the counter asked again.
“Yes, sorry for the bother.”
“No problem, sir. Should I tell Namjoon you came by?” the boy asked again, a curious look and a smile on his face.
“No. No, it doesn’t matter. Thank you anyway.”
“Have a good day!”
“You too,” Seokjin said before closing the door behind him and Yeontan.
What the hell was that, Seokjin?
🌷
The vet petted Monie’s head and turned to face the man. “He is completely fine, Namjoon. I checked everything and he is healthy.”
“Then why does he always look like he is sad and doesn’t want to play around like he used to?” the man asked, a concerned look on his face. He loved his dog and seeing him not behaving like he usually did scared him. That was why he had brought him to the vet.
She remained silent for a couple of minutes before speaking again. “Are you spending enough time with him?”
Namjoon looked at her confused. “Yeah. I mean, I’m at the shop for most of the day but when I get home, I spend time with him,” he looked at Monie with a sad look. “He doesn’t even come at the door for me anymore when I’m back,” he added.
“Uhm, I think he just misses you, Joon-ah,” she stated and gave him an encouraging smile.
“Oh,” was all Namjoon could say.
He didn’t think of it. He had to admit that lately he might have neglected attention to his dog. He was busy with the greenhouse and even though there weren’t many people coming by, he had to stay at the shop. He didn’t think it would have affected Monie.
Apparently, it did.
On the way home Namjoon kept looking at the dog walking beside him that kept stopping here and there to sniff something. They were near the apartment when Namjoon decided to pay Hoseok a visit at the shop.
When he opened the door, his friend looked up from his phone. “Hey! I thought I told you not to come,” Hoseok said while walking toward him.
“I know. I’m here to say hi.”
The other nodded and then bent down to greet the pup. “Hi boy, how are you doing?” he said, smiling and petting his head. The dog barked excitingly at him and licked his hand to let the human know he appreciated the attention. “How is he? Did the vet find what’s going on?” Hoseok asked, looking up at the owner, still petting the dog.
Namjoon nodded. “She said that he just misses me.”
“Oh. Well, it makes sense. You spend more time here than at home and he has to stay there alone all day.”
“I know Hoba, but what can I do? I can’t stay home,” he uttered a little desperate.
The shorter man stood up and seemed to think of a solution. “Why don’t you bring him here then? He is calm and you know he would love to walk around the shop and follow you in the greenhouse without ruining anything. At least you would be together and you could spend time with him when you’re not busy but have to stay at work.”
Namjoon thought about it. “Yeah, I could do that,” he then looked at Monie and crouched down to look him in the eyes. “What do you think of it, pup? Would you like to come to work with me?” the dog barked again like he was agreeing and moved closer to the owner, looking happier than before.
Hoseok watched the scene with a smile on his face. “He loves you, Joon. And he can’t stay away from you. He just needed that to feel better.”
“I love him too,” the younger said, caressing the little white head.
Then, they started talking about how busy the shop had been and what Hoseok did during the whole day, which wasn’t much.
“A guy came up looking for you,” the elder blurted out. “I wanted to message you right away but I forgot.”
“Hm? Who?”
“I don’t know. He was really handsome and specifically asked for you. Oh, and there was a cute dog with him. Do you have a secret boyfriend I don’t know about, Joon-ah?”
“Don’t you think I would have told you if I had one?” Namjoon rolled his eyes at the accusation.
“Well, it wouldn’t be secret then. Anyway, you’re sure you don’t know him? He’s not any of the clients I know.”
“I don’t know Hoba, your description is vague but I don’t think I know a very handsome man—he gestured the quote marks with his fingers in the air—with a dog,” Namjoon shrugged.
“He was taller than me but still a few inches shorter than you I guess, black hair and very plump lips,” the older added.
Joon chuckled. “You seem very fond of him.”
“Oh, trust me I am. If he is not your secret boyfriend and he comes here again on my shift I’m totally throwing my shot,” he winked at the younger. “He even had huge shoulders, who has shoulders that big? I mean, you have them, but you’re huge everywhere. He was too slim compared to you,” he added.
Namjoon looked confused while piecing all the information together until he realised and gasped.
Hoseok noticed that and didn’t let it pass. “You know him, don’t you?”
The younger nodded. “He was here yesterday,” he started explaining “and bought a bouquet of roses. Then I saw him throw it away and I don’t know why but I followed him and asked why he did that.”
Hoseok looked pissed. “And what was the reason?”
“It was meant for his boyfriend but he dumped him,” Hoseok’s mouth opened in a small ‘o’ while waiting for Namjoon to continue. “So, I offered him one of the orchids as a replacement.”
“You did what?”
Namjoon looked down. “You heard me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know? I mean, he seemed sad and lonely and you know how I think that taking care of plants is comforting… I just did it.”
