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Felix has flowers tangled in his hair. More specific, he has yellow little primroses in his blond hair, and he swears it’s an accident. He really, from the bottom of his heart, swears he accidentally pushed one of the pots containing the primroses over from the top shelf and spilled its continents on his head. But there is no sign of any dirt on Felix’s hair? So, he’s a liar, and he has little primroses tangled in his hair, because they’re yellow and Felix loves yellow. On Mondays he has pink flowers in his hair, but today is Tuesday, so today is the day of yellow flowers. Tomorrow Felix will wear something blue. And on Thursday, something red. Roses, if he is to be lucky (but he has to be careful as roses can put up a pretty good fight with their little thorns). The older lady, who owns the little flower shop will complain, as she did today, but leave it at that. See, Felix always picks the flowers that have come to the end of their little lives, the ones that will slowly turn brown and lose their petals in mere days, so really, he’s only doing his job. While sticking flowers to his hair. And the customers love it! Felix smiles brightly, greets everyone and knows everything about flowers, has a right one for every occasion, for the sad and for the happiness, for the break ups and for the get-togethers, and he has flowers in his hair and the little kids call him a fairy. And, apparently, their number of customers have been increasing since Felix started working in the little flower shop. So, even if the owner lady complains about Felix and his little flowers in his hair, she can’t complain too much. And the complaining is more of just half-hearted scolding, anyway. Felix is watering some tulips as the doorbell rings. Hyunjin’s head pops up from behind the shelf, that signature grin of his stretching across his lips.
“Morning! Primroses today, I see.”
“They looked like they could use some fresh air. Are you ready for the training?”
“No. Yes. It can’t be that hard.” Hyunjin has the job of introducing their new worker, who is supposed to start today, to everything, teaching him how to use the cash register and everything about flowers today. Felix is excited to meet his new co-worker finally, he has only heard that his name is Jeongin and he’s a little younger than Felix and Hyunjin.
“He should be here by twelve. Can you go grab some lunch before he comes? I can take care of the shop.” Hyunjin flees to the backroom to change to his working clothes. It’s a little past eleven (Hyunjin is late, but Felix doesn’t mind, the owner lady does, though), Felix has been in the shop since eight. “Sure! The same as usual?”
“Pretty please. And bring something extra in case the kid hasn’t eaten anything.” Hyunjin’s voice sounds a little muffled, but not so much Felix wouldn’t understand it.
“I will! I remember my first day, I was so excited and so scared I couldn’t even finish my breakfast.” Felix recalls the day, a little over a year ago, just in the beginning of summer. Hyunjin had came to the house a month or two after Felix, and back then it was Felix who had taught him everything. “Same here, but the first thing you told me was to not be scared, so it wasn’t so bad. And you had a pink rose behind your ear.” Felix smiles at the memory, Hyunjin had been so lost for the first three days, but so eager to learn. Like a puppy.
“Do you think Minho will be working this summer?” Hyunjin returns from the back and takes a broom, sweeps some of the soil that has fallen from one of the hanging baskets, under a shelf. Felix rolls his eyes, lazy puppy.
“Probably, Miss Kim isn’t in her best condition, so I doubt she’ll do much this summer. The heat is bad for her hip.”
“That sucks. But I miss Minho, I haven’t seen him since he started at the uni.”
“Isn’t he studying journalism or something?” Felix accidentally spills some water over his shoes.
“Yeah. Maybe he got a job in a magazine.”
“Let’s hope not, I miss his hugs and cookies. And he’s the only one who knows how to keep the primroses from spreading everywhere.” Hyunjin snorts as the doorbell jingles, signaling of a customer. Hyunjin is quick to welcome the lady and help her choose perfect flowers for her goddaughter’s birthday. Felix gets the watering done and sets the can on its place between the two big shelfs full of greenery, next to the huge water barrel. Their little flower shop is, as it is called, quite small. Well, not as small as some mall flower shops, but it could be bigger. It’s a little shop in the street corner in a relatively quiet area of the city. There are mainly restaurants and other little boutiques along the same street. Their flower shop is filled with tables and shelves full of different kinds of flowers, pots, watering cans, soil, everything one would ever need to grow some flowers on their windowsills or gardens. There’s a little statue of Aphrodite in the corner near the door. The flowers are hanging from the ceiling, some common ivy tangling itself on the door frame. Outside of the shop is another statue, that of Flora, the roman goddess of flowers. She has her arm extended, and occasionally a little bird or a butterfly takes a break on it. Next to Flora is a table filled with the season’s flowers, pots, everything brand new and sometimes on sale. Next to the cash register, where Hyunjin is currently standing with the lady, is the huge glass cabinet filled with bouquets, roses (some even have glitter on their petals), flowers for the hasty ones. For those, who don’t have time to grow their own, for those, who need a little something for that special one – or themselves to brighten up their kitchen tables. And then, on the farthest corner from the door, behind the cash register, stands the two sunflowers, Felix’s favorites. He has somehow managed to keep them alive in the huge pot, and he’s so proud of himself (and the sunflowers). Sunflowers bring Felix joy. They’re yellow, they brighten up everyone’s days. They’re even called ‘sun’flowers. And they symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity. Things Felix values in life. The bell rings again, Felix smiles and greets the customer. “Hello! How can I help you?” “I need something to confess to my crush with.” “Red roses would do the trick!” “A bundle of those, then.” And with a bundle of red roses the man leaves, smile on his lips as Felix tells him good luck. Felix takes off his used-to-be yellow apron (it’s more of brown nowadays, with some green streaks across it) and straightens his yellow hoodie. It’s cut from the sleeves, the threads coming from the fabric a little loose since Felix has forgotten to sew a seam on the edges of the sleeves. Why are they even cut? It’s summer, and Felix desperately needs more yellow clothes. His two shirts aren’t enough. He takes his wallet from his backpack in the backroom and sticks it in the front pocket of his hoodie.
“I’ll be back in a few!” Felix calls out before he heads out of the door to the street. He has some dirt on his knee. He doesn’t hear Hyunjin say anything after him as a car drives past him, playing music loudly. The sun is glazing the street with its brightness, spreading warmth all over. It’s still pleasantly warm, but Felix knows it will turn uncomfortably hot in a few hours. Some bypassers smile at Felix and the flowers in his hair, Felix smiles back. He thrives on it, being gentle and kind. He turns around the corner to another street, a little more buzzling than the street their flower shop is located. Felix always calls it “their” flower shop. It has a nice ring to it (and he hopes he would one day own a flower shop). Felix’s worn-out sneakers tap against the asphalt, someone passes him on a skateboard. The tattoo parlor has a new line of paintings decorating the shop window. Felix opens the door to the little Thai restaurant, smiles at the owner who smiles back at him.
“Same as always?”
“Yes, but make it triple.”
“A new one in the shop?”
