"Hello! Umm, I'll have the usual please!", the voice chirped.

It was a fine morning, and just across the street from an apartment building towering over the lanes, was Taehyung's favourite spot: a cafe that put him at peace.

He was a passionate florist working for clients of all kinds; elderly couples celebrating their decades together, high school sweethearts setting up romantic dates, siblings gifting their parents a bouquet of flowers, graduates celebrating the end of their semesters, colleagues and employees bidding someone farewell, and the list went on. He loved making those around him smile, and with his determination in preparing magnificently beautiful designs and bouquets of flowers and ferns, it wasn't too tough to do. The way his hands worked on the thin fabrics and fragile foliage, accompanied by his alluring smile that charmed the hearts of all, allowed him to satisfy all his customers; he truly relished in his hours of work.

After sunset, he would stroll out to the park with his dog, take a walk by the river and sit upon a wooden bench, only to pull out his camera and capture the soothing sights that flooded his vision. His love towards photography was like no other. With his dog barking constantly and his feet steady on the ground, snapping photos and encapsulating them into precious memories and collections was an essential part of his life. Moreover, submissions of photographs into various competitions earned him great prizes.

However, he oftentimes found himself sitting on his bed and flipping through the pages of a novel with tired eyes. He wasn't physically exhausted, rather he yearned for something - for someone.

He wondered why even his pet's adorable yelps wouldn't make him smile the way he truly wanted to. He wondered what was missing in his life – who was missing in his life.

Regardless of his worries and concerns, he went on with his days. For two months, he went to bed with drooping shoulders and gloomy eyes. For two months, his heart began to desire something he didn't even know.

As he leaned against the wooden counter of the cafe and tapped his fingers on the surface, he waited for his drink.

"How's work?", the woman behind the counter asked with a sweet smile as she rummaged through the cabinets.

"As fun as it can be, as usual as it can be. What about you? It's been two weeks since you started, right? Jeongyeon, you better keep making these good desserts, okay?"

"Two weeks... Why does it feel like two months?"

At the mention of that, Taehyung frowned.

Two months.

He then turned around at the sound of a bell ringing above the door of the cafe, his eyes fixating themselves on the person who peeked his head through. He didn't know what it was, but almost as if wanting to compete, there was a ringing in his ears too.

Discomfort morphed into something that put his heart at peace. Something happened in those few seconds even though he couldn't exactly say what it was.

"Good morning! Welcome to Periwinkle Cafe!" Jeongyeon greeted with her signature smile. She gently slid a cup across the counter and gestured Taehyung to move aside, directing her full attention to the new arrival.

Taehyung leaned over to smell the warm drink, before grabbing the cup and walking towards the same corner that he always sat at. He placed the cup onto the table and averted his gaze towards the new customer. He had never seen him before, but he smiled at the sight of the figure marching towards the counter with a shy smile.

The boy was only a few inches shorter than Taehyung, and he wore clothes of pastel colours, complimenting his head of golden hair.

He had a tattoo-like painting of a small daisy on his cheek, so close to his earlobe, but more than that, Taehyung thought the boy was like a daisy too; he seemed so innocent and pure, so full of light and hope. The boy had to tiptoe to peer over the counter and sneak a look at the backside of the cafe, and he muttered out his order in a soft voice.

Taehyung thought he sounded like someone who could sing, but not necessarily a mainstream one, rather one that would put him to sleep with a lullaby in that calming voice. He yearned to hear his voice, but more importantly, he wanted to find out why his heart was feeling strange.

He hesitated for a slight moment, but as he saw the boy look in his direction, he raised his hand and showed off a small wave. He couldn’t help but break into a wide smile as the stranger waved back with an equally bright grin.

He thought it was rather strange; no one would come to Periwinkle Cafe, for it was not too popular around the area, and it would only welcome about five or six customers at sunset, the windows revealing a rather pleasing view of the local park outside. He thought it was rather strange; no one would come to Periwinkle Cafe, but the blond that walked through the doors with an oversized sweater of a calm shade of blue, told him that maybe this cafe had a future.

He thought it was so obvious that the confused boy was not familiar with the area, but he didn’t judge.

He walked back to the counter once the blond scurried away to a table at the far corner of the room. He placed his cup on the surface and resumed talking with Jeongyeon, only to be startled by a question sent his way.

“Do you know him?” Jeongyeon’s voice was relaxed with a hint of curiosity, but she was busy with arranging a few utensils onto a tray.

“No.” Taehyung paused for a second. “I’ve never even seen him before.”

He didn’t know why or how, but a part of him believed that he knew the blond very well.

It was another fine morning, and the cafe was just as quiet as ever, the only sounds of life being that of the cups and plates clanging against one another, as well as the chirps of the birds peeking out from rustling trees.

Taehyung slid a piece of paper across the wooden counter, all the while wrapping his fingers gently around the plastic cup handed over to him. He sent a playful wink at the woman behind the counter, receiving a groan in return.

Jeongyeon stared at the other with a mean but silly look, taking a quick look at the little note on the surface. She rolled her eyes at the large heart drawn on the paper, before crumbling it up and tossing it to the side. “Very funny, mister.”

