When you first met him, it was not the typical type of scenario where he spilled coffee on your best coat on a busy weekday, nor was it when he was introduced to you through an old high school friend. It wasn’t the romantic yet awkward type when the both of you crashed into each other, with you landing on him, your first kiss stolen. No, it was when you fainted in the middle of the street at approximately half past midnight after two days without a wink of sleep, trying to complete a project that would put you in the good graces of your boss. Apparently, he had been on his way to the convenience store when he found you lying on the ground and took pity on you, bringing you back to the only place he could think of, his home. You woke up with a dull ache in your forehead only to let out such a high-pitched scream at the unfamiliar surroundings, one you would deny to your dying day, when he snapped at you for waking him up from his deep slumber.

When you were about to head out the main door, he stopped you and handed you a lavender rose, one from the many that you noticed littered his house. You blinked in mirth and left, only to find out that it represented love at first sight later that night.





The second time you met him was at a conference with a rival company. Your company was going to form alliance with the other to reach greater heights. You were sitting next to your boss when you looked up, locking gaze with the man that had been on your mind since two weeks ago. His lips lifted slightly at the ends as he gave you an unfamiliar gaze, which had your heart thumping against your chest like a teen. When the conference ended, everyone shuffled out of the stuffy room and he caught your arm and handed you a handkerchief adorned with the design of a blue rose.

“This blue rose represents longing for something unattainable, ‘I can’t stop thinking about you’. Would you like to hang out sometime soon?”





The third time the two of you met was literally your first date. You chewed on your lower lip in anxiety as you waited for him in the lobby of your apartment twenty minutes before the agreed time. You absolutely did not spend an extra hour than usual to get ready. He showed up earlier than you expected and in his hand was a pink rose.

"Thank you for agreeing to come on this date with me."

It was a great first date and it ended with a simple goodbye. There was uncertainty all over his face as his hand reached for your cheek, only to withdraw it before it could come into contact. There was an awkward moment before you waved and ducked into your apartment with the promise of a next date. 





Ten months into your relationship and he picked you up for your usual Thursday dinner date. Just like that first date, he presented you with three red roses.

“They mean, ‘I love you’.”

You blushed and flicked your forefinger on his unbelievably high forehead as you laughed it off, teases rolling off your tongue naturally as they had throughout the course of your relationship. He laughed along with you, but you had noticed the tinge of sadness beneath the joking façade. 





You landed on the soft sand with a plop, panting after having ran the stretch of the beach, with much shrieking involved as you escaped from the other who was trying to rub the remains of melted ice cream that painted his palms on you. You doubled over in laughter while clutching your sides as he tripped over soft sand  and rolled face first into the seawater. He cursed as he emerged from the water body, completely drenched as a smirk formed on his lips.

Your eyes widen in realization and you tried to run, but to no avail as he pounced on you, wetting your outfit as the two of you fell on to the soft sand. He tried to steady himself with his arms so as to not knock the air out of you. He stared down at you, and you gazed into his dark brown eyes, eyes that spoke volumes, yet so mysterious. Water droplets rolled off his dangling hair and onto your face. Time seemed to have stilled for a moment before he leaned down to kiss you, tongues battling for dominace as the both of you rediscover the insides of each other's mouths. You did not even realize that your eyes had closed as you held your breath until velvety words were murmered against your lips.

“Wait here, I’ll be back.”

You cracked open an eyelid and sat up in a daze. Your mind was a whirl as it tried to register the previous occurrences. You snapped out of your reverie as you heard someone calling out your name and you stood up and spun around, coming face to face the other. He gave you a breathtaking smile as he went down on one knee. He pushed twelve red roses and a silver ring before you as he whispered, “Be mine.”





It was your second anniversary and you had tried to leave subtle hints for the other. Despite some obvious ones, the other seemed to take no notice of your quirky actions and you had prepared a candlelight dinner for this special day, only to receive a text message from the other that he was returning late due to some urgent business he had yet to take care of. Not even a phone call. You huffed and left dinner as it is before heading to your bedroom for the night.

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open in the middle of the night woke you up; you have never been a particularly heavy sleeper. However, your displeasure at the other had not dematerialized and you chose to fake sleep. The bed sank under the other’s weight and you heard an amused chuckle as the other came behind you.

This time, there were none of the familiar roses he usually adorns you with, only the hot breath against your nape to which you squirmed away from.

“Happy Anniversary, babe.”

And he turned you over and started devouring your lips.

As the both of you were rid of clothes, you thought, well, maybe this wasn’t so bad either.