As soon as Jisung entered the small, cozy cafe, he relaxed. The sharp smell of coffee and the sweetness of baked goods mingled tantalizingly before his nose, and a lazy smile spread across his face without him even realizing it. He joined the mercifully short line to the counter, thinking that he could really go for something simple, as long as there was plenty of caffeine in it. Preoccupied with his phone, Jisung didn’t notice he was at the beginning of the line.

“Hi, what can I get for you this evening?” a light voice asked. After a pause it said again, “Hello?”

Jisung’s head shot up, looking a bit sheepish, and he blinked. A beautiful young woman stood in front of him, head cocked to the side and waiting to take his drink order. Suddenly, his day had gotten a lot better.

“I- Sorry. Um, could I have a medium latte with an extra shot of espresso, please?” Jisung said, trying his best to seem casual when, in reality, he was practically shaking.

“Sure, that’ll be ready in a few minutes at the counter to the right,” you said as Jisung paid and went to stand to the side.

He knew it would be rude to stare, but he couldn’t help it. Jisung was instantly drawn to you without prompting nor reason. You were the prettiest person he’d ever seen, and he was friends with Hyunjin, whose delicate features usually drew the attention of every person in a room. Maybe it was your smile and the way your eyes sparkled. Maybe it was the way the loose strands of hair fell around your face. Or maybe it was just the mellifluousness of your voice. He could barely think. Oh no, he really needed to keep it together since he was in public.

Jisung went to the counter to retrieve his coffee once it was ready, and tried not to yelp as his hand brushed yours. He scurried out of the cafe as quickly as possible, not wanting to embarrass himself anymore than he already had.

The next morning, Jisung returned to the little cafe across from the florist. He went back the day after that, and the next, and even the next day after that. Without fail, he was there at 8:30 am to get his latte and sometimes a bun. He never stayed long, since he had the shop to open, but it was nice to have this new routine. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t gone there before. By the fifth morning of him going to the cafe, you knew his order and even had the coffee almost ready.

“Morning!” you said brightly, “Same as usual?”

“Yeah, and a bun, too, please. Any flavor is fine!”

“Sure thing! Also, what’s your name? You come in here all the time and I can’t believe I’m just now asking,” you wondered.

“Oh!” Jisung was surprised you’d even ask. He was just a customer, no one special, right? “My name’s Jisung. Han Jisung. You’re Y/N, right? I noticed your name tag and all.” He stopped before he could say more, not wanting to admit that he’d noted your name the first day he saw you and committed it to memory.

“Yep, I’m Y/N,” you said, “And you have a lovely name. It sounds like the wind blowing through willow leaves. I like it.”

Jisung blushed, not used to compliments, especially from a pretty girl on whom he had such a crush. “Th-thank you. I like your name, too.”

You finished swirling steamed and frothed milk, espresso, and caramel together as Jisung squirmed on the other side of the counter.

“So, you work at the florist, right?” you said. “Has it been as busy over there as in here? I feel like I’ve seen at least twenty couples of high schoolers going on awkward coffee dates just in the past week.”

“Oh my god, it’s been crazy. Everyone wants special flowers and we only have so many because, wow, it’s the middle of winter. People just don’t seem to get that flowers have to grow and that takes time. The rain hasn’t been helping moods, either. Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear the rants of a frustrated florist.” Yet again, Jisung’s mouth had tried to run away of its own accord. “Those high schoolers must be annoying, though—I can’t imagine having to deal with them. At least my customers are mainly adults.”

You laughed, and Jisung thought he’d never heard anything so free and beautiful. “It sounds like a busy week for you, too! Yeah, they’ve been a bit . . . loud? Constantly here?” You handed Jisung his coffee and one of the special currant buns the owner of the cafe had made just that morning. “Here you go, Jisung!”

“Thanks, Y/N. Good luck with the high schoolers.” Jisung took a sip of the coffee. “Oooh, caramel! Thanks!” he said, appreciatively, meeting your eyes and praying that you wouldn’t notice him blushing while he paid.

“Well, at least they have dates for Valentine’s Day,” you said, looking directly at Jisung. “Good luck with the last minute flower orders. See you tomorrow, then!”