“Yep, supposed to start in twenty minutes.” Felix sits down in a table near the register to wait after he has paid his order. There are a couple of other people eating at the restaurant, it’s still relatively quiet. Felix knows it will get a lot busier after twelve, and even more busy after four o’clock. The flower shop is the busiest in the evenings and in the early mornings on Saturdays. Saturdays are both the happiest and the saddest days, as most of the funeral flowers and the wedding flowers are sold that day. The bell rings, the echo a little deeper than that of their flower shop’s bell. Felix quickly glances up at the one entering but pays no mind, he stares out of the window, in his thoughts. Mindlessly plays with one of the flowers in his hair, tangling one of his locks around his fingers before untangling it. He suppresses a yawn, he has been on morning shifts for the past week and is feeling a little drowsy. A nap would sound just perfect right now, but unfortunately, Felix has no time for such things. “Felix! Three pad thais, on the go.” Felix takes the plastic bag with the three food containers in it and thanks the restaurant owner. He’s a delightful man in his sixties, always so cheerful and gives a whole lot of discounts to Felix and the flower shop workers in general. The food smells through the containers, making Felix’s stomach churn. The outside air is just as warm as before, caressing Felix’s skin. He’s already tanned, but he doesn’t mind a little more sun on his face. It makes his freckles pop. However, the black shorts for today were a bad decision, he should have gone with the basic jean shorts. Felix hums a song that is stuck in his head, careful not to swing the bag too much as he skips along the street. His feet slow down as he passes the tattoo parlor. The artworks really have changed from last week, now some of them are more… minimalistic. Black. The previous artworks had been full of color, watercolor style, everything. These are just black lines, linearts. They’re just as beautiful. It’s a pretty contrast to the world outside of the parlor window, buzzing with life and colors against the simple black lines. Felix stops in front of one particular artwork, it’s a flower, of course he does. It’s a beautiful flower, looks like an arctic starflower. One of Felix’s favorite flowers (all flowers are his favorite, though, but one of his utmost favorites, like sunflowers and primroses). Felix has never thought of getting a tattoo, but for a brief second, he does. But it would hurt, right? And Felix hates needles. Someone opens the parlor door and Felix jumps, as he recognizes the person from the restaurant. He has a bag in his hand as well. He stops for a fragment of a second and glances at Felix. Felix smiles at him, a little shy smile. The stranger looks a little intimidating, but nevertheless shoots a small smile back. Small, meaning a little quirk of the corner of his mouth, before he disappears inside the tattoo parlor. Must be one of the tattoo artists! Felix tiptoes, tries to see over the display of artworks, but he’s too short to see inside, and the sunlight is reflecting against the window. Maybe he’s a new one? Felix has never seen him before. Or maybe he’s just never bumped to him, even though he walks past the same parlor almost every day. Felix knows there’s at least two tattoo artists in the parlor, he has met both of them before. He recognizes them on the street and greets them with a smile, but he has never actually spoken to either of them. Except that one time when the other tattooist, the one with blond, curly hair and wide smile came to get some flowers for his mother. The other one is pretty much a mystery to Felix, having only seen him stand outside of the parlor a couple of times and accidentally bumping to him on the street. Actually bumping, as in Felix accidentally sent his bag flying across the street when he was in haste (that had been so awkward). And now the new one. More mysteries, maybe fate would bring them to their little flower shop one day! Felix gives up, he’s not going to see inside the parlor from the street. He continues his journey back to the flower shop, wondering whether the artworks were for sale. Could he buy one of them for his bedroom (which is also a living room since his apartment is a small studio apartment) as a decoration? Or were they just strictly for tattooing. Maybe Felix would have to go visit the parlor one day. If he’d dare. The doorbell jingles as Felix enters. The air conditioner has been turned to the maximum capacity, the air clearly warmer outside than inside. Two figures are hunched over the cash register, no customers are in the shop. Felix smiles wide as the heads turn to the source of the sound.
“Right on time! I’m starving!” Hyunjin exclaims, grinning. The boy next to him looks a little confused. Felix skitters to the counter and drops the bag in front of Hyunjin before extending his arm towards the new boy.
“Hi! I’m Felix, you must be Jeongin!” The boy takes his hand and shakes it, clearly taken aback by the sunlight personified.
“H-hi, yes, I’m Jeongin!”
“Welcome to our little flower shop! I got you some food if you’re hungry, too.”
“Oh, t-thank you!” Jeongin is adorable, he’s a little taller than Felix, but looks like a little boy in his a size-too-big work shirt (Felix never wears his own, but he has his apron). He has a toothy grin, and his eyes crinkle to little crescents whenever he smiles. Jeongin looks like the kind of person to have a little sprout growing from his hair, and Felix has a gut feeling his personality is just as endearing (his gut feeling is right). *** Jeongin is also a fast learner, and he knows more about flowers than Hyunjin had known when he had first started. The owner lady stops by the next day, greeting her new employee and scolding Felix of the flowers which are blue today, again, and tells they got a huge order of wedding flowers for next Saturday. Then she proceeds to complain how people always make the orders so late. Felix agrees, but doesn’t have time to continue to listen to her complaints as a customer enters. It’s a lady, with two other ladies. Felix already guesses the situation. “Good afternoon, ladies! How can I help you?”
“We would be in a need of a wedding bouquet.” Felix can nearly sense the excitement emitting from the ladies. Oh, how he loves wedding bouquets! They’re so fun to make. Felix shows the bouquet display on the huge glass cabinet, tells how those are only a fraction of the ones they could make in the shop. The soon-to-be-bride wishes for white, silver and baby blue, and soon enough, Felix has created a plan for the perfect wedding bouquet for the lady. The wedding is over a month away, so Felix has no haste on doing the bouquet, and he needs some extra flowers he has to order from the wholesale, anyway. After the ladies leave, Felix sits down on the stool behind the cash register. The huge windows on the opposite side of him let in a lot of light, making the shadows dance against the walls. One of the things Felix so much loves about the little flower shop is the colors of it, all of the shelves and tables are wooden, even the metal ones are painted to look like wood. The walls are deep green, almost emerald. There are little golden details everywhere, in the flowerpots, doorframes, on Felix’s ear as his dangling earring reflects sunlight. Usually the flower shops are full of bright lights and bright colors, but theirs is a little dimmer. Not that dim as in the flowers grow just as beautiful as in any flower shop, if not more beautiful, but dim in sense that it feels like the shop is on another reality. It’s peaceful, a little mystic compared to the thrumming city outside. Like a magical flower shop. Felix loves it.Hyunjin is teaching Jeongin how to take care of the flowers, Seungmin opens the door, violin case hanging from his shoulder.
“Hey!” Felix greets him as the boy enters. He can see from the corner of his eye Hyunjin almost hitting his head on a shelf as he abruptly stands up.
“Hey, I just got off practice and thought of stopping by. Busy?”
