“Ew, no.”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

Sora could hear Joohyun’s faint voice coming from the back, and she crumpled the card that she had took in her palm. 

“Well apparently, someone gave this flower to me. Well, they said to the beautiful woman in here, so...obviously it would be me - ” Joy started to ramble and Sora took the cue to throw the card away.

Something is wrong and she hated that. 

“Who is it from?” Joohyun glanced at Sora, noticing that she was a bit too quiet and asked that, only to be answered with a shrug from Joy. 

“Don’t know. It doesn’t have a name.”

“Is it from a stalker or a ert?” Joohyun was trying to take a guess, but Joy seemed interested in that guess as she gasped rather loudly. 

“Oh no, are you saying someone is in love with me and gave me flowers?”

Joohyun gave a look at Joy. “That is your conclusion?” 

“What...” But that girl just blinked innocently. 

“Does it came with a card or something?”

“Joohyun, you seemed to be so interested in my flowers.”

“Answer me, Joy.”

“There is, but boss took it - hmm? Boss?”

Sora was already trudging away, jutting her lips forward and looked away with a playful and a loud ‘hmph’. “I’m jealous, so I threw the card away. Before I burn those flowers away, you should throw it away too.”

Joy was whining, hugging the bouquet tightly in her arms. “But...”

Joohyun just keep quiet, staring at Sora who was walking away - going back to her office as she was supposed to. Somehow, something didn’t feel right and she hated that. She hated the feeling of not knowing something that is happening around her. 

Something was building inside her chest as she continued to stare at Sora that was already away. She then glanced at Joy, who just pouted while staring at the flower. 

“But white tulips are so pretty. They symbolizes apology and innocence...”

Joohyun frowned at that. Somehow, looking at those tulips makes her wants to throw them on the floor. 

Everyday seemed like a good day. Customers was increasing everyday, sales were great and the popularity of their coffee shop was skyrocketing. It should be a good thing. It supposedly be a good thing.

But although Sehun was glad those things were happening, he somehow grew irked on things that he needed to encountered because of it. 

“Are you single? Do you think I can get your number?” 

That was the fifth time for that day, and Sehun was sighing inwardly, not wanting to be impolite, but not wanting to give some kind of false hope to the girl.

“I’m not interested. Now, can you order?” Sehun was tapping his fingers on the computer screen, waiting each seconds for the order of the girls in front of him.

It was supposedly Baekhyun who should took the order, but somehow the coffee shop was packed and Baekhyun was left to make the coffee with Minseok. 

Sehun was not someone who enjoy taking orders. He enjoyed making coffee, thus rarely sat in front of the counter for taking the order. Besides, he doesn’t really have the best customer service face, yet - people do love his cold nonchalant look and attitude. 

The girl pouted. Her friends were whispering behind her and she was already red as she continued staring at Sehun. “Please? Even if you have a girlfriend, we can just be friends.”

She was starting to annoy him. Her high-pitched voice was also starting to make his ears bleed. “Listen here kid - ” 

“Ahahah...” Just before Sehun tried to cuss the girl, Minseok somehow managed to save the day with his million dollar smile and handsome appearance. As he pushed Sehun away, he managed to give out a glare to him and Sehun just backpaddled to the back, giving the older some room for himself. 

“You should just gave your number. It would make things much easier.” Jongin was chirping rather annoyingly behind Sehun’s back and the younger just rolled his eyes. 

“I’m not that easy like you, Jongin.”

The man just gasped at the sudden accusations. “How dare. I’m just a friendly young man.” he batted his lashes while tying the trash bag so that it would be much easier to throw it away. 

“Friendly my .” Baekhyun suddenly remarked as he finished with the customer’s orders, somehow butting in the conversation for a moment before continuing again with another order and Sehun swiftly helped with the coffee too. 

While Jongin just snorted. “If you’re jealous, you could just say so...”

Baekhyun gave a look and before he could say anything to retort back, Jongin already went to the back door to throw the trash away. 

And as he was throwing the trash away, and washing his hands, Jongin had his eyes caught a glimpse of someone dejectedly walking out from the coffee shop across his and his face lit up in recognition. 

As if she could sense his gaze, she also stared back at him and Jongin straightened his back when he realized that she seemed a bit glad to see him and swiftly dried his hands as he watched her getting closer. 

“Joy.” he recalled her name as they once introduced themselves before. 

“Hello,” she chirped, despite looking dejected a moment ago and Jongin couldn’t help but to crack up a smile upon seeing her cheerful expression. 

“Hello, what can I help you with - ”

“What is your favourite flower?” Joy quickly cut his words, before he could even acted polite in front of her. 

And Jongin went blank. 

Favorite flower? 

Huh?

“Huh?”

But before he could even think or even answered, Joy was already impatient as she asked once again. 

“Do you like tulips?”

Jongin blinked. “Umm...I guess...”

“Great. Here, it’s for you.” 

And that’s when Jongin realised that Joy had been hiding the bouquet of white tulips behind her back as they were talking. His hands were hesitant to take the flowers and Joy just tugged his hand forward to grab the flower quick and he went blushing madly when he finally realised that someone was giving him a bouquet of flower out of nowhere. 

To make it more romantic, it was near the dumpster. Nothing more romantic than getting a bouquet of flowers there. 

“You look pretty with that. Till then, bye!” and just like that, Joy urgently walked away. 

She knew that Joohyun would be nagging at her if she came back late. The older was already in a bad mood when she didn’t want to throw the white tulips earlier. It was such a beautiful flowers and she was begging Joohyun to keep it in the coffee shop, but Joohyun seemed skeptical with the flowers that she just urged her to throw it away. 

