BLOOM.
Felix x reader. (s,f)
Synopsis: Valentine's day is just another day for you until a stranger gives you a flower and makes it special for you. (16,4k words)
Author's note: Happy Valentine's day, my loves! Good news is I'm not going to make you cry. Bad news is I'm going to hit you with a lot of love and fluff 💘
Listen to my favorite love songs here 💕
Do you know that Valentine comes from a Latin word meaning 'strength'?
It's unclear how valentine's day became associated with the tradition of exchanging affectionate gifts and love notes, one thing for sure is you certainly don't have the strength to go through this day. Why? Because you're miserably single and chronically introverted.
Most of the reason why you're still single is that you like to stay in the safety of your room, working with the company of your cat and a steaming cup of tea. That's also why you love your job, it allows you to stay in your little bubble, away from the bustle of city life.
If it isn't about work, you wouldn't find yourself in a packed bus with these people who just got off work or school, or are on their way to have dates with their significant others.
Being in a crowd like this makes you anxious and there are still a few stops to go but it already feels suffocating even though you're sitting near the window. You distract yourself by looking out at the view but there's not much to see but the melting snow and the cool air slipping through the crack between the windows.
You feel gentle taps on your shoulder and you turn your head to see a hand, you look up to see who the owner is since he's standing next to your seat.
Dark hair parted in the middle and loose strands of hair fell over his forehead but what captivated you is the freckles dusted his milky white skin.
"Do you know what time is it?" He asks with a kind smile.
He owns a deep voice that doesn't seem to belong to someone with a slender figure like him. It's like someone else dubbed his voice.
You fumble to fish your phone out of your purse and click it to see the time, "it's 6.13 pm," you answer.
"Oh," he responds.
He swings his backpack to the front and you only realized then that he's holding his phone with him, he can easily check the time himself.
He pulls something out of his backpack, a pink rose wrapped in an iridescent paper wrapper. Even from this distance, you can tell it's a real rose, it gets you wondering how he keeps the petals intact inside his backpack.
He pushes it toward you and you stare at it in confusion, "is it for me?"
He nods along with his smile hasn't faded from his face yet.
You take it from him and you can't help but smile it's the first time you ever received a flower from someone. Not just someone but a gorgeous, elven-like human.
"I happen to have one left," he adds as he slings his backpack on one shoulder.
Your smile fades a little after hearing that, it means that you're not the only person getting a rose from him, and the worse is you're the last person to receive it.
You're not that special, you're just lucky but still, you're grateful for his nice gesture.
"Thank you," you mutter to him with a smile.
You notice your stop is next and put the rose in the safety of your tote bag.
"My stop is next," you inform the guy who gives you the rose.
You get up from your seat and offer it to the girl who's been standing since the previous bus stop.
There is a minute of you standing next to him before getting off, but there's nothing significant happens except that he holds you from falling on your face by holding the strap of your bag.
"Be careful," he says as you walk to the exit of the bus.
You know what? The worst thing is he doesn't even ask for your number.
What a romantic day indeed!
-
Everyone knows that Felix is such a sweetheart.
On valentine's day, he bought a dozen of roses for him to share with anyone, from the barista who made his morning latte, to the serving lunch lady at the cafeteria, to his favorite dance instructor, to any random person he met for the sake of making people smiles.
To put it simply, he has a lot of love in him and he wants to share it with everyone.
However, his big heart only makes it hard for people to try to flip it.
He's popular at his dance school and it's no mystery why most of the students have a crush on him, then again, no one has ever captivated him in a way that makes his heart moves at least a millimeter.
What's the use of being popular when he doesn't have anyone to share this special day with?
So he stays in the studio a little longer to practice his dance routine until he remembers that he has a family dinner to attend.
He rushes to the bus stop and squeezes himself into a packed bus. His family would be fine if he's a few minutes late but Felix doesn't want to be a nuisance, he's just too good of a person.
Still, he compose a text just in case he couldn't make it in time.
Someone walks past him to make their way to the exit of the bus, Felix almost stumbles when the bus stops. He moves to the side to make some space for everyone.
That's when he sees you, looking out of the window so lost in your thoughts. It's like you're living in your own time and space from the rest of the world.
And it's beautiful, this scene, the wind slipping through your hair, your tender gaze, you.
For a moment, he feels like time stands still and all he sees is you.
His curious hand reaches for you to make sure that you're real, not just fragments of his imagination.
He suddenly feels bad for intruding on your space but you're looking up at him, wide-eyed and a bit defensive.
He hurriedly thinks of something to say, a small talk, an excuse, anything!
"Do you know what time is it?"
He feels like slapping himself for asking such a stupid question, he's literally holding his phone in his hand and can easily check time himself.
"It's 6.13 pm," you answer after checking the time on your phone.
He's lucky that you don't see the phone he's holding and that he still has one rose left in his backpack, he can only hope it's still proper enough to be given to you despite the rose having been in his backpack for hours.
"Is it for me?" You ask, nonplussed.
He nods because his mouth suddenly got dry and he's unable to speak.
A smile rises on your face as you stare at the rose, only if you know between the two, your smile is the most lovely.
"I happen to have one left," he blurts out.
Your smile fades a little and he wonders why.
"Thank you," you mutter with a courteous smile.
Then it hits him that he gives you the impression that he did this to everyone.
But that's not the intention, he wants to let you know that this feels like fate, that he met you and happened to have one rose left.
When you put the rose inside your bag and get up from your seat, he knows he has so little time to try to explain.
"My stop is next," you tell him.
The situation he's in doesn't support his plan and he can only look at you as you stand next to him. You seem to be waiting for him to say something too.
Then the bus stops and Felix prevents you from stumbling forward by grabbing the strap of your bag.
You turn your head at him and smile. It's so sweet, the kind of sweet that will get him addicted.
The door of the bus is open and people start to move toward it.
Felix doesn't have much time left and he wants to know everything about you. Your name, your phone number, your favorite food, your favorite movies, movies that make you cry, any of your childhood memories, anything!
But all that comes out is, "be careful!"
You flash him a smile for the last time then get off the bus.
Felix watches as the girl who has just moved his heart by a millimeter walks away from him.
-
The rose is wilted.
You've been keeping it in a pitcher full of water and placed it on your desk, next to the window to fill its need for sunlight.
Whenever you look at it, you get reminded of him.
The gentle taps on your shoulder, the smile he gave you as he asks for the time, the deep voice that you still doubt belongs to him, and the last of him that you saw through the bus window.
It's all sweet until the reality bites, that you don't know him and it's impossible to meet him again.
For a starter, you don't even know his name therefore you can't try to find his information on the internet.
If only you had just a shred of confidence in yourself, you would have asked for his number and maybe made him wait for a day or two for your phone call.
You scoff at the thought. Who are you to play hard-to-get?
The sound of your phone ringing startles you and wakes you up from your silly reverie.
It's a work call.
Sometimes you get hired to work in certain places and you've been a trusted partner of this luxury brand, they wanted you to come and write custom cards for their special orders. They usually just send the cards to your place and you'll send them back when the deadline ends, however, there'll always be orders that come in a short amount of time.
You bring your writing utensils with you and work in the store in what looks like a hotel room instead of a fitting room.
They serve you a cup of tea and sweet assortments, then give you a list of names for you to write then leave the room to give you the space to work.
It's not as comfortable as working in your apartment but you can work in an environment like this, quiet and nice.
You spread all of the cards you've done in a neat row while letting the ink dry.
You check all of the cards once again, making sure there is no speck of ink or spelling mistakes. Because apparently, some people can get very sensitive if you misspelled their name.
It's as if she knows you're outside, your phone ringing the second you stepped out of the store. Turns out, your brother gets off early from work and invites you for an early dinner.
He is determined to get you out of the house so many times and you rejected each one of his invitations.
"Stop sulking! You're out already," he says, his shoulder bumps yours and he always forgets that his big body can easily knock you off your chair.
Good thing that you're used to it, "I'm not sulking," you grumble.
He takes your glass of water and switches it with his glass of wine, "you're not driving. Have some wine!"
You put the wine glass down, not drinking it. He rolls his eyes at you, "have some fun!"
"I have fun," you quickly respond.
"What fun? Playing hide and seek with Percy?"
"I have fun in my own way, okay?" You shrug away all of his words off you.
He takes his wine glass back and drains it in one long sip, "how are you going to meet a guy if you stayed in your room all day?"
"But you met your fiancé in your apartment!" You defend yourself with a solid fact.
"That's because he's a friend of my roommate!" He argues back with widening eyes.
When he realizes that came out louder than he intended, he lowers his voice immediately, "I mean... when's the last time you met a cute guy?"
"A week ago," you shortly reply.
Your brother suddenly gets so interested, he leans forward on the table, "where?"
"In the bus."
"What's his name?"
"I don't know," you innocently answer.
Your brother inhales a deep breath and slumps in his seat, disappointed that his enthusiasm goes to waste.