“Nah.” Seungmin drops his violin on the floor and for a moment Felix feels sorry for the inanimate object (the drop isn’t harsh; the instrument is probably just fine). He takes out his lunch and sits next to Felix on another stool. Seungmin is an old friend of Felix’s, they have known each other for years. He usually stops by the little flower shop after his violin practice since it’s only two blocks away. And he has a huge crush on Hyunjin, and Felix is pretty sure Hyunjin also has a huge crush on Seungmin, but he knows better than to interfere destiny. Hyunjin and Jeongin have been on morning shift today, Felix has the evening shift. Jeongin introduces himself to Seungmin, and then Seungmin realizes he has met the boy before.
“Aren’t you the pianist from last winter concert?”
“Y-yes, how did you know?”
“I was one of the violinists!” And the conversation shifts to a jargon Felix doesn’t understand. He loves music, he just doesn’t really understand the theory of it. Nor anything about violins and pianos and classical music terms. The afternoon glow paints the walls softer green, even shifting to orange in some instances. Felix can se a bird sitting on Flora’s hand on the outside, a couple is eyeing the new tulips that had arrived just this morning. One of the forget-me-nots in Felix’s hair tickle his ear. Hyunjin is staring at Seungmin, Felix nudges his arm to not be so obvious. Then again, it probably wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he were to be obvious, then Seungmin would maybe even take the hint. And to think Seungmin is the clever one out of them! *** Morning shift, again. It’s Friday, and there’s a peach-colored rose behind Felix’s ear. He’s cut the thorns off. Jeongin is in the morning shift with him, and the customers seem to love him. He has a contagious smile and he’s creative with his flower bouquets. Felix is busy with the wedding flower arrangements due the next day, sitting in the back of the shop and tying the bouquets together. Pinks and pearly whites, as ordered. Roses, mainly. The radio is playing the same songs as yesterday, Felix knows them by heart now. Eventually his stomach voices out the need of some food and Felix abandons the crowd of flowers.
“I’m gonna go get some food, Hyunjin will be here in five.” Jeongin nods and returns to clip dead leaves off a flower hanging basket. It’s slightly windy outside, but the zephyr is nothing but a pleasant feeling against Felix’s skin, easing the hotness of the noon. The forecast has promised some clouds for the evening and rain for the weekend, but the sun is still shining bright as ever. The rose almost falls off and Felix tucks it better behind his ear. “Three pad thais, have a great weekend!”
“You too!” The contents of the plastic bag smells so good, as always. Felix skips along the street, there’s a happy sway in his feet. Even though making fifty bouquets in two nights is quite burdensome and tiring, he knows it’s worth it. The only problem with those arrangements is the amount of roses they require, and roses have thorns. A lot of them. He’s passing the tattoo parlor as something catches his eye. The artworks are a little different, some of them have changed, but one particular artwork stands out. It is drawn in the same style as the other ones, black lines, others thicker than the others, no color. It’s a boy, or actually, a head of a boy, from shoulders up. The boy has a serene expression, like he’s not really present in the moment, but rather he has his head in the clouds. A straight, small nose, long eyelashes. There are freckles on his face. And his hair, seemingly light in color as it is not painted black, has flowers tangled in it. The flowers are primroses, without a doubt. They’re colored yellow and stand out from the rest of the artworks. The boy in the drawing has freckles and flowers in his hair, and for a brief second Felix stares at the picture, eyebrows furrowed, dumbfounded. Felix nearly drops the food he’s holding as the realization hits him. The boy has primroses in his hair, freckles and a small nose, and it’s a picture of Felix. It’s a drawing of him, probably from Tuesday. Why is there a drawn picture of Felix on the window of the tattoo parlor? The door suddenly opens and Felix jumps, ready to flee from the scene. Out of the door steps a familiar face, wild, blond curls framing a friendly-looking face.
“Oh hey!” The boy smiles. He’s wearing a sleeveless shirt and his other arm is filled with tattoos. The other one is tatted only from the upper arm.
“Hey!” Felix smiles back, hoping the confusion doesn’t seep through his voice.
“Felix, right?” The boy digs a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of his jeans.
“Yes, from the flower shop! You’re Chan, if I remember correctly?” Felix chirps. The tattoos on Chan’s arm create a complex yet beautiful collage, Felix wonders if they have a special story behind them. “Yup. Admiring our works, I see?” Chan puts a cigarette between his lips but doesn’t light it yet. Maybe he’s considerate, doesn’t want to smoke when Felix is present (Felix wouldn’t mind, but he’s not that fond of the smell either).
“Ahh, yes.” A hint of pink dusts across his cheeks, matching the rose behind his ear; “They’re beautiful, very different from the previous works.”
“I know right! I’ve always preferred the old school style more but these minimal linearts are damn pretty, too.” Felix nods, quickly glances at the drawing beside him. A person passes from behind Chan and opens the door to the parlor.
“Hey Bambam!” Chan smiles quickly at the boy with a nose ring and neck tattoos. The boy mumbles a quiet greeting back and then he’s inside the shop. Felix realizes he only has one chance.
“So, umm, is there a new tattooist in your parlor or…? Since the works are different from the usual?”
“Yup. Changbin started a few weeks back, those are his works. He specializes in illustrations and dotworks.”
“Ahh, I see!”
“You interested in that style?” It takes a second for Felix to understand what Chan means by this. “Ohh, no, I haven’t really thought of a tattoo for myself. I’m afraid of needles.” Chan smiles a little, it’s reassuring, kind of.
“Maybe one day.” Felix smiles, he doesn’t want to make Chan feel that Felix somehow doesn’t like tattoos. He likes them, really, he loves the little pictures that sometimes have a story behind them, that tell something about the person carrying them, their interests, personality, views on the word.
“Changbin is a really delicate one, so nothing to be afraid of. Except if you have like, an actual phobia, then I probably wouldn’t suggest getting inked as it isn’t the quickest thing to do. But if it’s just a tiny fear, then, you know, think about it.” Chan fishes the lighter out of his pocket, but he still doesn’t light the cigarette. Thoughtful. “Yeah, I will.” Felix is about to turn back to the street, he knows he should get back as he is still hungry, and so are probably Jeongin (and Hyunjin since he always forgets breakfast). But he can’t lose this. Changbin is the guy from the Thai restaurant on Tuesday, right? At least that’s where he had seen Felix. That’s where he could have gotten his inspiration from.
“Hey, can you tell that Changbin guy that this one”, he points at the drawing of him, “is really pretty. But the primroses are a little too big compared to the boy’s head.” Chan looks a little lost for a second, but then realization sweeps over his features. He smiles.
“I will.”*** Tuesday again. Today is the day of yellow pansies and an evening shift. Jeongin is watering the flowers and cleaning Flora outside, he’s already skilled enough to do shifts on his own. The customer feedback has been nothing but positive about their new worker, his glowing smile apparently lighting their clientele’s days one person at a time. Felix is resting his chin against his palm, arm propped against the countertop. He should be clipping hibiscuses and watering the gerbera daisies, but he doesn’t feel like moving right now. He feels like a cat in the sun, he’s a little drowsy, nearly nodding off due to the warmth. The radio is playing some soft tunes, blending into the background and the sounds coming from the streets. Felix closes his eyes, just for a moment… The doorbell jingles and Felix’s eyes snap open, and that signature smile of his spreads across his face.
