FLORA IN SPRING | ksj

00 | VIOLETS

VIBRANT FOLIAGE AND delicate buds had replaced the lacy white of the snow that once covered the streets of the shopping district. songbirds perched on sturdy branches chirping melodious tunes back and forth, offering an auditory facet to the bright morning.

the clouds had drawn back to reveal a clear blue sky, only wisps of the fleecy bodies stayed behind to allow the soft morning sunlight to gleam through them. nice warm air twined through the slowly stirring street, tousling kim seokjin's hair about and sending blond strands into his eyes.

he winced when he felt a strand poke his iris as he blinked. hands coming up, he pushed the long locks back and out of his face. momentarily lost in his own world, he stared at the open boot of his car.

"hyung, i'll take these inside." kim namjoon's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. he pointed to a box of small flower pots as he stepped up beside the daydreaming man. "can you handle the rest?" he turned to look at seokjin. "sure, thanks." seokjin nodded in affirmation. "be careful." he quickly added as he watched his younger friend pick up the heavy box. namjoon only hummed in reply.

seokjin watched him carry the box with apparent ease through the glass doors and into the flower shop. his flower shop. a wide grin slowly split his lips, eyes travelling up to the sign above the door that park jimin had happily designed.

fleur elise.

it was a nice play on seokjin's favourite music piece and the popular french design motif. after days of brainstorming when he'd first dreamt of owning a flower shop of his own, the name had suddenly struck him while listening to beethoven.

that dream had finally become a reality. fleur elise would officially be open in two weeks and seokjin had never been so excited for anything in his life.

letting out an airy sigh, he turned back to face the car. he leaned down, stacking up the two boxes left. they contained packets of flower seeds, so he wasn't worried about dropping them. heaving, he picked up the boxes, using his elbow to shut the boot.

seokjin heard the hurried footsteps before he saw the owner, the sound of heels clicking against the pavement filling his ears. he didn't think much about it as he turned towards the shop. he'd barely taking a step forward when he caught a blur of baby blue before feeling an unexpected weight ram into him.

eyes rounding in shock, he felt himself tilt backwards as he tripped over his own feet. he tried his best to steady himself, using his car as a support to keep himself from falling.

the sound of a small shriek followed by a soft thud made him drop the boxes almost carelessly. "oh my god, are you okay?" he hurried to the girl on the ground who had obviously fallen on her behind at the impact. she nodded, fly-away strands of straightened black hair escaping the high ponytail she had pulled her tresses into.

the sweet and subtle scent of violets caressed his nostrils. surprised by the sudden influx, he sniffed the air. it was her. her perfume must have been infused with violets mixed in nicely with other fruity scents. it wasn't overpowering, only trickling off her in gentle notes. he liked it.

he reached out a hand to her to help her up. a subtle tingle tickled the tips of his fingers when she placed her hand in his. ignoring the odd sensation, he lifted her up on her feet. sighing softly, she dusted off her blue dress with her hands. then she looked up at him and his eyes widened for the second time that day.

big almond shaped eyes glanced at him. hazel irises that shifted from brown to green depending on how they caught the light felt very familiar. as did the curve of her high button nose and the plumpness of her rosy brown heart shaped lips.

the light dusting of freckles over her nose and cheeks were like unconnected constellations in the night sky. seokjin certainly remembered the skin tone he could never seem to find the right words to describe, but always felt that mother nature seemed to particularly favour.

"thank you so much." an awkward smile tugged on her lips, revealing the particularly sharp canines of her nearly flawless dentition and the little chip in one corner of her front tooth. "and i'm so sorry!" she looked to the abandoned boxes on the pavement apologetically.

that was it. that was definitely the voice seokjin recalled entrancing him like a spell. the voice he used to feel he could listen to for the rest of his life. he was starting to remember why he had thought that way. the airy lilt in her intoned voice that almost felt like she was singing even though she wasn't. a voice like soft lullabies and sweet serenades.

"it's fine." he brushed it off with a wave of his hand, paying no heed to the way his heart had run wild like a stabled horse tasting freedom for the first time. "you seemed to be in a hurry." he added, watching the way she brushed away invisible dust particles.

a gasp left her lips as she seemed to recollect her plans. she glanced down at the watch on her wrist, eyes rounding. "oh my god! i need to hurry!" she exclaimed. "i'm really sorry about your boxes—" she started to apologise again but he waved it off. "you should get going. you seem to have an important appointment."

"thank you!" she intoned, already running along. "and be careful!" he called after her, brows drawing together slightly. "yes, i will!" she waved a hand, not looking back as she ran through the street. he stared after her, unsure of the thoughts zipping through his mind before he could even process them.

she didn't seem to remember him. but seokjin knew exactly who she was. how could he ever forget? she was his only high school crush. the one that had taken over his romantic whimsies and snuck away with his teenage heart. the one that got away.

her name used to slip past his lips on dreamy sighs and wishful whispers. a name that now flickered in his mind like the fluorescent lights of a neon sign coming back to life.

flora levi.