[Rosemary and Thyme]

[ 17 ]

     This wasn't uncommon. Sometimes he would invite her to meet up. That was just how they interacted. They would text each other a little, only ever talk over the phone a few times because that was hell to her, but then they always seemed to meet each other face-to-face. She would've settled for texting, but he was the one to ask her to hang out. It's not like she could just reject the invitation! 

     Well, she could, but she had the urge to please everyone, to follow their orders or accept their request for favours. It was just in her nature, not counting the fact she always accepted his invitation because she needed friends. Like, really needed them or else she'd probably end up an old lady with a house full of cats or puppies or even birds to quench the loneliness.

     Speaking of which, could she even count him as a friend? He wasn't the kind to just genuinely call someone his friend or admit that he's friends with people. Or that's what she's concluded from their interactions. 

     But right now, she was leaning against the drink machine outside of a building, her finger tracing circles as it slid around the rim of her can. It was out of nervousness, keeping her light shaking in check. Meanwhile, Donald was calmly sipping the bottled drink he got. 

     "Ha," She sighed as a light breeze passed them.

     "It's getting colder. I can already feel it." She commented to lift the tension it seemed only she felt.  

     "There's only a month left until autumn." Donald Na pointed out.

     "I want summer to end quicker," She opened up, "I'm just excited for spring to come! Even if it's more months away than autumn is."

     "Not that I don't like autumn," She awkwardly laughed, raising the can in her hand to cover her mouth as her cheeks warmed, "It's very pretty! With all the pretty colours of oranges and yellows! And it gets nice and chilly! And my grandma has lots of yummy produce during that time when we visit her! And winter's nice, too. But, I want spring to come around again."

     There she goes. Over-sharing either due to excitement or anxiety. At least it provided material for conversation. 

     Donald chuckled, "You're fond of spring."

     "Yeah! Because the weather is so nice and there are so many pretty colours! The flowers bloom again and everything becomes lively." 

     "You'd like the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival." He commented. 

     "I do! It's so beautiful." She sighed happily, "My sense of style hasn't been the same since I went when I was a little girl."

     The serene skies mingled with the tender hues of refreshed and new life combined, showing from the many dark branches. And the temperature was just right to view the delicate, fleeting blooms. When there was wind, petals of pinkish-white would rain down, giving a heart-stopping show.

     "You got inspired by the flowers?" He questioned.

     That was aberrant in a way but he could see something like that influencing her. She was a creative type, that was clear. 

     "Nope! I saw two women pass by dressed in these really, really cute bouncy dresses in all pink and soft yellows and greens!" Her eyes were almost sparkling, "It was so different than the usual trends! It opened a whole new world for me. I couldn't look at anything else the same! But the flowers are certainly pretty, I might as well have been inspired by them, too. And Yeouido Park! It's so–so–!!"

     She paused, expression of glee falling. Oh, right, she was rambling. Sometimes she just gets ahead of herself, talking and talking. It was almost as bad as her anxious over-sharing. She almost expected him to tell her to shut up or that she talked too much. And the expectation of those reactions is the exact reason she felt more comfortable speaking without thought to Haneul because she knew the girl wouldn't act like that. Donald Na was...unpredictable for the most part to her, but he probably hated it.