“Hello! How may I help you?” he chirps, standing up from the stool he was sitting on.
“Hi. I- uhm, I’m getting flowers for my mom’s birthday…” The boy looks a little lost, nothing new, but he also looks a little surprised. He eyes the flowers around him and slowly approaches the countertop Felix has just circled around. He rolls the sleeves of his black hoodie up, and then it dawns on Felix. It’s the boy from the Thai restaurant! The new tattooist in the parlor! The one who had drawn Felix! Changbin, wasn’t that the name Chan had called him with?
“D-do you have anything special in mind?” Felix stutters, oh no.
“No, not really. I thought you would have some recommendations.”
“O- oh, yes, of course, I do!” Felix feels his face heating up. The boy is wearing all black everything, he even has a cap on his head, backwards. Quite odd to wear a black hoodie and jeans in this heat (even though the jeans are ripped, and the sleeves of the hoodie are rolled up), but then again, it is probably a question of style rather than comfort. And the tattoos? Similar artworks as in the parlor window, black lines, minimalistic. Unlike Chan’s, the tattoos don’t form one cohesive collage, but they still fit in, complement each other. Illustratives and dotworks. Beautiful. The boy cocks an eyebrow as it takes a tad too long for Felix to continue.
“A-ah, yes, um, well, usually the roses are quite a common flower to buy as a gift. Unless you want a pot flower that your mother can grow on her own.”
“Nah, roses are fine. But aren’t they quite… romantic kind of flowers?” Changbin’s bangs fall over his eyes constantly and he has to sweep them away. He’s wearing a silver ring on his middle finger.
“Not really, red roses are a sign of love, yes, and pink ones can also be a sign of admiration.” Felix turns to the glass cabinet and points at all of the different colored roses in one huge pot.
“Yellow roses sign happiness, and you usually give them to someone who makes you happy. White roses tell about innocence and purity, they’re usually used as wedding flowers because of the purity, as couples, you know, want the marriage to be pure, and they also represent new beginnings. Oranges are also a sign of passionate romance, so not that good as birthday gift to a mother, and lavender roses are a sign of love at first sight, so not very good either. Creamy roses are pretty basic, they indicate charm and thoughtfulness and-.“ Felix glances at Changbin, who looks confused, to say the least. “I- sorry, I’m rambling.” The pink on Felix’s face deepens; “but, uhh, peach colored roses are a sign of gratitude. A way of saying ‘thank you’. Those are a nice way to say happy birthday, too. Or tulips. They’re on sale. Too.” Felix swallows and waits for Changbin’s response. Why does he have to be this awkward? It isn’t like he’s crushing on him or anything, Felix barely even knows his name! “The peach colored roses are good, she doesn’t really like tulips. A bouquet of those would be great.” Changbin’s voice is a little quiet, but not too much. A little hushed, he speaks in soft voice.
“Peachy.” Felix says and nearly slaps his face as he turns back to the glass cabinet, out of all the words for ‘good choice’, he had to go with ‘peachy’. But Changbin snickers a little, barely noticeable. So maybe it isn’t that bad. Felix opens the door and takes twelve peach-colored roses out of the pot. Twelve is a reasonable amount for a bouquet. He then walks back to the counter top and gently places the roses on it. He can feel Changbin’s eyes on the back of his head. The bell jingles, but it’s just Jeongin.
“Hey, can you water the hibiscuses and clip the gerbera daisies. No, wait, I mean water the daisies and clip the hibiscuses.” Felix’s ears are three shades too pink for his liking. Jeongin giggles at him; “Okie dokie!” Felix quickly returns to the bouquet he’s working on as he quickly clips some of the thorns and lowest leaves off.
“Do you want me to add some extra decorations? Like a silver or golden ribbon or stuff like that?” Felix gazes up and meets Changbin’s eyes. He’s following intently Felix’s working.
“Nah, she likes the things simple.” That apparently runs in the family.
“Alright, just a simple bouquet then…” Felix wraps a basic twine around the flowers and ties them together. Then he wraps a baby pink paper around the whole bunch, tying another string around it.
“They still have the water tubes on, and I suggest keeping them on until you put them in a vase.” Changbin nods.
“Do you want a birthday card?”
“No need to.” Felix nods and ties the last ribbon on the bouquet. “That would be fifty bucks.” He taps the numbers on the cash register and Changbin pays for the bouquet, eyebrows a little furrowed at the price. Flowers aren’t that cheap, especially not a bouquet of roses, honey. Felix hands the bouquet to Changbin along with a receipt. “Alright. Thank you.” Changbin smiles, and it’s adorable. His eyes crinkle a little, smile lines appearing on the corners of his eyes.
“No problem. See you around, Changbin.” And Felix’s eyes widen as he slaps a hand over his mouth. Changbin looks surprised. And Felix looks like the red roses in the glass cabinet.
“No I- I- mean, I know Chan, he, he, told me your name when I asked him about the- the- the drawing on the window and I’mnotastalkeriswear!”
“Okay. That’s exactly what a stalker would say.” Changbin sounds amused. “I’m not! I know Chan and he told me you’re a new tattoo artist on the parlor when I saw him last week!” Felix tries desperately to explain himself. Changbin lifts his free arm on a reassuring manner.
“I know, I know, Chan told me you liked the drawing. And that the flowers were too big. And I’m actually sorry about that, I should have asked your permission to draw you. I didn’t know you worked nearby.” And now it isn’t just Felix who is blushing. Changbin has a hint of pink dusting over his nose. “I-it’s alright, I was quite honored, actually.” Felix smiles shyly, scratching the back of his neck. For a brief moment, there’s a little bit of an awkward silence. Felix doesn’t know what to do or say.
“Uhh, anyways, I gotta get going. See you around,” Changbin leans in a little, squinting and reads the nametag on the apron; “Felix.” Felix can’t help the blush on his face anymore.
“See you.” He smiles as the boy turns to the door. He doesn’t leave before glancing back at Felix once. *** “Minho!” Felix shrieks as a familiar face enters through the door. He abandons the clippers on the shelf and rushes to jump to his waiting arms.
“Hey! Little sunflower!” Minho’s hugs are the best hugs in the world, so warm, so comforting. Everything is right in the world in Minho’s arms.
“Minho!” Hyunjin yells from the backroom. Soon Felix finds himself in a group hug of three people. “How’s everything? Miss Kim called me and said she needed me.” The busy season arriving, Minho would definitely be needed.
“Well, it sure is getting crowded, so many weddings are upcoming. And graduation parties, and stuff like that.” Hyunjin says as he lets go of the older boy.
“You have any new ones here or is it just you two?”
