After hanging out with a few friends and reminiscing about the old times, you were on the bus to get back home when you noticed that the skies started to grow dark. You cursed in your mind and scolded yourself. Why didn't I listen to mom and take that umbrella she gave to me?

You sighed and stared out the window, watching little droplets of rain starting to pelt the glass. The rain started to grow heavier and when your stop came into view, you were starting to wish that you had listened to your mother instead of bolting out the door earlier.

The back door of the bus opened with a hiss and those getting off quickly stepped out into the rain only to run for shelter under the bus stop booth. You followed suit and groaned when the booth was packed with people trying to stay dry. Your only best shot was to run and find shelter somewhere else and that was exactly what you did.

You ran past a large supermarket and you grew relieved that you found shelter but then you saw the dozens of people standing under the roof to stay dry so, much to your dismay, you continued to run. Family Restaurants. Stores. Even bookstores were full of citizens taking shelter under the large awnings and inside as well. Your lungs started to burn from all the running and suddenly you regretted your decision of staying home all summer instead of being productive and working out.

You came to a stop in the middle of the street, taking in the much needed gasps of air. You looked around, wiping the rain from your face, and huffed when you saw that majority of the shops' awnings were packed full of people waiting for the rain to stop. A small little flower shop soon caught your eye and you decided to take cover under the small awning that hovered over the door. It didn't really help much since you were already soaked to the bone but it was better than nothing. After all, you were still a fair distance away from reaching home.

You wiped the rain from your arms and squeezed your shirt as well. Dirt was all over your legs and you did your best at getting as much off as you could. You frowned at how wet you were and blew air from your lips. You wrapped your arms around your arms and peeked out from underneath the awning, only to be pelted by heavy rain. You flinched and wiped your face while grumbling.

There was a flash of lightning and then the sound of thunder rolling, making you yelp at the loud sound. Great, it's not just any storm. It's a friggin' thunderstorm.

You kicked the ground with the toe of your shoe and stared wistfully at the enlarging puddles out on the street. You shivered a bit and you rubbed your arms in attempt to stay warm. You heard some more thunder again and you clamped your eyes shut, trying to stay calm in that situation.

All of a sudden, the door to the little flower shop you were taking shelter under opened, pushing you a bit. Your eyes flew open and you stepped out from the awning. A boy with droopy eyes and a confused look on his face poked his head out. You gasped and bowed despite being hit by the rain. "I'm so sorry. I must be scaring away customers. I-I'll leave if you want me to."

Please please please don't make me leave in this kind of weather.

The boy straightened up and gave you a small smile. "Quite the opposite. I was going to invite you in after seeing you stand there for a good half hour. I would've let you in earlier but I had to wait for my boss to leave first so I'm really sorry about that," He said, his voice holding a bit of an accent.

You bowed and thanked the boy excitedly. "Thank you! Thank you so m-" You started to sputter a bit when the rain grew even heavier and the boy gasped. "Come in. Quickly! The rain is getting even heavier." You nodded and scampered into the little flower shop.

When you stepped in, you were in awe at how it looked like a mini forest with its wide variety of flowers, bushes, and trees decorating the place. The inside was nice and warm and the scent of all the flowers infiltrated your nostrils, making you take in a deep breath and exhale with a smile.

"Please, follow me." The boy gestured to a door in the back. You nodded and followed him while looking around the shop.

The door led to a little work area where stems, leaves, and fallen petals lay on the floor. The boy quickly grabbed a broom and sweeped the floors. "Sorry about that. This is where I usually make the flower arrangements and stuff. You can sit over there while I clean up the place," He meekly explained while frantically trying to clean the room.

You gave him a small smile. "Thank you. If you want, I could help you."

He looked at you with wide eyes and shook his head. "Oh no no no, I can't make a guest clean. It's fine. I'm practically done since there weren't that many customers today."

You looked at him skeptically and sighed when you figured he wasn't going to let you help. "If you say so..." You trailed off while eyeing him.

He gave you a lopsided grin and then threw the garbage away. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked around while mumbling to himself, "I feel like I'm forgetting something. What am I forgetting?"