Hoseok was silent for a moment and then “Oh my god, don’t tell me you’re crushing on him!” he said loudly.
Namjoon’s head shot up, his cheeks red from the embarrassment.
“Oh my god, you are, aren’t you?”
“No. Yes. I mean… I know him from college. We had a class together one semester and since the first time, I saw him… I don’t know, I just thought he was the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”
“Wait, is he the guy you always told me about since we have known each other?”
Namjoon nodded and then looked down again.
“I didn’t realise you still weren’t over him.”
The younger raised his head. “I am. It’s just… he looked really sad and lonely. I felt like I had to help him.”
“It’s fine, Joon. I don’t judge,” Hoseok smiled at him. “And he was here today looking for you, so maybe that’s a good sign.”
“Did he tell you why he came?”
The elder shook his head and Namjoon nodded, his big lips turning into a line.
“Just please, don’t get yourself hurt again, okay?”
“I won’t, hyung.”
🌷
Seokjin closed the main door behind himself and even though till half an hour ago he was with Taehyung and Yeontan, he immediately felt lonely.
If he had to be honest, he has been feeling like this for a while. His home—which once was his safe place, the symbol of his freedom—now only felt like loneliness and sadness. He wanted someone to come home to, someone to spend time with, someone with whom he could create and share new memories. And sure, Taehyung had been there every time he needed this someone, but it was not the same. Seokjin knew he wanted someone permanently. He wanted someone to love and hopefully spend the rest of his days with.
For some time, he even thought that Jaesung could be that person. But it was probably just his head messing around with him. Reflecting on it now, it had always been clear from the beginning who was really putting his all into the relationship and who wasn’t.
And maybe Jaesung was right; maybe they were meant to break up.
It had only been a day since they did but for how long has he been feeling alone and not loved at all? Way longer than just one day. What really broke him the day before was the fact that he had really tried to make things work with Jaesung but he never had the same commitment from the other side.
Seokjin sighed, trying to let go of these sad feelings. He looked around the room and his gaze fell on the flower on the table. He unconsciously smiled at it while his mind started flashing him with images of the cute florist, his dimples and his beautiful smile.
Why did he even go to the shop again in the morning? He couldn’t explain it to himself.
That Namjoon had a strange but warming effect on him. He couldn’t recall anyone with that name from college but the way he smiled at him and the warmth it made him feel seemed familiar. They must have talked at least once back then—Seokjin was sure of it.
He kept looking at the orchid while his train of thoughts went on and on. He remembered what the florist had told him: speaking to the flower might comfort him.
He didn’t really believe that but what did he have to lose?
🌷
It had been a couple of weeks since Namjoon started bringing Monie to work with him and he couldn’t help but think that Hoseok had the best idea. His dog was back at being happy and joyful as always and now he even had someone to spend time with when there weren’t customers coming. He loved having him around, following him wherever he was going or just watching him laying down on the grey pavement to take a nap. This was also a good excuse to let his dog outside the house more often which was surely healthier for the pup.
Monie was well behaved, never causing him trouble. Even right now, he was following him as they came back from the greenhouse, where Namjoon had been planting new flowers, and all the pup did in the meantime was sitting to watch the owner doing his job or walking around to sniff some flowers.
Back in the shop, the dog laid down on the floor and Namjoon removed the gloves he had used for gardening, throwing them somewhere on the counter. He picked up the phone he left there when he noticed Monie’s head shot up and, a second later, running out of the shop’s door—Namjoon had left it open to let the warm air come in—at the speed of light.
As soon as he saw that he took the leash and rushed after him. He heard the pup barking and saw him running towards a couple with another dog. Monie stopped only when he reached them.
“Monie! What are you doing?” he screamed, still running.
Once he was near the dog, he noticed him playing with the other one. Namjoon bent down and tied him to the leash, barely looking at the owners of the other pup who were both staring at him and the dogs’ interaction.
“I am so sorry, I don’t know wha—” still panting, he apologised but cut himself mid-sentence when he finally stood up and faced the two men. He found himself face to face with Seokjin once again.
Their eyes met but neither of them spoke. Only when the man near Seokjin cleared his throat to catch their attention, they both realised they had been staring at each other—for way too long—and blushed, lowering their gazes.
“I’m sorry this happened. I swear, Monie usually isn’t like that,” Namjoon apologised again, still not looking up.
“Don’t worry,” the unknown man spoke. “It seems like him and Tannie like each other a lot,” he laughed, pointing at the dogs still sniffing each other and playing together. “I’m Kim Taehyung,” he continued bowing at Namjoon.
At that, the florist looked up at him. He was shorter than him and Seokjin, had quite long curly dark hair, a boxy smile and a face that could be on the first page of magazines. He smiled shyly at him and bowed as well. “I’m Kim Namjoon, nice to meet you.”