“We have a new one, Jeongin. You’re going to love him. He’s adorable.” Hyunjin nods in agreement at Felix’s words. *The boys sit around the cash counter, Felix tries his best to create a beautiful bouquet of eleven red roses, true love, as he listens to Minho. He tells about his life in university and studying journalism, about his other job at an office (“That must be so boring.” “You have no idea. But it looks good on the CV.”). It’s raining outside, Flora is getting wet. All of the items on the outside table have been taken inside, rows of colorful pansies sit on their pots on a table near the door. It’s quiet today, luckily. Wedding flower arrangements keep getting ordered, and Felix is pretty sure his hands have never been this full of scratches from the thorns.
“And the new tattooist across the corner drew Felix! And Felix can’t stop talking about him.” Hyunjin dodges the rose Felix sends flying his way.
“I don’t even talk about him! I just told you what happened!”
“Wait, you mean Chan’s parlor?” Minho sprays some silver spray on top of one of the arrangements.
“Yeah.” Felix knows Chan and Minho are friends, they’ve gone to the same school.
“Oh, that’s cool! Then it’s a trio working there now. Except if Jisung has left, but I doubt it, from what Chan has told me he’s really popular and his watercolor style is really wanted.” Felix nods and finishes off the bouquet. Yeah, maybe he has talked about Changbin. Perhaps he still can’t believe that the boy has drawn him as one of his artworks to show off his skills on the tattoo parlor window. And maybe, just maybe he is a little intrigued about Changbin. The boy looks intimidating, but he has a warm smile (and Felix’s insides melt a little every time he thinks about that smile). And the tattoos on his arms are interesting! And his art is beautiful overall, and Felix appreciates beautiful things. And art. And maybe he wants to get to know the boy a little more. But he doesn’t know how to. The door to the little flower shop opens;
“Minho!” Seungmin shrieks. *** The rain taps against the windows in the Thai restaurant, Felix has a baby blue rose behind his ear, a rose because it is Friday. It’s been raining since Wednesday, and it will be raining until next Monday. Felix wishes for the rain to cease, he wants sunshine and warmth (like a cat). He receives his order, four portions this time. He wraps the jean jacket he’s wearing around himself better to keep the cold away. But in front of the tattoo parlor, he stops. The drawings have changed again, this time the window is filled with three different art styles, old school and traditional, colorful watercolors and the simple lines. But that’s not what Felix’s eyes are focused on, he’s focused on the drawing of a boy in the right corner. Again, the drawing is only of the head, but this time it’s not straight from the side, but instead a 3/4 portrait. Of a freckled boy. With yellow pansies in his hair. It is of Felix from that day Changbin came to the flower shop. Blush dusts over Felix’s cheeks. The boy in the picture is slightly smiling, eyes crinkling. The freckles are made to look like little stars. And the pansies are the right size. Felix feels smile stretching across his lips despite the hard rain falling over his head, wetting him from head to toe. The tattoo parlor is closed, they have a sign that says ‘We’ll be back on Monday’ on the door. The phone in Felix’s jeans’ pocket buzzes and Felix turns back to the street, jogging the rest of the way back to the flower shop. Warmth spreads across his chest. *** “Hey. Is Felix working today?” Felix scrambles up from the floor of the backroom. Every counter, every stool, every table and shelf is filled with white flowers, half of them for a wedding, half of them for a funeral. He tries to find his way out of the room while Jeongin looks at him, confused.
“Yeah, he is. Felix!” Hyunjin calls out from the counter.
“Coming!” He almost falls and yelps, stumbling on the arrangements. Somehow, he finds his way out of the door, the red poppy behind his ear still on its place. Changbin still has his cap on backwards, but the black hoodie has changed to a black t-shirt. And the tattoos are clearly visible and go all the way from his wrist to his shoulder, black drawings across his skin. He’s tanned and Hyunjin nudges Felix in the ribs as it takes a second too long for Felix to say anything.
“Yeah, hi.” Felix smiles and hopes it’s not awkward. Hyunjin leaves to the backroom, leaving the two alone.
“What can I do for you this time?” Changbin looks… shy. That kind of shy that makes the person look small (though, Changbin is small, he’s even shorter than Felix, and Felix is already quite short, but Changbin is a lot more built).
“I’m looking for something for my grandma, something she could grow in her home in a pot. She likes red so that one in your hair would be nice.” Changbin points at the flower behind Felix’s ear, and Felix swears he can hear Hyunjin giggling in the backroom. “Sure! They’re poppies, quite a common garden flower, but manage in pots too if they’re not overwatered.” Felix leaves out the fact that poppies symbolize sleep, and in some instances, death, because Changbin thinks they’re pretty. He walks across the shop to the farthest shelf from the cash counter and picks up a pot that contains a small poppy. Changbin is following right behind him. “This one is still quite small, but they grow really fast with right care.” Changbin nods, Felix turns to the shelf to check if there are any better ones, but the one in his hand is the best one (he doesn’t see Changbin eyeing his side profile with admiration).
“Do you need a better pot with this?”
“Hm?” (Changbin is lost in his thoughts.)
“Do you need a better pot with this? I mean, like, this plastic pot isn’t that good, ceramic ones are better.”
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I need a pot with it.” Felix walks up to the next shelf that is filled with pots of different sizes and colors, some even have some patterns on them.
“What color would your grandma like?”
“I think the white one would be cool.”
“Alright.” Felix takes a pot of the right size and carries the flower and the pot to the cash counter.
“Do you want me to plant this on the new pot?”
“If that’s okay for you, then yes, please.” Felix nods, smiling at Changbin, who still looks a little lost. Felix puts on his garden gloves to not get his hands all dirty as he gently takes the Poppy out of its little plastic container. “I saw your drawing.” Felix looks up at Changbin from the flower he’s working on. Changbin’s eyes are twinkling.
“A-and how did you like it?” He also has a little blush redding his nose, again. So does Felix, he’s no better.
“Better than the last one, the flowers are the right size. And I like the angle. And the freckles were cute.”
“Thank you.” Felix reaches for some extra soil from underneath the counter top, scoops it in the pot and places the Poppy inside, scooping then some more soil.
“Has anyone bought the pictures or are they just on display?”
“Most of them are meant to be tattooed, but I figured you would probably feel awkward having your face tatted on someone, so those two pictures aren’t for sale. Just to display my skills.” Felix smiles a little as he nods. How thoughtful (even though if someone were to tattoo Felix’s face on their skin, he’d probably feel just oddly flattered).
“How about the picture of the arctic starflower?” Changbin lifts his eyebrow, Felix continues;
“I saw it like two weeks ago when the pictures were changed the first time, a little flower with pointy petals, white in color.”
“Oh yeah, that one, yeah that was sold in a day.” Felix pouts, what a shame. He would have wanted that on his wall. “I can draw you another one.” Felix nearly drops the spade he’s holding.
