marigolds

Maison Des Fleurs
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“I think she’s having a panic attack.” Jaehyun muttered as he held Ayeon, her breathing erratic and complaints of chest pains tumbling out of her lips. Some of her words were incoherent while others were statements of the crushing anxiety.

The words, “it’s all over” were cause for particular concern.

It was shortly after she had left to go to the precinct that he found her collapsed by the stairs, sweating and shivering at the same time. He raced out of the shop and carried her up to his room where she nearly passed out before he caught her. His heart barely recovered from the fear that shot through his body when he found her.

Her fingers dug into his arm as she closed her eyes, fighting off the feeling of impending doom that constricted her lungs. Jinah Soya and Mina stood around Jaehyun’s bed, watching Ayeon groan with concern and worry coating their features.

“What happened?”

He shook his head, pulling her tightly against his chest, “I have no clue. She hasn’t spoken since I found her.”

“I’ll go get her some water.” Mina said before hurrying off to the kitchen.

Jinah sighed, her eyes lingering on Ayeon before turning away, “I’ll help Mina.”

Soya sat on the side of the bed, gently her head. “Do you have any idea?”

“She was doing so well.” He mumbled, slowly rocking her side to side, “We had a really good day yesterday. She was in really good spirits.”

He looked down at her, her body was shaking so hard that it was more like a vibration, “What do you need, sweetheart?”

“Time.” She muttered, trying to stabilize her breathing but failing. “I need it to stop.”

Jaehyun glanced at Soya who just shrugged, “Close your eyes, honey. It’ll be okay.”

“Before she left to the precinct, we were talking about Lucas’s computer, she was thinking about waiting until after hours to log back on.” Jaehyun said quietly.

“.” She said softly, “Jinah told me his computer was being reset and removed today.” 

Ayeon closed her eyes as the room around her spun, it was making her sick. Wincing, she pressed her face against Jaehyun’s chest and closed her eyes.

“No wonder.”  He murmured. “We thought that she’d find proof connecting the transfers to Lucas’s solo-corruption investigation.”

She frowned, “There’s always someone one step ahead of whatever you’re doing. How is that possible?”

“It’s possible because they know what we’re looking for and we don’t even know what we’re looking for.” Ayeon growled.

She knew what she had to do now.

She couldn’t just sit around, playing by someone else’s rules expecting to beat them.

It was time to play her own game.

-----

“You okay?” Jinah asked when she saw Mina’s hand tremble as she pulled a water bottle out of Ayeon's fridge.

Mina laughed lightly, a poor attempt to cover the tears filling her eyes, “For as long as I’ve known her, she’s been strong, unfazed and quick on her feet. I’ve never seen her like that before, having a mental break. I shouldn’t have…I shouldn’t have brought her into this.”

“You underestimate her, Mina. Even though she was hesitant about digging into Lucas at first, she would’ve started poking around once Delco was arrested. She would’ve gotten to this place herself.” Jinah said, taking the bottle from her.

Mina leaned against the counter, “You know, it was weird, I have this old police scanner I used to use when I was chasing down stories. I was there the night Lucas died, that was the only reason I was on Ayeon’s about being on that podcast. If only I was on another frequency.”

“Wait, you were there?” Jinah asked.

“Well, I wasn’t entirely there before. There was a police car when I pulled up, I was there for a minute or so before the rest of the officers arrived. They were discussing a plan or something when the bullets rang out, then they all rushed in.” Mina explained.

Jinah closed her eyes for a moment before stepping towards her, “Where were you when you heard that message?”

“Umm…I was parked on 5th from what I remember.”

Jinah shook her head, “That doesn’t make sense. I’ve listened to that dispatch recording a dozen times. The responding officers called in from my precinct. If you were on 5th, you would’ve beaten all the officers there. Did you notice anything about the car that was there before? License plate? Anything?”

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t really give it much attention because I thought it was Ayeon’s.” Mina breathed out. “That’s why I went after her with the podcast. I thought she was hiding something when her car was the only one there.”

