Hey guys, Mrs. Portgas D. Ace here! I just wanted to let you guys know that I jut recently made a tumblr account at superportgasdacelove where I will be posting the latest chapters of my works, including previews to new stories, including summaries of new work so please check my blog out and follow! I don't want this to sound like a huge advertising section so I also wanted to say that this is my first EXO fanfiction on this forum! I have a ton of ideas that I want to put into writing, but I just haven't the time, so I do apologize. I will try my best to fit in more time in my schedule for writing so please look forward to future works! Love, Mrs. Portgas D. Ace 3
The bell above the shop door jangled as a new customer walked in. Tao looked up with a smile on his face and greeted them kindly. The customer bowed lightly in respect before returning his attention to the flowers on the shelves. He was tall in stature, had a kind of menacing look to him, but he didn't look too scary. Tao should know, people said he looked scary all the time. He actually looked pretty good-looking for someone around these parts. This was the first week that his flower shop had been open, so he wanted to treat his customers well so that his store would do well. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to where the tall guy was standing.
"Are you looking for anything in particular sir?" Tao asked timidly.
"What flowers are romantic?" The guy asked kindly, his face a little embarrassed.
Tao was surprised that he was so forward about it.
"For a girl?" Tao asked again, thinking this guy cute for buying flowers for his girl.
"Yeah…" The guy said timidly, his cheeks flushing just slightly.
"Are you two dating?" Tao asked, trying to tart a conversation.
"No, but I've liked them for a long time from afar," He said, looking down at the ground.
Tao chuckled under his breath. The guy looked so sweet when he was flustered.
"How about white roses?" He suggested finally, "Not too romantic but still sweet"
"Could you bring me some?" He asked in a friendly tone.
Tao nodded before heading into the back room to pick up a bouquet of the white blooms. It took him a bit to find them amidst all the flowers in the large room, but luckily they were there. Tao wondered to himself who the girl was. It was sweet to see young love, not that Tao was old or anything. He handed the bouquet to the man, hopeful that he'd make the purchase. There had been a lot of customers this week, but every purchase mattered. The man's face was critical as he looked over the roses, jostling them slightly in his hands to feel their weight.
"I'll take them," He said finally, a small smile tugging at his lip.
Tao's face instantly brightened as he headed over to the cash register. While he rang up the man's purchase, the older man glance around the shop. Tao noticed.
"Are you looking for something else?" Tao asked in a friendly tone.
"Yeah, do you have cards that go with the bouquet?" He asked, his eyebrow rising slightly.
Tao smiled and nodded his head, bending down under the counter to retrieve the little box of cards that he had.
"Do you need a certain occasion or just a blank card?" He asked.
"Just a blank one please," The man said as he pulled out hi brown leather wallet.
"Your total is $9.37," Tao said, handing the man his receipt and the flowers.
The man handed him a ten-dollar bill before leaving. Tao realized almost too late that he had forgotten to give the man his change.
"Wait sir!" He called, the man turned around.
"Yes?" The man asked.
"I'm so sorry," Tao squeaked, "I forgot to give you your change!"
The man chuckled under his breath," Take it as thanks for your help"
Tao smiled and flushed, surprised.
"Good luck with that girl!" He called before the man left.
He smiled back at Tao before closing the glass door behind him.
Before Tao could give another thought about that guy, customers came up to him with questions. Toa smiled, happy knowing that his customers were interested in his shop despite it's newness.
By the end of the day, Tao was tired. The clock struck 6 o'clock pm and he decided to close up shop. Before he could leave, he had to clean up the storeroom a bit, lock up the register, and lock up. Now, where to go? Tao wasn't in the mood to go straight home, so he decided to go out somewhere and get dinner. To be honest, Tao hadn't had much time to check out the neighborhood since he opened his shop. He had been so busy lately that it was nice to take a break every once in a while. The sun was just starting to set in the distance. People were driving around in cars, riding their bikes through the streets, or just walking on the cement path. Most shops were still opened at this time. Tao could see a couple clothing stores, grocery stores, and corner cafes. Now where should he go eat? As he was looking around, the sound of music started to play from abuilding down the street.
Curious, he walked toward to sound of the music and realized hat it was playing from a restaurant. Might as well eat here, the air smelled good around it too. Tao could hear chatter and laughter from outside. Sounded like a nice place.