“Oh, oh that would be grool! No, gre- cool. Cool. Great!” And he wants to disappear from the face of the earth right now. Changbin giggles, and it’s one of the most endearing sounds Felix has ever heard on his nineteen years of living on planet Earth. Like little wind chimes, or the birds of early mornings.
“B-but I’m not really thinking of getting a tattoo, so t-that would probably be just a waste of time, so no need to, really.”
“No time spent doing art is time wasted. You don’t have to tattoo it, you can just, hang it on a wall or something. Or use it to decorate your little shop.” Changbin is leaning against the cash counter.
“What’s your favorite flower?” Felix snorts at the question, still a little embarrassed and face flushed;
“Are you seriously asking a florist what’s his favorite flower?”
“Yes.” Felix wraps the Poppy in a paper that protects its delicate leaves and petals on the way to Changbin’s grandma’s house. He carefully sets the flower in a paper bag and takes off his gloves.
“Sunflowers. Primroses. Arctic starflowers. And all of the yellow flowers in the world.” He smiles at the tatted boy whose bangs are still too long.
“Can I get anything else for you?”
“No thank you, this should be fine.” Felix taps the numbers on the cash register;
“Fifteen bucks.”
“Thank you.” Changbin pays the amount and takes the paper bag. He waves his hand as a goodbye, Felix answers with a small wave of his own. When the door closes after the artist, Felix lets out a long wheeze. Hyunjin bursts in laughter in the backroom along with Jeongin. Felix lays his head against the cold counter top, some of the fallen dirt sticking to his forehead. But he can’t help the warmth spreading inside of him, tingling in his fingertips and toes. What? Why? “Did you just really say ‘grool’? Oh my god, Felix! Grool!” Hyunjin exclaims as he shakes Felix from his shoulders. Jeongin is giggling behind him.
“Please dig a grave for me.” Felix whines.
“And what on earth was that? He asked your favorite flower?”
“I don’t know!” Felix finally straightens himself again. His cheeks are burning.
“You don’t even know the guy and you’re already crushing on him!”
“I’m not crushing on him!”
“That blush on your face tells another story.”
“I’m just. Interested!” *** Felix is collecting dead leaves from one of the shelves full of blue and white Scabiosas. Minho is delivering one of the wedding flower arrangement orders to the other side of the town. It’s a hot day, the sun is shining, the air conditioner is blasting on full power. Their radio broke yesterday because Hyunjin managed to knock it off from the shelf while cleaning, so now Felix is humming a tune on his own. Dust reflects against the sunlight shining through the window. Felix likes to think of the dust as fairy dust and not just… dust. Beautiful thoughts make the world a better place. It’s a quiet Friday, the clock is a little over eleven. Minho is supposed to be back soon, and then they have to continue other flower arrangements for another wedding. Today the rose behind Felix’s ear is lavender, and one of the leaves keeps tickling Felix’s ear, but he doesn’t want to take it off. The doorbell jingles, Felix doesn’t lift his gaze from the white Scabiosa he’s currently grooming;
“Can you go pick up the golden and pink decorations from the wholesale today, they called an hour ago that they’re ready and we need them for next week’s arrangements?” “I would, but I don’t have a car and I have no idea where your wholesale is.” Felix nearly drops the Scabiosa in his hand and gasps, way too loud. He sets the flower hurriedly back on its place and turns around. Changbin is leaning against one of the shelves. The cap is finally discarded, black, fluffy hair rounding his features. This time, he’s wearing a white shirt tucked in his black jeans. And Felix is wearing a dirty, yellow apron and peachy shirt. With jean shorts. And ragged old sneakers. Fashion. “O-oh I’m sorry I thought you were Minho.”
“Figures.” Changbin’s smile is a little crooked. Butterflies fly around Felix’s stomach (why on earth).
“Does your grandma want a new flower or is someone special celebrating their birthday today?” Felix hurries from behind the shelves to the cash counter and discards his garden gloves on an empty shelf.
“Neither, but our little tattoo parlor could use some color. And I came to bring you this.” Changbin sets a binder on the table in front of Felix. Felix glances at the boy with some suspicion before he takes the binder on his hand and opens it. Inside of it is an illustrative, hand drawn picture of three sunflowers. Felix’s breath hitches.
“You didn’t.”
“I did. I would have framed it, but I didn’t have any spare frames at home.” Changbin is smirking. Smirking. Felix is astonished. The picture is perfect.
“This is. Beautiful. Thank you.” The blush is tinting Felix’s cheek once again. He’s so glad Hyunjin doesn’t have a shift today. He admires the picture for a second and then puts it back to the binder and sets it on the table behind the counter. He’d have to remember to take it with him in the evening.
“But what can I do for you? You said you want some color on your parlor?”
“Yeah. I was thinking of those yellow little flowers. The ones you had in your hair… you know. In the Thai restaurant.”
“Primroses?”
“Exactly!” Changbin is beautiful. His smile is beautiful, despite the dark and brooding aura, he exudes warmth as soon as he opens his mouth. Felix’s heart skips a beat, and his feet skip against the floor as he makes his way towards the table near the door.
“These are easy to take care of, they like sun and need to be watered every other day. Keep the soil moist. You want one or many?”
“One is fine, do you still have them in yellow?” Felix looks at Changbin for a brief second. Yellow primroses… Really?
“We do. You want a pot again?”
“Please. Black or a red pot, fits the interiors.” Felix smiles. He notices how the confidence Changbin had is slowly turning to shyness again. Felix picks up the right pot and returns to the counter. He grabs his gloves and starts working on the primroses again. “Why did you draw me?” Felix asks, he needs to know. He glances up at Changbin, who is scratching the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly.
“Oh, well… You know. I like to draw… beautiful things.” That really isn’t the answer Felix expected, and in shock, he drops his spade. He reaches for it, but so does Changbin. And their heads collide, and Felix falls to his knees on the impact. The bang truly isn’t a small one, and Felix’s forehead starts throbbing. Changbin is on his feet already, reaching out to Felix as he opens his eyes, vision a little blurry.
“Holy shit, I’m so sorry, so so sorry.” Changbin sounds worried.But Felix bursts to laughter. The whole scene is so bizarre, first he’s blushing because some still stranger to him keeps drawing him and coming to his flower shop, and then he hits his head on the stranger’s head and the stranger is, if Felix is being completely honest, very very cute. In that kind of way that Felix would love to take him to eat ice cream in the park someday. Changbin looks at him with those beautiful eyes his for a second, before he starts giggling too. Then he repeats his apologies and helps Felix up and picks up the spade from the floor. Felix is still giggling, and Changbin can’t help but let out another laugh. It’s awkward, but it’s the right kind of awkward. Felix finally collects himself and continues to pot the flower. He’s trying desperately not to burst in another fit of giggles.
“You didn’t hurt your head, did you? Honestly I’m sorry.” Changbin’s voice has a hint of concern in it.
“No, no, it’s alright, it doesn’t hurt.” Changbin measures Felix with his eyes, tries to see if the boy is lying. He is, but doesn’t say anything. It’s not like Felix got a concussion or something from the collision. He looks at Changbin and giggles again, so does the other boy. God, Felix is a mess. He finally gets the primroses in the pot.