You refuse to share a taxi ride with him because it'll only double the fare since he goes the opposite way to where you're going.
You let out a long sigh once you are seated inside the bus, the work isn't that tiring but interacting with people drained your energy the most.
You lean your head against the cool window glass and start spacing out as you gaze out at the view of the city lights in the distance.
It's a bad habit of yours, you'll space out and forgets about your surroundings, that includes almost skipping your bus stop.
Good thing that you reflexively shoot up from your seat and run to the exit, getting off the bus just in time before the door closes.
You hoist your bag higher on your shoulder and start walking to your apartment building.
A hand on your shoulder stops you from going, you turn around to see who it is.
"Hey, why didn't you call me?"
-
Felix's hair is still damp.
He had a quick shower after practice to wash all of the sweat off and put on a clean t-shirt.
He always leaves school at this hour, so by the time he gets off, he'll go somewhere to eat for dinner.
Except that tonight he feels like going home early and ordering some food.
He sits on the back of the bus with his hands shoved inside his jacket pockets. He clicks his phone, expecting it to light up so he can see the time.
Unfortunately, his phone runs out of battery. There's always a digital clock somewhere on the bus, he looks straight ahead but instead, he finds the other thing he's looking for.
He didn't believe his eyes at first until he sees you run to exit the bus.
It's like history repeats itself, he got caught in the same situation that requires him to act in such a short amount of time.
He senses that the driver is about to close the door soon, he stops thinking and dashes outside, getting off the bus even though it is not his stop.
He is unsure of how to talk to you but he knows that it's his only chance.
Hesitating for a while, Felix puts his hand on your shoulder and you immediately turn on your heel to find him there.
"Hey, why didn't you call me?"
Definitely not a good opener, he sounds so eager and a whole lot creepy. He can see that he just gave you the ick from your plain expression.
You grip the strap of your bag and tip your head to the side, "but you didn't give me your number," you answer.
A laugh escaped his parted mouth, he didn't expect you to still recognize him and that you'll answer his strange way of greeting you.
"Do you perhaps... want to grab dinner together?"
"I'm sorry. I had dinner already," you refuse with a courteous smile.
He kind of expected this answer, that's understandable, especially when the invitation comes from a stranger.
"But I'd love to have a cup of coffee," You come with an alternative for him.
"Yeah? I'd love that too," Felix can't believe that his verbal skills deteriorate this soon when he's still in his twenties.
You suggested the coffee shop because you live in the neighborhood and your apartment is only two blocks away from here.
Turns out, none of you drink coffee. Felix drinks coffee only when they're heavily sweetened and you prefer tea.
"We meet again," Felix starts the conversation after your drinks order is served on the table.
"Yeah," you shortly respond with a small smile.
"It's..." he wanted to say that it feels like fate that the two of you meet again but he doesn't want to make it seem corny, "...nice," he settles with the simplest word and that's enough for now.
You carefully sip your tea and he notices your fingers are tinted black. The last time you met, he also saw the same thing.
"Are you a painter?" He guesses.
You slowly put down your tea and know that he sees your dirty fingers, "oh, no. I'm a calligrapher."
"So you have beautiful handwriting," he comments almost immediately.
You shyly smile at him and look down at your lap, "you can say so," you say.
Felix suddenly got so curious, he slides a napkin in front of you, "can you write my name?"
"What for?"
"I want to see your handwriting," he casually answers.
"I guess I can do that since you paid for my tea," you tell him with a low laugh.
You rummage through your tote bag to pull out a pen and another thing out of your purse, a card.
"What's your name?"
"Lee Felix," he confidently answers.
You nod and uncap the pen, start writing his name down on the card instead of on the napkin he gave you. You write his name in elegant cursive letters and to him, you look like drawing a flower instead of his name.
The curls of letters are still no match to the beautiful curl of your smile as you slide the card across the table to him.
"You do have beautiful handwriting," he compliments with a sly smile.
"Next time, I'll have to charge you for it," you joke and caps the pen back, putting it back inside your tote bag.
"I'm not sure if I can afford you," he jokes back while still staring at his written name on the card.
"How about you? What do you do?"
"I'm a dancer," he answers.
"I'm still a student so yeah, I can't charge you for that," he adds.
You softly laugh with your hand holding the handle of your teacup. Your phone rings on the table and his eyes dart to the pop-up notification that says 'Percy'.
You turn it off and put the phone inside your purse, "I'm sorry but I have to go."
He has so much to ask about you but he knows he can't keep you here and interrogate you all night. He can't demand your time considering he's still a stranger to you.
"No worries," he replies with a smile.
His excitement makes him forget the most important thing he wanted to ask you ever since he met you.
He's always late to realize it but not this time, "you haven't told me your name yet."
You gather your bag from your seat as you stand next to the table, "that's my name card you're holding," you tell him.
Felix flips the card with his written name and learns that you wrote on the back of your name card.
"See you again," you say as you wave your hand at him.
Felix waves his hand back at you until you disappeared out of his sight.
That's when he allows himself to gleefully smiles.
-
It's been three days, three miserable days of anticipation and anxiety, you can't seem to focus on your work as well when you need to check your phone every few minutes.
You went through five stages of grief and you got to the point of acceptance.
You're at your lowest point and when that happens, you call your brother
"How long it usually takes for a guy to finally call you?" You ask the second she picks up the phone call.
"You ask for the standard of a straight guy, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"The average is three days but if it went up to a week, just forget him," he eloquently answers like it's an easy math problem.
You groan because three days is about to turn into four days and he hasn't called yet.
"Wait!" Your brother seems to finally catch the meaning of your question.
"Who is this guy?"
"The one I met on the bus," you reply with a sigh.
"But you said you didn't even know his name," he sounds so impressed and perplexed at once.
"I met him again."
"When?"
"Three days ago."
"And he hasn't called?" He yells in disbelief into the phone.
"I'm sure he's just busy... he'll call," you console yourself with the last of optimism left in you.
"No. Even if he calls, don't answer!" He warns you and you can hear her heavy breathing through the phone line.
"At least, makes him wait for a day!"
"I don't know... I'll just..." you stare at the ceiling as you lay on your couch, while your brother keeps on blabbering through the phone while you start spacing out like you always do.
"Hey, are you still there?" Your brother shouts through the phone.
You snap yourself out of your head, "I'm going to bed," you tell him and end the phone call.
You continue to space out until you slowly drift into sleep, the sound of your neighbor's early morning routine of watering her plants on the balcony wakes you up.
Still sleepy, you drag yourself to your bedroom and before going back to sleep, you check the time on your phone.
Through your squinted eyes, you see that it's only 4.50 in the morning and there are two missed calls.
You shot up on the bed and see the timestamps, he called a few minutes after you fell asleep on the couch.
You badly want to hit call back immediately but he would still be sleeping right? Who wakes up this early? Only your hippie neighbor does.
You ended up not going back to sleep and used the time to contemplate the proper time for you to call back. Should you do what your brother said? Make him wait as he did to you?
You decide to make him wait for as long as you can hold yourself back from hitting the call button.
You busy yourself with work and doing the ones that still have a week left before the deadline. You put your phone away from you, out of your reach, out of your sight.
You give up when the clock strikes 2 pm and curse at the void, "screw with this waiting game!"
You hit the call button on his number and your heart race for every ring it takes for him to pick up the call.
On the fifth ring, you decide to turn it off and try calling again.
Then it clicks, "hello?"
The deep voice sparks the excitement in you but at the same time, you get nervous you start pacing the kitchen.
"Uhm... hi! I see that you called last night?"
"Yes, I did but then I figured you must be sleeping already," he answers.
"Yes, I was—" you got choked by your saliva from talking too enthusiastically.
You calm yourself down by taking a long breath and try again, "I was wondering why you called," you meekly say.
He sounds so calm, unlike you. You can even hear his smile even though you're sure you're only imagining it in your head.
"Do you have time this weekend?" He asks.
"Yes," you answer too quickly and swear, you can feel your brother's glare at you for doing that.
"Let's meet at the coffee shop near your apartment at 5?"
You nod and realize that he can't see it, you need to provide a verbal answer on a phone call.
"Yes, I can do that."
He lowly laughs, he probably can hear the thump of your heart and the excitement in your voice.
"I'll see you then," he says.
"See you."
A moment passes in silence but none of you are willing to hang up. Strangely, you feel comfortable sharing the silence with him.
"I'm happy that you call me back," he suddenly mutters.
You can see your wide smile on the reflection on the toaster, "me too."
He laughs again and lets out this delightful sigh that means so much more than just that.
"I have to go back to practice," he says.
"Sure, please, go ahead."
"Bye."
"Bye," you end the phone call and let out a long sigh of relief. You start running around the house while screaming at the top of your lungs, your neighbor probably going to check on you soon but you feel the need to let it out.
