Forget-me-not

Seungmin

The earthy and floral scent of the flower shop was one that Seungmin welcomed, unlike the sharp scent of hospital disinfectant. A small bell rang above his head when he pushed the door open. Felix and I.N followed along behind him. 

"Woah," Felix glanced around in shock. 

"This place is beautiful," I.N whispered. "Cynthia really worked here?" 

"How did you not know?" Seungmin mumbled. "I told you multiple times." 

"I didn't think it was this specific flower shop." 

Banquets of flowers were everywhere. Orchids, tulips, roses, lilies, daisies, hydrangeas. If you named a type of flower, it was probably somewhere in the building. The rectangular walls had been painted a soft baby blue. 

All the colorful flowers jutted out against the light color. Candy apple reds, canary yellow, fuchsias, and cherry blossom. Saffrons, cobalt blue, and clover. A shade of white that was as pure and innocent as doves. Apricot oranges that matched the fruit. Blues deeper than the ocean and brighter than the summer skies. 

The rainbow came to life in this flower shop. Seungmin felt right at home here. He couldn't count how many times he came here after work to meet Cynthia. After she'd shut the place up for the evening, the pair would walk home together hand-in-hand. 

Handfuls of flower banquets sat in metal buckets. The side walls were lined with rows of wood. The thin beams were equally measured and placed between each other leaving a few inches between each one to reveal the wall. 

Wooden structures had been created by hand. They hung off the wooden beams and an opening sawed into wood left enough room for the metal buckets. The buckets could be filled with water, placed into the holes, and then they'd hang frozen in mid-air above the rows beneath them. 

Everything was spaced out, so you could easily see all the flowers. Some bouquets were of a single kind of flower and others were mixed together. A large wooden desk sat at the back of the building. A white curtain hung behind the desk to conceal the back room. 

Small metal hoops scraped along a wooden pole as it swung open to reveal a tall and slender man. A pair of circular golden framed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. He smiled at the band members. "How can I help you today?" 

He stepped from behind the curtain and shut it. Moving closer to the guys, he stopped when his eyes met Seungmin's. Recognizing Cynthia's boyfriend, his face fell. "Seungmin, is that really you?" He stepped closer. 

"Yeah, it's me." 

"Oh, you poor thing. I'm so sorry to hear about Cynthia. Her friend, Flora, dropped by a few weeks ago right after the accident happened. I've been meaning to send Cynthia a sympathy card, but I've been so busy. I've been picking up her extra hours here." 

"It's alright." 

"How is she?" 

Seungmin wanted to tell him he didn't know, but instead he gave the owner a half-smile. "She's okay. She's healing, but it's taking some time. It's going to take a while before she...you know." 

"I understand. I told Flora that Cynthia can take all the time she needs. Her job will always be here waiting for her when she gets back. She was one of my favorite employees. She knew an awful lot about flowers." 

"Yeah, she did." 

Felix and I.N stayed quiet behind Seungmin. The two of them couldn't help, but scan all the rows of flowers. There were so many different kinds. It was nearly impossible not to get lost in all of it. Walking into the flower shop was like walking into a new dimension. 

"Are you here to get her a bouquet?" 

"You know me so well." 

"Forget-me-nots?" 

"Yes, please." 

The man nodded his head. "I'll be right back. I'm actually working on wrapping those in the back. Give me one moment." He turned around and disappeared back behind the curtain. 

"Hyung, is that her boss?" I.N whispered. 

"Yes." He glanced over to find Felix with an outstretched hand. "Hey!" He hissed quietly. Felix turned around to glance at him. "Don't touch the flowers unless you plan on buying them. Flowers are delicate things." 

Felix mumbled an apology and dropped his hand. Seungmin had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He approached the desk in the back waiting for the owner to appear with a bouquet. 

I.N headed over to Felix. The two of them began browsing the flowers and discussing if they should buy their own bouquet. The man came out of the back a few moments later. A white piece of plastic was wrapped around the powder blue bundle. 

"Is this all for you?" The owner asked. 

"Can I get them placed into a vase?" 

"Yeah, give me another moment." The man ducked beneath the desk and grabbed a clear vase from the bottom shelf. He disappeared back behind a curtain and came out again to reveal the vase with water. "Do you want me to unwrap the flowers and place them in the vase for you?" 

"No, that's okay, I'll arrange them when I get home." 

The man nodded and carefully placed the bouquet into the vase. He slid it over to Seungmin. "Please tell Cynthia that the flowers and I miss her." 

"I will. How much do I owe you?" Seungmin reached for his wallet. 

"No need. Consider these my gift to her. I hope she gets better soon." 

"Are you sure?" 

The man nodded with a smile. Crow's feet sat perched beneath the corners of his eyes. Smile lines were etched into his face from years of walking the earth. He brushed a piece of dark hair from his forehead. Seungmin was certain the man was on the verge of crying. 

"Please tell her that she can come back here at any time. This place was her home away from home. It feels a little empty without her around here." 

"I'll let her know." 

The man nodded and Seungmin took the vase of flowers. His eyes met the tops of them. Almost every week, he used to buy Cynthia a bouquet of forget-me-nots. They became her favorite flower after he began sending them to the apartment once a week while he was on tour. It was his little homage to her that he was still there even without physically being there. 

"Thank you."

"Have a nice day, Seungmin." 

"You too." 

Seungmin desperately wanted to return the man's smile, but he was afraid if he smiled, he just might crack.