Preparations for the upcoming ball were well underway, the date set for a week after their meeting. They needed to make sure they could raise funds necessary in time to start Hoseok's father's treatment, without pushing anything further back. 

The town hall had been booked and advertisements spread throughout the town. Between working at the hotel and making arrangements for the dance, Chris had hardly any time to sleep, but she would always make time to reply to Hoseok's small texts here and there. They didn't get much time to hang out, and so both found themselves texting a lot more than usual.

Hoseok: Good morning, have a beautiful day today!

Chris: Thank you Hoseok, I hope you do too :)

Hoseok: Look at this cloud, it looks like my friend Yooongi (he's quite short, you see).

Chris: Look at this, it looks like you! (Yes, it's the sun)

Hoseok: Please don't overwork yourself, Chris! When you see this text, drink a glass of water for me, hmm?

Chris: On it :)

Hoseok: You're doing great, Chris. I'm so proud of you!

Chris: How do you always have the right timing, Hoseok?

Hoseok: We're connected ;)

Chris imagined Hoseok's face breaking into a massive smile with that last text; skin pushed in to reveal the small adorable dimples by his mouth. And she was sure if he'd said that in person, it would be accompanied with a wink.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she realised her heart had started to race.

Was she anxious?

Her phone vibrated again, and her eyes flickered down to watch the screen light up.

Hoseok: Photo message

Opening it, she was faced with a selfie, a toothy grin adorning his lips and eyes glistening with laughter.

Hoseok: Dinner? Feel like I haven't seen you in a while.

There it was again, heart picking up speed as if it were competing with the thoughts in her head.

And now, she knew exactly why.

Chris bit her lip, finding the pounding within her shift from butterflies to disappointment. It had just been more than a month since she broke up with her ex; she couldn't be crushing on somebody new already.

She turned her phone off and directed her attention back to the papers in front of her. 

There was no way her feelings could change so fast.

Chris had a meeting scheduled with the mayor and Jimin again that afternoon to go over the final necessities. Jimin and his kitchen staff had agreed to provide catering, and so all they had left to organise was the menu and the theme.

"Why don't we make it nature-themed?" Jimin questioned, scanning the ideas Chris had spread out in her folder. Ocean, the Great Gatsby, Starry Night, A Royal Ball. Nothing had stuck out to either of them as fitting.

"Nature?"

"Their lives revolve around their farm, Jimin," the mayor responded, "Do you think they'd want that too?"

"I mean, how often do they romanticise the things they see every day?"

"You do have a point," Chris nodded, flipping through her folder, "Flowers."

"Flowers?"

"What about playing with the idea of flowers? You say nature-themed, I think flowers."

"Sunflowers," it was the mayor who smiled this time. "His father loves sunflowers, reminds him of his children."

Chris raised an eyebrow, looking over at Jimin, mouthing 'children?'.

"Hyung has a sister," he filled her in, before directing the conversation back to the older man, "And marigold."

"Marigold?"

"Hoseok's favourite," Chris's voice surprised her when she heard it. It sounded dreamy; it sounded soft.

"Yeah," although she wasn't looking at him, she heard the smirk in Jimin's voice, "A sunflower and marigold themed ball!"

"That sounds stunning," the mayor commented, and when Chris turned to him, she saw the way his eyes glistened with excitement. She was absolutely in awe of the friendship this small family had. They weren't all blood related, but they seemed to want to do all they could to help each other out.

Meanwhile, Chris wasn't even on that basis with the one person of blood relation to her.

"You think we can ask Jungkook for flower arrangements?"

"He'd be more than happy to help."

"Thank you so much for doing this, Chris, it's usually just me alone, or my son and I planning these events and it's nice to be in the back seat for a change."

"Honestly, it's my pleasure," Chris told him, "If you need any more help with event planning, please don't hesitate to let me know."

"I know you're Hoseok's friend, but, boy am I glad we met," he winked before getting up and ruffling Jimin's hair, "And with that, I am going to be off, thank you both so much for what you are doing."

"I can't wait," Jimin gushed, getting on his feet, and Chris followed, "Only a few days left."

"Me too," she added, smiling politely at the mayor, "Have a great day at the office!"