The euphoric feelings last for a few minutes until the anxiety kicks in.
You've never been on a date for years and you hate to admit that your brother is right. You check your closet, it's all sweatpants and oversized t-shirts. There's nothing you can wear for a date without looking like you're going for a job interview.
The weekend is only two days away and again, the only one who can save you from this dire situation is your brother.
"Let's go shopping," you say the second she picks up the phone.
"I swear if we're going to spend hours just to get the proper pen, I'll sue!" He answers with the recollection of the last time you went shopping together.
"It's for a date," you tell him before he could complain further.
You hear his silent triumphant smile, "it's about damn time."
-
Felix has two tickets for a musical play.
He doesn't know whether you'll like it or not, it would be his first time and he wants to experience this with you.
Calls him sentimental, but he wants to remember the first time he watched a musical play, it was with you.
He keeps fixing his hair because they're tousled today, he tried styling it and the best he did with it is flattening the sticking hair.
He comes to the coffee shop a little early and orders an iced chocolate drink because coffee only makes him even more nervous.
It's not the first time he's going on a date yet he feels excessively groggy, a dance audition didn't make his legs bounce this fast under the table.
He should stop doing that, so he starts tapping the table with his fingers.
"I'm sorry, I'm late," A voice says.
Felix turns his head to find you walking toward the table, clutching the strap of your purse on one shoulder and the other holding the hem of your dress from riding up your legs as you sit across him.
He was too nervous to see that you'd entered the coffee shop.
Now that he sees you in a white dress and your hair is prettily decorated with pins, he gets more nervous but in a good way. The sky is grey today but that smile of yours instantly brightens his day.
"Have you been waiting long?" You ask.
He's still in trance and it continues for a whole good minute, he screws his eyes shut, restarting his brain to go back to its normal state.
"No, I just got here," he answers.
You softly smile and put your purse on the seat next to you, ignoring the fact that you can see that he's lying from his half-drained glass, the ice cubes have melted and formed a different layer on top of the drink.
"Do you want to order something? I'll get it—"
"No, it's fine. I had one too many cups of tea already," you refused the offer with a smile.
Felix wipes his palms on his jeans and licks his lips, the tickets inside the pocket of his shirt searing his skin the longer he stalls on asking you.
"Do you..."
"Yes?" You respond already before he can even continue his question.
He laughs and that helps to relax him, "I have tickets to see a musical play," he says.
He moves his hands and rests them on the table, they are only inches away from yours, and he resists the urge to hold them.
He focuses on the task at hand and tries again, "Do you like it? Do you want to go?"
You look at him in silence and smile, "sure, I'd love to."
Felix let out a gasp, fortunately, a low one that passes your hearing. He looks down to hide his triumphant smile and hurriedly clears his throat.
"The play is at 8 so we still have time," he tries to sound calm but failed to hide his excitement.
"Oh, I can't wait. I never watched a play before," you say with a sheepish smile.
"Me too!" He eagerly responds.
He closes his eyes for a second, wishing he could erase the five seconds earlier from existence.
He thinks of something else to talk about, "should we grab a dinner first or...?"
You open your mouth to answer but the sound of your phone ringing got ahead of you, "I'm sorry," you mutter before taking it out of your purse.
"Hello?"
Felix watches the shape you take as you sit sideways on your chair and he can see every curve of your facial features, of your nose, lips, and chin.
There's no other to describe the way he looks at you, Felix is smitten.
"Oh, no!" You shot up from your chair and dash towards the door.
You walk away without saying anything, leaving him flabbergasted and frozen in his seat.
This is not right, he says in his head. His eyes darted to the purse you forget to take with you.
He picks up your purse from the chair and chases after you, you're at the end of the block already. He's not wearing shoes that are suitable for running but that doesn't stop him from chasing you.
-
You've been resisting the urge to put your hands on your lap and clasped them together, clicking your thumbs together because that's what you do whenever you're nervous.
Unlike you, Felix seems calm but sounds so excited and eager, like a newly adopted puppy which is adorable.
You're about to suggest him to check out an art exhibition and a little walk from there, there's a nice restaurant that serves Japanese food.
The phone rings and it shatters your focus, "I'm sorry," you quickly apologize for the interruption.
"Hello?"
"It's your neighbor."
"Yes, I see that you're calling, Mrs. Kim," you calmly respond.
"I know you're not at home," she speaks so slowly but remembering that she's as old as your mother, you should give her a pass.
"I just want to let you know Percy came to my balcony again," she informs.
You opened the window this morning to air-dry dozens of cards you finished writing since you couldn't possibly be going on a date with the thought of abandoning your job.
You did the job but you didn't close the window afterward and it's a horrifying thing to remember what happened the last time you forgot to do that.
"Oh, no!"
Without thinking, you scramble out of the door and blabber into the phone, "I'm only one block away, I'll come and get him!"
You run as fast as you can to your apartment building, punching the code to the entrance gate too fast that you push the wrong number.
You take a deep breath before trying to enter the code again, when it beeps open, you push through and continue running inside.
You hear someone running behind you too and you stop at the base of the stairs.
"Hey, you left your purse!" Felix says.
You only realized it now that you're only taking your phone with you, "Oh my God, I am so sorry," you quickly apologize.
He hands you the purse while panting, "is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to get to my floor—" you don't finish your words but sling your purse across your shoulder and start taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
You impatiently knock on Mrs. Kim's door and don't stop knocking until she opens the door.
"Mrs. Kim, I am sorry. I'm so stupid, I left the window open again," you sincerely regretted forgetting to do such a simple thing.
"It's alright, dear," she assures you with her hand on your shoulder.
"Did he breaks anything again?"
"It's alright," she keeps saying that and it only convinces you that something bad occurred.
"I'll pay for the damage, Mrs. Kim, I'll—"
"It's okay, I just need to re-potting them," she holds her hands up to assure you everything is alright on her end.
"Wait here, I'll get him for you," she heads back inside.
You turn to see Felix and exchange a nervous glance with him, he's looking so confused, probably thinking how did he end up here?
Mrs. Kim returns while carrying Percy in her arms and you hurriedly offer your arms to take it from her, "I am way scared knowing that he crossed the ledge," she says as he hands him to you.
"Mrs. Kim, I'm terribly sorry," you say again and you feel like it's not enough to make up for what your cat did. That he ruined her herb plants like he did last time.
She softly smiles, "it's okay and you'd better get him home, he needs a bath," she says.
The soil must be wet from the light rain and that explains the patches of dried mud on his fur.
"Thank you for keeping him," you say for the last time.
"No worries and I'm sorry for disrupting your date," she adds while keeping her door open.
Typical old people, they're nosy but you know that she said it with good intentions. You decide not to put too much thought into what she said, you are indeed on a date, or was half an hour ago.
"Thank you once again, Mrs. Kim," you say before leaving and going inside your apartment.
The window is open and you rush inside to close it, you don't think twice but put your cat in the sink, preparing him for a bath.
"Percy! I swear if you do this one more time, I'll give you to my brother," you scold the feline who curls on the bottom of the sink, knowing what will happen to him.
When you turn around, you see Felix standing in the middle of the room looking so lost. You feel bad for him, you ruin the date and now he's forced to watch you scolding your cat.
The apology can wait, you pull a chair from the dining table, "Please, sit. I'll get you something to drink."
You take a pitcher of juice and pour a glass for him, he must be thirsty from chasing you from the coffee shop to the apartment building.
"I'm sorry for everything," you say as you place the glass of juice in front of him.
"For the date, for making you run after me, for getting you here," you list everything that perhaps caused the inconveniences for him.
"I think you apologized enough for today," he says with a smile and sips his drink carefully.
Percy's mewl shifts your attention back to him, you start to prepare things for his bath, rolling the sleeves of your dress up your elbow.
You turn around to face Felix, then say, "I'll clean him up real quick."
He gets up from his chair and approaches you, "Can I help?"
Percy is nice to you and Mrs. Kim but when it comes to your brother, he turns hostile. You kind of guessed he's not good toward male which doubts you if it's a good idea to let Felix helps you bathe him.
"I'm not sure if that's..." your words trailing off as you watch Felix softly scratches the back of Percy's ear and he purrs with eyes closed.
"Yeah, I would love the help," you change your mind about it and let him help you.
Unlike any other cat, Percy enjoys being in the water and he likes taking a bath. You assume he intentionally did this mischief just so he can get this indulgence from you.
"What did exactly he does to your neighbor?" Felix asks as he holds Percy's head while you lather his body with soap.
"My neighbor plants all sorts of herbs on her balcony and Percy escaped through that window I accidentally left open, he knocked all of her potted plants and probably played with the soil too," you explained.
"And this happened before?"
"Yep."
"Bad Percy!" He scolds him while giving Percy gentle pats on the head and he mewls in response.
It never crossed your head, even in your silliest of imagination that you would bathe your cat with a guy and not just a guy, a gorgeous guy that looks like a character out of a fantasy book.
