Forbidden Love [BxB]

Side Story Part 5

The Day We Met Again...

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Ryan's POV

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Once I finished crafting the customer's bouquet of red roses, I carefully tied a ribbon around the stems and handed it to him with a smile. "Here you go, Sir," I said, hoping the warmth in my voice would reflect the pride I took in my work.

The man nodded, thanked me, and handed me a few bills. Without a second glance, he turned around and walked out of the shop, leaving behind the faint scent of flowers. I watched him disappear through the door, and for a moment, I was left alone in the quiet of the shop—this little flower shop I had opened nine years ago with the money Parsa had given to my parents.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. It's going to be ten years soon... Will he ever walk through this door? I glanced at the orange sunlight streaming through the windows, feeling its warmth, but inside, I felt cold. Maybe he's moved on, and I'm the fool still waiting...

I shook my head, pushing the thought away, but the lingering sadness remained, like a shadow I couldn't shake. My fingers absently brushed the petals of the flowers on the counter, their soft texture grounding me in the present. Just then, the door flew open with a sudden burst of energy, startling me out of my thoughts.

A teenage girl with long, straight black hair rushed inside. Her wide smile was beaming as she called my name brightly. "Ryan!" she yelled, her voice filled with joy.

Before I could even process who she was, she threw herself into my arms, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. She was standing on her tiptoes, her cheek pressed against mine. Her embrace was so unexpected that it left me frozen for a moment.

"Uh... S-Sorry... but..." I stammered, my voice faltering as I tried to gently pry her off. "I don't... know..." Her arms, her voice, her entire presence felt so strangely familiar, yet I couldn't quite place her.

"It's me! Parmis!" she exclaimed, tightening her hold around me like a child who refused to let go.

The name struck me like a lightning bolt. My heart skipped a beat, my breath caught in my throat. Parmis? I thought, eyes wide in disbelief. She's this grown-up!? My mind raced, and before I knew it, I found myself wrapping my arms around her.

An unknowing smile crept onto my face as emotions rushed through me. Does this mean... Parsa is here too? My eyes instinctively darted toward the glass door, half-hoping, half-dreading what I might see. And there he was—Parsa, standing just outside the shop, his silhouette framed by the evening light. His piercing gaze was fixed on me, and it felt like the air between us had been sucked away.

Our eyes locked, and my heart leaped in my chest. My breath hitched, my body tense, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions.

He's... really here.

Parsa stepped toward the door with measured calm; each step was deliberate. He pushed it open with a soft creak, never breaking eye contact, and walked inside. The atmosphere in the shop changed instantly, thick with unspoken words and the weight of years apart.

As he approached us, his hand gently grabbed the back of Parmis' collar, pulling her back from me with ease. "Enough hugging him," he said calmly, but there was an edge to it—his deep voice that sent a shiver down my spine.

He's really here...

I stood frozen in place, unable to speak, unable to move. My heart pounded so violently that it echoed in my chest, a rhythmic thudding that drowned out everything else. My thoughts were a chaotic swirl of disbelief, hope, and confusion. I hadn't seen him in so long, and now here he was, just a few feet away, pulling his sister away like no time had passed.