12 Roses

1 | Completely Incomplete

It was 3:00pm, and the scent of blueberry muffins drifted from Koko's bakery, but no one dared to ask for any, because she always saved the freshest for Nanami because you were sure she quite liked him.

Moments later, he arrived at the front door and entered, causing Koko's smile to widen as she handed him a small paper bag with two blueberry muffins in it, as well as his usual baguette.

"You know, you don't have to save two for me," he said to her, as he always does.

"But I want to!" she insisted back, as she always does.

Nanami sighed in defeat, paid, and sat in his usual spot, right in the corner of the store where the table is always clean because Koko knew he would sit there.

"Hey Koko!" Tsumiki greeted as she walked in, her best friend in tow.

"Good afternoon, you two," Koko signed.

You waved with the hand that Tsumiki didn't grip. Perhaps Nanami always came for the muffins first, but you and Tsumiki always came right after, always hand in hand, from the age of four to now, at seven years old.

Tsumiki slid two 100 yen coins across the counter and got two muffins in return. "And coffee for the sad looking man in the corner," you added.

Koko laughed and gave you a white mug filled with coffee.

You went up to Nanami's table and placed the mug on his table, slowly pushing it forward as if you were too short for the table still, as you always do.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

You and Tsumiki looked at each other and giggled before leaving the bakery, your eyes sharing a joke that no one else could understand.

A moment later, you'd see the black-patched cat hop off of the windowsill of Suguru's tattoo shop and begin pawing at your paper bag with two muffins, with whom Tsumiki always shared her muffin with.

Then the two of you would share your muffin on the bench under the second tree to the right of the third tea shop.

"So what was your dream about last night?" Tsumiki asked.

You hummed, recalling it as if it were a memory from your life and not your slumber. "I was in the flower shop and I got two reminders. One was to go to the grocery. The other was to teach a boy, Megumi or something, to heal himself."

"Heal himself?"

"Yeah. I don't know what that means. But anyways, a man walked in, but he was only a teenager, really. He had white hair and beautiful blue eyes."

"Maybe he's your future boyfriend," Tsumiki teased and you shook your head. "Ew, Tsumiki!"

"Okay, continue, continue."

"I told him to use the whiteboard at the door. He wasn't from our town, I guess. He drew a weird thing on it first, but then he asked me to make a bouquet that says 'sorry I killed your dad'."

Tsumiki blinked incredulously, unsure what to make of such a dream. Then she laughed. "Well, unless a murderer's going to confess at the flower shop, I don't think it means much... He didn't tell you his name?"

"The only name in the dream was Megumi... I wonder where I got that one. There's no Megumi at school, right?"

"Maybe she's your future friend."

"I don't think dreams predict the future as much as you think they do."

You watched a silver car drive by and you and Tsumiki stood. "Mom's home," she proclaimed as if the two of you shared her.