Is it too soon to say that you like him? To say that you have a crush on him is an understatement. You are completely whipped.
After wrapping Percy with a towel, you put him on top of the kitchen counter. You bring your hair dryer from your bathroom to dry Percy.
Felix takes it from you after you plugged it in, "I'll do it," he says.
"So you can change your clothes," he adds before you can protest.
You look down at the front of your dress, dirty from Percy's paws and the soil he carries with him. Good, you're not only ruining the date but looking so horrible doing it.
"I'll be back," you excuse yourself to your bedroom.
You almost let out a shriek once you see your reflection in the mirror, your dress is ruined and your hair is messy, a few stray hairs stuck to your sweaty forehead.
The clothes are off but you got yourself a new crisis.
"The guy is in my apartment!" You announce the second you heard your brother picks up the phone.
"How?" He asks with a dramatic sigh that could earn him a role in a soap opera.
You're not ready to tell him the reason why Felix ended up in your apartment, so you hurriedly ask him the question you've dying to ask, "Is it okay if I'm wearing sweatpants?"
From the way he heavily sighs into the phone, you got the answer already.
-
Felix is more of a dog person.
However, he likes animals in general, that includes cats.
That should be the least of his worries, earlier, he thought Percy is the name of your boyfriend.
He's glad that it's the name of your pet cat and he's snuggling up to him once Felix has done drying him. Percy is an adorable calico cat and a chatty one. He keeps meowing at him, probably asking for treats.
You've been in your room for quite some time and it's impolite to look through your kitchen cabinets to find the cat food.
He'll give you a few more minutes, then he'll knock on your door to ask where you keep it.
The noise Percy makes seems to call you out of your room and you have changed your clothes into blue jeans and a white blouse.
Even though what you're wearing is something simple, you're stunning still.
"I hear you. I hear you, Percy!" You shout back at the feline that doesn't stop meowing at you.
Felix chuckles witnessing this strange yet adorable interaction, it's making him miss having a pet of his own.
You reach the top cabinet to grab a box of cat treats and Felix's eyes catch the exposed skin of your stomach when you did that.
He looks away immediately and clears his throat.
Percy starts spinning on the kitchen counter at the sight of the treats you're bringing to him, "he always does that to get more treats from me," you share with Felix.
"Do you want to feed him?"
"Sure!"
You pour a handful of treats into his open palm and he puts it in front of Percy. He doesn't waste time gobbling on it.
"Good boy!" Felix coos while brushing the top of his head.
"I think he likes you," you say while putting the carton back in the top cabinet.
"You think so?"
You nod and lean against the kitchen counter, "he's usually hostile towards men."
Felix smiles upon hearing that. To have your pet rooting for him that's something, that's a win. It assures him that he's on the right track.
It starts raining outside and Felix checks the time to see that it's almost dinner time already.
"Should we order something? For dinner?" You ask as if you read his mind.
"Good idea!" He responds.
You pick up the phone and start looking at the restaurant fliers stuck on the door of the fridge, "what should we be having?"
Then you turn at him in one swift move as if something just flashed right through your head, "Oh my God, the musical play!"
It's what he has been anticipating to do with you but now that he's in your apartment and playing with your pet, he likes where he is, he belongs at this moment.
"We can always go next time," he says, wishing for a hopeful turns out even though the night is still young.
Percy is sitting on the armrest of the sofa while the two of you having dinner on the carpeted floor with the sound of the rain filling the silence.
In this nice setting, Felix uses it to explain one thing. He drinks his water and licks his lips before speaking, "I'm late to apologize to you," he begins.
You put down your chopstick to listen to him talking, "for what?"
"That I didn't call you right away," he answers.
"Well, you called and you're here now," you simply resolved.
"Still, I owe you an explanation," he says while looking right into your eyes.
"I was out of town to perform at a festival. I got busy practicing and I don't think it would be wise to call you late at night," he speaks in a calm manner and apologetic eyes.
You stare at him for a few seconds and your eyes are so hypnotic he can't stop looking into them.
"I appreciate you for telling and I accept your apology," you say with a smile.
This moment is tender and so is the gaze you're giving him, he feels wrapped in an invisible cloak of warmth and comfort.
He wants to be in this moment forever.
-
Your phone rings with a reminder to give Percy his medicine.
You've done it a handful of times so it's not much of a hassle for you. It doesn't even take you a minute, you give him gentle scratches before letting him roam around the room to play by himself.
You return to the living room to see Felix looking at your desk, probably reading the cards you're working on.
He seems to be reading the defect one you keep in a separate tray.
He sees you watching him yet he remains calm, he proceeds to read the one he's reading.
"You also write letters for people?" He asks.
You shake your head, "No, I only do it for my grandparents. They used to exchange love letters when they were young."
You stand next to him to show him one of the old love letters you used as an example and that you have for safekeeping.
"Every anniversary, I write a love letter for my grandmother on behalf of my grandfather. His hands are too shaky to write letters now," you further explain.
Felix nods as he gazes in awe at how old the letter is and that the envelope itself is torn at the seams.
"Do you mind if I read this one?" he says, pointing to the one he read a while ago.
"Not at all. Please!" You allow him and lean against the desk facing him.
He takes the paper and starts to read it out loud.
"My tenderness, my happiness, what words can I write for you? Despite the hundreds of letters I've penned you, I still don't know how to tell you how I love, how I desire you. Such agitation—and such divine peace: melting clouds immersed in sunshine—mounds of happiness.
And I am floating with you, in you, aflame and melting—and whole life with you is like the movement of clouds, their airy, quiet falls, their lightness and smoothness, and the heavenly variety of outline and tint—my inexplicable love. I can't explain these cirrus-cumulus sensations."
Felix finishes reading with a delightful sigh and his eyes are back on you again, "it's so beautiful," he says with a mix of awe and slight shock.
You softly chuckle in response. If only you can tell him the way he reads it makes it more beautiful.
"I'll like it more if I know what cirrus cumulus is," he playfully remarks.
You chuckle again, "they are types of clouds," you answer his curiosity.
"Ah!"
"My grandfather was a mariner."
"Wow, you're so smart!" He sincerely compliments you from the way he said it full of awe.
"Why? You feel intimidated?" You joke.
"A lot!" He shortly replies.
"Someone shouldn't have this many charms, you know?"
He's indirectly praising you and it's safe to say he's flirting with you, you can feel your cheeks heating, flustered.
You turn your back to him to put the old letter back into your drawer and say, "it's a pity that people don't write love letters anymore."
Felix nods in agreement, "yeah, receiving a love letter through an email is kind of... corny?"
The moment your eyes landed on each other's again, you both burst into laughs at the thought of it.
You used to think that the space is already full with only you and Percy, turns out, having Felix in here makes you realize that you still have a lot of space to fill.
-
It's getting late and the rain has stopped pouring.
Percy is sleeping on his sleeping mat in the corner of the room, curling into a ball, creating a cute swirl of orange, black, and white on his fur coat.
"The taxi will arrive in a few minutes," you inform him after ordering a ride home for him through the phone.
"Thanks," Felix replies.
He gets a little sad that the night is about to end and that he has to part with you soon. He consoles himself with the excitement that he'll meet you again soon.
Which reminds him of something, he approaches as you return from turning off the light on your desk.
"Are you busy next Friday?" He asks. He wanted to look anywhere but your eyes, knowing that they'll only make him nervous.
Somehow your eyes always succeed in attracting him to look.
"Next Friday?" you ask back for confirmation.
Felix is aware of the proximity, you stand mere inches away from his, and he can easily take your hands if he wants to.
He puts his hands behind him to resist the urge, "My school is having this dance ball and everyone is given a plus-one ticket," he explains.
He nervously wipes his palms on the back of his jeans, "I can't think of anyone to come to this ball with but you," he finishes.
He let out a low, shaky breath. You don't seem to be excited or opposed to the idea. You look rather confused like you don't know what to do with his invitation.
"I don't dance," you stutter.
"We don't have to dance or anything. I want you to come," he quickly adds, hoping that you wouldn't feel burdened with the request.
"I want you to come with me," he says again, almost desperately.
"I don't know," you vaguely answer, "I have to check my schedule first for that."
Felix repeatedly nods and it's better than you flatly rejecting him on the spot.
"You don't have to answer now. Take as much time as you can," he assures you.
You nod and the sound of your phone ringing startles you, "I guess it's the taxi," you say.
No shit, parting is such a sweet sorrow.
He takes a long look at you as you linger by the doorway, waving your hand at him, "thank you for today!"
"No, thank you for today!" He says back with a gentle smile.
You flash him a smile before closing the door and the only good thing about parting is knowing that the moment you meet again, it'll be so, so sweet.
-
You don't have to wait for the knocking, you recognize your brother's footsteps and he's right outside your door.
"Oh, the thing I do for you," he's complaining already with his jacket damp from walking under the rain.
