It was another day in his little flower shop with this beige apron with baby pink accents adorned with various stains that had accumulated here and there over the years. That particular day, he wore a pastel sweater that was too long for his arms. He smiled as customers entered his stores and said his usual cheery line that he greeted his customers with. He decided to ride his blue scooter to work today because he felt like it. 

Jongdae was out delivering a batch of orders. Then, he entered the store. He was tall and handsome, but, oh, his dimple.

"W-weclome to the Secret Garden..." Baekhyun stuttered, his voice tapering off at the end. 

"What's your favorite flower?" he asked.

"Baby's Breath."

"Can I get a beautiful boquet of Baby's Breath?"

"Of course. There are a couple selections in the fridge over there."

"Ah... I'll take this one, he said pointing at a small boquet in a mason jar with a thick baby blue ribbon wrapped around it."

Baekhyun rang the customer up, and the man paid for it putting a generous tip in the jar. However, instead of walking away like normal customers, he grabbed a business card and pulled a pen out of his pocket. After scribbling something, he stuck the card in between the jar and the ribbon and looked at Baekhyun. He then smiled, his dimples on his cheeks, and held out the jar of flowers.

"Beautiful flowers should go to beautiful people," he said with his subtle foreign accent, and almost instantly, he blushed and looked away, trying to hide the pink creeping up his cheeks. Baekhyun giggled a little feeling nervous because no one had ever approached him like that. Sure, some people approached him for his number, but it was never something as romantic or cute like this,

"Someone's never done anything like this for me..." Baekhyun said, nervously.

"Do you want to grab a coffee sometime? Or lunch?"

"Sure. My name's Baekhyun."

"I'm Yixing," and with that, the bell on the front door rang.

He began humming and dancing around a little as he resumed working on a small flower arrangment. But then he paused.

He put down the flower he was holding onto. His blush, his racing heart, his blushing cheeks, and the need to sing or move... it was all too familiar. The last time he felt like that... it was so long ago. 

The smell of his cologne, his smile, his stupidly large ears, everything. It was perfect. At least in Baekhyun's eyes. He was holding his pencil, sitting cross legged on the floor of the roof, the breeze blowing through his hair. He was working on his homework, looking up when someone called his name. He looked up and he saw Chanyeol jogging towards him, smiling and waving as he came closer and closer.

It was in his second year of high school. He was Chanyeol's closest friend, the one that he would stay up with until two in the morning with so that he can tell him everything. It had been just that, plain and simple until that one moment. That one random moment. Nothing was special about it, but Baekhyun was never able to look at Chanyeol the same way he used to.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Baekhyun shook the water from his hair, running to his room. He quickly changed into warm clothes, shivering from the cold from standing in the rain too long without an umbrella. He sat on his bed as he looked out his window watching the rain pelt at his window. He should be happy, but he couldn't bring himself to be happy.

He had confessed, but Chanyeol didn't reciprocate his feelings. He expected this result from confessing to him, but he wasn't prepared for the answer.

"I... I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way, Baekhyun,"

That was what he said. Baekhyun knew that the fact that Chanyeol didn't say he was gross, didn't tell him to off, none of that, made him lucky, but he couldn't be happy. He was stuck in the friend zone.

Since then, there were small changes in their friendship. Baekhyun and Chanyeol drifted apart. Baekhyun drifted apart because he noticed Chanyeol doing the same. He realized that even though Chanyeol didn't say anything homophobic or consciously thinking in a homophobic manner, the subconscious bias in his thought process was obvious. The small things engrained in his head from the people around him. It was obvious that Chanyeol had the rude stereotypes in his mind. It was never the same.

Chanyeol would say the unintentionally insulting comments. However, he had dealt with it for the most part until the day Chanyeol told Baekhyun he was going to marry his girlfriend. They were twenty-two, both too young to marry. The girl, she came from a background of money, but not as much money as the Parks. It was so obvious, the letters were bright, bold, flashing in neon that the girl was not in love with Chanyeol. He didn't listen. He said things that Baekhyun would originally brush off, but it was his last straw. So he left.

The clock glowed in the darkness. It read 5:43. He would always wake up at six, get ready, grab a quick breakfast and head out by six-thirty, choosing on a whim whether he would ride his scooter or the bus. 

He just stared at the ceiling. The alarm refused to ring because time refused to pass. He had never realized that one could be so conflicted until recently. He wanted to give Yixing a chance. He just couldn't bring himself to because he didn't want another opportunity to get hurt. 

This one will be different because it's mutual, he would tell himself. However, the opposing voice inside his head would always be quick to respond with a cold, cruel remark reminding him that he will get hurt because love and romance and everything that it stands for will hurt him. Baekhyun knew that he had to get up soon anyways, so he groaned as he dragged himself out of his bed, feeling the effects of last night's intermitent sleep. Baekhyun the shower tap, stepping in and letting the water his back. It was still cold, and he shivered but he continued to let the water run down his body. 

He was out of it for most of the day and Jongdae had asked if he was okay when he popped in to deliver some orders.

Baekhyun sighed reaching for another flower, trying to trim it when gripped the stem a little too hard, pricking his finger. He let out a little gasp, and headed to the sink in the back when the bell at the front door rang. He quickly grabbed a tissue and walked over to the front. He smiled.

"What're you doing here, Yoora?"

"To buy flowers, of course," she said, smiling cordially at Baekhy