009 NEW BEGINNINGS

'you will see light one day. and it will be so beautiful, so bright, that it will be worth waiting all of those months in the dark for.'

//

Zelda spent the weekend with her grandad, relish and leisure part of their bond. beloved time was spent with the palms of their hands pressed against the speakers of her music player.

this was her grandads way of feeling music. he may not be able to hear it with his ears but his other senses are strong, he can sense the music through touch as the beats, rhythms and voices bounce through his wrinkled hands.

although the two of them live together, spend most of their time together through their routine that involves having breakfast and dinner together- they never seem to get tired of each other. Zelda loves making family a priority.

the weekend also included Zelda and her grandad arranging the flowers they had in their minor apartment. they take turns to water them. the lovely, growing flowers were gifts given by Jimin and they taped the stems of the decaying flowers into her grandads fresh, tawny scrapbook.

his scrapbook is named Flores In Love and Zelda has yet to ask why he decided to gift it with such an elegant title. she felt incredibly inspired and it urged her to write more on her flower article.

Zelda smiles every time she spots the elderly man scrapbooking with fumbling hands caressing each page, his pen scribbling along lines, because she knows it's his way of remembering his past wife. it was a tradition they shared and flowers keep his memories of her close.

Zelda's Monday starts off with her waking up early- her alarm making her sigh but she forces herself out of bed even though she doesn't start work until the afternoon. she's motivated to find inspiration for her newly given article and finding inspiration is never an easy task indeed.

so her rusty shoes stop at the entrance of Euphoric Hearts and she tilts her head to the side, questioning whether or not she'll be inspired inside. places of solace where she feels content in usually feed her the gift of inspiration she desires. if there's a chance of a warm cup of tea for her to enjoy then she's happy.

Zelda's need to check out the new cafe had disappeared weeks later. the anticipation of visiting a new place had been forgotten but now that she has time, she doesn't know whether or not to step in and explore the unknown place.

she sighs, shouting at herself for wanting to go home and relax before stepping inside- her taps against the floor echoing in the silence of the cafe. it's still early morning and no one is here which is a contrast to the hectic evenings.

Zelda's sapphire eyes wander around the sparse place of the cafe- nodding politely at the worker behind the till. she takes into account the aesthetic of the place- the planks of wood, stylish canvases, plants in pastel pots and a neon light with the name of the well known cafe.

but what catches Zelda's attention the most is the double doors leading to the garden outside. she steps away from the clear tables and chairs inside before rushing to the open patio doors.

she presses her notebook against her chest as she steps outside. the amount of green that surrounds her makes her feel inspired. the flashy trees, the fallen leaves, the flowers buried in soil nurtured in pots as a home, the rocking chairs that allow you to rest your back, the fairy lights that are not switched on and the small lemonade stand. Zelda is surprised by the amount of people outside- she never knew people liked the outside so much.

Zelda finds a chair to the side, in front of a couple braiding each other's hair and being a playful mess. she sits up straight in her seat whilst opening her notebook and she clicks her pen... thinking. 

she stops, awestruck at the fact that a perfect idea appears in her mind but when she puts her pen to paper... the idea dissolves and she slumps into her seat. why is writing so hard? thinking is harder than writing. i need motivation quickly.

maybe i should buy something? Zelda gets inattentive and looks around, losing focus. ah! this article is more important she replies to herself.

Zelda wants to officially pull her hair out and give up on writing after five minutes. it's another unproductive day which bugs her. the struggle to write causes her misery and her pen falls to the grass without her knowing as she feels the knowing frustration.

"hey." a familiar boy picks up Zelda's pen and waves it at her.

"sorry about bumping into you the other day." he mentions with a shy smile and she quickly thanks him, taking the pen out of his hands before realising it's the clumsy boy with the bicycle.

"i'm Namjoon."

Zelda smiles, glad he decided to come up to her. she forgets about her struggle with writing. "i'm Zelda." she introduces herself, not aware that Euphoric Hearts was about to give her all the inspiration she so badly needed.

—

Zelda's morning comes to an end after she spent it with her new friend. long talks and pleasant introductions, she ditched her notebook and had a cup of tea with a boy she now knew.

just as she's about to leave the cafe, she notices the extension that she never saw when entering. it looks like they're building a library with the cafe.

Zelda tries not to get too excited.

Zelda's curious, which is why her feet take her to the tall boy dressed in sweatpants near the empty shelves where he's arranging books in a peaceful silence- one that she's about to break.

"will there be a mini library here?" Zelda's voice surprises the stranger as he turns around abruptly and knocks a book to the carpeted floor.

he hesitates. "uh yeah."