Percy senses that his least favorite person just entered his territory and he starts hissing at him.
Your brother glares at him, "do you think I want this too?"
Percy growls at him and he never did that to anyone but your brother.
Your brother decides to ignore him and hugs you, "Don't worry, we'll be fine!"
His expression turns sour when he notices that you're still in your sweatpants and worn-out t-shirt.
"Why aren't you dressed yet?"
You frown and meekly say, "I don't think I can go."
"What are you talking about?" He asks in disbelief. His eyes widen and are about to pop out of their sockets.
You hug yourself feeling so incredibly small in front of him, not only because he has a bigger body frame than you but because he's the only one who is capable to make you openly vulnerable to him.
"I can't. I'll only embarrass myself," you sadly say.
You can see that he's disappointed in you but refrains from telling you.
He rests one hand against the dining table and says, "okay then I'll just go back home."
You immediately grab his hand, not letting him go, "no, don't go!"
He goes to grab the jacket he hung a minute ago, "I'm here to make sure your cat takes his medicine on time while you're out to have fun at the dance ball," he says.
"But since you decided not to go then you don't need me anymore," he finishes with a sinister smile.
He's not just disappointed at you, he's mad and he's the type to give you the silent treatment and when that happens, it's all very frustrating for you.
You grab his hand again to stop him from taking his jacket, "I'm so scared," you blurt out.
He turns to look at you to give you a chance to explain yourself.
It's not easy for you to talk about your feelings and your hands start to shake, "I like him so much and I'm so scared that I'll ruin it,"
"I think that it's better if I didn't go," your voice is quivering at the end of the sentence.
Your brother put your hand away from his wrist and holds it, "come here!"
He pulls you into a hug and stays like that for a good minute, it's comforting and safe, he's truly someone you can rely on.
"You like him that much, mmh?" He asks as he's gently patting your back.
You nod with your eyes closed to prevent yourself from crying.
"More than you like me?"
"No," you strongly deny.
He laughs and brushes your hair endearingly, his chest heaving as he draws a deep breath which makes you unconsciously follow suit.
"If you didn't go then how would he know that you like him?"
He pulls away just enough to put a space between your bodies and looks at your face, "do you think this chance will come again?"
That makes you think very hard and clearly about every possible scenario of how things would turn out but each time you only focus on the negative outcomes.
It does not always have to be that way, there's a fifty percent chance that things may go your way and that's not a bad deal.
"Are you sure you're not going to regret it?"
You don't have to think long to know the answer and you think your brother knows it too.
You hate to admit that your brother is right and he's always damn right.
"We all do embarrassing things, not just you. We all do and that's okay, that's something to laugh about in the future," he squeezes your shoulder to make sure his words seep into you.
You look at the time and you only have fifteen minutes until the dance ball starts while you have so many things to do beforehand. Dress, hair, make-up... you wouldn't make it on time.
You're dreading it all over again.
"Even if I go, I don't have much time left," you weakly tell him.
Your brother lets out his dramatic sigh then he shakes your shoulders to wake your whole body.
"It doesn't matter whether you'll be late or not," he tells you then ruffles your hair into a mess.
"What matters is you come!!!"
He turns your around and steers you to your bedroom, "Go get ready, I'll help you with the rest!"
-
Felix has been waiting outside.
He's waiting by the entrance of the ballroom and all of his friends are already inside, dancing with their partners and probably on their fifth glass of champagne already.
He checks his phone but there's no message, no missed calls, nothing from you. It's only making him more groggy that he starts pacing back and forth.
An hour has passed and he starts to doubt you'll be coming, he sits on the steps that lead to the ballroom, loosening his tie a little.
A few of his friends are also outside smoking and silently pitying him for being ditched by his date.
Still, Felix doesn't want to think ill of you. He tries to think positively, that maybe you have a more important thing to do or that you're unable to go.
And maybe, just maybe, you simply don't want to come and that's okay.
He takes his phone out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket and composes a new text message.
He thinks it over on what to say to you, to let you know that he's alright if you choose not to come and there's always a next time.
Next time is better than nothing at all.
He's about to press send when he sees someone walking up the steps toward him.
You're lifting the hem of your dress to make it easy for you to walk and the heels you're wearing clicking against the floor. He knows you're struggling with what you're wearing but the smile on your face tells him that doesn't matter to you.
And that's so attractive to him. He's glad that some of his peers get to witness this.
He rushes to help you walk up the rest of the steps by offering his hand which you eagerly take, you almost stumble at one point but he's quick to steady you.
Instead of feeling embarrassed, you laugh it off and say, "I'm sorry I'm late."
You're here with him now and that's enough.
He should have said it out loud and let you know that, except that his brain started to malfunction. He stops walking at the end of the steps to take a good look at you, to take everything in.
You're wearing a dress in a terracotta color and your hair is down, a smile doesn't wear off your face as you look back at him.
"You're so beautiful," he praises and that's the only truth.
"Thank you and you too," you praise back.
"Well except..." your hand reaches for his tie and goes to fix it, "now you're ready!"
He can feel his heart expands twice its size and beating so fast, he also can hear its beating in his ears.
He shouldn't waste more time, he offers his arm for you and you loop your hand around his arm, letting him sweep you off your feet on the dancefloor.
-
It's hard to look into his eyes and not to feel a thing.
His hands are on your waist and yours are on his shoulders, your body moves so awkwardly but Felix patiently guides you, swaying to the slow rhythm of the music.
"You said you don't know how to dance," he says with an impressed smile.
"I do," you assure him.
"This is not bad at all," he comments.
"That's because my brother gave me a short lesson," you shyly admit.
You know for certain that Felix isn't going to make fun of anything you said, he's too good to stoop that low. Therefore you don't have to worry about telling him things like this.
"Your brother is a dancer?"
You shake your head, "he's a rugby player."
A confusing look masked Felix's face and you understand why. No one gets it but your brother is one of a kind and you're very proud to have him in your life.
"Let's say, he's good at so many things," you simply resolve.
"Ah..." Felix responds with a nod of agreement.
The night feels so young, so hopeful, so magical and it feels like a dream to you. However, the next thing you know it's the last dance for the night.
You blame it on the fact that you came here so late but everyone else already got tired and there are only a few couples left on the dance floor.
"May I have the last dance?" Felix asks with one knee bent and a hand at you.
You put the champagne flute and put your hand on him, "yes, please."
He takes you with him back to the dance floor and you both stand facing each other, waiting for the music to start to play.
Felix places one hand on your waist and the other on your hand, once the music starts playing, you both start dancing.
You're following the instructions he gave you earlier, you only need to trust him and follow him.
And you're doing exactly those two things.
Goodness, Felix looks so stunning in his black suit and his slicked-back hair. His freckles, his smile, his kind eyes, just everything about him complement each other so well.
He's just so perfect and it makes you wonder if you deserve to be in this place, to have this dance with him.
You make a wrong step and you end up tripping over his foot, again, Felix catches your right on time.
"Are you okay?" He asks as he steady you.
You keep in mind that it's okay, embarrassing things like this are something to laugh about in the future.
"I'm okay," you assure him.
"Should we stop?"
You shake your head, "it's the last dance so..." you shrug and put your hands back on his shoulders.
"Okay," Felix also put his hands back on your waist and starts guiding you to sway, moving around the dance floor.
This is what you'll be missed if you didn't come and God, aren't you glad to come?
When you think about it, everything that has happened with Felix, how you met in a random place, how you met again for the second time in another random place, the failed date, and now, this.
The rose he gave you might have withered and died but not with your feelings as you feel them blooming into something you don't know what it is yet.
This chance will never come again nor is a person like him.
You put your hands around his neck and close the gap between your bodies, you feel his body stiffens against you, perhaps he gets a little surprised by the proximity.
A while later, you find his hand wrapped around your waist as he gently rests the side of his face against you, cheek to cheek.
You feel his warm breath a second before he speaks into your ear, "Thank you for coming!"
But you know those words mean more than just that.
-
All things come to an end, even the good things.
His heart gets heavier the closer his car gets to your apartment building, somehow it feels worse than waiting for you to come.
To conclude, he's better at waiting than letting you go.
He gets out of the car once he parked it to walk to the entrance of your apartment building, stopping just right by the elevator.
"I had fun tonight," you say to him while clutching your purse in front of you.
"Me too," he says back with a sheepish smile.
The empty lobby amplifies the feeling that tonight only belongs to you and him, which makes him reluctant to end the night with a goodbye.
He doesn't want it to end, he wants it to last forever.
The elevator chimes as it arrives and again, Felix finds himself in a situation that needed him to act in a such short amount of time.
One look into your eyes and he knows he wants to lose himself in them.
He catches your hand and takes a step closer, "Can I—" he aborts his plan to ask first and just go ahead with his guts.
Slowly, he presses a kiss on your lips and places his hand on your jaw, holding you still as he kisses you.
