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The rain pours down heavily in one fine evening, as a man, wearing in all black clothing with carefully styled hairs, passed by the park while carrying his transparent umbrella.
He hated the rain, no… hates rain in general, because it had always felt like the rain is carrying along with it a melancholy memory, like something good and sad would be happening at any time now.
Everything around him is wet, even his expensive leather boots are effected with the rains.
And just like how the rain came out of a middle of nowhere, the rain stops as suddenly as it came. The clouds get carried away and brought back the sun to the sky. The warm ray from the sun hits Changmin’s skin radiantly. It was warmly welcomed by him, oh how he missed the sun so much. He continued his stroll along the park when he comes across block of buildings where people start to flood around the area, mostly continuing with their routine. It’s funny how the rain has the effect of halting everything all at once, almost like the world is giving everyone a chance to take a break for awhile before continuing with their daily hectic schedule.
Life is so unpredictable, because that what it always is. Changmin was a bit caught up by the displayed books in front of a book stores where there was a floral shop right next to it. Normally he would never take any interest of that but just on that particular day, he took an interest on it. He probably should thank the little girl who accidentally bumped at his feet, or probably the guy who was about to hit the little girl that made her jumped and bumped into him in the first place. Either way, the moment he got up on his knees after helping the little girl, his world suddenly felt like it had stopped spinning.
There, just outside of the of the wall-glassed shop, carrying a white bucket filled with fresh yellow chrysanthemum flowers as he carefully placed the bucket on the rank, was Jung Yunho, smile plastered all over his face, like the little sun shines coming out after the rain, completely unaware of Changmin staring at him.
Time simply stopped for Changmin. He could hear his heartbeats skip a beat. All his surrounding starts to blur and suddenly, all he can see is the person five steps away from him. The sixty-seconds felt long as he felt the rapid changes in his body. It’s like the other was calling him although he barely does anything.
Changmin tried to call to him, but he felt his voice stuck on his throat, but he snapped right out of his trance just a bit later as the other had already run back into his flower shop.
Feeling determined as he ever is, Changmin braces himself and entered the little florist’s store.
The bell on the door chimes.
The one he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t have disappeared that easily…Changmin thought to himself as his eyes continued roaming around the store, eyeing the decoration and the available choices the flowers to offer. It’s a small store but seemed like the owner has been properly maintaining this place.
The silent started to get to him. He probably mistaken about what he had just seen. It’s probably just a figment of his imagination. Changmin was about to turn and exited the store when the owner of the store was right behind him, wiping his hand filled dirt on his apron. Smile was still plastered all over his face.
“Welcome to the Jung’s flower shop. How may I help you?”
He greets him with some dirt over his chin, face genuinely smile as he was happy greeting his customer. Raining has always been his favorite weather, when people complaints about how the water affects their life, Yunho has always remained quiet and silently prayed that people would appreciate the weather more, because what comes after rain is a blessing, for the plants to the people.
The stranger that had entered his store is tall and very good looking, he can acknowledge that fact. For some of the reason, he had the feeling that the stranger isn’t there to buy any of the flowers, but who’s he to chase away any potential customer.
But the stare the stranger sent to him certainly made him perplexed.
[ “Yunho, what are you doing?” Changmin entered the kitchen and put his bag on the table as he approached the mess on the kitchen counter with the maker of the whole things standing in the middle of all those chaos, palms full with flour on both hands, white, and some more white spots on his face and chin. He grinned happily like a little child, too innocent and spoilt to get scolded with.
“Can’t you see Minnie? I’m baking you a cake!” He was still smiling ever so happily, completely obvious of what he had just done.
Changmin was suppressing a remark of ‘More like thrashing the whole room…’ with a more polite one…. “Do you even know how hyung?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise.” Yunho pouted, because clearly the surprise is already ruined. Not when the birthday boy was the one caught red-handed of the perpetrator who offended his poor kitchen.
Changmin mentally chanted
‘don’t scold him, don’t scold him, don’t scold him! He did this for you.’
And suppressed his temper as he rolled up his sleeves and put on a spare apron on his waist, tied it securely as he reached for the flour, (or what’s left of it)
“Did you even brought the eggs?” Changmin checked through the ingredients.
“How about butter and whipped cream?...” He never gets to finish when he felt a pair of messy hands snake around his waist and back-hugged him while the head was buried to the crook of his neck, nuzzling like a big grown up cat.