Taehyung’s face lit up. “Oh, so you’re Namjoon!” he said it like that explained why he knew who Namjoon was.
Seokjin’s face shot up at what the other said. Were they friends? Namjoon wasn’t sure. He could have been his friend—or maybe he was his ex? They could have gotten back together, right? He tried to not think about it too much, focusing back on the two in front of him and noticing Seokjin glaring at Taehyung. The latter ignored the glare and spoke again. “You’re the wonderful florist Jinnie has been talking about!”
Namjoon cheeks flushed red, a shy smile appearing on his face. “Uhm, I’m not that wonderful.”
“Ah, bullshit! I’ve seen the beautiful orchid you gifted him. You must be really good at your job to let your plants grow that well,” Taehyung complimented him, a big and sincere grin brightening his face.
“Thank you.”
“Tae, what are—” Seokjin tried to stop the younger but he ignored him again and continued talking with Namjoon.
“Jin told me you went to our college? What did you study?”
Namjoon looked at him curiously and was about to answer when the elder of the three spoke. “You don’t have to answer him. He’s always a bit indiscreet, sorry.”
“Oh, c’mon hyung, I just want to know if we could have seen each other before!”
The florist shook his head, almost smiling. The bickering between the two was hilarious. “Don’t worry. I graduated in contemporary literature.”
The… couple?—Namjoon wasn’t sure—looked at him puzzled. Seokjin was the first one to ask what both of them were wondering. “And how did you end up working as a florist?”
“My grandfather owned the shop. He died a few months after my graduation and left me the shop. At first, I took it as a temporary job, but I love taking care of plants and I decided to continue working there,” he explained, a thin smile on his face. Others have asked him before and sometimes even judged him for not continuing in his academic career.
But the men in front of him just nodded and smiled back. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Seokjin said, “but it’s beautiful that you found another passion and you’re able to work with it.”
Taehyung nodded. “And you’re good at it.”
Namjoon bowed to thank them and then looked at his watch. “I should go back to shop now,” he said after realising he had been away for almost ten minutes.
“Of course. Can I have your number though? I’ve been thinking of getting a bouquet for—Taehyung interrupted himself for a moment, thinking—for my mother’s birthday. In that way, I could text you about it.”
Namjoon looked a bit confused at the sudden request but nodded. Taehyung smiled and faked searching for his phone before sighing. “Oh, I can’t find my phone. I must have left it at home. Hyung, can you give him yours and then text his number to me?”
Seokjin glared at him again. “Taehyung, stop it.”
But as he did before, the younger ignored him and grabbed the phone from the elder’s pocket and gave it to Namjoon. The taller looked unsure but quickly typed his number down since Seokjin didn’t object. “Here,” he said, giving the phone back to him. As the other took it, their hands brushed together and they both looked at them, blushing for the thousandth time.
“I really should go now,” Namjoon said and the other men nodded. “Have a good day,” he added before going back, pulling Monie—who was a little reluctant to leave his newfound friend—with him.
He tried not to think about it too much but he hoped that, now that he also had it, Seokjin would have texted him too.
“Taehyung what the hell was that?” Seokjin silently shouted at his friend, who was looking at him all cocky and smiling.
“What? I did you a favour! You now have his number and can text this hottie whenever you want,” he said like it had been obvious since the beginning.
“I won’t! Why should I even do that?”
“Because you clearly are crushing on each other! And I honestly don’t blame you at all. He looks like a Greek god. If you don’t hit on him, I’ll do it!”
“Don’t you even try,” Seokjin grumbled, but Taehyung was still able to hear it.
I knew it, the younger thought—a big smile forming on his face, while he pulled Yeontan’s leash and continued their walk.
🌷
Seokjin had no idea what to do. He couldn’t even understand himself. Why was he thinking too much about that tall blond boy with cute dimples and a warm smile? He couldn’t answer himself.
He was just trying to find an excuse to contact him. He soon gave up and without overthinking it much more, he opened a new chat with the florist, wrote down a simple hi and sent it. He blocked his phone right after that.
God, why was he acting like a teenager? He was twenty-seven, he should know how to talk to people, right? Then why was he so nervous this time?
He sighed and stood up, leaving his phone on the kitchen counter. Maybe writing him on his day off was a bad idea. Now he didn’t have anything to do to distract himself. He paced around the apartment for a bit until he decided to take out his laptop and do some work. He always had something to do anyway, he could ease himself and come home early the next day this way.
That helped him stop thinking about the flower boy, at least until he heard the notification sound about an hour later. He didn’t hesitate to put the pc down on the couch and almost run to the kitchen to check his phone.
[Kim Namjoon]:
Hello😊
Sorry, I don’t have your number saved. Can I ask who you are?
[Seokjin]:
Yes, of course
I forgot to say it haha
It’s Kim Seokjin
The guy of the bouquet of roses?