Taehyung giggled and watched as the other bent over to pick up the crumbled material, only to throw it into the trashcan. He then raised the cup to his face, his lips around the straw, but the drink had yet to rise and fill his mouth with flavour.

He heard the familiar sound of a bell, so he looked over his shoulder to see that same boy again. He immediately felt his shoulders relax, the worries of last night fading away in an instant. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about the stranger that made him feel safe and calm. He knew he didn’t have feelings for a mere blond boy he didn’t even know, but a part of him believed that he had met the other before – somewhere, somehow, sometime.

The blond walked forward with a shy smile, his hand clutching onto a small book. He quickly muttered out an order as soon as Taehyung stepped a bit to the side, letting him stand across from Jeongyeon. He tapped his fingers on the surface of the counter in a certain rhythm as he hummed a melody.

Taehyung watched the boy stand and wait patiently, and he thought it was endearing how the painted daisy was still as new and bright as ever. He found it hard to believe that a person could embody such peacefulness and innocence so easily.

“What book are you reading?”

“Oh, it’s a translated version of ‘The History of Love’ by Nicole Krauss. It’s quite good, quite… Uh, excuse me, but I have to leave.” The unnamed boy gently picked up his cup and smiled at Jeongyeon, wishing her a word of gratitude, before turning around to face the door.

Taehyung simply stared, seeing the other walk out of the cafe. He wasn’t sure, but he could swear that he saw the pale hand grip the book harshly with every footstep; he wondered if everything was alright.

“Taehyung, you seriously shouldn’t just talk to strangers and ask them about what book they’re reading! Look how awkward you made the situation!” Jeongyeon broke the lingering silence, her fingers busy with tapping away on the screen attached to the cashier.

“I was just trying to make conversation! He was probably just in a hurry…”

“Still. Don’t just talk to strangers. He may look like a sweet kid but who knows? Maybe he’s a part of the mafia or something.”

Taehyung didn’t bother responding, a part of his heart still convinced that the mysterious boy wasn’t so much of a stranger at all. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but it was like his mind was restricting him from accessing a whole load of history – history with the boy.

Two months later, Taehyung could finally say that he was feeling a bit better from his slump. He didn’t feel exhausted at night, nor did he feel like he was missing someone. Despite his mind being so much healthier than before, he couldn’t help but frown over the course of the eight weeks.

For eight weeks, he didn’t see that strangely familiar stranger.

As he sat at the corner of the cafe with a bowl of strawberries and a notepad lying on the table, he stared at the view outside the glass window. A relieved sigh left his lips as he relished the aesthetic scenery, the streetlights flickering to life one after another, the sunset filling the sky with a peaceful shade of orange and red.

He wondered how his dog was doing, knowing that he would have to retrieve him from his neighbour in just a while. Chewing on a fragment of the last strawberry, he sketched away a small design, his brows wrinkling close together as he focused on the way the pencil moved across the sheet of paper.

“That’s really beautiful.”

Taehyung lifted his head, his previous expression of utter concentration morphing into that of serenity. He smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Book.”

“Oh! S-Sorry, I never introduced myself, did I?”

Taehyung shook his head and gestured the other to take a seat, his shoulders suddenly relaxing at the thought of having someone to talk to – someone other than Jeongyeon, his dog, his neighbour, and himself. Only then did he notice that the cafe was surprisingly quite busy, and he wondered if that made Jeongyeon happy or stressed.

“I’m Jimin. Park Jimin. Uh… 1995, what about you?”

Taehyung beamed at the words coming out of the now named stranger. He nodded eagerly, his lips breaking out into a wide smile. “Same! I’m Kim Taehyung. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jimin-ssi.”

“Oh, please don’t be formal with me! That’ll make me more uncomfortable, haha…” Jimin lowered his gaze back onto the table, his eyes settling on the rough drawing on the notepad. “You sure do love flowers.”

“I’m a florist. It’d be strange if I didn’t, yeah?”

Taehyung paused for a moment, and regardless of whether it was his own mind pausing time for just a while, he took a few seconds to simply appreciate the sheer beauty of that day; it was the way that the cafe was engulfed with an oddly comforting chorus of voices, the customers completely invested into their conversations and their snacks and drinks; it was the way that the sun outside gave off a warmth that one could only compare to a mother’s loving touch; it was the way that the vestigial pieces of the fruit’s flesh lingered on his tongue; it was the way that the boy in front of him made his heart calm and frantic at the same time.

“Oh, you’re a florist? That sounds like a lot of fun!”

He tried not to feel embarrassed at how he wasn’t the one progressing the conversation. He nodded slowly and responded in a cheerful tone, “It is quite a lot of fun. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the satisfied smiles of my customers.”

What happened next was far too quick for him to comprehend.

Jimin whipped his head to the side as he pulled out his phone; a soft gasp left his lips, before he rose to his feet and hastily pushed the chair back in place. He muttered a quick apology as the rest of the people stared at him for the harsh sound of the skidding chair. He then raised his hand to show off a small wave, before rushing out of the cafe with panic resting in his eyes.

Taehyung let out a bre