You suddenly sneezed and shivered a bit. His face lit up in realization and he started for the door. You looked at him in surprise. "Wait, where are you going?" You asked as you watched him stick a foot out the door.

"Just going to grab a few things. Don't worry, I'm don't have any plans on murdering you or anything so you should just sit down and relax. You have been standing out there for a while."

Your face grew red in embarrassment and you muttered, "I wasn't thinking that at all."

He smiled, showing the little dimple he had on his right cheek. "I'll be right back," He said and then left the work room.

You heaved a sigh and plopped down on the chair that he gestured to before. You relaxed a bit and slumped against the wooden chair, finally able to give your aching feet some time off. You ran a hand through your wet hair and winced when you pulled on a knot. You tried to unknot it but gave up when it was getting nowhere.

You looked around the work room and saw a large working table and a few floral scissors laying on it. Some flower petals littered the floor, the boy either forgetting about them or just not being able to sweep them all up. There was also a large flower cooler in the corner, holding a few small bouquets and a couple of large floral arrangements. A few large vases were scattered around the area as well.

Just as you were about to get up to take a closer look at them, the door flew open and you jumped up in surprise. The boy had a large tray in his hands and seemed to be struggling with it. You rushed to his side and grabbed it from his hands, easily balancing it and placing it on the work table. "Is it okay if I put it here?" You asked, afraid that you did something wrong.

"It's fine. How did you do that? I had so many things on the tray." He looked at you in awe.

You chuckled a bit and looked at the many things on the silver tray. "I worked at a restaurant before so balancing trays with many plates on it was basic."

He nodded and then remembered the things that he had brought into the room. "Here, you should dry off with this. I should've given you this when you first came in but it slipped my mind. I'm sorry. I'm a bit of a forgetful person," He said as he handed you a fluffy white towel.

You smiled and gratefully took the towel from his hands. "It's fine. Thank you for letting me stay here. I thought you were going to yell at me for scaring the customers away."

He shook his head and gestured to the store. "No one would come in here during this kind of storm. A few came in earlier when it was bright but right now, no one's going to bother coming in here. They probably wouldn't even notice it if I flipped the sign to 'closed'."

You laughed a bit and started to rub your hair. You wiped down the rest of your body and gave the boy a small smile. "Thank you, uh... what's your name?" You asked sheepishly.

He gave you that dimpled smile again and answered, "Yixing."

"Yixing? Did I say that right?"

He nodded and you let out a breath of relief. "Oh good, I thought I said it wrong. You're not from around here, are you?"

He nodded once again. "I'm from China. I came here a few years back to visit a few of my Chinese friends that are living here and I fell in love with the country so I decided to come back and stay."

You looked at him in surprise. "Really? Don't you miss your family?"

He sadly smiled at the mention of family. "Of course I do. There isn't a moment where I don't think of them."

He then noticed how you looked a bit crestfallen and he quickly added, "But there are times where I sometimes forget when I'm having too much fun!"

You chortled and said, "I don't think your family would be happy to hear that."

His face grew red and you internally squealed at how cute he looked. He then looked at the tray he brought and let out a soft 'ah!' before reaching for another object. He grabbed a gray shirt and held it out. "I-If you want to, you can change into this instead of staying in your wet clothes. This is the only shirt I have on me besides the one I'm wearing so hope you don't mind wearing it. I don't have any spare pants so sorry about that."

You put the towel down and reached out for the shirt. You took it into your hand and felt his fingers brush against yours, making you blush a bit. You quickly retracted your hand and awkwardly coughed. "T-Thank you, Yixing. You're really doing a lot for me today. Is there any way I can repay you?"

He shyly rubbed the back of his neck and looked off to the side. "It's fine, this isn't much. Oh, do you want me to give you some space so you can change?"

You meekly nodded. "I would like that."

At that, he quickly stepped out of the room to leave you to change. You stared at the closed door and cleared your throat a bit. You thought back to the little spark you felt when your fingers brushed against his and you felt your cheeks growing warm. You shook your head and started to peel off the wet shirt that was clinging to your body. When you slipped the shirt on, you smelled a familiar scent. You sniffed the sleeve of the shirt and smiled at the faint scent of cologne and flowers mixed together, making you smile a bit.