Zelda takes a moment for her eyes to scan the appearance of the boy. murky strands of sloppy hair which lie flatly on top of his head, chocolate eyes that seem dark at first sight, pursued lips, a sharp jawline and a figure so lean and masculine. he seems like a timid and lost man- someone who seems to be unhappy.

and his emotions reflect onto Zelda.

"that's great." she beams, looking at the boxes of books that are yet to be stacked on the shelves. "i love books!" and she realises how nerdy she sounds.

he cracks a small smile which surprises Zelda as she immediately smiles back. "me too." he replies quietly, his nose crinkling as he avoids eye contact.

the man continues to arrange the books, his fingers stroking each cover but Zelda stays glued to the spot- not taking the hint to stop talking to the quiet, deserted boy. "are you the manager?" she asks, catching a glimpse of a book on romance- she knows she'll be coming back for sure.

he nods- turning around, clutching a book in his hand and he looks grateful that someone asked him a question. "so having a cafe and a library together has been a dream of mine." he admits.

he continues which makes Zelda meet his eyes in delighted surprise. "someone told me to pursue it whenever i could and i think it's about time."

how is one cafe bringing her so much inspiration? but the question Zelda should be asking herself is... how are the people of the cafe bringing her sudden inspiration and a craving to come back?

Zelda's lips hold a sweet smile as she listens. "i wish i had that kind of courage." and she starts to think about why she hasn't done the things she's always wanted to do, like travel the world. what's stopping her? "i'm glad you did it." she adds with meaning.

he nods in response to her words.

Zelda turns to leave but the kindness from inside of her wants to make the stranger feel good about his day and put a smile on his face. "this is now my favourite place in town, so thank you." and she leaves with warm hope that he becomes happier, stronger and that whatever he's waiting for comes to him soon.

—

Zelda feels at ease whenever she spends time with Jimin.

his aura radiates relaxation, custody and comfort and Zelda finds herself wanting to spend everyday with him. she's never met someone like him.

the two of them start to walk back to their apartments after Jimin closes up Flores, shoving his keys in his pocket. the cold air of the night joins them as their hands itch to hold each other's.

a serene scene plays out as they walk side by side, shoulders knocking occasionally as they converse. to passing strangers, they look like a pair of lovers not a pair of strangers who have never been in love and are now hoping to experience what it's like.

Jimin keeps his hands in the pockets of his denim jacket, his elbow nudging into Zelda's side as she turns to take in his side profile. short eyelashes occasionally fluttering down to his smooth skin, eyes small but filled with the kind of joy the world doesn't deserve and a hint of exhaustion, perfectly shaped eyebrows and a jawline that Zelda's fingers itch to dance along. their height is similar, her just a bit shorter. his lean figure holds a simple, casual outfit of denim jeans paired with a baggy shirt.

when reaching Zelda's apartment complex which Jimin decided to drop her off to kindly, she notices the collar of his jacket upwards and not folded properly. he makes me feel confident.

Zelda's sudden courage builds up inside of her and she steps forward, bringing her hands to the denim collar. her fingers touch the back of his neck, the ends of his blonde hair tickling against her skin as she fixes the collar with a smile.

she removes her hands straight after noticing the silence between them. when she looks up to the boy- his stare is intense and Zelda can't tell what he's feeling and he glances at her lips.

"i like you."

Zelda's eyes widen when she hears the words leave his lips.

"you, really?"

"oh come on." Jimin chuckles. his shyness is evident as he scratches the back of his head, not looking at her. "it's obvious." and he clears his throat.

Zelda bites the inside of her mouth because she's never had someone like her back. is this the happy side to love that she's never known about? the one everyone forgets about when something terrible or negative occurs.

"wait-" Jimin says urgently. "do you not like me back?" he asks, his eyes now widening. he never even thought of the possibility of rejection.

"what do you think?" Zelda manages to say with a sly smile.

"well i only told you because i thought there was a chance of you liking me back... but it seems like you don't and now this is too awkward, so i'm going to leave-" he rushes with his words and is about to turn around with sadness but slight hope.

Zelda starts to laugh. Jimin's intention of making her amused is fulfilled. "oh come back Jimin." she murmurs and wants to reach out to him.

"i like you too."

"you do?"

"yes. why is that so hard to believe?" Zelda rolls her eyes and looks up at him, blue meeting brown in the moonlight.

Jimin hums, stepping forward- it's as if he knows Zelda feels the same way, he must've known. he holds both her arms with his delicate hands, bringing her closer to him. his dusky eyes hold promises to make her blissful, make her loved and cared for. "i'm happy now." he presses his forehead against Zelda's and his smile is uncontrollable.

and Zelda wants to let Jimin in, she wants to promise him the same love as their lips meet under a starless sky.