Jinah crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling, “Ayeon doesn’t drive police cars. She’s a detective, she uses her own vehicle.”

“What does that mean?” Mina asked with a gulp.

“It means that now we know Delco didn’t kill Lucas but someone else and whoever that was, drove a police car.” Jinah said through clenched teeth, anger bubbling in her gut.

Mina bit down on her lip, tears glazing over, “And I was there that night. I almost saw it all. I could’ve known who did it.”

-----

“Hey…um…we think we’re going to head out.” Mina said softly from Jaehyun’s door.

Ayeon was tucked under the covers, just staring off out his window while he was pressed against her, her hand digging into his bicep, “Okay, I’m going to stay with her longer.”

“Good. Jinah and Soya said they’ll stop by tomorrow. I’ve already called Johnny to stay with me while you have her.” She said.

He nodded, “Before you go, can you grab a sweater out of my closet. She’s still shivering.”

Mina smiled and moved to his closet, digging through the soft colors until she could find something that looked warm. Just as she pulled it out, she noticed something against the wall, “What’s in the safe?”

Ayeon glanced over at Mina before tilting her head back at Jaehyun and paused when she saw the strange look pass over his expression. It was one she hadn’t ever seen before, it was dark and tense like she had struck a nerve. His body was stiff next to hers and his eye twitched.

“Nothing major. I just put my passport and important legal documents for the shop in there.” He smiled but Ayeon knew it was strained.

Mina shrugged and tossed him the sweater, “You need anything else?”

“I think we’re good for now. Thanks for coming over with the others.” Jaehyun muttered, distractedly, “Text when you get to her place.”

Mina nodded and waved before walking away. He could hear her talking to Jinah and Soya before the door shut behind them. Ayeon’s breathing, in the meantime, had evened out, the pain in her body subsided and she was feeling better, albeit still dazed.

A few minutes passed before she sat up, and crossed her legs facing opposite to him. “Sorry for scaring you.”

“Don’t worry.” He mumbled, “What happened out there?”

She shook her head, running her hand over her face, “You and Soya were right. They’re cleaning out his computer on the Commissioner’s authority.”

“Something like that doesn’t typically freak you out.” He reasoned.

She picked at a loose thread on his quilt, “Lee Kyung Gyu was on that computer. We have a connection with him to Lucas and Haerin. A literal smoking gun. Gone.”

“Still. It takes more to knock you out like that, what made you tick?” He repeated.

She ignored him, “I don’t have panic attacks. This doesn’t happen to me.”

“Just talk me through it.” He said, cupping her cheek and brushing his thumb against her skin.

She began slapping her hand against the bed, “The interim was there when IT was taking his computer. He watched the entire thing happen and he stared straight at me and smiled. It made me sick. Like he was taunting me. I really thought I’d have all the answers if I got back into that computer and he ripped it from me. I keep hitting these roadblocks.”

“You’ve hit roadblocks before.” He said cautiously.

She took a deep breath, “And my mom hasn’t called me. Not even a text or a picture of Amsterdam. She’s never done that before, even when we fight or annoy each other.”

“Have you tried reaching out to her first?” He asked.

“She’ll just yell.” Ayeon muttered. “And I can’t take yelling on top of everything else. It’s just all overwhelming. Spending that day with you was paradise but coming back just made everything feel 10 times more suffocating.”

Jaehyun fell silent as they laid together, “I’m sorry you’re going through this. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

“I don’t want to get up and face the world yet.” She whispered.

He brushed his lips against her forehead, “Then don’t.”

“Can you…can you stay with me?” She asked, looking up at him.

He smiled and she lifted a hand to touch his dimple, “Always.”

“Can you take your shirt off?”

He laughed in surprise of her request, “Can I do what?”

“I’m serious, take it off.” She pleaded, tugging lightly on the corner of his shirt. 

He blinked at her before moving his hands away and sitting up. He pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it off his bed before bringing her back against him. She sighed and smoothed her hands over his body, basking in the searing warmth. “So, not that I’m complaining, but why am I sitting here shirtless?”