"Casa Blanca Café," He read out loud as he gazed up at the sign.
He pushed open the door and gasped to himself. The lights inside were dim and moody. The art on the walls were strange. Each painting was different from the next, ranging form fruit to people to city buildings.
"How many today?" The stewardess at the front asked him kindly.
"Just one today," He replied with a smile.
She nodded and grabbed a menu form the shelf, motioning for him to follow her to his designated table. They walked to a cozy looking booth with just a single light above it and comfy looking cushions for seats.
"Thank you," Tao said before sitting down.
"You waiter will be out to get your order in just a couple minutes," she replied with a smile before walking away.
As the stewardess walked away, Tao flipped open the menu and gazed over all the options. The menu looked pretty intimidating with so many options. There were western dished, Korean dishes, Chinese dishes, and even some Indian food. Tao was so deeply reading the menu that he didn't' notice the waiter come up to his table.
"Would you like for me start you off with anything to drink?" The waiter said.
Tao looked up from his menu and jumped. The waiter did double take too. Tao smiled, recognizing the waiter from his shop before. He was the one who bought the white roses. Toa stood up to shake his hand as a gesture of friendship, smiling as the man shook it gently.
"I'm surprised to see you again," Tao said grinning.
"Same here," The man replied, SO, anything you'd like to drink?"
"Yeah, could I have just a coffee," He said.
"Latte or Frappuccino?" the man asked.
"I'll have a Latte," Tao said after thinking for a moment.
"Are you ready to order your meal?" He asked as he scribbled Tao's order on the notepad.
"Ummmm, I'm not sure what to order actually," Tao said sheepishly, "There's so much to choose from"
The man chuckled under his breath, "I'm glad I get a chance to return your favor form before"
Tao laughed.
"So, what kind of food do you like?" He asked.
"I like western food," Tao said with a smile.
"So what are you in the mood for, steaks or burgers or barbeque or what?" He asked.
"Umm, I'd like some steak," Tao said finally.
"Our 10oz. steak with broccoli and loaded mashed potatoes on the side is a killer dish," The man suggested.
"Okay, I'll have that then," Tao said, "I'm trusting you"
The man laughed and left to go place his order. As the man walked away, Tao realized that h didn't know his name. He mad sure to remember to ask him about that later. In a matter of minutes the man came back with Tao's coffee.
"Thank you," Tao said, "So what's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Kris," he said with a small smile, "My Chinese name is Yi Fan"
"Oh I'm Chinese too!" Tao said with a grin.
"What's your name?" Kris said.
"Tao," He replied timidly, "Huang Zitao is my Chinese name"
"I like that name," Kris said.
Tao's face flushed at the compliment. Suddenly he got an idea.
"Ooh Kris can we take a selca?" Tao said excitedly, pulling out his iPhone and flipping it to the inside camera.
"A selca?" Kris asked while he raised his eyebrow.
"It's my slang for selfie," Tao said giggling.
Kris chuckled again as Tao raised up the camera. Kris put an arm Tao's shoulder and stuck up two fingers while the other made a kissy face. After a couple clicks, they changed poses. This time Tao did the peace sign while Kris raised his eyebrow up and stuck out his tongue.
"Hey Kris, quit flirting with the customers and get to work!" someone yelled form the kitchen.
Kris's face flushed out of embarrassment as he hurried back to the kitchen. Tao laughed under his breath, but his face was pink from embarrassment too. Once he sat back down, he flipped through his camera roll and smiled. After a few quick slides and clicks, the picture where Toa was doing the kissy face was his home screen. Hmmm, Tao thought to himself that maybe he should ask for Kris's phone number.
"Here's your steak," Kris said suddenly, a smile on his face.
"Thank you for the meal," Tao said respectfully, bowing his head slightly.
Tao picked up his fork and knife and cut a bit of the teak and put a bit into his mouth, closing his eyes to savor the flavors. He could feel Kris's eyes on him as he ate and felt a little embarrassed having someone watching him eat. He swallowed and wiped his lips with hi napkin, grinning with closed lips of course.
"Is it good?" Kris asked expectantly.
"It's really good," Tao grinned, "My compliments to the cook"
"I'll let him know," Kris said with a grin, "Enjoy your meal"
"Thanks for the recommendation!" Tao said grinning.
