《 kisses and flowers 》

Flora watched the navy polo shirt ride up Sean's torso. At first there was only a thin strip of tanned skin, but gradually the tan took over the navy as he pulled it off. It was only a few seconds, but she granted him the slow motion moment he deserved and played the whole thing in her mind oh-so-slowly.

Thank God for the beach. Thank God for summer. It was so good to be alive.

The four of them had relocated back to the beach where a tanning session was just starting. The ever-so-lovely J and J sat a few feet away, while Sean had taken the space beside her without hesitation. He sank down on the sand gracefully, setting his belongings right next to hers as if they were on a date.

Flora was almost hyperventilating. Luckily, years of strict dating training was embedded in her brain, and in a crisis like this her professional side took over. No need to freak out over a little bit of exposed college boy skin. She quickly checked that her legs were properly shaved.

They were. Her toenails were also nicely clipped. She wished she had put on her shimmer body balm, though. It gave her that I-just-came-back-from-the-Hamptons glow.

Sean tilted his face back, like he was enjoying the sun on his face. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. That relaxed, contented look was strangely endearing.

Flora slipped on her sunglasses. It made gawking easier.

She had always appreciated how he looked underneath his clothes, but he was on an entirely different level now. This buffer, broader, bronzed college version of him was ready for a Men's Health photo shoot. There were too many attractions she almost didn't know where her gaze should travel to first.

Hiding behind her shades, she allowed her eyes to run down the contours of his muscles, hungrily scanning him and recording the data, like going through her groceries with a handheld scanner.

Firm pecs, got it (these looked stone hard). Round biceps, yup. Sculpted shoulders, V-line abs, slim waist—check, check, and check. His flat stomach was accentuated by a dusting of fine hair, which ran from his navel until it sensually disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts.

Flora was already very much into him with all of his clothing intact, but she wasn't going to deny this upgraded layout. She liked how he looked. Very much.

She ordered herself to come up with something witty, impressive, or at least cute to say, but after a few swallows, all her stupid mouth could blurt out was,

"Have you been working out much?"

What? She sounded like the cougar in one of the bad dramas she watched, who was always hitting on the young pool guy hired for the summer. Next she'd be offering him lemonade and inviting him to come inside, pun intended.

Sean opened his long-lashed eyes. "Yeah, I still go to the gym. I play basketball sometimes, too, but I'm not on the varsity team anymore." His tone was innocent, as if he didn't get what she was implying—you're freaking sexy—and they were only discussing their exercise routines. He smiled at her, a little playfully, and said, "Intramural basketball doesn't sound hot, does it?"

It does when it comes from your mouth.

He mentioned that he didn't have too much time for sports anymore and his main focus was on academics. Following the direction of this topic, she asked him what classes he was taking.

Dear God. Now she sounded like his mom. Next she should ask him if he drank enough water and ate his vegetables like a good boy.

As Sean started to count off the subjects, Microstructural Evolution in Materials and Mathematical Methods, for starters, Jake interrupted with a sigh.

He turned around. "This is painful to listen to. Flora, nobody cares what classes he's taking." He picked up the sunscreen at his feet and chucked it towards her direction. "Stop with the small talk and lather him up."

That was the most blatant, tactless matchmaking she'd ever had the pleasure of participating in. Reminded her of how her friends in elementary school would push her from behind so that she'd crash into her crush. Even though she was thankful for the enormous shades that hid half of her face, it wasn't nearly dark enough to cover up everything else, things like desire and embarrassment.

Sean took the bottle from the sand and held it out to her. He smiled, and the sun reflected off his eyes, in such a way that the blue glittered with gold flecks. His eyes were an ocean with a thousand golden sails. "If you don't mind," he said. He was completely serene, thus making it hard to tell whether he was being flirty.

Her heart thumped. She took the bottle from his hand.

"My sunscreen is very weak," Jake called out. "I think reapplying every twenty minutes is in order."

Sean chuckled like he was humoring him. He shifted on the beach blanket so that he had his back to her.

Flora shook the bottle and squeezed. The lotion squirt out with a loud farting noise.

Thank you. That's enough damage for today. Well done.

She was torn between wanting to explain that she didn't make that sound and wondering if explaining made it worse. Kneeling behind him, she rubbed the lotion slowly over his shoulder blades.

His warm skin beneath her palms stirred up emotions she was already aware of, only now they were made more obvious. Part of her wished she could hurry up and finish the job, but part of her wanted to keep her hands on him forever.

He looked nice, smelled nice, and felt even nicer. She remembered how she used to massage his shoulders and he was always grateful, telling her how good it felt. After brushing away a patch of sand on his body, she smoothed over the muscles that lined up alongside his spine and reached the small of his back, where she could see the back dimples that she was crazy for. His shorts were hung low.

Off in a short distance, she could hear Jake inviting Jessica to swim and Jessica saying she hated swimming and Jake saying they needed to disappear and Jessica complaining that he was too obvious about giving privacy.