You said we had a class together back in college?
[Kim Namjoon]:
Oh, hello Jin-ssi!
Yes, I understood who you were as soon as you told me your name haha
[Seokjin]:
Sorry for ranting then
[Kim Namjoon]:
No problem!
What can I do for you?
Is it about Taehyung’s bouquet? I thought he would the one to contact me.
[Seokjin]:
No, it’s not about that
[Kim Namjoon]:
Then what it is?
Good question.
What is this all about, Seokjin?
He looked around himself and his eyes landed on the flower Namjoon gave him a few weeks ago. Without thinking it twice, he typed another message.
[Seokjin]:
My flower
[Kim Namjoon]:
The orchid?
[Seokjin]:
Yes
[Kim Namjoon]:
What’s wrong?
[Seokjin]:
It doesn’t look okay
[Kim Namjoon]:
What happened to it?
Did you forget to water it?
[Seokjin]:
No, I did what you told me.
I don’t know what happened but it doesn’t look as good as it was when I brought it here
Maybe I’ll come tomorrow to the shop so you can look at it?
[Kim Namjoon]:
Sure
Or you could just send me a pic
It’s probably nothing too bad so you don’t need to come all the way here
[Seokjin]:
No, there’s no problem
I’ll come tomorrow
[Kim Namjoon]:
Okay then
I’ll be in the shop till early afternoon
But there will be Hoseok if you can’t come before the end of my shift.
[Seokjin]:
I’ll be there in time
Thank you
See you tomorrow
[Kim Namjoon]:
😊
🌷
Why the hell did he say his plant wasn’t okay? It clearly was. Maybe it was a bit limp but nothing to worry about and definitely not a reason to meet with him. But he had already told Namjoon otherwise, so he had to take it with him.
He was going to embarrass himself.
He tried to ignore that and held the pot tighter. He was almost there and could feel his heart beating faster from how nervous he was. A strange feeling that he couldn’t decipher settled inside him. He wished that seeing the tall boy again could give him answers to why he had been feeling different lately.
Once in front of the shop, he quickly glanced at his reflection on the glass door and fixed his dark hair with his free hand. He did it in less than a second, just to make sure he looked good because… well, he didn’t know why exactly, but he still did it to make a good impression. He then opened the door and entered inside.
Namjoon raised his head right away, a big smile adorned by dimples appearing on his face. “Hello Seokjin-ssi,” he said, his eyes almost disappearing from how much he was smiling.
“Hi,” Seokjin greeted him and even though he wasn’t blushing he knew the tip of his ears were as red as ever. Luckily, his hair was long enough to cover them.
Namjoon’s gaze switched from the man in front of him to the flower pot he was holding. “So, what’s wrong with the plant?”
If Seokjin wasn’t sure if his ears were red before, they definitely were now. What was he going to tell him now? It’s not like he could fake something when the orchid was right in front of them. He placed the pot on top of the counter and said the first thing that came to mind. “It doesn’t look very… healthy.”
Namjoon chuckled. “Is it because the flowers are limp?”
What? “Yes! Yes, exactly,” honestly, Seokjin had no idea what he was talking about but he went along with it.
“You don’t have to worry,” the younger grinned. “They are just old flowers that bloomed a while ago and are going to fall soon so they can be replaced. There’s nothing wrong with your plant.”
“Oh,” Seokjin had no idea what else to say. “Hm, I’m glad it’s okay. I’m not good with plants.”
Namjoon laughed. “It’s okay. You can always text me your doubts, Jin-ssi.”
“Please, call me hyung.”
The younger blushed but nodded. “Anyway, as I said the plant it’s healthy. You don’t have to worry,” he gently pushed the pot so it slid toward Seokjin.
“Yeah… thank you, Namjoon,” he uttered, picking it up and bringing it closer to his chest once again. “I— I’ll go then,” he said almost as a question.
“Of course, have a good day, Seokjin-ssi. I mean, hyung.”
Seokjin smiled at him and started to walk toward the door when he stopped on his steps.
Fuck it.
“Namjoon?” he asked, turning around to face the younger boy once again.
“Yeah?”
“Would you like to grab a coffee together some time?”
Namjoon’s face lit up, and once again a smile appeared on his face together with his cute dimples. “I’d love to.”
Seokjin reciprocated the smile. “Let me know when you’re free then.”
“My shift ends at four today. If you’re not busy we could meet later?” Namjoon blurted out.
The pleased look on Seokjin’s face only grew. “I can do that.”
Namjoon nodded, a dark pink shadow painting his cheeks. “See you later then?” he asked, lowering his gaze to the counter.
“See you later,” the elder agreed, before walking toward the entrance and exiting.
He wasn’t still sure what this feeling was about, but he knew that the florist made him feel some type of way and he wasn’t going to let this go.