“You’re gonna help me? You’re the best Minnie!”
“As long as you promise to clean the kitchen after this.”
“Yes, sir!” With Yunho playfully saluted him like a lieutenant. ]
Changmin clears his throat and points at his chin, trying to notify the other about the dirt but that certainly go unnoticed. Yunho stood there while still trying to figure out what the other was trying to say to him. Changmin couldn’t content himself and laughs. Like he hasn’t in a long time.
That didn’t help the situation any better, it just left the florist more puzzle with the whole situation. Finally get over with his amuse, Changmin takes out his handkerchief and wipe away the dirt stain from the other’s chin.
“There. Done. All clean.”
Changmin tries to act professional as he performed his task. But that didn’t stop him from noticing the little tint of pink on the other’s ears and cheeks, with a mumble of thank follows.
[“Yunho, you got a little…” He tried to point it out to Yunho but Yunho seemed to be cleaning it the wrong way.
Feeling frustrated over the little piece of crump stuck on the other’s above lip, on the right, Changmin took the initiative and pick up a napkin to wipe them away, startling the other over the gesture.
“There…all clean.” Changmin smiled, satisfaction over his action before he re-think something.
“Ah! But I should have used my lips instead, shouldn’t I?” He laughed once he got a reaction from the other. Blushing all over like a tomato. He loves teasing the other, because Yunho was the one who had been shy around him and being mischievous little kid at heart he is, he loves to bully the other, of course until the other knows the way to handle him, that is.
He didn’t manage to quite down his laughter before he was being pulled by the neck to the other, closer.
Before he could even blink his eyes, his lips was already silent by another lips captured his. Yunho was pressing close to him. It was the first time they ever been so intimate and Changmin knew right then, the other had already taken him without he even allowed him to be. Jung Yunho, the one who has fully captured his heart.]
The other finally recovers from the shock and put up his business mode.
“How may I help you, sir? As you can see, we have a wide variety of flowers here. You can choose whichever you like sir.”
The florist points out a few flowers, mostly roses in wide variety of colors but that doesn’t at least took Changmin’s attention than the person who was talking to him. Changmin needed a reason to be in there, so he points out the flower he familiar the most: white roses. As Yunho was taking care of the flowers over his customer request, Changmin just stood by the counter and kept on watching. He loves it. The way the other moves behind the counter, cutting off the stems and packaging the flower before clumsily arranged it into a nice bouquet, picking on the thorns every once and awhile. He pouted whenever that happens as Changmin kept on watching.
[ “Changmin, here.”
Yunho held onto Changmin’s palm and placed something in it before closed it with his hand, making it invisible to the other. From the cold of what he felt, it’s something metallic.
“What’s this?” Yunho bites his bottom lips, seemed like pondering for a moment before look up. Eyes meeting eyes with Changmin’s.
“I know this kind of sappy and you don’t really like me being sappy but I wanna do this the right way. Here.” He removed his hand and let changmin see what it is he was giving. A couple rings, silver, metallic pair of rings that fit one another perfectly.
“It’s…. a couple rings.” Changmin mumbled as Yunho took his ring finger and put it on him. He placed a peck on the hand before kept on holding onto the hand.
“Figured something to remember us by, so that whenever you see this, you’ll think of me.”
Changmin lowered his head, disengaged their heated stare, while mumbling,
“I’ve thinking about you a lot already and you still think that wasn’t enough? Jung Yunho, how much more selfish can you be?” His mumble was silent by a kiss, a hand caressed his cheek as it guided him to deepen the kiss.
“I can’t help it, especially when the matters involving you.” They kissed for the second time before broke apart, this time Yunho had let the words slip him.
“Marry me.”
“What?”
“I said marry me, be mine, and I shall be yours.”]
Changmin glanced over the ring on his finger and felt bitter all over. Another 60 seconds, and all the bitter memory he had been holding, stored somewhere at the back of his head, unfolded into his mind.
[ The clock struck 2 am, and the one he was waiting for still nowhere in sight. Changmin swore that Yunho had never been this late, even if he was out with his friends, he would still return to him before midnight.
It was frustrating, the feeling of unknown what had happen to the other. He was about to grab the keys before the door clicked opened and revealed a drunken Yunho, wobbling his way in.
