[CONTENTID1] 014. [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] Simple Gift [/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

She was at ease, somewhat.

Night seemed to have made her restless but Eunseo didn’t care. She was only thinking about that moment, where it was clear that things between the both of them have returned to the way it was. Everything seemed much brighter, happier, like the arrival of spring.

Laying in her bed, it was just hours since she had gone to Mrs. Byun’s house. And yet the entire interaction played in her head as clearly as a movie, leaving her to wonder if it was in fact a reality that she and Baekhyun have reconciled. It felt too good to be true but there was one feeling that remained, assuring her that was real.

The touch of Baekhyun’s thumbs under her eyes lingered still. It was soft and gentle like a flower petal that would graze by her skin, yet it was powerful enough to make her heart stop from just thinking about it. Eunseo’s face grew warm as it played in her head again; how soft he was and that look he gave, which she failed to notice in detail from her tears, she could only remember that it was an expression that comforted her in every imaginable way possible.

Rolling to her side, Eunseo hugged her pillow tighter as if it was Baekhyun. He didn’t seem like the type of person to do much skinship but she imagined his hugs would be sweet and warm. There had been times she had fallen onto him, they only gave her a piece of what it felt like. For the real thing, she wouldn’t know how it would be but she knew she would enjoy it.

Now that they reconciled, one thought however, still stuck. How could she confess now? 

-

Carefully wrapping the box with the silk fabric, Eunseo then finished it off by tying a bow at the top. Glancing at the small bouquet beside the box, she picked it up and carefully with her fingers, dug through the tulips once again. After setting it down, she bent down at the small picture of Baekhyun playing the piano that she had drawn, then smiling in satisfaction. Everything seemed perfect at the moment, it needed to be.

Today was Baekhyun’s birthday, which she was unaware of until the day after they reconciled, about three days ago. The fact that Baekhyun told her so late earned him a lengthy scolding from her. And here she was now, checking every detail of the somewhat last-minute birthday gift and a subtle confession, extremely subtle.

The time on her phone displayed a few minutes before Baekhyun would be home from rehearsals. Tapping her foot onto the floor, Eunseo then sighed and gathered everything in her arms as time seemed to be moving slower than ever. Hurriedly, she trudged out the door and walked to the front of his house to wait.

After a few minutes, Baekhyun’s car was seen pulling into the parking lot, making Eunseo’s heart leap out of its normal pace. She shook her head for her bangs that were messily on her face to move away as her hands were occupied with items. As Baekhyun appeared from behind the corner, she smiled widely and greeted him, prompting him to wave back and lightly jog toward her.

“Hey, how long have you been waiting out here,” Baekhyun asked as he fished in his pocket for the keys. 

“Just a few minutes,” Eunseo answered, “Also, happy birthday!”

A small smile appeared on his lips as he unlocked the door, “Thank you,” he said turning to her once it unlocked. Pushing the door open, his arm then gestured for her to come inside which she immediately did.

“Let me take this,” Baekhyun insisted as he reached for the wrapped box. After it was handed to him, he then asked as they walked to the dining table, “Is this my gift?”

Eunseo nodded, “Yeah, and these as well.” Setting down the small bouquet and his portrait down onto the wooden table, she gestured toward them, “I could’ve gotten something better if you hadn’t told me at the last minute.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled, “I had forgotten.” Reaching for the small drawing of him, he smiled as he held it closer. “Did you look up a picture of me to draw this? I like it a lot.”

“Yeah,” Eunseo answered, recalling the night where she spent a countless amount of time looking through photos of him online, only to gawk at his handsomeness before realizing her main purpose in looking for the photos. “It was a bit hard to find a good one,” she sheepishly added.

Baekhyun scoffed as he continued to look down at the drawing, “Were the pictures in bad quality?”

“No,” Eunseo then bit her lip. “You just looked handsome in the photos, I couldn’t pick one.”

His eyes trailed from the drawing up to her and everything within her seemed to have frozen. A shy smile strewn upon his lips before he shook his head. “Stop lying.”

“Stop denying, it’s the truth,” Eunseo whined. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Baekhyun chuckled as he set down the drawing, then pointing at the small bouquet of tulips. “These look nice, do the tulips mean anything?”

Eunseo stood frozen at his question. They did. They were meant to symbolize love and romance, but she didn’t want Baekhyun to know. 

