***Ok, once again, English isn't my first language, but I try to correct this as much I can. If you find a grammar mistake, let me know it by private message; don't use the review space for it, please. I'll be very grateful with you because I want to improve my writing and my English, so you are the ones who help me c:

Feelings

Lars told her his story: the owner of the flower shop was his grandfather Vincent; he used to help him because he liked flowers and he was interested on gardening. Unfortunately, his grandfather died a few months ago; so Lars had to be on charge, but he had never been good with people, and he was still sad about his loss.

"If he saw me now, he would be very disappointed" Lars said.

"Don't say that, he would be proud of you, I'm sure. Just don't give up"

Somehow, Lars felt he could trust her and since that moment, things got better between them. He was more patient and taught her how to make bouquets. She learnt quickly, those lessons were very enjoyable. It wasn't as hard as she thought at the beginning, she just needed practice.

Certain day, while Mei swept, she could hear Lars reciting a few verses she recognized, and she couldn't help recite the second part of the poem.

"Do you know it?" he asked.

"Yes, I do! I studied literature at college" she said.

He looked at her impressed. Maybe that's why she looked at him inquisitive when he was reading or writing. Now that he thought about it that was the first thing she said about herself. However, it wasn't as if he was interested on knowing about her.

She was nosy, in his opinion, and talkative, she couldn't be quiet for a second, and she made questions for everything. And she wore too much pink. But also the ambiance of the store felt more cheerful, and he kind of enjoyed her presence, when he realized it, he rolled his eyes and grumbled. Mei looked at him for a while and smiled. She was already used to hearing him mumble; probably he was reading that awful part of the book.

When he finished a book, he asked her what she had thought about it. Mei was surprised for his question. And since then, both started talking more and more, first about the books they liked, then about their hobbies, and later about mindless topics. They became into a sort of friends and they worked together in harmony.

Definitely, Lars wasn't as bad as he seemed to be, he was still grumpy, but maybe some things would never change. Mei thought he was smart and hardworking, also, he was awkward, but she liked him. Lars considered Mei was funny and easygoing, the way she interpreted some poems was interesting to him. And also, he let her read his writing to know her opinion.

"Here" he said, one day after work.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked, looking at the present.

"I thought maybe this could help you" he said.

It was a book about flowers, the different types, their meaning and how to take care of them. Mei looked at it very impressed and excited because it was a fascinating book. Lars seemed a little bit embarrassed and she tried to not giggle. Mei never imagined that he could give her such a marvelous present.

"Thank you" she said, smiling.

Two days later, Yao visited her at work; she was surprised to see him there. He explained her that Lien told him where she was. However, he said he was busy and just stayed there for some minutes and asked her to take care. She was relieved that he didn't tell her some awful news or criticized her job. To the contrary, he seemed happy to see her working.

She thought about her family, her parents called her quite often and her grandmother always sent her greetings. However since the first day she was there, Feliciano never called her, she thought he would be busy at work, and somehow she felt bad for not caring too much about it. She wondered what kind of marriage they would have.

Things at home were calm, sometimes Mei and Ling had tea with Lien, and other times they went out to walk and know the city. Both decided to learn to cook, and also how to use the washing machine, because once their sheets and other white garments turned pink thanks to Ling's red cap. They never imagined that living alone would be so difficult; they realized they were living in a bubble all this time.

One Friday afternoon, when Lars and Mei were checking the book he gave her, three men and a woman got into the store. They seemed happy to see him. Mei thought they were his friends.

"Hey, Lars, do you want to go with us to drink something?" the tallest one said.

"We are about to close, anyways" Lars said hesitantly.

"Hey, do you want to accompany us?" his friends asked her.

Mei just smiled, not knowing what to say.

"Oh excuse us for our manners, I'm Matthew, this pretty lady is my girlfriend Katya. This is Mathias and his boyfriend Lukas. We are Lars' friends" a man with glasses said.

"Nice to meet you, I am Mei, I work for Lars" she said shyly.

"Great! Then are you coming with us?" Mathias asked her. "Katya will have more fun if there is another girl with us"

Katya smiled at her, maybe she was glad to see another girl in their group. Mei didn't want to be a bother, and they were his friends not hers, so she thought about an excuse to reject their invitation. But she was anxious to know people and have friends.

"You can come with us if you want, maybe we can show you some places" Lars said suddenly while he looked down, pretending indifference, but waiting for her answer.

"Alright, I'd like to go" she said happily.

Lars gave a hint of a smile. The other seemed glad. Mei followed Lukas and Katya. Then she noticed that Lars was talking with the other men and they laughed while he blushed and crossed his arms.

Mei told her cousin that she'd hang out with some friends, Ling seemed surprised, and then she said laughing:

"Have fun with your grumpy boss"

Mei rolled her eyes and said goodbye.

That night was one of the most amusing of Mei's life. Lars' friends were kind and treated her as if she was part of the group. They went to some places to drink and everyone had to sing at the karaoke. When it was Lars' turn, he didn't want to do it; he didn't care if he had to pay for everything. Mei told him she'd sing with him, and that convinced him.

Lars sang hesitantly, but Mei's voice was pretty sweet so no one payed him attention. He felt relieved because he thought that was embarrassing, but at least he didn't have to pay their drinks. He secretly enjoyed that night, because it was different and special.

Then, the two couples said goodbye, and they asked her to hang out again. Mei saw that Matthew and Mathias gave Lars a sign, also Lukas smiled and Katya giggled, and Lars blushed again. He ignored them and said goodbye. Lars accompanied her to her apartment. It was very late, and he wanted her to be safe.

"I had fun today, thank you for invite me" Mei said.

"Me too" he said quietly.

They remained silent for a moment. They looked at each other in the eyes; she liked his green eyes, so captivating in spite of his annoyed gaze. He approached, but then, she opened the door. He seemed to wake up.