“Didn’t you say that lavender roses are a sign of love at first sight?” Changbin points at the rose behind Felix’s ear.
“Yeah, they are.” Felix wonders how Changbin remembered that. He had actually listened to Felix’s rambling? Changbin looks at him with a questioning look.
“Oh! Oh, I just take whatever flowers are going to end up in the trash in the evening and put them in my hair at the start of my shift. I don’t have a. Love at the first sight. Or anything. I think. The customers love it! It’s kinda my brand. And I have colors for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and on Fridays I take one of the roses, and on weekends I take whatever looks good, and I’m rambling again, sorry.” The blush on Felix’s face deepens again.
“That’s cute.” Felix doesn’t know it, but Changbin means the rambling and not the flowers.
“T-thank you.” He hands the flower pot to Changbin.
“I suppose you don’t need a bag since your parlor is just around the corner?”
“Nah, it’s good. How much is it.”
“It’s free.” Changbin cocks his eyebrow;
“No it’s not.”
“Yes it is. You gave me the drawing. And primroses aren’t even expensive, like two bucks, anyway.”
“So two bucks, plus the pot?”
“No, keep your money. It’s a gift, you’re welcome. I insist.” And Felix insists. He crosses his arms over his chest. Changbin snorts, but takes the flower pot as Felix refuses to take it back. “So, um do you happen to be fre-“ And Changbin’s phone rings. He fishes it out of his pocket, clearly embarrassed.
“Ah fuck, it’s Chan. I gotta go.” Felix nods, maybe a little disappointed.
“I’ll see you around, I’m probably going to kill the primroses during the first week, so I’ll need another ones.” He smiles, as he backs to the door. Felix bids him a goodbye with rosy cheeks and watches Changbin shut the door after him, careful with the flowers. Felix sits down on the stool after he’s done with picking the dead leaved from the flowers. Minho still hasn’t returned and Jeongin had called that he would be a little late. Felix takes the binder from the table and opens it, just to admire the picture once again. He notices the signature at the right corner, ‘SpearB’, it says. Cute. Felix stares at the flowers, nearly enchanted. First of all, he still can’t believe Changbin has actually drawn sunflowers for him. Second of all, he has brought the drawing to him. Personally. And the illustration is beautiful. Felix hadn’t known before that something so minimalistic could be so beautiful. The phone buzzing on the table startles Felix, and the picture slips through his fingers. Felix answers the phone as he picks the drawing up from the floor. Minho is on the other end, he tells Felix that he’s stuck in the traffic and it would take him a while to get to the shop. Felix says something along the lines of “okay, I’ll see you”, and then hangs up, but he doesn’t really register it. He’s staring at the row of numbers behind the drawing. The artwork dropped upside down, and apparently, there was more to the picture than Felix first saw. As in, a phone number. Felix picks the drawing up and reads the text underneath the number.
“Text me,
- Changbin.” Felix wants to scream. *** Felix eventually does text Changbin. It doesn’t take him much time, like three hours and lots of pressure from both Minho and Seungmin. And Jeongin. And a lot of convincing and bribing to keep Seungmin from telling Hyunjin just yet. And perhaps Seungmin agrees that he would ask Hyunjin out if Felix did the same to Changbin. So that’s what Felix does. Asks Changbin out. For ice creams. Just for the sake of Seungmin. And Changbin says yes. They agree to go for ice creams on Saturday evening, that means Felix has approximately 24 hours to get ready. He can’t sleep during the night, he can’t focus on his work, he can’t choose which flowers to put in his hair. He ends up tangling primroses to his locks (or Hyunjin insists that he should put primroses in his hair after he has yelled about Felix going on a date with a tattoo artists).
“I don’t even know what to talk about!”
“Just be yourself, you’re adorable.” But the weather isn’t on their side, and Felix and Changbin end up in a café near the tattoo parlor. The barista recognizes Changbin, Felix doesn’t know what to order so he ends up getting a smoothie. Changbin takes a normal coffee. Felix doesn’t like coffee, it’s too bitter for his taste. The café is cute, the theme is a little similar to the little flower shop, lots of greens and browns. Felix can’t stop smiling, he’s all over the place, he’s blushing. But so is Changbin. The café only has a couple of other people in it and Changbin and Felix pick a corner table.
“Did you pick primroses by accident or is today somehow a special day?” Felix giggles, he can’t keep it in.
“Hyunjin told me to put primroses. And they’re my favorites, so of course I picked them.” There’s a little quirk in the corner of Changbin’s lips. He’s leaning back on his chair, other arm propped on the backrest. He looks relaxed. Felix looks anything but relaxed. “Hyunjin is the other worker, right?”
“Yeah, the tall one. We also have Minho and Jeongin, Jeongin is the little one. And Minho is a friend of Chan!”
“Oh yeah, he visited our parlor last week. High school besties or something. Though, I’m actually pretty sure Chan has a massive crush on that guy. He was stuttering so bad I thought he got a stroke.” Felix raises his eyebrows, surprised; “Really?!”
“Yup, and I’ve known Chan for quite a while now. I used to work in other parlor, but the land lord wanted us out and I needed to get a new place, and that’s where I called Chan and asked if he had any room for a third tattoo artist.” And the ice is broken. Felix learns a lot about Changbin. He likes illustrations because they convey emotions and messages through simple lines (and they look cool). He has tattooed some of the pictures on his arms by himself, some are by Chan and some by other tattoo artists. And the tattoos don’t just stop on his arms, he also has plenty on his legs and chest. He loves action movies and despises drama, and the Poppy he had bought wasn’t for his grandma. His grandma didn’t even live in the town, and Changbin has kept the flower himself. Changbin blushes a lot, he loves coffee, he loves dark colors. He loves cats, he loves cakes. The other tattoo artist, Jisung is one of is best friends. And despite his cold aura, he’s an absolute angel. He smiles at everything even slightly funny, his hearty laugh fills the room with sunlight. His eyes turn to little crescents and he scrunches his nose whenever he laughs. He lives in a little studio apartment a few blocks away, the opposite direction of Felix’s studio. Changbin loves music and arts, he loves museums, he’s a frequent visitor of the nearby art galleries. And Changbin learns a lot about Felix. His love for flowers had started when he was small, he loves the yellow color because it reminds him of happy things. His favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry (Changbin’s is chocolate). His best friend is about to date his other very good friend, but both of them are dumb and clueless. Felix also despises drama movies (despise is a way too strong word, he more of slightly dislikes them), but romantic movies are good for the heart. He loves traveling, he wishes to travel around the world one day. And he sometimes paints his nails yellow. And then the barista shoos them away as the clock strikes eight. Felix gets a good night kiss on his cheek. *** They go on another date. This time they finally end up in the park to eat ice cream. Felix remembers to take a picnic blanket with him, luckily. Felix drops some of the strawberry ice cream on his shirt, Changbin accidentally smears some on his chin. Messy.
