How love blooms like lilies

Prologue

TULIPS

There he stood, perched on a stool, meticulously dusting the bookshelf with a soft brush, and I couldn't help but be captivated by his presence. He was simply breathtaking. His hair caught the sunlight in a way that added a warm, golden hue, and his skin seemed to radiate a beautiful shade of golden. Intrigued, I quietly rose from my chair and moved closer to the table nearest to him. He sported an oversized black tee with the word 'Exotic' in a bold, gothic font on the front and a depiction of Cupid carved in stone on the back.

As beads of sweat formed on his forehead, he reached up to clean the topmost shelf of the bookcase, and that's when it happened - a book slipped from its perch and tumbled to the floor. He gracefully descended from the stool, picked up the book, and with a hint of amusement, glanced at its title before flipping through the pages. Then, he carefully set it down on a nearby seat, not far from where I was sitting.

I couldn't resist my curiosity and leaned over to sneak a peek at the book's title, which read "10 Reasons why tulips are better than lilies." A man who's passionate about flowers, I thought with a smirk. I couldn't discern whether he liked the book's title or not, but his smile had a way of stirring emotions I'd never experienced before.

I thought that was the last time I'd see him, but I kept returning to the library just to catch a glimpse of him. He was like an addiction I couldn't get enough of. Even though we had never spoken, I felt like I knew so much about him. I knew his favorite color was purple, that he had a fondness for flowers, enjoyed reading, and had a passion for painting. Sometimes, on slow days, he would even paint right there in the library when his boss wasn't around.

A month had passed since I first spotted him in the library, and impatience was beginning to consume me. I decided that the next time I went to the library, I would give him a letter I had written a few days ago. Lying on my bed with my feet dangling off the edge, I hugged my pillow tightly and thought, "I'm so in love, aren't I?"

The next day at the library, our eyes met as he waved at me with an almost emotionless gesture—or so I thought, until a girl from behind me screamed, "Saaaaam, how have you been liking the new job?" A girl with long black hair that flowed down her back passed me and walked towards him.

He sighed as he lowered his hand and went to hug her. "Nuji, this is a library, don't shout like that," he said, his face showing a hint of happiness, which was unusual for him. "Oh, sorry!" she replied, letting go of him. "You can meet Jing tomorrow if that's fine; he had a meeting to attend." "Yeah, sure. Busy man, isn't he?" He said, and the little happiness I thought I had seen disappeared.

Well, at least he wasn't dating her, I thought to myself. I felt awkward giving him the letter with his friend there, so I pretended to look for the book on tulips versus lilies and discreetly placed the letter inside it. My plan was to wait until he left his usual spot and then leave the book there. However, as usual, things never go as planned. He finally left, but his friend Nuji was still sitting there, and I couldn't just leave the book with her watching, could I? Well, in fact, that's exactly what I did.

I approached his chair and left the book in front of it, all while exchanging a knowing look with his friend, putting a finger to my lips. She returned the gesture with a womanly understanding and a smile. I hate to admit it, but she was undeniably attractive, her makeup immaculate, and her figure resembling that of an Asian model. I thanked her and quickly made my escape through the library doors.

I was certain that the letter, with a heart made of tulip petals, would not go unnoticed.