You soon opened the door and poked your head out to see Yixing bent over, looking intently at the daisies by the door. You let out a small cough and he turned around. "You're done," He stated and you meekly nodded.

He reentered the room and saw how big the shirt was on you. He chuckled a bit and your cheeks grew pink. "Don't laugh! It's just a bit long on me, that's all," You muttered as you looked down, taking note of how the hem of the shirt reached mid-thigh and nearly covered up your shorts, making it seem as if you weren't wearing pants at all.

He shook his head and walked over to the work table. "I wasn't laughing because it's funny. It actually looks a bit cute on you."

You were about to say something but instead yelped when you heard a loud crack of lightning. Yixing jumped at the sudden cry and nearly toppled over what he was working with. He looked over his shoulder and saw how red your face looked. He softly chuckled and said loudly, "If you're afraid of the thunder, then come over here."

You shuffled towards him and grumbled, "I'm not afraid."

You looked over his shoulder and saw him pouring what seemed to be tea into two mugs. The steam rose up in white billows and there was a fragrant scent to it. He handed one of them to you and gratefully took it. You took in the scent and took a careful sip of the scalding hot liquid. You hummed at the feeling of the warm liquid warming up your once freezing body.

You leaned on the work table just like Yixing and you snuck a quick glance at him. He was looking ahead while taking cautious sips of the tea he just brewed. He then turned his head and caught you staring, making your eyes widen and his cheeks grow pink.

"Is there something on my face?" He asked as he touched his face.

You shook your head and faked a cough. "N-No, you're all set."

He gave you another small smile and turned his head to face forward again. "So, how'd you get stuck in that storm out there?" He asked, trying to break the awkward silence between you two.

You wrapped your hands around the warm mug and stared at the tea, looking at your reflection. "I was just hanging out with a few old friends from high school and when I was on the bus, it started raining cats and dogs. I forgot to take the umbrella my mom told me to so here I am."

"I see. Out of all the places where you could've waited, why this little flower shop?"

"All of the other places were packed so I had no choice but to find some other place. Your flower shop came into sight and seeing how no one was around, I decided to wait under the awning. Why so many questions?"

Yixing awkardly rubbed his finger against the tip of his nose. "Sorry, just curious. I'll stop with all the questions if you want."

"I don't mind them. It helps get rid of this awkward air between us," You replied as you took a sip of the tea. "What tea is this?"

"Just simple green tea. Do you not like it?" He asked, worried that he chose the wrong type of tea to serve.

You softly laughed and shook your head. "No, I like it. I'm a pretty big fan of green tea."

He let a breath of relief and the two of you stood there while taking sips every now and then. You looked around the room, thinking about what to say in your situation. You turned and so did the boy at the same time, causing you two to say, "Um," at the same time. You both laughed and said, "You first," at the same time again, causing the two of you to laugh again.

"You go. I asked a lot of questions already." Yixing nodded at you.

You gave him a small smile and looked at him. "So Yixing, what made you take in this drenched girl on such a fine day?"

There was the sound of rolling thunder and he chuckled. "I saw you run towards the shop all soaked from the rain and I just knew that I had to let you in. If I didn't, you probably would've gotten sick so I had to wait for my boss to leave. He's a pretty nice man but when it comes to bringing our personal lives into the shop and everything, he can become a bit of an-"

You cocked your eyebrow. "A what?"

He shook his head and looked down at his. "It's nothing."

You straightened up from your slouched form. "Come on, you can't just end there! What? An or something?"

His cheeks grew red and you stared at him in disbelief. "You can't say ?!"

"I'm not a fan of cursing. I only do it when I'm drunk or angry beyond belief," He shyly said while scratching his ear awkwardly.

You started to laugh and he grew embarrassed. "That's actually kind of cute." You smiled.

Yixing flashed a small smile and traced the rim of his mug. "T-Thanks."

The awkward silence returned and the two of you were quietly sipping at your tea while peeking at each other. Suddenly, there was a loud crack of lightning, making you scream and accidentally knock over your mug.