He lets the kiss lasts for a moment before letting it go.
Your eyes are still closed and the sight of your wet lips entices him to kiss you again.
He doesn't have it in him to resist the temptation, he places his lips on you again and you return the kiss this time, opening your mouth for him.
He's more than eager to deepen the kiss, tasting more of you.
This time, you pull away but keep your forehead presses against his, foolishly smiling at each other at how those kisses felt. Which are not less than what they're supposed to be, of something right, of something fated.
And when he least expected it, you come up with the question he wanted to ask.
You slide your hands up to his neck and clung to him, "do you want to go upstairs?"
-
Felix is standing behind you as you unlock the door.
Without having to look, you can feel his eyes on you, and the body heat he's emitting, makes you guess how close he is.
You hold the urge and push the door open, "come in!"
Felix steps into your apartment and his eyes widen in surprise, you got curious at what he's seeing.
It's your brother and he's sleeping on your sofa, "I don't know that he's—"
You stop explaining and come to your brother's side, gently shaking his body to wake him up while muttering curses under your breath.
"Wake up! It's late!" You say through your gritted teeth.
You accidentally slap his cheek a little too hard but it works to wake him up, he fumbles to get up from the sofa. He looks around, disoriented.
"Why are you still here?"
"I fell asleep," your brother answers them yawning.
"Can you please go now?" You plead while keeping it low to not let Felix hear the conversation.
"Okay, I'll call for a taxi home," he slurs as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
"I mean now. Right now!" You insist.
Using your eyes, you gesture to Felix standing in the middle of the room watching you talk to your brother.
"Oh shit, is this the bus guy?" He asks in surprise.
Your brother shakes his head to summon his senses back into his head, "I mean, you're the dancer."
Felix awkwardly waves at him and politely smiles, "hi!"
"Don't worry, I'm just her gay brother," your brother adds.
You wince again and wish that you can disappear or someone removed him from this scene.
But since Felix already sees everything, you decide to properly introduce your brother to him.
"This is my brother," you tell him and awkwardly stand there between them.
Felix is the one who comes up and offers his hand to your brother for a handshake, "Hello, I'm Felix."
Your brother nods with a cryptic smile plastered on his face, he looks inexplicably masculine with his hand gripping Felix's lithe hand.
He gives Felix a long assessing look, it's just this thing he does to anyone who gets close to you. It's a brother thing.
"I play rugby, you know," he suddenly says and no one asks him anything about his job.
Felix nods, "yes, I've been told you are a rugby player."
Your brother nods again and gives him an approving smile, then finally, he lets go of the handshake. You see Felix's hand turns pale and you glare at your brother.
"Do you mind if I use the bathroom?" Felix asks.
"Not at all!" You answer and it's better like this, you're not going to let him be around your brother for too long.
"You're taking him here!" Your brother the second Felix closes the door of the bathroom.
You ignore him and grab his jacket, you hand it to him so he can put it on.
"You know what that means, right?" He slips his muscular arms into the sleeves of his jacket, "you're going to have sex with him!"
You groan at him and get him up from the sofa with all of your strength, "can you say that any louder?"
He gets up on his own and you push him in the direction of the door, "do you know what you're supposed to do, right?"
"Shush it!" You remind him that Felix can hear all of this.
He abruptly stops to look at you, "you have condoms?"
"Please, just go!" You desperately beg.
Your brother gets it, he lets out a sigh and then goes to give you a quick hug, "call me if anything happened or has not happened," he jokes.
You scoff and open the door for him, waving your hand at him until he enters the elevator.
"Where's your brother?" Felix asks once he returns from the bathroom.
"He left," you answer.
"I didn't get to say bye to him," he sadly says which is very cute of him that he worries about making a good impression on your brother.
And now that it's only the two of you in the apartment, apart from Percy who's snoring on his pillow, the tension is back and it doubles with every passing second.
The sight of your bedroom is tempting but you're not ready for that yet.
You think of something to keep things going and not to kill the buzz.
"Wine?"
-
It's the wine.
Felix believes that's the reason why he's telling you all of these things about himself, from the food he likes to the student who silently hates him.
He can see that you intently listen to him, asking everything that intrigues you, reacting to his jokes, and laughing along with him.
It's rare to find someone he wants to spend all night just talking to.
The bottle of wine is almost empty and the night is getting late, Percy's snoring is getting louder as well.
"I already expected that your brother would be so big because you mentioned he's a rugby player," He says then take the last sip of his wine.
"But I didn't know he would be that big," he emphasizes the word to describe your brother's enormous presence.
You laugh in response while tucking your hair behind your ear.
"He's hunky, I like it," Felix adds.
"Oh? You like him?" You ask with a slick smile and an eyebrow raised.
He puts his wine glass away to not risk him dropping it as he laughs.
"I'll let him know," you joke back.
The two of you are sitting on the sofa with a space in between and maybe it's you that keeps luring him in or maybe it's him seeking your warmth, wanting to stay close to you.
He realizes that the gap is closing as his knee bumps yours and in this proximity, he can feel that his brain is about to short-circuit.
He quickly thinks of something witty to say before everything that comes out of his mouth is pure idiocy.
"You can also tell him that I like his sister more," he doesn't mean to blurt it out like that but it happens because he's on the verge of imploding. Also, he wants you to know that.
It takes you a second to get what he said and you look down at your lap, flustered.
That's just so cute to him.
He reaches for your face and put his hand under your chin, he tilts your head to meet his gaze. Slowly, he leans in and you lean in as well, making the gap between your bodies turns nonexistent.
"I like you too," you say back to him with a smile.
There's no perfect way to capture this moment than with a kiss, a kiss that conveys how happy he is to know that you reciprocate his feeling.
He wraps his hand around you and you scoot closer to him like two opposites of magnet that attract one another.
A smile lingers on your face with your eyes still closed after you pull away, "want to know something?"
He puts his other arm around your shoulders and lets you rest your head on it, "yes."
"I almost didn't come to the dance ball tonight," you confess and the eyes you're giving him right now tell him that you're being honest.
He grabs your free hand and interlaced his fingers with yours, "why?"
"Being in a new place, in a crowd, they're not my specialties," you tell him with a grimace.
"And I don't like going out. I like staying at home."
Felix nods and brings your hand close to his mouth so he can kiss your knuckle, "is that why you were late?"
You nod.
"What makes you decide to come?"
"My brother," you shortly replied.
Felix nods again and softly sigh, "well, that makes me like him more," he playfully remarks.
"Oh?" You exclaim in a slight shock and your fingers are closing around his.
He gives you a long peck on the lips as a token of gratitude for being willing to come and try new things with him.
He appreciates the effort so much and that only makes him fall deeper into you. There's no escape at this point.
He's in love, through and through.
-
Percy likes to come to your bedroom and climbs into your bed, he'll try to wake you up in the morning.
To prevent that, you carefully close the door of your bedroom and try not to make any sound in the process.
When the knob clicks in place, you sigh in relief and turn to face Felix, who's looking nervous but looking so cool doing it.
"You have a nice room," he stutters, a hand scratching the back of his head.
"Thank you," you mutter.
Indeed, you haven't had a man coming to your place and staying the night over, it feels like the first time all over again. Now you're older and hopefully wiser, you know it's going to be different this time around.
For a start, you know that you like Felix and you fully consent to what is about to happen in your bedroom, sexually or not.
Felix's presence in your room doesn't make you feel that he's invading your space in a way that most people do.
It's just as if he belongs here, close to you.
"Can you help me take off my dress?" You ask.
You see his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat and you take it that he doesn't expect that request comes from you, "sure."
The dress has been weighing you all night, you didn't feel bothered by it earlier because of the adrenaline rush and you were having such a great time with Felix to focus on the inconvenience.
Hours passed and now you can feel your shoulders sagging because of it.
You turn around as he walks up to you then put your hair to one side to show him the zipper of the dress.
The sound of the zipper being parted open against the quiet of your room intensifies the tension in the room.
When you thought it was done once the zipper reached its end but no, Felix softly caresses the exposed skin with just the tip of his fingers, light and featherlike, a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering inside you.
You turn your head to look at him but his lips welcomed you instead, you spin your body around to face him, and have your lips locked with him again.
Felix parted the dress open and let it falls onto the floor, pooling around your ankle while you impatiently unbutton his shirt without looking.
All clothes are off the moment you both hit the bed and he hovers above you, kissing you wherever he can land his plush lips on.
Felix's hand goes down to touch your heating core and it feels hot the moment they make contact.
It gives you the idea to do the same for him, you slide your hand down to his abdomen and keep going south until your hand meets his semi-hard cock.
Gently, you wrap your hand around it and stroke it, up and down, up and down.
You both sense that none of you want to waste time anymore, you kiss him before telling him where you keep the condom.
"It's inside the drawer," you pointed to the small drawer next to the bed.