She leaned against his chest, pressing her ear against him, “I really, really like hearing your heartbeat. I hear it better this way.”

God, if this wasn’t love, he wasn’t sure what it is, “I could quit my job. Close the shop. Just follow you around all day with a stethoscope for whenever you need to hear my heart.”

“I’ll make you do it, trust me.” She breathed out. “It’ll keep me sane.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple, “I’ll get the papers in order. I’ll sell it to Taeyong.”

She smiled, curling closer towards him when Triple leaped up on the bed next to them, searching for a comfortable place next to them to fall asleep.

“Ugh, your cat’s here.” She mumbled, watching Triple’s ears flicker at every sound.

He slipped his arms around her waist and let his lips brush her shoulder as he spoke, “Eventually we’re going to have to start calling him our cat.”

He felt her still under his hold before she reached out and ran her fingers down Triple’s spine, the cat purred, settling against her stomach as his eyes began to drop close. He had to bite back his smile. This was it, wasn’t it? This was how people shared their lives.

“Ayeon?” He asked lowly.

“Hmm?”

“You’re not beaten yet. They haven’t won yet. They’re scrambling to cover their tracks because they know you’re getting close. Don’t give up.” He hummed against her ear.

She looked up at him, her eyes mapping cautiously across his face. He gave her a small smile before leaning down to press his lips to hers. His heart tripped when she kissed him back ravenously, gripping his shoulder, dragging her fingers across his skin and pulling him over her as she rolled onto her back. But despite the way her hips rolled, he refused to let the heat boil over no matter how easy it would be, he kept his kisses soft and loving because the desperation in the way moved scared him. It seemed like a rushed attempt to block out whatever was crushing her, to replace her thoughts with .

She pulled away, narrowing her eyes, “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing what you do for me. I’m being here next to you.” He said before rolling off her and falling next to her, “I’m here for you, even when you all you need is silence. I’ll be in silence with you. It doesn’t have to end with . It can just be us.”

She kissed his cheekbone and sunk next to him as he wrapped an arm around her. It was like a weight was lifted off of her, one where silences didn't have to be filled, but it shouldn't have come as a surprise, he was always like that with her. They just worked. “Just us.”

-----

“Where are you going?” Jaehyun was still in bed, blankets cushioning him as he clutched Ayeon’s hand. She was trying to climb out from under the sheets after the pair of them had fallen asleep. If his hand wasn’t making it hard enough already, the sleepy eyes, mused hair, bare chest, made it all the more difficult. It was all a recipe for staying in under warm blankets.

But she wasn’t doing anymore of that. No more staying in. No more feeling beat.

“I need to run an errand.” She said, finally lookin

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bbhmystar
#1
Chapter 41: binge reading this for 2 days. god damn this is a whole masterpiece!!! it blown my mind away. so well written, i dont know how to describe it. JUST AMAZING!!!!!!

thanks for writing this xoxo
Bellalula
#2
Randomly browsed my upvoted stories brought me here and how i wish i could read this again with a new brain, forgetting it all over again
Bellalula
#3
Randomly browsed my upvoted stories brought me here and how i wish i could read this again with a new brain, forgetting it all over again
miuratatsuya
#4
Chapter 6: It’s not about the lies you tell but about the truths you choose to reveal.

I love that lines so much. How genius actually are you to come up with that lines?😍
miuratatsuya
#5
Chapter 5: I actually love that game. 2 truth and 1 lie. I use it now with my friends. I let them pick the lie.🤭
AutumnLady94 #6
Chapter 41: You are one of the ing greatest writers. Just wanna let you know that. Thank you for writing such a beautiful story.
miuratatsuya
#7
I keep thinking about this yesterday, so I decide to give it another uncountable read.🤭
ifizzlesizzle #8
Chapter 41: This is good
Kaykaykay5 #9
Chapter 33: Youre a phenomenal writer