For as long as she can remember, Taeyeon has been selling flowers at her cosy corner store just off the 11th Street. Unlike 99.9% of the florists out there, her store is only opened from midnight until early hours of the morning. As a flower enthusiast, she just couldn't bear the thought of people not being able to buy flowers at all times of the day so she operates her store every night without fail.

For her, tonight feels just like any other night. The night is peaceful and quiet. She busies herself with arranging the assortment of flowers in her store. The roses, the tulips, the baby breaths...they all have a place of their own in her store.

Just like how she has her own place in this world. This is where she belongs. 

"Hi."

Cling. Her train of thoughts is broken by a gentle voice. She looks up to see an elegant woman walk through the doors. Taeyeon feels some sort of inexplicable emotions swirling within her the second she sees the woman. There is no doubt this woman is breathtakingly beautiful. 

"Good evening, ma'am. Flowers for you?"

There is a ghost of a smile on the woman's face as she teases the shopkeeper. "Of course, don't we all visit a florist to buy flowers?"

"Ah...right, right." Taeyeon shuffles around awkwardly as she wipes her hands on her apron and adjusts her glasses. "What can I get for you today?"

"A bouquet of hydrangea, please."

As if she is guided by some kind of play book, Taeyeon feels the need to be extra nice to this particular customer. She senses the woman's eyes on her, watching her every move intently as she deftly works to arrange the bouquet. It needs to be perfect. 

"Here you go, ma'am. A bouquet just for you. I know you didn't ask for it but I have taken the liberty to add a bunch of baby breaths. They really add to the overall aesthetics of the bouquet." She says as she shyly hands over the bouquet to the woman.

"That is very nice of you. Such a beautiful bouquet. You are excellent at your craft."

Taeyeon blushes at the compliment. There is something comforting about this woman's presence. The way her eyes curves softly whenever she smiles (and she smiles a lot). The gentle warmth in her voice. She does not know how best to articulate her feelings but there is a magnetism that subtly draws her towards this mysterious woman.

"T-thanks." Taeyeon stutters, immediately wanting to kick herself for how awkward she sounds.

"How's business these days?"

"It has been quiet. But I guess I do still make enough to get by."

"Good." 

"What about you? What do you do for a living?" 

Upon hearing her question, the mysterious woman lifts an eyebrow. For a moment, Taeyeon fears that she might have overstepped her boundaries. To her surprise, the woman chuckles. "I am just like you, I run my own business."

"What do you sell?"

"Things. Just material goods that don't really matter."

"Me too. I sell flowers. Although I wouldn't say that they don't matter." 

"Well, I certainly agree with you that flowers matter. They add a touch of understated beauty to our otherwise mundane lives."

Taeyeon nods in agreement. "That's true. I am the happiest when I am among flowers."

Taeyeon does not miss the way the woman inhales sharply when she hears the word happiest.

"I am glad you are happy. I should get going. It is rather late."

It is now or never. Bucking up all the courage in the world that she has, she decides to ask the woman the question that has been on her mind ever since the woman walked into her store. "Sorry! I know this is random but we seem to get along quite well. My name is Taeyeon, may I know what is your name? We could be erm...be friends!" She stretches her hand out. To say that she is nervous is an understatement. After all, this is the first time she has ever taken the initiative to make friends with a stranger. 

The woman hesitates for a second before reaching out to shake her hand. The handshake is firm and lasts for a heartbeat longer than a regular friendly handshake. 

"My name is Tiffany. Good night, my dear. I will see you tomorrow."

Tiff...fany. The name feels familiar on her tongue. Taeyeon smiles as she watches the woman leaves the store. She is very much looking forward to seeing this woman again. 

==

Without fail, for the last three years, Tiffany would visit the same store every night. And without fail, Taeyeon, the love of her life, would greet her as if it is their first time meeting. Although she has had more or less the same conversation with the florist for the last three years (Taeyeon is nothing if not consistent), the butterflies in her stomach never stop fluttering every time she sees Taeyeon. And of course, she knows Taeyeon feels the same.

The love of Tiffany's life has an issue with her memory. One that causes her to forget about the existence of Tiffany everytime she goes to sleep. After the accident, she tried to stay in Taeyeon's life but quickly realised that her presence only brought more pain and grief. Taeyeon would go to sleep in their bed at night, fearful that she would forget about Tiffany, and then wake up the next morning, fearful of the stranger fast asleep in her bed. Tiffany would spend the entire day reminding Taeyeon about them.

"Fany, I am scared to go to bed. I know I am going to forget about you and I don't want to forget you."

"It is ok, don't worry about it. I will be here in the morning to remind you. Taetae, I would not let you forget about me."

"Just remember that I love you. Even if I am going to say nasty things to you tomorrow morning. Don't forget that I love you more than anything else in the world."

"Taetae, I know. Same for me. I love you more than anything else in the world. Good night my dear, I will see you tomorrow." She whispered as she kissed her wife's forehead, knowing that come tomorrow morning, everything would revert to square one and her wife would forget about her existence. 

"Who are you! Why are you sleeping on my bed! Get off before I call you the police!" Taeyeon shouted as she shoved the woman away. Tiffany could see the mixture of anger and fear in her wife's eyes, could sense the confusion. This was not the Taeyeon that she knew and loved. 

The vicious cycle would continue day in day out, like a neverending nightmare.

Doctors told Tiffany that it was likely a self protective mechanism deployed by Taeyeon's brain. The trauma that she had gone through was far too much for her to take. In some ways, Tiffany was a reminder of the trauma and her brain needed to expel all traces of Tiffany in order to live. It hurt to let Taeyeon go but Tiffany could no longer stand the agony of being the cause of Taeyeon's pain and suffering.

Over the last three years, it became evident to her that Taeyeon is content with her current life as a florist. In her current life, Taeyeon is soft, gentle and extremely shy. She lives a simple and quiet life, something that she had always wanted. Something that Tiffany could never give her. Her past life with Tiffany no longer mattered.

If you love someone, you will learn to let them go, Tiffany reminds herself. This is where Taeyeon now belongs. Not with her. Maybe one day Tiffany would learn to move on with her own life, but in the meantime, she would continue to visit the flower shop every night, harbouring the hope that Taeyeon might someday remember her. Hopefully when the time comes, Taeyeon would only remember the good things about her.