Changmin’s eyes followed his every movement, anticipated a little ‘Sorry, I should had called’ or maybe ‘My battery’s dead, that why I couldn’t answered your calls’
But nothing, there were no word exchanged between them as the other simply wobble his way into the couch, slumping down while closing his eyes.
Sleep is on his way.
“Hey, let’s talk.” Changmin tried, as he settled right in front of the other, seating on the coffee table, facing the almost asleep drunken man.
“ what is it that really bothering you Yunho? You don’t talk, heck I don’t even think you have even looked at me properly anymore!” He was ready for more but was stopped.
“Just. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Min.” Yunho finally glared at his deadly, sending death pang in his heart, Yunho had never been this angry at him. Just what exactly is happening between them that drift them apart too much?
“You don’t scare me Yunho. Just what exactly is you’re avoiding, why won’t you just tell me about it?!” He stood up and death glare at the drunken man in front of him.
“You! Damn it, Changmin! You. You’re the one I’ve been avoiding. I can’t keep doing this anymore. I’m not happy anymore. Are you?”
Yunho got up from the couch he’s been laying on, seated in the position where he is able to face the other properly.
They’ve been drifted apart, lately. And Changmin noticed that as well. He knew, deep down, all these avoiding one another, picking up only faults on each other instead of able to see the bright side of one another. Things have changed between them, love wasn’t there anymore. Their relationship was slowly drifting each other apart. The crack between them isn’t going to stop and probably only grew widen by the second.
“Well… say something. You’re the one who had been asking what’s wrong. Now you know, so how do we suppose to do anything about it? You’re the smart one between us two.”
“Let’s break up.” Changmin’s final words.
He never the one who said much, just enough to say his point. The rest of the break up seemed like a blur, but it happen, it really happen. A week just after their broke up, the news about a hit-and-run accident startled Changmin, Yunho was the victim who got hit. They said he died on the scene, the car hit him in the middle of the night, no eye witness and nothing to bring his death to justice, leaving Changmin raw with remorse and regrets. ]
Changmin took off the only symbol left of what they used to have, the ring and left it on the counter as soon as he paid for the flowers. He hands Yunho the money as the other was going to get him the change, Changmin left a rose on the countertop with the ring attached at the flower’s stalk. He wrote a note along with it.
Live your life well, Jung Yunho
-S.C.-
Yunho was left puzzled when he turned and saw his customer had left without taking the change. He saw the gift left for him and read the note.
Junsu, who worked with Yunho in the flower shop just got into the place when he saw Yunho wiped his tears away, clutching tightly on the flower and the note.
“Yunho, what’s wrong? Is everything alright?” He fusses over him, making Yunho seat down on the stool and fussed over some more in making him something to warm him up. Junsu placed a mug of hot coco into his hand, staring quizzically at him. He let him takes a sip before asking,
“Why were you crying?”
“I don’t know. I just felt…”
They both stared at the note and the ring. “like.. I’ve just lost a half part of me. Junsu, what’s wrong with me?”
Yunho couldn’t control his tears falling all over again.
“Do you know the person who gave this to you?”
“No… I… don’t think I’ve seen him before. But there was something about him Su, something about him that seemed so familiar.” His grip tighten around the ring.
“You should meet him again, you know, to figure this thing out. Hey, maybe if you got lucky, he’ll walked into our store again.”
Yunho gave him a weak smile.
“I don’t know if I’ll be glad or scare to meet him again. He seemed….” He felt his heart clenched and gut twisted, “ well felt like a bitter sweet feeling that came along with him…”
Graveyard, in the world where Changmin is living
Changmin stood in front of the tome stone, looking longingly at the grave. He was still holding his umbrella and the bouquet of roses he brought before. He places it neatly on the tomestone and caresses the craving of his lover’s name.
‘In an alternate universe where very few people that is lucky to well aware of this fact, there live another me, and maybe, just maybe….another you. Want to know what’s the saddest part about this? It’s that only to those who known, knows about how we first met, how our eyes met for the very first time and how it felt so natural for us to fall in love, and shared our lives together. Too bad….to be the only one knowing all of these while you’re still living your life as you live yesterday, even if I am by my own, the other Yunho, please live your life well in this one. Don’t get sick and don’t get hurt’
-Shim Changmin-