Chapter 5 – Daisy and Magnolia

Asami had insisted we go downtown for garden supplies—flowers, fertilizer, and the works. I told myself this was just shopping, nothing more. He stepped out of the car, with confidence in every move, and for one ridiculous second I caught myself staring again.

Daydreaming. Broad daylight. No shame.

“Asami,” I said quickly, as if saying his name could ground me.

He gave me that calm half-smile before sliding behind the wheel.

“Well? Are you coming, or are you going to keep dreaming on the sidewalk?”

I scowled, climbing in. “I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Of course not,” he murmured, clearly amused.

The car hummed onto the road. We talked about the garden—safe territory. Flowers, soil, sunlight. Nothing that should have felt like foreplay, but somehow did.

Then Asami said, almost too casually, “Let’s add some more flowers. Alchemillas. Amaryllis. Poppies. Carnations. Lilies. Lavenders.”

I blinked at him. “You make it sound like we’re planting an entire botanical garden.”

His eyes flicked to me, teasing. “Are you saying you can’t handle it?”

“I’m saying I’ve never even bought a flower before.”

“Good,” he replied. “Then I get to be your first.”

Heat shot straight to my face. I turned to the window. “You really have a way of saying things that sound… wrong.”

“And yet you understood me perfectly,” he countered, smug.

I pointed quickly. “Left, at the second street. The shop’s just there.”

He obeyed instantly, though I caught his smirk as he did. Like he knew how flustered I was.

When the flower shop came into view, I couldn’t help it—I leaned forward, excitement bubbling up.

Asami noticed. Of course he did. “You look like a kid about to raid a candy store.”

“I’m not—” The words tangled in my throat. I looked away, heat crawling up my neck.

His smile softened. “Pick some for yourself. And… grab something for my Mother. I want to put flowers with her photo in her room.”

The words landed heavy in my chest. I hadn’t expected that glimpse of tenderness. For a second, I forgot to breathe.

I glanced at him, really looked, and felt that dangerous tug again—the one that always threatened to pull me closer.

When we parked, he pulled out the shopping list and, without thinking, held the door open for me. “After you.”

I stepped past him, pretending it was no big deal. Pretending my heart hadn’t just tripped over itself.

The bell above the door chimed as we stepped inside. The air was warm, heavy with the scent of roses and fresh soil.

“Ah—Ichi!” Robert’s voice boomed across the shop. “How are you? Glad to see you came by.”

Heat crept up my neck. “I’m fine, thank you. And, uh—this is my boss, Asami.” I waved a little too enthusiastically in his direction.

“And this is Robert. He owns the shop.”

Robert’s eyes flicked between us, his grin sly. “Boss, huh?”

I cleared my throat, desperate to move on. “So, uh—what do you have today?”

Robert chuckled and reached for the list Asami handed him. “I’ll get started on these. You two look around.”

We wandered between rows of blooms, colors spilling everywhere, but Asami wasn’t really looking at the flowers. His gaze kept flicking to me, then sliding away too quickly.

“What?” I asked, trying for casual, but my voice cracked halfway.

“Nothing.” He picked up a carnation, turning it slowly between his fingers. His grip was too deliberate for it to be nothing.

Then he glanced at me, his mouth curving in that playful, dangerous way. “Tell me, Ichinose… Do you— even remember what— suits you?”

The question sent a jolt through me. My stomach fluttered. “W-what do you mean?”

“Flowers,” he said easily, twirling the carnation. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already?”

Forgotten. The word landed too heavily. My throat tightened. What is he talking about?

“I—I don’t know,” I muttered, eyes dropping to the rows of petals around us.

“I’ve never really thought about what suits me.”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear.

“That’s surprising. Some things leave an impression. Hard to shake off, even if they happen —unexpectedly.”

Heat rushed to my face. My chest tightened. Did he mean—no, he couldn’t—

“Asami—” I forced out a weak laugh. “You’re making it sound like we did something scandalous.”

“Hahaha…haha!” He chuckled.

His gaze held mine, steady, unflinching. “Didn’t we?”

My heart stopped. I swallowed hard, caught between panic and something dangerously close to… happiness.

I turned quickly, pretending to inspect a cluster of lilies. “You shouldn’t tease like that.”

But he wasn’t done. His voice followed me, low and deliberate:

“Tell me, Ichinose… Do you prefer it this way? Keeping it simple, safe? Or would you rather—” he paused, his smile sharpening,

“—something a little more… unforgettable,maybe?”