"It's late, I had to go home" he said.

"Alright, thank you again, good night" she told him.

"Good night"

When Mei got in bed, she felt confused, she perfectly knew what was about to happen, but she couldn't permit it. She was engaged, her fiancé was waiting for her, and he hadn't called her yet, by the way. She hugged her pillow; she still felt the butterflies in her stomach and remembered those eyes.

She was getting worried, what if she was falling in love with Lars? She dreamt of him and her together as a couple. She woke up ruffled, what kind of cheesy dream she just had. At least that was her day off, but the rest of the day, she was lost in thought, thinking about him.

Other thing that worried Mei was the obvious crush Emma's younger brother had on Ling, and she was certain that Ling felt the same. Mei didn't want to sound like Yao, but what if Ling fell in love with that guy and he found out their secret? She tried to not meddle; Ling was an adult who knew what she was doing.

"I have a date" Ling told her when they were having breakfast.

"Who's your date? No, wait, I know who he is" Mei said serious.

"Don't get mad. He asked me out and I really like him. Tell me, there is something wrong with it?" her cousin replied.

"No, I didn't say anything" Mei said annoyed.

"Don't worry, it's just a date. Besides, I am single" she said, emphasizing the last part.

Mei didn't know what to say, she just remained silent.

"I didn't mean… well, I am sorry" Ling said.

Mei didn't say anything. She felt really guilty. Of course her cousin could go out with whoever she wanted. When Mei was alone, she took the phone, she needed to talk with Feliciano, at least to know how he was, but he never answered.

Things at work were strange, she avoided being close to Lars. His behavior towards her was different; he seemed shy and even happier. She needed to let him know they could be just friends. But when she was about to tell him the truth, something happened: a customer, the phone, or just his smile that made her forget everything.

Mei was so concerned that she forgot her own birthday. That day, they closed early, he asked her to accompany him to his apartment because he wasn't feeling well. She did it. It wasn't so far away from there. When he opened the door, the lights turned on and his friends, Ling and Emma said 'Happy birthday!'.

She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Ling told Emma and she told me" he said simply.

"Thank you" she said touched.

She wasn't expecting that, and less since the dramatic call of her mother. She received some presents and the cake was delicious. She met more people there, like Antonio, Emma's boyfriend.

Later, when the guests were more interested on their conversations, he asked her to follow him to the roof. There, they admired the night and the city lights, the air was cold and he gave her his jacket. They sat next to each other.

"This is my favorite place, I come here to think and write" he told her.

"It's a calm place, I like it. Thank you for bringing me here and for the party" she said softly.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it"

It seemed as if he wanted to tell her something else, but he couldn't. He got closer. They looked at each other in the eyes and then without thinking, they kissed. She felt that she could melt, that was the sweetest kiss she had ever received.

That kiss was so different to Feliciano's, they had kissed once, but she never felt anything. With Lars, to the contrary, she felt as if she was flying, she truly enjoyed it. She couldn't feel the cold anymore. Then, he interrupted the kiss.

"Mei…" he said disturbed.

But she kissed him again and again. She didn't want that kiss finished; she ignored what her conscience told her, forgetting her engagement. They smiled after some more kisses. Then, she put her head on his shoulder and they stayed there, forgetting the rest of the world. When they woke up, the sun was rising. He asked her to go to sleep and he'd do the same.

He accompanied her to her apartment and they said goodbye with another kiss. She felt excited, living a dream and not wanting to wake up. She found Ling sleeping on the couch, and then she woke up when she heard her.

"Where were you?" Ling asked her.

"I was with Lars" Mei said.

"Don't tell me you spent the night with him?" her cousin asked shocked.

"No! Well, yes, I did, but not in the way you are thinking. We were just talking"

Ling raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Ling, don't jump into conclusions too fast…" Mei sighed and sat next to her.

"What about Feliciano? In the first place, I know you don't love him, that's for sure. And Lars? Are you in love with him? I mean he is such a grump, but he is kinda hot too" Ling joked.

Mei smiled. She didn't know what to do. Maybe, she had made the worst decision of her life, she could to resign herself and become the wife of a rich man and somehow being satisfied because that was her destiny. But no, she had to have that ridiculous dream and get out of her bubble and for the first time, live her life as she wanted.

The situation at work wasn't easy when she found him waiting for her with a bouquet of tulips. She breathed deeply; it was now or never, if she didn't tell him the truth, she could break his heart.

"Lars, we need to talk" she asked him softly.

"Sure" he said.

Then, an elegant man got in the store, it was Feliciano. He approached to her and hugged her. Lars was confused, waiting for an explanation. Mei pushed Feliciano aside. Then, he looked at Lars and shook his hand.

"You should be Mei's boss" he told him.

"Yeah, I am, who are you?"

"I'm Feliciano Vargas, her fiancé. I'm here for her" he said, smiling.

Lars glared at Mei, he seemed angry. She tried to explain him, to tell him everything. The ambiance felt tense.

"Did I say something wrong?" Feliciano asked nervous "I'm going to wait for you outside" he said.

Mei wanted to cry, to hug Lars and tell him how much she loved him, that it was a complex situation, a mere misunderstanding. She couldn't find the right words; she spoke quickly about her life, her real name, why she was there. Then, Lars complaint angrily:

"You lie to me! Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"Don't say that! I tried, I swear I tried to tell you" she replied.

"But you didn't. I don't know who you are anymore; I can't believe you used me! You were making fun of me all this time" he said, feeling betrayed.

"Lars, listen to me. I was being honest all the time, the only lie I told you was my surname"

"I don't need your excuses. Maybe you should leave right now. I don't want to see you ever again" he said.

Mei felt a lump in her throat. She just opened the door and left.