Jisung smiled in response and made his way to the door. Had you been trying to hint at something? It was the day before Valentine’s Day, after all.

Throughout the day, Jisung couldn’t stop thinking about you. How, despite only seeing you six times in his entire life, did he manage to have such a big crush on you? How?! As he helped customer after customer who wanted roses, orchids, hydrangeas, and every other fancy flower they could find, Jisung wondered which flowers would suit you best. Certainly something happy and carefree, yet strong and beautiful. You weren’t one for opulence—he could guess that much. Maybe sunflowers or tulips would do.

During his lunch break, Jisung went into the refrigerated room that held the flowers waiting to be brought out into the shop proper. He wanted to make you a bouquet, and it needed to be perfect. Jisung walked up and down the row of flowers in buckets, trying to find complementary blooms for one large sunflower and four deep crimson tulips. Every so often, he’d stop and bring a flower to his nose or hold it next to the sunflower and tulips. He finally choose a few fern fronds, and sprigs of baby’s-breath and feverfew. The white and green would set off the deep yellow and red nicely. The bouquet almost seemed to smile at him, the colors were so warm and bright. Just like you.

Jisung set the flowers down on his station, arranged them to his satisfaction, and carefully wrapped protective paper around the bouquet. He even tied a deep red ribbon around the paper to better highlight the tulips. Pleased with his work, he continued his break and the rest of the afternoon with a light heart. When it came time for him to leave that evening, Jisung gathered his things and the bouquet, and steeled himself. If he didn’t do this now, he guessed he’d never be able to bring himself to do it again.

Jisung stepped into the cafe, hiding the bouquet behind his back. You looked up from the book you were reading, since, somehow, there was a lull in the steady stream of customers you’d had all afternoon. The smile on your face when you noticed it was him gave Jisung the extra courage to walk up to the counter.

“Jisung!” you exclaimed. “You’re back! What’s up?”

“Um, well, I wanted to give you these,” Jisung said, only a little nervously. He handed you the bouquet, hoping you’d like it. “You’re really pretty, Y/N. And, you said you didn’t have a date for Valentine’s Day, so I thought I’d see if you wanted to go on a date with me! I understand if you don’t, since we’ve only seen each other a handful of times, but it’s always nice to have company, right?” Jisung finished, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“Thank you!” you said earnestly. “H-how did you know these are my favorite flowers?”

“I guessed?” Jisung’s blush became more pronounced and he glanced away before meeting your eyes again. “You’re my favorite flower, and you’re always so cheerful—but also steady and strong—so I thought sunflowers and tulips would be perfect. I hope that wasn’t too forward . . ..”

“Jisung, this is perfect,” you said, beaming at the young man in front of you. “I’d love to go on a date with you! You’re always so sweet and, uh, you’re pretty cute, too.”

The look on Jisung’s face should have been distilled for future use as a remedy against sadness, he was so happy. “Really? You’ll go out with me?” he asked, still not quite believing it.

“Of course—how could I resist being courted with flowers? Oh! We should go ice skating!”

The next evening, Valentine’s Day, Jisung met you at the outdoor ice rink. You’d brought hot tea—you had enough of coffee at work—to fend off the chill. He was glad to have a chance to just stand with you in comfortable silence as you watched the other skaters. You were easy to be with, and didn’t feel the need to talk all the time, which immediately endeared you to Jisung even more. When the two of you did speak, it was all the more meaningful because you shared what you really cared about: books, music production, the cutest small animals you could think of, etc.

Jisung hadn’t been skating in years, so he laid himself at your mercy to help him stay upright on the ice. It also gave him the excuse to hold your hand for long stretches, but you didn’t seem to mind either. It wasn’t long until he got his feet back under him and was skating smoothly.

As the two of you skated around the ice rink, the snow started to fall gently as other couples laughed and spun around you. You looked up at Jisung. He had his head tilted up to the sky, much like a sunflower, and was catching snowflakes on his cheeks and eyelashes. He had a blissful smile on his face and paid no mind to the strands of blond hair falling into his eyes.

“Jisung?” you said.

“Hmmm?”

“If I’m your favorite flower,” you mused, “then you’re my sunshine, right?”