blossom//k.t.

fifteen

park aera sashayed her way into the flower shop, lips shining brightly in what taehyung guessed to be at least 4 layers of lip gloss, she was dressed casual, as casual as someone can look in head-to-toe gucci, her long heels clacking on the marble floor as she reached the counter with a huge smile on her face.

she looked pretty; she always did.

"aera, what are you doing here?" taehyung asked, folding his arms over his chest, she just shrugged and sat down on the seat in front of him.

"i didn't like how we ended last night taetae, you were so harsh to me" she pouted, lower lip jutting out, it would have looked cute if she was not a horrible person.

"i was harsh to you because you kissed me without my consent" taehyung grumbled, standing up straight and sizing her up but she remained unbothered, chewing on her gum before blowing a bubble which popped, causing her to giggle at the sound. taehyung hated himself for ever dating the girl sitting across from him.

was i really that desperate?

but he knew why he dated her, she was really nice to him at the beginning of his career, very supportive and kind, always pushing him to do better, helping him with connections to galleries, gifting him expensive brushes and palettes (which he's all but thrown away now), she was a good girlfriend, emphasis on the 'was'. but she cheated on him. she would give taehyung gifts only to dissolve some of her internal guilt and to keep him enamored with her, sending him sweet messages while in bed with another and soon, she didn't even feel guilty, she thought it was fun to see taehyung all clueless and oblivious, she had fun playing with his emotions, she even secretly tried to sabotage his career by spreading fake news about his persona, but thankfully, it didn't affect any of his customers or admirers.

he did not even believe yoongi when he warned him about seeing aera with some other man, instead believing her lies saying he was just a friend, he almost broke his friendship off with yoongi because of this woman. it was only after paying her a surprise visit at her apartment that he found out about it, she was kissing the dude on the couch in the living room when he walked in with flowers he picked himself, he hates sunflowers now because of that particular night.

he'll never forgive her for the self-hate and anxiety that caused him, he often doubted if he was the one that was lacking, the one that wasn't enough for her, his self-worth being thrown out the window, it took him a long time to accept that there was nothing wrong with him, he was just one more heartbroken person in the world and he had to learn how to fix it, and this is when the boys stepped in, giving him advice and helping him grow. which is why they will always be precious to him, they helped him find himself again and he could not be more grateful.

now back to the arguing past lovers in the flower shop.

"taehyung, you're acting like you've never kissed me before" she scoffed, pissing him off even more but he kept reminding himself to not lose his cool, she took his distraction as an advantage to slightly place her hand on his.

"yes, but that was when we were dating, we are not dating anymore, it's been literally 2 years since we've broken up" taehyung strained, eyebrows furrowed, his patience was lying thin and her dumb answers weren't helping, too frustrated to even notice her hand softly gripping his.

it was possibly the familiarity that her touch carried which did not cause him to jerk away.

"it's only been 14 months and we didn't even officially break up" aera rolled her eyes as she spoke, igniting taehyung's fury even more.

"what the fuck? have you been keeping count? that's so weird and creepy, even for you" he spat out and she looked away, an annoyed look on her face, removing her hand from his.

"yes, i've been keeping count, it's not weird taetae" she said it as if it was not a big deal at all.

"stop calling me taetae, you're not my girlfriend, hell you're just as good as a stranger to me now" taehyung breathed out, irritation laced in his voice.

"since you seemed to ignore it last time i said it, let me remind you, we never officially broke up dummy" and that is it, that was the final straw for taehyung.

"do you have any idea how much of an airhead you sound like right now? aera, i'll spell it for you since you clearly can't fucking read the room, we fucking broke up the second i walked into your apartment just to see you snogging some guy, and from what i know, it was going on for months. i'm done with your games, i'm done with your stupid drama, just leave me alone and go back to whoever you want to be with, but don't you dare try to come near me or kiss me again, i won't hesitate to sue you for harassment" he threw his apron on the counter after he was done, frustratedly running his hands through his hair as he saw her lips quiver and eyes tear up.

shit. he did not mean to make her cry.

but he was aware that this was just part of her sick manipulative nature, so he rolled his eyes and placed away his apron under the desk, and then grabbed his coat, ready to head out of the shop, aera pathetically called after him, trying to catch up to him.

"where are you going?" she whined, her voice hitching a little as he jingled the keys in his hand.

"i'm getting away from your nonsense, you're welcome to sit and cry in the shop all night long but i'll switch off the air conditioner, so your choice, either get out when you can or sit in the stuffy dark room sobbing" his tone was flat and stern, he was drained off every ounce of emotional energy he had and he was truly just done with dealing with her. his mind was still all over the place over how to patch things up with rumi, aera was only testing his patience again and again. aera pushed past him and exited the shop, waiting for him to lock up with her arms across her chest, lips still in a pout.

"taehyung i-" she started but he was already walking past her, so she stomped her foot and grabbed his arm, he turned around with the scariest glare he's ever given anyone making her slightly loosen her grip on the sleeve of his coat.

"just listen to me, we can work this out" she stuttered while giving him her best puppy eyes, but he just gently pushed her hand off him.

"there's nothing to work out and you better not show up around me from now on" taehyung gave her a final warning and left her throwing a tantrum in the middle of the street.

what neither of them noticed when they were in the flower shop was that another person had come by.

rumi came to the flower shop, in hopes of getting an explanation, she felt like she at least deserved that, she wanted to know if she really was the side chick or not so that she could apologize to the girlfriend or go off on taehyung. once she reached the flower shop, she noticed the soft lights illuminating the front of it and just before she stepped in, she looked up to see none other than the girl from the club, in front of taehyung, holding his hand and they looked like they were having a really serious conversation but again, she noticed how comfortable he seemed around her.

rumi felt the tears pricking the back of her eyes, her grip on taehyung's shawl in her hand tightening, she had brought it to return it to him, before she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

so, they really are together.

she couldn't help but think back on all the time she and taehyung spent in the same positions when she came to meet him after the bouquet, spending the entire day talking and laughing, their first date and just hanging out whenever they could in the cute space. she felt the tears streaking her cheeks, so she turned and ran away, she could apologize to the girlfriend another day, today she will eat ice cream and try to forget about taehyung.

she ran away, shawl still clutched tightly in her hand, indicating she wasn't fully ready to let go yet, she had to hear him say the words, confirm that she was indeed the side chick, until then she was going to hold on unwillingly.

why is it always me who ends up with a broken heart?