SONGS OF WINTER | pjm

02 | POP

LIPS PUCKERED AND cheek resting in his palm, jimin carefully made another pencil stroke against the thick drawing paper of the sketchbook he always carried around. a romantic pop song played in his ears, dulling out every other sound around him.

traffic at sweethearts seemed to have slowed for the day. besides jimin, there was only a couple in the corner enjoying a plate of tiramisu together. a small smile tickled jimin's lips when he caught francine gag at their overly affectionate actions.

his gaze shifted back to his drawing, his smile growing as it took form. a shadow over his vision made him look up to find francine staring at him with her arms folded over her chest. he pulled one of the earbuds out his ear, brow raised in question. "you're never going to meet her this way, jimin." she told him.

"i thought you were more positive, fran." he replied, taking the other earbud out as he paused the music. "yes, but i'm also realistic. she bakes, jimin. she's always stuck in that kitchen or the one at her home. her being out here that day was just by chance." she glanced around before taking a seat across from him.

"no, it was fate pulling its strings to fulfill destiny." he countered. "boy, what sort of moist ass books have you been reading?" she shot him a look and he laughed. "you have a stack of every nicholas sparks book there is at home, don't you?" her eyes narrowed at him. "you two couldn't be more different." she added when he didn't deny it.

"why should that be a problem?" he placed the pencil he was holding on his sketchbook, drawing francine's attention to it. "i never said it was. is that nala?" she pointed. "yeah. can you make up some excuse for her to come out here?"

francine continued to stare at the drawing. "i have something even better." she finally looked up at him, a wily look on her face. "come with me." she said, getting on her feet. "what?" jimin followed her action, looking at her in confusion as she began to walk towards the back of the shop.

"are you supposed to leave the shop unattended?" he glanced back over the counter. "no, but since when did i do what i was supposed to?" she answered. "what if someone steals from the shop or something?" he asked, looking back at her.

"they'd be a dead bitch if they tried." she pushed a door open to reveal the kitchen. "winter!" she called, making the girl drop the spoon she was holding in the saucepan. "what the fuck, fran?!" she jumped back to avoid getting scalded by splashing hot liquid. "i was making berry sauce for the—" she stopped short when her gaze fell on jimin.

"what is he doing back here?" she cocked a brow. "he is here to help you with your problem." francine replied. "i am?" jimin whispered, confused. "he is?" winter picked the spoon back up and began to stir. jimin watched her, enjoying the sight of her with flour stained clothes and cheeks. it gave a softer look to her otherwise frigid expression.

"jimin here is an artist with lots of free time. he loves dogs and, apparently, they love him right back. and you can't have nala running around here all the time or keep leaving her at your neighbour's. he'd love to watch her for you while you run the shop or at least until august gets back from school. and he's not a creep, i checked." francine patted his shoulder.

jimin pushed his hair back, the corners of his mouth lifting shyly when winter's ocean and gold eyes fell on him. he still found them so breathtaking. felt like they were piercing right through him, leafing through his mind and reading his every thought. it almost made him feel naked.

"well, i'm going to leave you two to talk. i need to get back before someone actually robs us of all our desserts." francine jerked a thumb behind her.

both jimin and winter watched her leave without saying a word. those piercing eyes shifted to pin him again. for the first time in what felt like forever, jimin found himself feeling self-conscious. clearing his throat, he let his fingers sift through his hair. "um, hi again." he began carefully.

"you were at the park that day, weren't you?" she looked away from him, focusing her attention on adjusting the heat on the sauce she was making. "and with your friend the other day." she added, moving around the kitchen. "yes, that was me." he nodded. "i'm surprised you remember."

"it's hard to forget bright pink hair." she replied, opening the oven to peek in. "i would never have imagined it that first day." she straightened. jimin couldn't help but follow her every action with his gaze, memorising the way she still walked with that grace even while working. "i really didn't think you'd remember me from the park. we met for only a brief moment." he confessed.

"you remember me." she pointed out, gaze fixed on him. "besides, nala isn't one to instantly warm up to random strangers. especially if it means ditching me for them."

the smile found its way to his face before he could stop it. "did it hurt your feelings?" he asked, slightly amused. "as a matter of fact, it did." she answered seriously. his smile only grew, though her expression remained as blank as it had the first day they'd met.

"so you really want to watch her?" she tucked her hair behind her ear before washing her hands, leaving a mix of white and dark pink stain on the braids. "if you'd let me, i'd love to." he rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his index finger. he traced even more of her features with his eyes, archiving the image of her in what seemed to be her comfort zone in his mind.

"fran recommended you. although she is often too quick to trust. but i've seen nala with you so i presume it's alright." she dried off her hands. jimin tilted his head curiously, wondering if if her manner of speaking was always so formal. he could already tell it was her way of setting boundaries and putting up a wall.

ignoring the thought, he flashed her a sweet little smile, approaching her cautiously. "i guess i should formally introduce myself. i'm jimin. jimin park." he held out a hand to her.

her eyes moved from his face to his outstretched hand and for a moment, jimin thought she was going to ignore the gesture. but then her small hand wrapped around his. it was cold to the touch but still had volts of electricity running up his arm like naked wire in a pool of water.

"i'm winter. winter kain."