Kris nodded and smiled before returning to the kitchen. Tao started to dig into his dish, savoring the steak and mashed potatoes. He took a little bite out of the broccoli to not be rude, but not much. The coffee tasted good as it slid down his parched throat. He wondered what Kris liked to eat. Friends had told him that the tips at a restaurant were split between all the waiters and waitresses, so Tao wanted to leave a nice tip. He wondered if he'd get to see Kris again soon. He wanted too, he liked Kris. Even though he looked kinda cold, even a little dangerous, he looked cute when he smiled.
As Tao finished his meal, Kris came over again to ask how everything was doing. Tao smiled at him and said the food was delicious. Timidly, he asked Kris if there was a dessert menu. Kris chuckled before handing him the menu, recommending either the strawberry cheesecake or the cookie pie. In the end, Tao went for the strawberry cheesecake. Kris teased him, saying that strawberries weren't very manly. Toa swatted his arm in playful retaliation before threatening to tell Kris's manager. Laughing, Kris went back to the kitchen to get the cake.
"That Kris," Tao sighed, laughing on the inside.
The strawberry cheesecake was pretty good. Tao had a secret liking for sweets, even though his image was the tough kung fu guy. Usually he didn't show his sweet tooth to people, but he felt like Kris wouldn't judge him. He liked that about Kris. So, under Kris's intense gaze that made his cheeks pink, Tao dug into the strawberry cheesecake. Before he ate, he took a picture of the cake slice. Kris chuckled. After, the dessert plates were cleared away, Kris at down in the booth during his break and the two chatted, just getting to know each other. Tao was surprised to learn that Kris liked to read books in his spare time. Maybe he was being stereotypical, but Tao would have guessed that he liked to work out or play sports. He told Kris about his love for kung fu, especially wushu, and his hobby of playing basketball. Tao teased that Kris would be great at the sport since he was so tall, standing at 6 foot 1 in. Kris argued back that Tao must be talented at the sport as well since he was just a couple centimeters shorter than the older man.
"Ah, look at the time!" Tao exclaimed, glancing at his phone.
"Yeah, it's getting late. You should go home." Kris said, getting up from the booth.
Before he left, Tao stuck a $20 bill under his cup. Kris's eyes widened in surprise.
"You don't need to leave such a large tip!" He said.
Tao smiled and shook his head.
"For the other workers too," He said with a gently laugh.
Kris made a funny face where his eyebrows scrunched up a bit and he smiled.
"I'll text you the pictures later," Tao promised.
"Yeah," Kris said with one last grin, "See you later"
Silently, both prayed that they really would get the chance to see one another again soon. Outside the restaurant, Toa shivered slightly in his short-sleeved t-shirt and skinny jeans. He had left his car parked back at the flower shop. Despite the late hour, people still milled the streets, buying food form vendors and shopping. Suddenly, Tao yawned. He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he walked back to the shop. As he walked, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He whipped it out and grinned when he saw that it was a text from Kris.
FROM: KRIS TO: TAO 9:47 PM
Hey, it' the one and only Kris
Tao smiled as he typed his reply. Would using an emoticon be too much?
TO: KRIS FROM: TAO 9:48 PM
Heyyy
Before Tao could put his phone back in his pocket, Kris sent another text.
FROM: KRIS TO: TAO 9:48
I can see you from here lol
Tao turned around, trying to find where Kris was standing. In the corner of his eye, he saw Kris waving at him from his car, a black sedan. Tao waved back, grinning form ear to ear.
TO: KRIS FROM: TAO 9:49 PM
I can see you too lol
FROM: KRIS TO: TAO 9:49 PM
lol yah see you later
TO: KRIS FROM: TAO 9:49PM
Yeah see you :)
FROM: KRIS TO: TAO
:P
Tao giggled, waving good-bye to Kris before walking into his shop to get to the garage. His car was sitting there just as he had left it that morning. He pulled open the drivers seat and closed it behind himself, noticing that the new car smell was slowly leaving. Slipping the key into the ignition, Tao pulled out of the garage and onto the familiar road home. The city lights flashed by as he drove, his mind wandering off again. Tao wondered to himself when he'd get to see Kris again. He hoped it would be soon. Tao didn't have many friends at the time; he was still pretty new to the city. He kept in touch with a lot of his friends form before the move, but it wasn't the same as meeting with them in person everyday. At first, he though it'd be hard to make friend with his somewhat scary look. Toa had piercings in both ears, a tendency to wear leather and dark clothes in general, and these annoying under eye-bags. His mother called them his panda bags. Tao chuckled at the memory.