Thankfully, she met with Jongin before she can throw the flowers away. At least now the tulips are in a better hands. 

Joy gave a dejected final look at the flowers before dramatically turned away and wiped her nonexistent tears with her sleeves. 

“I hope you can be happy now, tulips.” 

She should really stop hanging out with Sora. 

As Joy was busy with her dejected feeling, Jongin on the other hand was dumbfounded, staring at the flowers in his hands. 

“What the...What’s the meaning of this?” he placed a hand on his chest. It feels weird. What is this? 

Is he that happy for receiving a flower? Is this how girls feels when they got flowers?

“You look pretty with that...” 

Joy’s earlier statement makes him blushed out of nowhere, but before he could even acted bashfully, the back door was opened and Sehun gave a look at him. 

“What the hell? We are busy inside and you’re day dreaming?”

“Sehun, look - someone gave me a flower!” 

“At a dumpster? Really, Jongin?”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Yeah, sure...”

“I’m telling you the truth! Do you know how happy I felt? Come on, feel my heart pounding!”

“Ew, no.”

“It was a heartfelt separation. I hope tulips are in a better hands now.” Joy sniffed loudly, taking the tissue nearby to wipe her tears and blow her nose rather dramatically even though there was nothing to blow in the first place. 

“I wonder who gave the flowers?” Wendy was asking out loud, somehow wondered who would be so secretive at doing something like that. The act was a tad romantic, but at the same time was a tad creepy. 

“Oh my gosh, what if it was from a stalker!” Wendy had her eyes bulged wide.

Sora just stared at her workers who somehow managed to make some assumptions based on the flowers. She sipped on the chocolate drink that Joohyun had made for her before, while acting like she was also invested in Wendy’s assumptions. 

Even though her heart knew who was the one who send it. She recognized the handwriting the moment she saw it. It was making her stomach churned in a bad way. 

It couldn’t be. 

He just got back. 

He couldn’t possibly know where she is. 

Maybe it’s just someone who got the same handwriting as his. 

But her heart couldn’t keep calm. 

“Are you okay?” Joohyun somehow got beside her. She slowly placed the sweet macaroons on the table and Sora just took a glimpse at it before stared back at Joohyun. 

“I’m hungry.”

The way Joohyun was staring at her makes Sora rethink again on her choice of words. It seemed like Joohyun knew what was troubling her. 

“You don’t look like you’re hungry.” Joohyun muttered under her breath, just enough for Sora to hear it. As she said that, her eyes glanced with a knowing look. 

Ah, she knew. Of course Joohyun would know what she was having trouble with. 

“I’m closing the shop with you today.” Joohyun remarked, giving a final look at Sora before she left her to do her job. 

Sora didn’t say anything more and continued drinking her chocolate drink. 

“Your fan is not budging.” Minseok was muttering to Sehun, acting a bit subtle when he gave out the direction of the girl that was sitting alone at the table. She was with her friends earlier, but as time passed by, only she was the only one left without moving.

It was the same girl that had asked for his number earlier - Sehun recognized her. Her constant whining seemed to grab his attention and it was not in a good way. 

“Someone got a fan.” Baekhyun sang and Sehun just groaned out loud. 

“Well, .”

“Just be thankful Sehun. It’s all because of your handsome face...” Baekhyun sang once again and the younger was already glaring daggers at him. 

“She’s kinda cute. Just give her your number.” Jongin said the next moment, somehow busying himself with the flowers that he had received from Joy. They were put elegantly inside a small vase that he had found when he ransacked Sehun’s office earlier. 

“It’s annoying.” Sehun muttered, eyes never showed any kind of guilt on saying those things. 

“Of course, our majesty hates things like that, doesn’t he?” Baekhyun teased and Sehun just rolled his eyes at that. 

“It feels like a stupid thing to do. Liking someone and pursue them just because you want to be with them.” he added. 

“I can’t understand that. It feels annoying to me.”

“That is because you haven’t found the right one yet.” Minseok then muttered, finished taking an order from a customer.

“I doubt I will be like that when I found someone that I like...” Sehun uttered back, before his words somehow got stopped when he noticed a familiar figure walking out of the coffee shop across his.

Sora was bidding her byes to the kid who seemed too happy to talk to her, while his hands were full from holding the smoothies. She was holding the door, making a silly face when the kid stuck his tongue at her and Sehun couldn’t take his eyes away. 

Even when the kid had walked away, he couldn’t take his eyes away. The corner of his lips lifted a bit - noticing that Sora was glaring at his coffee shop before giving a middle finger to it, as if nobody was there to see her. 

“Cute.” he chuckled. 

Baekhyun gave Minseok a look, and Minseok returned back with the same knowing gaze. 

“Anyway...” Baekhyun cleared his throat. “Wendy had said something to me about Sora.”

At that, Sehun had his attention moved to Baekhyun. “What is it?”

“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but...”

Kyungsoo, who had walked out from the kitchen, makes a frowned expressions when he saw that Sehun was staring intently at the coffee shop across theirs. Baekhyun on the other hand was just rambling on and on about some stuff. 

“What are you talking about?” he glanced at Sora’s coffee shop. 

Hmm...since he was a bit busy that day, he didn’t even managed to spare a thought on Sora. He was wondering how she was doing. 

To be said, Sora was not doing okay. Not when she was still seeing the same white tulips being delivered the next day. 

Again, with the same handwriting on the small note. 

Don’t throw them away. Aren’t they your favorite flowers?