The words shot straight through me. My knees nearly buckled.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking.” I whispered, hating how breathless I sounded. My hands curled against my sides.

Asami chuckled softly, like he’d gotten the answer he wanted anyway. He slipped the carnation back into its bucket. “Then I’ll help you choose. For now.”

For now. The promise in those words was worse than the teasing. Because I couldn’t tell if I wanted to run… or remember.

Asami was lost in his own thoughts until my voice cut through.

“Master Asami? Master Asami… are you okay?” I asked, my brows knitting.

“I kept calling you. You seemed in deep thought.”

He blinked, almost startled, then gave me a faint smile.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just… recalled something. Did you need me?”

“No, everything’s fine,” I said quickly, though I couldn’t hide the worry in my voice.

“I only called because you looked so far away. I thought maybe a flower caught your eye.”

He chuckled softly. “No, nothing like that. I don’t know much about flowers… not like you do.”

His eyes lingered on me, and I felt my face grow warm. Before I could look away, he added with a teasing edge,

“Unless you’re planning to buy the whole shop. You look like you want everything here.”

“Uhm, it’s hard to pick,” I admitted, fumbling a little.

“Everything looks good. Beautiful.” I gave him a shy smile.

“Beautiful, huh?” he repeated, his gaze narrowing for a second before he turned away.

Asami walked over to Robert, the shop owner. “How much for a dozen of these? And wrap the magnolia too.” He gestured to a mix of African daisies and the soft pink blossoms.

Robert returned with a basket half-filled with the things on Asami’s list. “Here you go. Want me to add more, or do you still need to look around?”

“Still looking,” Asami said smoothly, his hand brushing my arm as he stepped past me to take the basket. The touch was light, accidental—or maybe not. My pulse jumped anyway.

I busied myself with the lavender, pretending I was totally invested in the tiny purple blooms. Anything to steady my breathing.

Robert eyed us both with that knowing little smile of his.

“Ichi, you’ve got good taste bringing your boss here. I can tell he appreciates beauty.”

I froze. Did he just—?

Asami only arched a brow, lips curving slightly. “He’s not wrong.”

My ears burned. I forced a laugh. “He means the flowers.”

“Of course…,” Asami said, still watching me. “The flowers.”

Robert chuckled and went back to his counter, leaving us in a silence thick enough to drown in.

“Asami,” I muttered, desperate to change the subject, “didn’t you want something for your mom’s room?”

His expression softened instantly, the teasing edge slipping away. “Yes. Something gentle. Calming. She used to like lilies.”

The way his voice shifted—low, almost reverent—tugged at me in a different way. Not playful, not dangerous. Just… real. I swallowed, suddenly not sure what to do with my hands.

He let out a quiet breath before turning back to me. “Do we need more materials for the layout of the plants and flowers? I want to be sure we didn’t forget anything.”

I double-checked the list. “Nothing more. We’ve got it all—even the fertilizer.”

He gave a short nod. “Good.”

Robert came back over with the bouquets and a receipt, smiling kindly as he handed them to Asami.

The shop owner walked over with two bouquets carefully wrapped, along with the receipt.

“The person who receives these is incredibly lucky,” Robert said warmly. “African daisy means love and beauty. Magnolia represents nobility, perseverance, and love of nature.”

Asami’s lips curved at that, his eyes glinting. “Do you think the person will like them? Maybe even… talk to me?”

Robert chuckled. “Of course. Who could turn away flowers like these?”

Then he clapped Asami on the shoulder. “Hey, young man! Come back next time and I’ll give you a discount.”

Asami gave a polite bow in thanks before stepping outside.

I was already outside, struggling with a sack of fertilizer. Asami walked straight to me, shifting the bouquets in his arms.

“Here,” he said, handing them over, “let me take that.”

Startled, I accepted the flowers automatically. “It’s okay, I can handle it. They’re not that heavy.” I glanced at him, confused. Why was he suddenly carrying the heavy load?

He only smirked, hefting the sack onto his shoulder with ease. “I insist. At least I’ll get some exercise.”

Then, as if it were the most casual thing in the world, he added, “The basket bouquet is for my mother. Please arrange it in her room later. And the other one…” His eyes flicked to mine, unreadable. “…is for you.”

I froze, staring at the bright petals in my hands. “F-for me?”

He caught my expression and his grin widened. Clearly, he enjoyed how off guard I was.

My pulse raced. I wanted to say something—anything—but the words tangled hopelessly in my throat.

What am I going to do? Why would he give me flowers? Isn’t this… strange?

To be continued…