“N-No, I just thought they looked nice… and they were the only kinds of flowers in the shop that were in abundance, so I thought I would give some to you.” Eunseo rocked herself side to side subtly. “I made the bouquet on my own, it’s my first one,” she added softly.

Earlier, her mother insisted on making the bouquet but Eunseo figured it would’ve been more meaningful if she made it herself. Of course, that meant having to make the bouquet under the surveillance of her mother which was more nerve wracking than anything in the world. Eventually, she made it to where it satisfied her standards after numerous attempts.

“Really,” Baekhyun raised a brow, impressed. “I see the florist in you is coming in. It looks good for your first bouquet,” he glanced down at the arrangement to admire it.

“Thank you,” Eunseo smiled as she felt herself lightened by his praise. Gesturing toward the box with her chin, she then said, “You should open the box.”

“This isn’t some prank, is it?” Baekhyun’s fingers hesitantly made its way toward the bow, then slowly unwrapping the silk fabric. 

“Of course not, I wouldn’t do that on anyone’s birthday.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“If you say so,” said Baekhyun as he continued unwrapping the fabric from the box. As it was uncovered, he then removed the lid and his eyes widened at the contents of the box before looking up at Eunseo. “Macarons?”

“Yeah…” Her eyes then widened. “You don’t like them?”

“No no, I do,” he assured, waving his hands. “I just didn’t expect to be gifted macarons.” Picking one up, he held it close to his lips. “Did you make these?” 

Eunseo nodded proudly. “I did.”

Baekhyun gave a skeptic look toward her, leading her to frown at his sudden change in expression. “What? I did, just because it looks good doesn’t mean I bought it from a bakery or grocery store,” she pouted as her arms crossed over her chest. “I didn’t poison it either if that’s what you’re thinking as well.”

Baekhyun chuckled, “I’m just messing with you.” He then took a bite out of the macaron and chewed it.

Eunseo stood silently, observing his microexpressions if he liked it. It was hard to tell when he remained neutral. “So… do you like it?”

“I do,” he answered as soon as he swallowed it. “It’s a bit more on the sweeter side but I can take it.”

Relieved, she sighed, “Yeah, I’m still learning when it comes to baking. But I’m happy you do, it would’ve been bad if that wasn’t the case.”

“It wouldn’t really matter though, even if it’s bad, I’ll still eat it. It’s the thought that counts,” he stated before placing the entire baked good into his mouth.

“True, it does count,” Eunseo nodded in agreement. Leaning towards the counter, she then asked, “So, are you going to be doing anything special for your birthday today?”

After swallowing the rest of his macaron, Baekhyun wiped the crumbs from corners of his mouth. “Well, I’m throwing a small party. My friends from Seoul are coming over here and I decided to invite some of the people I’ve met here, including you.”

“Really?” Eunseo beamed, “I’m honored.”

Baekhyun nodded and chuckled, “I guess you can consider it to be an honor.”

“What time will it start then?” 

“The party doesn’t really have a designated time but I found out like eight or nine would work for everyone. So, just stop by in the evening.”

“I see, I’ll try to come by in between those times then.”

Baekhyun then pouted, “Are you not gonna stick around with me all day today?”

Oh how Eunseo wished she could. The past few days where she spent the majority of her time with him didn’t feel enough like always. And especially that today was his birthday, she wished to fulfill it but life wanted her somewhere else. 

“Unfortunately, no,” Eunseo sulked as her shoulders slumped. “My mother received a bunch of orders from this company and asked if I could go help her out. So I’ll be there for the whole day. I’m sorry.”

Some large company somehow managed to order over fifty orders in a single floral shop within an hour, her mother nearly went pale after hearing the numbers. The shop was already busy enough and dumping a large amount of orders to fulfill within a single day was just unbelievable. 

Nodding, he assured her, “It’s okay. I should go to my grandmother’s shop too, keep her company for a bit.”

“That sounds good. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Eunseo proposed, “After your birthday, we’ll go somewhere fun! I just have to pick a good place and day though.”

“Okay then. Promise?” Baekhyun smiled as he held up his pinky toward her.

She smiled at his gesture before saying, “Promise.” Holding up her pinky, she then interlocked it with his, sending an electrifying buzz from the place they’ve touched. 

“Do you want me to drive you to your mom then? It’ll probably be faster than going on the bus,” Baekhyun offered as he placed the lid back onto the box.