Taemin was just about finished updating the display he had been working on when the telltale ring announced the entrance of a new customer. With the swiftness of practiced hands he quickly perfected the last detail before locking the display and turning around with a polite smile on his face. The expression became just a tad warmer when he realized who had entered the store.

“Kibum, welcome! Looking for something new? We’ve just updated to the summer collection, I’m sure there’s something you’ll like.”

Taemin couldn’t help but gloat a bit about the fact that he was allowed to call the customer by first name, even though he had been for a while. It probably would have made him even happier if he hadn’t known for sure that the permission had just been a friendly gesture from a regular customer.

“I am, her birthday is coming up soon. Do you have any recommendations?”

Taemin could feel a small pang in his heart as he once again resigned himself to his fate. The handsome man that always managed to bring a smile to his face would never be his.

Taemin mentally went through the many items that their new collection contained trying to think of what he would recommend. Considering how Kibum always seemed to go for jewelry that seemed more appropriate for women of an older age, Taemin considered to show something that was more suitable for a woman of Kibum’s age. After all, Taemin figured that maybe his partner might appreciate something that was better suited to her age. Even though Kibum appeared to be quite fashionable, he sure was a bit old fashioned with his jewelry choices.

Taemin pulled some pieces that he thought were particularly nice and brought them over for Kibum to look at. The man eagerly went to check out his picks, but seemed to be done with them pretty quickly.

“Taemin, I’m sorry, but even though these are really nice, I think that they won’t really suit her tastes. She’s no longer the youngest, you see.”

Taemin’s heart stopped as the man’s words registered. No longer the youngest? What did that mean? Was Kibum dating a cougar? He swallowed before taking his picks away with a soft apology and returning with some options that would suit an older lady. This time Kibum seemed much more excited as he picked each piece up to study it before moving on to the next.

As a somewhat comfortable silence lingered on Taemin couldn’t help but feel a bit restless. Eventually he settled on going the roundabout way of speaking his mind. He wasn’t quite sure if the question would be appreciated, but he had to try.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what age is she going to be?”

Kibum blinked up at him for a second before answering with a smile. “She will be 87 in a few days.”

With those words Taemin achieved the impossible and chocked on his saliva, as he felt lucky that he hadn’t been drinking anything at the moment. Kibum quickly stood up to pat him on the back a bit until his coughing calmed down. Then the man returned to his seat.

“I have to say that I wondered why you were so shocked, but I guess I never explained that I’m buying the jewelry for my Nan, not my mother. You see, my Nan has been a second mother for me for all my life.”

It was then that the thoughts in Taemin’s head clicked. Even though he hadn’t made the mistake in thinking that Kibum had assumed he’d made, the given information was enough to answer Taemin’s questions and have a slimmer of hope settle in his mind. But still, he had to be sure.

“So… You haven’t been buying gifts for your girlfriend?”

Kibum blinked at him in surprise before slightly shaking his head.

“No, I have not. As a matter of fact, I don’t even swing that way.”

This was the last bit of information Taemin needed to make a leap of faith.

“Well, in that case. What would you think of going for dinner with me this Friday night?”

Taemin’s insecure smile was answered with a set of raised eyebrows and large eyes. But eventually Kibum’s faced into nothing short of a grin.

“I’d love to.”

A/N: I'm sorry, this is pretty bad. I kinda forgot about it, and now I have written it while on the verge of falling asleep. But I just had to write something for Taemin's birthday, so here it is! Even if it's a bit late... At least it's still his birthday in America, right?