Forget-me-not

Cynthia

The sound of the back door swinging open caused her to glance over. Seungmin made his way outside and shut the door behind them. Cynthia was sprawled out on an outdoor lounge chair. The gray cloth sitting beneath her kept her from the ground. Her hands were tucked over her chest as she relaxed. 

"I see you found one of my favorite spots. You left without a word and I thought you took off and left." Seungmin walked over and sat down on the opposite chair. He pressed his back into the supporting cloth and let his body relax. 

"Did we come out here a lot?" 

"All the time. You liked this place just as much as I did. You see those?" He pointed over to two wooden painted birdhouses. One was painted a bright yellow and the other was green. "One time we painted those on a date. You liked to sit out here and watch the birds." 

"I was a bird watcher too?" 

"You were a lot of things, but being boring was never one of them. You had a lot of smaller hobbies that I used to tease you for. I never meant any harm behind my teases, it was just fun for me. You know how I am." 

"I do. I can't believe this is happening. You don't think this is all happening too fast, do you?" She shifted her head and glanced over at Seungmin with a frown. 

"I think there's a time and place for everything. If it wasn't meant to be, I don't think things would have aligned for it to happen." 

"I wasn't aware you were a philosopher." 

"Being around Hyunjin and Han all the time, it's bound to happen. There's a lot to life and a lot of unknowns. A wise woman once said that it's better to live in the moment than let it slip by." 

"Who said that?" 

"Probably a lot of people, but I heard it the most from you." 

"Oh." 

She leaned back in her seat and her cheeks flushed. Her eyes went back over to the backyard. A white wooden fence had fenced both of them in. Over in one section, raised wooden flower beds sat. There was a ton of dirt lining the three of them, but there wasn't anything in them. 

In another section, wildflowers grew and tangled around each other. Fat bumblebees buzzed and bumbled from flower to flower. The fuzzy bodies soaked up pollen and delivered it from flower to flower. 

"Oh!" She shifted and sat up. "A monarch butterfly!" She grinned and pointed out the orange and black winged creature. 

"Oh, I forgot about those. We get those quite a bit around here and I blame you for it. Sometimes you raise butterflies and release them. I like to think that they stick around and have kids and whatnot." 

"I raised butterflies?" 

"Like I said, you did a lot of things. Maybe one day, I'll write you a list of everything you did, if I can remember. I'm not sure if I can remember all of it. You went through a lot of hobbies and tried to pick out your favorites." 

As the two talked, the sun began to slowly set. The day had been filled with Seungmin and Cynthia packing their things back at Seungmin's dorm. Cynthia didn't mean to, but she had taken over Felix's room with boxes and clothes. It was something that she felt awful about, but Felix hadn't complained once. 

The warmth of the outdoor air made her feel comfortable. At some point, she shut her eyes and began to drift off to sleep. She tried to stay awake, but the sun warming her body and the gentle breeze began to be too much. It was like something out of a movie. 

A while later, she woke up to Seungmin gently shaking her shoulder. "Wake up, come on, we're needed in the kitchen." 

"Five more minutes?" 

"It can't wait that long, it's an emergency." 

"Emergency?" Her voice rose. Her sleepy eyes popped open and she jerked her body from the chair. She stood up quickly and Seungmin grabbed her hand. He led her inside and her brain scrambled with fearful thoughts. 

What kind of emergency? Was someone injured or had they gotten sick? Did someone set the house on fire and did they need to evacuate the place? The thoughts never stopped consuming her head. 

When they got back inside, it was way too quiet for her liking. Seungmin led her through the darkened house and towards the kitchen. Since the sun was almost entirely set, the house had darkened drastically. Once they got to the kitchen, Seungmin stepped aside and her eyes widened in shock. Han stepped over and slipped something beneath her chin and gently placed it on her head. 

Once he stepped away, she glanced around the darkened kitchen. Chan was the first one to start singing and the other members, including Seungmin, began to join in. They were all wearing different colored party hats that matched the green one that had been placed on her head. Yellowed lights flickered on candles that adorned a circular cake. 

Her eyes teared up as the guys sang happy birthday. So caught up in everything, she hadn't even bothered to ask anyone when her birthday was. It was something that she had forgotten about. When they finished, her bottom lip quivered. 

"Hurry!" Lee Know waved her over. "Come blow out your candles before wax gets on your cake." 

"Don't forget to make a wish that you want to come true!" Felix added. 

Cynthia bent down and closed her eyes. She focused on a thought with furrowed brows before she reopened her eyes and blew out the candles in one go. Whoops, claps, and cheers filled the air. 

"Cynthia," Hyunjin's voice chimed out, "I can't believe you're getting so old." 

"You idiot, she's younger than you!" 

"Am I not allowed to be emotional?" 

Seungmin rolled his eyes and I.N flicked on the lights. Felix rushed to Cynthia's side and beamed. "Do you like how the cake looks? I baked it and everyone else helped decorate it. I thought it was the cutest thing that I've ever seen." 

In the light, she could see the cake better. It was frosted a pale pink and tiny flowers had been piped over the pink. 'Happy 23rd birthday' looked like it had been written in ink. Hyunjin began to explain how they put it all together. 

While he explained, Cynthia's eyes went over to Seungmin. There was a soft fondness in his eyes that melted her heart. His eyes were watery as if he was about to cry. When Hyunjin finished, Cynthia walked over to him. The guys were talking to each other in the background. 

"Why do I have a feeling that you had something to do with this?" 

"I couldn't let my girlfriend miss out on her birthday." 

"Is it bad that I don't remember how to celebrate?" 

"Don't worry. There's cake, there's other food, and the guys came up with some party games. I know you don't like super fancy stuff, so I kept it simple." 

"Thank you." 

"I'd do anything to see that soft smile of yours." As a blush rose to her cheeks again, Seungmin reached over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

"I love you," she whispered as she slipped her hand into his. 

"I love you too." 

"Are you both done getting handsy in front of the cake? There's children in the room and I-" 

"Hyunjin, if you say one more word, I'm going to smash that cake into your face." 

"Cynthia wouldn't allo-" 

"Nah, I'm with him this time." 

Hyunjin huffed before he collapsed into the kitchen chair pouting.