“Did you know that your freckles create an actual constellation?”
“No?”
“They do.” Changbin points at the little dots on Felix’s cheek and nose; “these ones, they look like the Cassiopeia constellation.”
“You like the stars? And space stuff?”
“I love space stuff. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was little.”
“What stopped you?”
“I suck at maths.” Changbin knows so much about stars. He even has his star sign’s constellation tattooed underneath his collarbone, the constellation of Leo. And his knowledge doesn’t stop just at stars, he also knows a lot about the actual star signs. Felix listens intently, but at some point, he finds himself only staring at the way Changbin talks, the way his lips purse and the way he expresses himself with his hands. He finds himself staring at Changbin’s sharp eyes, long eyelashes, straight nose and the corners of his mouth that quirk a little bit upwards. And he finds himself wondering how soft Changbin’s lips are. “Earth calls Felix, are you still there?”
“Ah, yes, sorry I zoned out.” Felix blushes.
“I know I’m a little boring.” Changbin pouts.
“No! No you’re not! I’m just a little tired, so many wedding flower arrangements and bouquets and stuff like that, so, heh, yeah, sorry. You’re not boring.” Changbin laughs at Felix’s rambling. The sun is setting, painting the sky deep orange, pink, violet, blue. This time it’s Changbin who gets a good night kiss on his cheek. *** Felix is sitting on the stool behind the counter top, creating a wedding bouquet the three ladies had ordered a few weeks ago. The shop is about to close, but the doorbell jingles one last time. Felix looks up from the counter and the person entering makes his insides jump and toes tingle with electricity.
“Can you lock the door? It’s closing time.”Changbin locks the door after him and walks up to the counter. He places a plastic bag that smells quite a lot like pad thai in front of Felix.
“I figured you’d be hungry since you told me you have been busy today since eight in the morning.” Felix’s heart swells.
“I am, thanks. How was your day?” Changbin takes out the containers of food, Felix is still arranging the flowers and the decorations in the perfect order.
“Pretty busy. Two customers today, other one was afraid of needles and had three people to support him, so also crowded.”
“How did that turn out?” Felix asks, curious.
“Quite well. It took a while for the man to adjust to the sound and then I showed him what kind of equipment I was going to use and then assured him it’d all be worth it and hurt less than he assumed. Then he almost passed out but when I started he realized it wasn’t so bad.”
“I wonder if it would be that easy for me.”
“Probably.” Changbin takes some of the fried noodles between his chopsticks and lifts them up to Felix’s mouth. Felix looks at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Your hands are full.” So Felix lets Changbin feed him. And he’s blushing. Again. Felix tells about his day in return, they had been extra busy today, Jeongin had called in sick and some of the decorations had been late, making Minho even more late and Felix and Hyunjin had been left to survive on their own. But in the end, they managed to get everything done on time, apart from the bouquet Felix was currently doing. Felix has a lavender rose and a red rose behind his ear today. This isn’t the first evening Changbin is spending on the flower shop, and he’s actually quite useful. And enthusiastic. He likes learning about flowers, especially the symbolisms and the events some flowers are linked to. Felix finds it endearing. He loves the stellar glint in Changbin’s eyes whenever he tells about the different meanings of different rose combinations. The bouquet is finally done, and Felix sets it carefully in a container. He carries it to the glass cabinet.
“You still have work to do?” Changbin stuffs food in his mouth.
“I need to do two bridesmaids’ bouquets. But they’re easy, shouldn’t take long.” He takes another bucket full of white and baby blue roses from the cabinet and carries them to the counter.
“I can help!” Felix glances at Changbin. The boy still makes butterflies fly around his stomach, even more than before. Yet somehow, it’s easy for Felix to be with him. They have known each other for such a little time, but somehow Felix feels that he has known the other boy for ages. Like he’s always been in his life. Changbin’s smile lights up the dimness of the flower shop, and suddenly it feels like it isn’t even dark outside.
“Okay.” Changbin looks a little surprised, like he was half expecting Felix to decline and insist on doing it himself. Felix hands Changbin a bunch of white roses. Then he takes clippers from the shelf behind the counter as Changbin moves the food containers out of their way.
“Cut all of the thorns and leaves under this line” Felix shows with his hand; “away. Don’t hurt yourself.” Changbin is great in following instructions and he’s quick to clip out the thorns and leaves. And he’s eager. And so focused. Felix finds it so endearing. Changbin’s lips pout a little when he focuses on something. Felix turns back to his own flowers and cuts the excess thorns and leaves off with precision and practiced hands. He doesn’t notice how Changbin’s focus has shifted from the flowers to Felix. He feels a soft, nearly feather-like touch against his cheek as Changbin gives him a little kiss, so delicate, a little shy. Felix’s face flushes instantly. He tries to focus on his flowers again, but it’s very hard when Changbin is sitting next to him, shoulder to shoulder, cutting the thorns away. Felix can feel his leg pressing against Changbin’s. And maybe he’s a little impatient when it comes to people. So he drops his clippers and turns to Changbin, cups his cheeks and presses a firm and determined kiss right on his lips. It’s a quick kiss, nothing but a little peck, but it is a kiss. And Changbin smells like disinfectant and primroses. Felix’s face is burning as he lets go of Changbin’s face and takes his clippers again, suddenly all too interested in the roses in front of him. So interested he doesn’t (he does) notice the arm snaking behind Felix’s back to rest on his waist and Changbin leaning in, carefully cupping Felix’s cheek and turning his head to face him. For a moment Felix stares so deep into Changbin’s eyes the world around him disappears, and for a moment he wonders whether he has ever seen a pair of eyes as beautiful as Changbin’s. Then Changbin kisses him and Felix doesn’t wonder anything at all. It’s delicate, it’s soft. Changbin’s lips feel like velvet, like a warm zephyr on summer day. Felix melts into the touch, he melts against Changbin’s lips that fit so perfectly against his own. Changbin’s fingerprints leave tingling sensations wherever they meet Felix’s skin. He tastes like heaven, there’s no other word for Felix to describe it. Felix’s grip on the clippers loosens as he leans in, craving for a little more, and more is what he gets. Changbin massages his lips against Felix’s own so smoothly, so gently. Felix’s head is spinning, he’s breathless, he’s floating. He’s kissing Changbin, and he feels all the sensations at the same time, so intensely he nearly feels like suffocating. Changbin is the first one to pull back, blush dusts over his nose, reddens the tips of his ears. Felix lets out a giggle, he’s bursting. He’s so happy he could scream it out to the world, but he doesn’t. Instead he kisses Changbin on the cheek once more and takes the lavender rose from behind his ear. He tucks it behind Changbin’s ear. A lavender rose, the symbol of love at first sight. *** There’s a new drawing on the tattoo parlor’s window. It is of a boy with star-like freckles and a crown made of sunflowers.