A small sigh escaped her (colour) lips as she sat in the garden, hidden behind a large bush of deep scarlet coloured roses, above her the clear navy-coloured night sky shone with little twinkling stars. Even though the night was cool, the flowers were still in full bloom, and in the distance some delayed couples that only then decided to escape the city's garden to return back to the comfort of their own homes; for some reason (f/n) did not feel the urge to return home herself.
It was Valentine's day yet again and she hadn't been in a relationship for quite some time, she didn't even have a single celebrity crush or anything of the sort; for some mysterious reason she was simply out of the romantic game... It wasn't as though she was sick of it or anything, she just didn't feel in the mood for such antics.
She tilted her head backwards in order to gaze at the clear night sky as the sound of the garden's gate closing echoed one last time, signalling the exit of one more couple. This garden was a popular place for lovers, but hidden within the roses like this, she gladly felt that it was next to impossible that her presence could disturb them at all.
Why was she out by herself in such a garden? The question was good and fair, but, to be truly honest, she herself was unaware of the answer. Maybe the sweet scent of roses had led her there so she could dwell on her thoughts one more time, or maybe it was for the feeling nostalgia the place provided her; but in the end, she was there simply to pass time and hope for the day to soon come to an end. As the day would only technically end at midnight, she had two hours still...

"Aren't you a strange little rose?"
The familiar voice immediately caught her attention, which was instantly pulled away from the starry sky as her shocked gaze met a tall, grey-haired boy in a school uniform and a coat (probably due to all the cold that February brought along) and bright hazel eyes that sparkled with amusement. This gentleman would be no other than her close friend, Asahina Iori, whom she had met long ago. It happened, however, that the two hadn't seen each other in the last couple of months...
The exact amount of time that she hadn't been able to feel romantic at all. Such a coincidence…
"Iori! What are you doing here? It's late!" she said, shock and surprise present in both voice and eyes.

He chuckled softly and made his way into the secluded corner of the bushes; a task he had completed with more ease that her due to his longer limbs, he simply needed to step over the bushes, whereas she had to forage through them, resulting in one or two tears in her clothes. At this, she couldn't but puffing out her cheeks as if declaring the unfairness of the fact.
"I just came to see the roses. I'm not sure why, but somehow I'm always disappointed when I don't find any blue ones..." he paused for a moment, gazing over the red roses just beside his head. "But then I remember that they don't ever grow blue, do they?" he smiled softly, turning his attention back to his friend before falling silent.

"No, they don't, silly!" she smiled back, her gaze fixed on the grass under her. From a dull mood to a happy one, in one single fleeting moment. What was happening to her…? No, that wasn't the right question. What was wrong with him; how was he changing her mood...?
"Of course not!" he chuckled. "Now tell me, what are you doing here?" Iori inquired, sitting down beside her with a smile; at which she merely shrugged her shoulders, her gaze returning to the sky above.

"It's Valentine's day, I don't really have anywhere else to go," she giggled casually, though a faint flash of pain crossed her (e/c) orbs; it was true, she didn't have anywhere to go, no one to call hers, just one empty house that had been left behind by her parents...
Her response was greeted by a heavy silence. Curious, she turned her face to see that a rather serious expression had fallen upon her usually smiley friend's features.

"I saw that look, (f/n)..." he quietly stated.

Her gaze moved towards her hands that were firmly tucked in between her legs as she began playing nervously with her hidden fingers.
"Oh, I've got something in my eye. It's nothing worth worrying over!" she attempted to brush off. He seemed to sigh and shake his head, before reaching out and gently one of her hands, causing her to freeze momentarily as she stared at his long fingers in slight shock. Iori wasn't exactly the type of person to simply reach out and touch someone, he was usually a little distant about that kind of thing. Perhaps, he was making an exception?
"No you don't, don't be silly. It's not like I'll laugh at you or anything," he said. She raise her eyes to look up at him, the familiar warm smile had found its way back to his features. For some unknown reason, this one time, his smile caused her heart to skip a beat.

"Funny of you to say that... you tend to laugh at everything I say!" she joked, laughing timidly as she finished saying it. He did laugh at this, though only slightly.

"How about… When it comes to you, I will only laugh with you, not at you!" he suggested, causing the girl to blush lightly.

Now, not only his face and smile, but his eyes, his voice… it all warmed her heart...
This time, she didn't respond, for she realized that he was suddenly holding her hand with, not one, but both of his hands. As she silently observed, he flattened his hand against hers as if to compare the sizes; undoubtingly, her hand was fairly smaller than his. Iori entwined his fingers with hers yours and hazel orbs met (e/c) ones; instantly, her heart melted, and she felt as if her entire body could do just the same: melt. Her assumptions so far had been correct, she was falling for Iori, hard and fast; or maybe she had already fallen before, and was only now realizing it.
Quietly, she cleared her throat, only to find it dry and cold as a result of her increased heart rate.

"You know, (f/n)? You don't blend in well with these roses, you are much prettier than they are!" he chuckled. And as her cheeks adopted a dark tone of red and her eyes widened, he did laugh.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh at me!" she complained apparently mad, but really trying to supress an upcoming smile as she faced away from him.

"Can I make an exception to that promise every now and then? You're just too cute not to laugh at sometimes!" he teased; in response, she stuck out her tongue, causing him to laugh again.

"Alright, Sir Laughs-A-Lot!" she acceded.
Iori laughed, and once again her heart seemed to want to fly out of her chest. Maybe it was simply the very fact that it was him there with her; it was him, who was so amazing, to her... There was a silent pause between the two, when both simply stared into each other's eyes intently, until, finally, he spoke.
"You know, (f/n)… Maybe I could bring you home with me and we could have some hot chocolate?" he suggested sweetly, smiling down at you. Happily, she sighed happily and nodded.
"It would be nice… Not to spend another Valentine's day alone, I mean..." she sighed.
"Well," he gently helped her get back to her feet; however, she gasped slightly out of shock and a blush invaded her cheeks when suddenly she felt his face close to hers and his breath a mere centimetre away from her lips.

"With your permission, I would like to make it so that you never have to spend another Valentine's day alone." he purred.
"Permission granted…" she nodded breathlessly, and so he kissed her.