Felix takes it in a matter of seconds, he unwraps the foil wrapper with his hand and securely rolls it down his length. He smiles as he crawls over to you, kissing you again before positioning himself between your legs.
You spread your legs wider for him and did it without thinking or else you wouldn't do it at all.
Felix rubs his hands up and down your thighs, once in a while, he teases your clit by circling it with his thumb.
The breathing exercise you usually do whenever you're anxious can't help you in this type of situation, but you remind yourself that it's just excitement, lust, desire, everything mixed into one.
You moan as he teases your entrance with the tip of his cock, he smears your essence all over then finally pushes into you.
A loud moan rips out of you.
Felix abruptly stops moving, he gently rubs your thighs again.
"Are you okay?" He softly asks.
You believe it's just nerve and try to relax by taking a few deep breaths.
"I'm okay," you assure him.
With that being said, Felix pushes into you again and you moan in pain, "Oh my God!"
"Do I hurt you?" His voice is heavy with concern.
You shake your head. You don't know how to tell him about it but you know it'll be an embarrassing thing to say.
"It's just..."
"Mmh?" He props his hands on each side of you with his face merely inches away from yours, "It's okay, tell me."
You cover your eyes as if it would help you hide from him, "I think you're just too big for me," you meekly answers.
There's a moment of silence, he is probably at a loss for words to respond to you and you understand why.
A while later, he takes your hands from covering your face and makes you look at him, "should we stop?"
"No," you answer rather too quickly and that makes you sound eager.
You put your hand on his neck and say, "I just need to relax."
"Okay," he gives you a peck on the lips before he pulls out of you to lay by your side.
He pulls the duvet to cover both of your bodies and he puts his arm out to be your pillow.
"I'm sorry," you sadly say, it's the last thing you want to do which is ruining this moment.
He softly chuckles and kisses your nose, "this is nothing to be sorry about," he consoles you.
You put your hand across his muscular chest and look at him, "I'm nervous because I haven't done it in a long time," you openly share with him.
He has the right to know that it's not him, it's you.
"I know," he casually says.
You jerk your head back in surprise, "how?"
"I heard you and your brother talking before he left," he answers with a cheeky smile.
You wince in pain and embarrassment, he heard everybody your brother said to you about you not having sex for a long time.
You groan and slump in your pillow, you pull the duvet over your head to hide from him.
"That's so embarrassing..." you grumble and your voice is muffled.
Felix follows suit and hides under the cover with you, "found you!"
You giggle as he pulls your body close to him and touches you under the cover, sneaky and soft, it's romantic and arousing at once.
"I'm also nervous because I'm doing it with you," you tell him but you don't feel embarrassed to let him know this.
"Why? Am I intimidating?" He asks with a sly smile.
You shake your head no and bring your mouth close to his ear, "because you're so hot."
You don't know what got into you next because you find yourself gently biting his ear shell.
His face turns red and his cheeks blushed profusely, it seems like you've just discovered his sensitivity spot.
-
The little giggles you let out as he plants ticklish kisses on your neck are so adorable yet aroused him so much.
His cock is impossibly hard and swollen, that little taste he got when he entered you earlier keeps replaying in the back of his head.
Fuck, you feel so good, so tight and it was only the tip. He can't imagine what it would be like to be fully buried inside you, don't think he'll last long.
"Felix," you softly call him.
He drags his mouth back to your lips and gives you a quick peck, "yes?"
You hold his small face in your hands and say, "let's try again," you say.
He's more than eager to cater to you but he needs to make sure you're not pressured to do this. Consent always comes first to him.
He softly kisses your inner arm for a second, "are you sure? You don't have to do it, you know?"
You shake your head, "I want this," you pause to land a long kiss on his lips, "so very much."
And that's low-key the sexiest thing a girl can say to him.
Somehow the break you both took helps him relax too and reminds him to take his time, not to rush it.
Felix starts by kissing you down until his mouth lands on your cunt, he wants to properly prepare you this time. He knows what to do with his mouth and to relax you with it, by running his tongue down your slit repeatedly, making it slick with his spit.
And gently, he sucks your clit and teases it with the tip of his tongue.
You're moaning and it's getting hot under the cover you throw it to the side, exposing both of you to the cool night air.
"You like that?" He asks with his head between your legs.
"Yes," you immediately answer.
Your hands reach for his head and bring him to hover above you again, not hesitating to kiss his mouth smeared with your essence.
Now, that is the second sexiest thing you've done tonight.
Felix concludes everything too early, he forgets the night is still young and you're still waiting for him with your legs spread open once again.
His hand gently holds you by the waist as he enters you, slowly and carefully, he makes sure to not cause any discomfort to you.
He feels your hand holding him by the nape of his neck, "Good?"
You nod with a smile that reassures him you're alright.
That's when he allows himself to indulge in the pleasure of entering you, have his cock sheathed inside your warm, velvety walls.
Deep, low growls escaped his mouth at the sight of his cock fully disappearing inside you.
He looks at your face so still with your mouth parted open, whimpering in pleasure.
He crashes his mouth against you and you return it with the same eagerness.
"You feel so good," he murmurs the second he pulls away from the kiss.
You smile against his lips and put your hands around his neck, letting him deepen the kiss.
Felix never takes sex as just sex, as just a mere physical fulfillment. That's why he rarely have sex just for the sake of it, he only wants to have sex with people whom he wants to truly bond with to seek a deeper, meaningful relationship. Call him boring but that's just how it is for him.
And this, what he has with you makes him believe that you're the one he's been looking for.
Felix takes your hand and flips over your hand on the bed, he slips his hand into yours, it's perfect like he's meant to hold it. He gives your cheek the softest of caress as he looks into your eyes, "I know it's early to say this," he says.
Your hand curves under his arm with your fingers tenderly trailing his shoulder blade, "yeah?"
"I want to be with you," he confesses and his heart quivering, a mix of excitement and fear mixed into one in his chest.
Your gaze softens at the sudden confession, "you do?"
He nods then swipes his thumb over your lips, "I want to be with you. I want you to fill my days and nights. I want you to be a part of my life."
He gives your lips the lightest yet most loving kiss he could give you as his heart aches and it only proves to him that his feelings are real for you.
"Do you want to be with me?" He asks.
You bring his face close to yours and give him almost the same tender kiss but with a steadfast conviction you answer him, "yes, I do."
Ain't he glad that he had just the last rose for you that day?
-
ONE YEAR LATER.
The dress suddenly shrinks in size and you struggle to fit yourself in it. It was fine when you try it on last night but that's with the help of your brother.
You can't possibly gain extra weight in a span of one night. You huff and try again for the last time, you successfully zipped up the dress by holding your breath for a few seconds.
One last look in the mirror, checking your make-up and hair then you're ready to go.
You pull open the door to find Felix already waiting in the living room, playing with Percy on the sofa. His head turns in your direction, noticing that you finally come out of the room.
His face instantly lights up when his eyes land on you.
"I'm ready!" You tell him.
He gets up from the sofa and takes a moment to admire you, his eyes traveling up and down your body.
Felix holds his hand out at you, "shall we?"
You place your hand on his and let him sweep you off your feet.
-
As long as he's with you he doesn't care about anything else.
Felix knows you'd prefer having a romantic dinner in the house than anywhere else. Comfort has to come first to ensure that the two of you have a great time tonight.
You highly approved the dinner that he cooked and the wine he bought for tonight, now he hopes you like the song he chooses for the dance.
"You're getting good at it," he says with an impressed smile then gives you a twirl.
"That's because you're a good teacher," you say back and let him pull you close until your back meets his chest.
He puts his arms wrapped around you and sways both of your bodies to the slow beat of the song and you rest your head on his shoulder, giving him access to easily kiss you on the lips.
He'll always treasure this moment with you and keep it close to his heart.
The only one who gets impatient as he unpacks a box of chocolate bonbon is Percy and he probably thinks it has his treats inside of it. He can see from the way he keeps spinning on the sofa.
"I'm sorry to tell you Percy but it's not for you," you say to him and scoop him onto your lap.
It would be petty of him to be jealous of how you treat your pet cat but he feels left out when Percy keeps putting his paw on your chin and starts nibbling on your lips. You put him away a few times but he keeps on licking your lips.
You warn him over and over again but he keeps on doing that.
"I'll get him his treats," you say, excusing yourself to the kitchen.
Percy starts to spin around on the floor at the sound of the treats hitting his feeding bowl while softly meowing at you.
You squat next to him and scratch his back, "you had your dinner so you can't have too much."
Now it feels like he's the one third-wheeling you, "babe, come here!" He says and failed to not sound like he's jealous.
You walk up to him and sit next to him on the sofa, he's got one piece of chocolate in his hand for you.
You take the whole piece at once, chewing on it with your cheeks looking puffy.
"Good?"
You nod and take a different piece of chocolate from the box, it's your turn to feed it to him.