When he was gone, Jimin flopped back into the booth.

Squinting at him, Chris slid into it as well.

"Don't you have to get back to work?"

He looked down at his watch and then back at her, "Five minutes."

"Hey, Jimin?" Chris finally said after a few seconds of silence.

"Hmm?" his eyes slowly met hers, chin resting in his palm.

"Have I told you about my ex?"

"Ex?"

"I had a somewhat toxic relationship when I moved here, I ended it about a month ago, though."

"Somewhat toxic?" his eyes widened, "There's no such thing."

"Well, it wasn't fully toxic—"

"Chris, there's no such thing. It was either toxic, or it wasn't— Also, are you okay? Oh my goodness—"

"I'm fine," she assured him, "It's all okay now."

"I'm so sorry Chris I hadn't known you were in a—"

"It's okay Jimin, really," she gave him a smile, "I kept it on the down-low."

"Would you mind if I ask you what happened? If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. You deserve the world, Chris."

She frowned, "You're so sweet, Jimin, thank you. As for him, maybe he changed, maybe he was always like this, but he would just constantly be putting me down; making me feel less than. I was never good enough, and I was hard to love.

"Now I can't get that voice out of my head."

"Chris that's—"

"It's okay, though, I'm getting there," she sighed, looking down at her fingers, "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Do you think it's wrong to grow feelings for someone else so soon after breaking up with another?"

He sat back in the seat, heaving a deep breath, "Is your question whether or not it's wrong, or if your feelings for Hoseok hyung are ingenuine?"

"If my— wait I never said anything about Hoseok."

"Seriously, Chris?" He shook his head with a grin, "You didn't have to."

"Do I make it obvious?"

"Not as obvious as somebody else," Jimin added quickly before abruptly standing up, "Hi mom!"

Chris jumped around to find a gorgeous middle-aged woman behind her, black hair splayed in grey and brownish streaks. She eyed her son up and down with a cheeky smirk before shaking her head, "We think you're capable of looking after the diner on your own but then here you are, slacking off."

An adorable giggle bubbled out of him then, the sound much akin to birdsong—in Chris's opinion.

"As you can see, I'm working hard," he held his hand out to Chris, "This is Chris, by the way, she works at the hotel next to Hoseok hyung's farm."

"Oh!" She lay a gentle hand on Chris's shoulder, "Lovely to meet you! Hoseok's mother's told me about you."

"It's nice to meet you too," she smiled softly, "Jimin's told me a lot about you as well."

"I doubt it," the older woman winked at her before turning to her son, "If this boy thought about his parents that much, he would be running the diner a lot better."

"Mom," Jimin groaned, "I was taking a small break. I'm getting back to it now!"

Both women laughed as Jimin spun around, shuffling toward the kitchen.

"Forgive me, but I should probably check on my staff as well," his mother said, and Chris nodded.

"Yes, of course! I hope you have a lovely afternoon!"

And when Chris was left on her own, she took all of two minutes to gather up her things before heading to the door. However, just before she was able to leave, Jimin swiftly glided next to her.

"Ooph!" she let out quietly as he startled her, "Jimin!"

"Have you wondered that maybe you had fallen out of love with him long before you even realised?"

"Huh?"

"You just don't strike me as the person to use Hoseok hyung as a rebound," he cleared his throat, "But listen to me, if you do hurt him, I won't let you get away with it."

When he told her this, a grin broke out on Chris's face, and it caused Jimin to frown. Before she could stop herself, Chris had reached up to pinch his cheek, "You're adorable, Jimin."

"That's not- That wasn't the point."

"But, yes, thank you for that," she rested her hand on the doorknob, "It opened my eyes a little."

--

The sun was setting, and Hoseok had asked Chris to meet her at his farm. She hadn't had enough time to grab a couple of snacks, but she made sure to change into something a little more presentable. She put on a knee-length black dress, dotted in daffodil inscriptions.

It was simple, but she could only find it fitting for hanging out with Hoseok.

When she arrived at his house, he opened the door for her, immediately flooding her from the bottom with his warmth.

