sunsets and roses | t.k.

chapter one

"My love is yours if you're willing to take it

Give me your heart 'cause I ain't gonna break it"

𐇵 ~ 🌣 ~ 𐇵

In the presence of a cold evening, a boy sat behind the counter of a darkened shop. Flower-filled vases surrounded him, like he was sitting in the middle of a wide open field. The soft remnants of dew still clung to their petals wafting ever so silently in the breeze coming through an open window.

There he sat on his high stool, eyes trained on nothing in particular, aimlessly roaming around the room. The lights were off. The door was closed. His elbows rested against the counter, one hand held up to a half burnt cigarette in between his lips. With each inhale, his chest tightened. The boy paused a breath to discard the ashes into his tray beside him. His breath was a fog wafting around his head, making his hunched figure look like a ghost.

"There's something wrong with me." he mumbled to himself.

Taehyung would normally enjoy, even look forward to this time of day. No one was around. The cars came fewer and fewer down the road his shop was set up by. But something inside him couldn't relax. It gnawed at the back of his mind and made it so he could only concentrate on the negative thoughts he reluctantly kept thinking.

Taehyung wasn't stupid. He knew exactly why he couldn't bring himself to ease up and focus on his cigarette already reduced to a glowing stub between his fingers. Times like this always held a meaning. He was either lacking sleep, or something was troubling him. And frankly, it wasn't the first.

There weren't many people who he talked with in this town. This part was in the outskirts of the city, a place where family-run businesses and small shops were located. The park was nearby. The sea was too, yet took extra time to get to without a car. Taehyung bought his shop about a year ago and lived in the upstairs apartment. There was never any big news, never any action. He liked it that way. It was much different than his hometown.

One day, out of the blue, he decided to take a walk. Taehyung didn't take walks, so the action surprised him. He went into a few stores. A bookstore, a coffee shop, normal small town places. He never said a word to anybody.

He remembered the way some eyed him. They kept their distance. His customers knew him and didn't stare. The ones who didn't were wary, some even afraid. Taehyung couldn't blame them. They would have never guessed he ran a flower shop just down the road. His hair was dyed a bright cherry red laying flat against his head, bangs that hadn't been cut in ages hanging over his narrow eyes. His tan skin was covered in black ink. Tattoos, designs that had been with him for the longest time, never fading images of roses on his upper arms, stars on his collarbone, a water lily in between his shoulder blades who's petals faintly poked out from under his shirt. A leather jacket, almost worn through, was either slung over him or in his hand.

Taehyung pushed the end of his cigarette into the tray. The last hint of smoke disappeared into the air, and he was left in the darkness of his shop. He rested his head in his hand, thinking about that day against his will. When he had traveled further down the street, his mind told him to get something to eat. Usually he'd ignore the message, but he had walked right in front of a building that demanded his and his stomach's attention.

A bakery.

His feet had moved him to the door before he could stop himself. When he entered, some customers moved their heads toward him, but only for a second. He shuffled into line, looking up at the menu like he was reading it. Someone in front of him laughed and he looked down.