After a couple minutes drive, Tao pulled into the familiar driveway of his apartment complex. Most of the lights in the other rooms were dark by this hour. He took the elevator upstairs and quietly unlocked the door to his apartment. Inside, he smiled a little at the familiarity of the place. His apartment was mostly clean with the floors mostly clear of things. He went into the bedroom to change out of his outdoor clothes into comfy sweats and a baddy old t-shirt. He finger combed his hair a bit before brushing his teeth. Looking in the mirror, he wondered is he really looked scary. Some people looked intimidated when they first laid eyes on him. Did Kris seem nervous when they first met? He couldn't remember. At the time Tao was too nervous trying to be friendly towards the stranger. Suddenly, he remembered that he had to send the pics to from the restaurant to Kris.
Once he was comfortable lying on the couch with the TV playing the latest episode of his favorite cartoon, he sent the pics to Kris. Hopefully Kris wasn't already asleep. Tao would have felt bad for bothering him. It didn't take long for the other party to reply, saying thanks and for Tao to get some rest. Tao laughed, replying thanks I will.
After a couple minutes of lazily watching the TV, Tao switched it off and fell asleep on the couch. He didn't dream, just slept. He hardly ever dreamed the older he got. Too soon, his alarm woke him up the next morning. Groaning, he dragged himself into the bathroom to get ready to go to work. As usual, he had the worst bed hair possible. Sighing, he gave up on trying to comb it into place and opted instead to just shower. The water felt cold and Tao shivered. After taking at least ten minutes to blow dry his hair to perfection, he quickly shuffled together a quick breakfast before throwing his bag into the car and driving off. The early morning sun glared through the car onto Tao's eyes, annoying him. He pulled he divider down from the top of his car and drove on. Maybe he'd see Kris today.
The front door to the flower shop opened with a cheerful jangle as he walked in, leaving the closed sign on the door. The store smelled good with the scent form all the flowers perfuming the space. Tao unlocked the register on his way to the storeroom. In the back, he watered the plants and checked to make sure each type of flower got the necessary amount of sunlight. As he worked, he mumbled the wrap portion from his favorite song. He wondered if plants preferred a certain type of music as they grew. Maybe they liked classical music. Once all the plants were watered, Tao brought the watering can in to the plants that were at the front of the store. He set out the display in front so pedestrians passing by could see the shop. Since it was his first week, Tao decided to offer free miniature potted plants to anyone who walked by. There were shelves outside with tiny flowers in pinks, purples, oranges, and yellows.
Finally, the clock struck 8:00 am and Tao flipped the sign on the door, announcing that his shop was open for business. Business started up slow as usual, but customers started to trickle in around the 8:30-9:00 mark. Tao enjoyed working with his customers. Each person had their own different preference when it came to flowers. Some would ask for a mixed bouquet while others asked for vegetable plants to grow at home in their gardens. Tao tried his best to please each customer, smiling whenever they asked questions and calling out a welcome whenever he heard the doorbell jingle. It made him excited that so many people bought plants from his store.
Around noon, Tao took a short lunch break, pulling out from his bag a sandwich in a baggie and a thermos with tea in it. Luckily noontime was typically slow for business, which gave him a chance to take a much-needed break. Tao wondered if everything went well for Kris with that girl whom he bought those roses for. Tao hoped so. He chewed slowly on his sandwich, thinking to himself that girls probably found Kris to be handsome.
"Can I get some help over here please?" A familiar voice asked.
Tao looked up and grinned at Kris who had a slightly mischievous look on his face.
OMG TAO IS MY BIAS! Sorry I lost self-control for a second XD I have a deep love for Tao and a deep love for Taoris. Please look forward to the next chapter! Comments are the fuel that gets updates to come faster so please comment and subscribe! I'll try my best to update soon! –Mrs. Portgas D. Ace
P.S. If anyone is willing to be my editor please PM me because I'm quite busy and don't have the time to put full and complete effort into providing the cleanest work for you readers so I'm begging for someone to volunteer as my editor please!