"Holy , I am so sorry," You apologized as you picked up the knocked over mug and looked around for something to wipe the wet surface.

"It's okay. Here, let me get some paper towels and wipe off the table." He put a hand on your shoulder, gave you a reassuring smile, and went off to find some napkins.

You slapped a hand over your face and groaned. "Great, I probably just pissed him off for getting the table wet," You muttered under your breath.

The boy came back with a roll of paper towels in his hands and he started to rip some from the roll. He handed you some and you started to wipe one side of the table as he wiped the other.

You watched as the white paper towel absorbed the warm tea and then carefully looked at Yixing. He was focused on wiping the table and you bit your lower lip, not knowing when to apologize.

"If you're going to say sorry, then save it. It's fine. It was just an accident," He said as he straightened up.

You faked a cough and wiped at the table. "Why is there so much tea?" You muttered under your breath as you furiously rubbed the wooden top.

He laughed a bit and pushed the wet towels to the center of the table. You did the same thing and when you looked at him, your face grew red and you dipped your head. "I'm really sorry about that."

He shrugged and then pushed the pile of tissues into the garbage can. "Like I said, it's fine. It was just an accident. You know, you apologize a lot."

"I get that a lot," You sheepishly grinned.

All of a sudden, your phone went off and started to vibrate, scaring you and Yixing. You carefully looked at him and he smiled. You grabbed your phone and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Where are you? Are you still with your friends? Are you being ? Why aren't you home yet?!" Your mom screamed on the other line.

You winced and pulled the phone away from your ear before replying, "Calm down, mom! I was just waiting for the rain to stop in a little flower shop."

"Oh good, you're safe. In that case, get back home now! It's almost time for dinner!"

"Really?"

"Damn right it is! And the rain stopped a little ago so what are you still doing in that flower shop? Didn't I tell you to be back earlier since your relatives were visiting?"

"Oh , that's today? I'll be back soon, I promise."

Your mother tsked and shouted, "You better!", before hanging up.

You sighed and looked back at Yixing. "Hey Yixing, I really appreciate what you did for me today and I would love to stay longer but I have to head home and help my mom with dinner. Relatives are coming over and all that good stuff."

He nodded in understanding. "It's cool. Do you want a bag to put your wet shirt in?"

"I would love that."

He went off to find a bag and you started to clean up. He came back with a small paper bag and looked at the clean work table in surprise. "Did you clean that up?"

You shuffled your feet and looked off to the side. "Sorry, force of habit."

He chuckled and patted your head. "Thanks, it really saved me some time."

He handed the bag to you and you stuffed your drenched shirt in it. "Wait, what about your shirt?"

He waved his hand. "It's okay, you can keep it or return it whenever you have time. Whatever floats your boat."

Your cheeks grew warm at the thought of keeping it and you dipped your head. "Thank you, Yixing. I'll see you some other time then, I guess."

He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and grinned. "See you some other time."

The boy suddenly remembered something and grabbed your arm right when you were about to open the door. You turned around in surprise and he asked, "What's your name?"

You blinked and he faked a cough. "Well- I mean- You know my name so it's only fair that I learn yours as well."

You laughed a bit and told him your name. He repeated it and you nodded. "That's me. Thanks, Yixing. I'll be sure to visit again."

You gave him one last smile before leaving the shop.

"God damn it, why does it always rain when I don't have an umbrella?!" You grumbled angrily as you ran through the heavy rain. You were just walking back from the bookstore after returning a book your younger cousin didn't like when the rain started falling.

Your eyes fell on a little flower shop and you quickly ran for shelter under the awning. Luckily you weren't as drenched as before so you sighed in relief. You looked around and took a quick glimpse inside, remembering that you were in here last time.

The door suddenly opened, pushing you a bit and you jumped in shock. A familiar boy poked his head out with a lazy grin and asked, "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea and a place to stay dry?"

A smile spread on your face and you nodded. "Gladly, Yixing."

He chuckled and opened the door to let you in to the flower shop. You stepped in and he let the door close with a soft thud.