Instinctively, Chris let go of a sigh; it was as if his open arms held a hearth, and she just wanted to crash into him, bask in his presence.

"Hello!" he cheered, a brilliant smile plastered across his face, "Welcome to my residence."

She giggled, finding him shuffle behind her, helping her shrug her cardigan off before hanging it on the rack, "Thank you for the invitation; it's nice to be back."

"How are you?" he asked, leading her into the lounge. She would never get used to the beautiful open rooms, the refreshing scent wafting through, or the adorable collages of family photographs adorning the walls.

It was so comforting being in this space; one where Hoseok grew up, it seemed to hold his rapture in every wooden floorboard.

"I'm okay," they settled in his bedroom, Chris by the windowsill and him sitting on the bed, "Really busy this week with a few events we're planning."

"And I'm honoured you made time to see me," he grinned up at her.

"I'd always make time for you, Hoseok," the soft voice left Chris before she realised, eyes growing when she realised she'd said that out loud.

Trying to gauge his reaction, she waited, nerves eating up her insides.

She'd liken those few seconds to the calm after a storm; pensive, but serene.

The open window behind her caused rays of the sun to dance through his cheeks, and she wondered if the fluttering that grew in her heart when she watched him was something she experienced with her previous boyfriend.

His eyes dissolved into crescents, the immediate cue for Chris's own heart to melt into mush, "I'm glad."

He looked as if he wanted to say something else; he wanted to say more.

But he didn't. He left that conversation with those two words.

Leaving Chris to wonder what it was behind his eyes. Wist? Affection? Sincerity?

--

"What's that?" the pair were back in his bedroom after having some dinner, occupying the same positions as earlier.

"Hmm?" Hoseok hummed as he followed her finger, "Oh!"

Getting up from the bed, he grabbed the wooden box and brought it over, sitting next to Chris on the window sill. Allowing her to peer inside, a nostalgic smile painted itself on his lips, "The best children's books that the world will never be able to read."

"May I?" she asked, gesturing to reach in to grab one.

"Of course."

"What do you mean that the world will never be able to read?"

Picking up the first book, she awed at its tattered pages, each one handwritten and hand-drawn with so much care.

"My dad had made these," Hoseok's soft voice filled the room again, "Publishers never wanted to sign with him for them though, told him he should stick to novels. So my sister and I were the only people who have ever heard the stories."

"It's so sweet that you kept them all this time," she tilted her head to take in his eyes, "I'm sure he appreciates it."

Returning her smile, something caught his attention, and he looked down at the open book in her hands. "Oh my gosh."

"Huh?"

"See that huge black paint splatter right there?" he pointed at the corner of the page, and she nodded, "I remember this so vividly.

"My dad was in his bedroom, painting the book as he usually did, but I stormed in, whining that he wasn't spending time with me. He'd promised to go bike riding with me that day but was too busy. And because I was so angry I was flailing my arms around, the annoying toddler I was, and I knocked over the black paint.

"It splattered all over the floor and his canvases and, man, was I scared. I thought he was going to get so mad.

"I felt so sorry too; I literally ruined all his work that he'd been working so hard on."

"What did he say?" she asked, picturing three-year-old Hoseok with his bottom lip jutting out, tears streaming down his face.

"He just apologised," his voice hitched, and she felt her heart pang, "He was sorry he couldn't spend time with me as he promised. I was such an annoying child and he... just apologised."

Chris watched as his eyes glossed over in a matter of seconds, instinctively reaching out to squeeze his hand. She didn't know how else to help him then.

She wished she could take every thought in his mind that was causing tears to well in his eyes, causing his eyebrows to scrunch, in her hands and throw them into the fire he'd ignited in her heart.

Chris wanted to take all his pain away, to let them wither in her love for him.

Heart beginning to race again, she felt tears prick at her own eyes. She peered into his again, lips trembling, fingers shaking in fear. Fear of her feelings for him.

The man in front of her, who comforted everyone around him by just existing. The man who debunked her theory that she was hard to love, she was difficult to handle. The man who commanded the sun with every inch of his being.

She loved him.

sorry for taking so long for this update, but i hope you guys like it!!

i love you! i hope ur looking after yourselves!! please do, for me :)