He holds your wrist as he takes it into his mouth then sneakily licks your fingers while slyly smiling at you.
"Happy Valentine's day, my love!" He softly kisses the back of your hand.
"Happy Valentine's day," you say back and lean in to kiss him.
Felix doesn't want to waste this opportunity, he deepens the kiss and tastes chocolate in you. If only you know, between the two, you taste much sweeter.
"We met a year ago," you say in disbelief.
"Yeah and I was sad that I didn't get your number," Felix admits.
You gently hit his chest and he groans in pain, "Ouch!"
"I was standing there the whole time and you didn't say anything!" You tell him with your eyes almost out of their sockets.
He quickly takes your hand and pulls you close, "I know but I was so nervous, you're so beautiful, babe," he explains his reasons while pressing his face to the side of your head.
He turns your head to make you face him, "I was so captivated."
You scoff then pout at him, "you're lucky because I got called for a job that day when we met again."
"You're lucky that I decided to go home early that day," he says back at you.
You grab the collar of his shirt and say, "Or else..."
"Or else..." he repeats your words and leans in, his lips only an inch away from yours.
"We wouldn't be here now," you say.
"And?"
"We wouldn't have this conversation."
His eyes are focusing on your lips, "Uh-huh."
"And you wouldn't be able to kiss these lips," you say with a seductive smile.
He tips his head to the side, impressed that you can easily read his mind. He can hardly wait anymore, he kisses you with all of his heart, pouring all of his love for you.
His hands start to wander by themselves like they have minds of their own and start touching you, tracing every curve of your body, feeling you all over with the dress separating his palm from touching your silky smooth skin.
"Do you like my dress?" You ask against his lips.
"No," he replies.
"I hate it, loathe it, despise it."
You shot him a deadly glare in return for his spiteful words.
"I want to take it off of you," he whispers with his breath tickling your ear.
Or else... he wouldn't be here openly saying he wanted to undress you.
One year doesn't change the way he sees your body, he'll never get enough of it no matter how many times he has seen it.
It's a body that recognizes his touches and he knows where to touch you right, a body that's so sensitive to the faintest of his fingertips on you.
You whine as you slowly ease yourself on him and he brushes all of your hair to the side to plant kisses on your neck.
"Still too big for you, mmh?" He teases.
You scoff as you look at him, "oh please, don't get cocky!"
Both of you let out a collective gasp as you managed to all of him. He holds you still as he presses a haste kiss on your lips, hungry for more of your taste in his mouth.
It's not just sex with you, it's making a sweet, sweet love.
The way you move against him and enjoy pleasing him, that's just so sexy to him.
He cups your face and takes a closer look at your face, a face that he missed seeing even in his sleep.
"You're so beautiful, love," he murmurs with loving eyes.
He can tell that you like when he praises you like this from the way you clench around him.
"I'm so lucky to have you," he murmurs another praise at you.
That seems to arouse you more that you quicken the pace and it does him no good, you're driving him to the edge.
Your moans grow louder, your grip becomes tighter and your nails dug deeper into his skin.
"Want to cum," you whine with your eyes screwed shut in pleasure.
"Yes, baby?" Felix's brain is clouded with pleasure to properly function.
You sloppily kiss him on the mouth, "want to cum together with you," you breathlessly say against his lips.
"But baby, if you keep clenching around me I'll not last long," he tells you with a sly grin plastered on his face.
He grabs your waist and takes control of your body, forcing you to slow the pace down. Eventually, you follow the pace he sets and change your movement by rolling your hips in circular motions.
"You're getting too good at this," he complains but with zero annoyance in his voice.
You giggle and pull him for a kiss, "why? Do you mind?"
"Not at all!"
He takes a handful of your hair as he kisses you deep and hard with tongues and teeth clashing inside your mouth. The kisses steal all of the air in your lungs that you have to pull away first.
Felix keeps your head resting against his and syncing his breathing with you, two bodies move in unison.
This very moment is tender and intimate, he believes he will never experience this with anyone else but you.
The fact that he met you again that day tells him that this is indeed fate, he's destined to be with you.
"I love you," he softly mutters with an endearing caress on your cheek.
You smile as your gaze softens, "I love you too," you say back without a beat.
Or else... he wouldn't be this happy to hear you say it back to him.
-
Percy sits on your stomach and has been meowing right at your face for you don't know how long.
"Be quiet!" You slur with your eyes still closed.
He starts to nuzzle his head at you and nibble on your nose, you cover your face with your hand to stop him.
"Percy, be quiet!" You tell him again.
Through your squinted eyes, you see that it's only seven in the morning and you can get at least half an hour more of sleep.
"You're hungry, huh?" You ask as you sleepily pat his furry head.
He meows in response.
"Give me a minute, okay?" You tell him. You need a few minutes to gather your thoughts and rub the sleep off your eyes.
Felix eventually got bothered by Percy's continuous mewl, he turns on the bed and put his hand across your chest.
"Stay," he mumbles.
Percy puts his tiny paw on Felix's hand and pushes it off of you, he let out a loud meow at him.
Felix's eyes snap open and he glances at you, "is he telling me not to hold you?"
You laugh in confusion because you only discovered now that Percy can be so possessive over you.
"I think so, yeah," you answer.
Felix pats Percy on the head, "I thought we agree to share, buddy," he says to him.
Percy aggressively mewls at him with fangs out and everything.
"Percy!" You scold him and cuddle his face to stop him from making screeching noises.
"He's hungry," you say and turn your head at Felix.
"I'm afraid I can't stay," you give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Felix kisses your bare shoulder and nuzzles his head into your neck, "stay," he mutters close to your ear.
You put your hand in his hair, his soft locks slipping through your fingers and you're more than tempted to spend the morning cuddling with him.
"I want to but Percy—" your words got cut off as Felix places a kiss on your neck with his teeth faintly biting the skin.
"That's not fair," you whine but not doing anything to stop him.
"Mmh? What is it, baby?" Felix pretends not to hear you and continues making a trail of kisses down the column of your throat.
Percy's mewl interrupts both of you and Felix sighs in defeat, he knows he's not going to stop mewling until you feed him.
You give him a long, lingering kiss to console him, "I'm sorry, baby."
Felix smiles in return and rests his head back onto his pillow, "Do you mind if I get more sleep?"
"Not at all!"
He demands one more kiss from you before you leave and close the bedroom door.
After filling Percy's bowl, you don't feel like cooking breakfast this morning. You decide to make a quick run to the bakery across the street to get a few pastries and a latte for Felix.
On the way back, you pick up a few mails from your letterbox and clutch everything in your arms.
Percy greets you with his happy mewls and trails behind you as you place everything you carry onto the dining table.
You check your mail to see if there's a work-related one, instead, you found one. You flip the letter to see who the sender is and you gasp in surprise to see that it's from Felix.
You bring the letter with you as you jog to your bedroom with Percy still trailing behind you.
You jump onto the bed and sit next to his sleeping figure.
He gets startled that his eyes instantly open, "what is it, babe?"
You catch your breath before speaking, "did you send me a letter?"
He seems to get it right away which only means he knows what you're talking about, "the letter should have arrived yesterday," he grumbles and props his elbow against the mattress.
The duvet slides down his body and exposes his bare upper body, his sculpted abs look more defined under the morning sun.
"Can I read it?" You ask even though you don't need his permission.
He places his hand on your thigh and looks up at him, "go ahead."
You carefully open the envelope without trying to rip it and slowly take out the letter inside, you unfold it while looking at him in excitement.
One look and you know it's all handwritten, it's his handwriting. You lick your lips and clear your throat before reading the letter out loud.
"There's nothing in all the world I want but you and your precious love."
Even the opening line makes your heart flips a couple of times already.
"All the material things are nothing. I'd just hate to live a sordid, colorless existence because you'd soon love me less and less and I'd do anything – anything – to keep your heart for my own."
You hold the hand resting on your thigh and continue reading.
"I don't want to live— I want to love first, and live incidentally... Don't ever think of the things you can't give me. You've trusted me with the dearest heart of all–and it's so damn much more than anybody else in all the world has ever had."
You put the letter close to your chest and close your eyes, taking a moment to let the words sink into you.
"I have bad penmanship, I know," he says to you with a playful smirk.
When you're ready to face him, you intertwined your hand with him and sigh, a sigh that tells him how grateful you are for him.
Emotions bubble up and burst out of you, you feel the urge to tell him the truest words you can say to him.
"I love you so much," you tell him, and your heart aches and your eyes start to water.
"I love you too, baby," he says and goes to hold you tightly.
All of your past mistakes and wrong decisions suddenly don't matter to you anymore because this path has led you to him.
This is fate, this is destiny and this is right because he is right.
"It's my first love letter," you croak as you are on the verge of crying.
"And I'll keep writing you a love letter to the last you'll ever receive," he says back and kisses you on the forehead.
And who cares about the one who gets the first rose when you get to be the last one from him?
-
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