"Excuse my lack of skill," Jake said, his voice fading into the sea breeze, "but do you think I go around fixing people up all day?"

"Yeah, yeah...you're a matchmaking virgin..." Jessica said. Within minutes, they were off and had reached the water's edge.

Now alone, Flora was even more conscious of Sean's presence. He was sending over heat waves relentlessly like a radioactive element. He turned his head and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Flora. Want me to return the favor?"

Her sunscreen would stay on for at least two more hours, but it didn't hurt to be prepared and doubly protected, right? UV rays could be extremely harmful.

His fingers brushed at her hair and he gently pushed it aside. She could feel him working the lotion into the nape of her neck. How ironic this was, because sunscreen was supposed to prevent people from getting burnt, but everywhere he touched was like dripping liquid fire.

Sean's palms traveled to her shoulders. "I didn't know Jake planned this," he said. "Sorry about that. Hope you're not uncomfortable."

She did feel slightly uncomfortable, but it was in the best way possible. "I'm not sorry he planned this."

His hands paused for the briefest second. If it were anyone else, they might not have noticed, but Flora was familiar with every little hesitation and mood shift that Sean expressed. He picked up speed again, working over her entire back, his fingers slipping under her shoulder straps momentarily. When he finished polishing that fine sheen of lotion on her, he moved back to his spot beside her and turned to say,

"Well, this is our best double date yet, don't you think?"

It was such a simple sentence, but there was so much to read into. There were nostalgia, memories, hope, and the implication that he regarded this as something more than a friendly get together. He said our. And date. Also there was yet.

Flora decided to be bold. "I hope the best is yet to come."

Sean's head was lowered as he tried to keep the sun from shining in his eyes, but she could see the curl of his mouth. It took a moment for her to notice that the smile had vanished and he was staring intently at her bare stomach.

She knew he liked her in a bikini, but it wasn't like him to be so obvious. MIT must have been a cold, hard place where people wore Northface coats all the time.

"Flora, did you have surgery?"

Crap. She had completely forgotten about it. She had a laparoscopic appendectomy, a great doctor and three very discreet wounds; one was hidden in her navel, one was buried somewhere down her bikini bottom and Sean wouldn't be able to see yet (unless things went especially well later on), and one on the side of her abdomen, which was also the one he was frowning at right this instance. It was very small and she was surprised it didn't escape him.

"I had my appendix taken out."

"When?"

"Back in March."

He was silent as he digested this information. His lashes fluttered. "March. There was a day in March...I called you repeatedly that day but you never picked up. You told me you fell asleep. You said you were okay."

She nodded, too guilty to meet his eyes. "Yeah. I didn't pick up because I was in surgery."

"You had surgery and you didn't even tell me?"

"Sean." She was a little nervous now, because he seemed seriously upset. "Look, it's not exactly exciting news. It's not like I gave birth to a set of twins or something."

He faced her squarely. "You promised you'd never lie to me."

"That's like...a white lie? Besides, it's not exactly a lie. I did fall asleep because I was under anesthesia. And the surgery went well so I really was okay."

"What?" He blinked. "Your ability to twist words is astounding. I don't know how to argue with you."

"Then don't argue with me. The patient is always right."

"I...Jesus, Flora. I can't believe you kept that from me. Didn't you want me to be there?" There was a hurt little boy in his eyes, like his parents stole all his Halloween candies.

As usual, Flora's heart tightened at that look, and as usual, Flora wanted to joke her way out if it. "I couldn't wash my hair and I looked disgusting. Besides, if you were there, looking so hot and everything, my blood pressure would've been dangerously elevated and my doctor might've come up with the wrong diagnosis."

He looked at her in a moment of silence, probably wondering if he should be flattered that he was hot enough to be considered a health hazard, or be offended that she wasn't taking his accusation seriously. Finally he sighed, and he squared his shoulders and reclined slightly backward. "You wanted me to be there," he said. "You were just afraid I wouldn't go."

The way he stated it, so matter of fact, left no room for denial. They knew each other too well not to read everything between the lines. She couldn't face rejection when it came from him, so she'd rather not give him the option of disappointing her.

"I knew you were busy with exams and stuff," she said. "And you were many hours away."

"You didn't even give me the chance to prove that I could be there for you too."

"I didn't want you to feel bad in case you couldn't come. Are you mad at me?"

He frowned. "No, of course not. I'm just upset with the situation."

For a while all she could hear were the waves. Sean seemed lost in thoughts, and she was jittery with the way things were going, like a lot of swept-under emotions were about to be pushed to the surface. The beachfront was peaceful, saved for a few seagulls that were pecking at the sand, but the air was condensed with unspoken words. He stared at the ocean, and when his gaze flicked back to her face, he was a cascade of rained-down sentences.

"I know you were unhappy with the way things were. I always make you wait when you want to tell me something, and when I finally call you back, I know the moment has passed. We keep rescheduling when we want to visit each other. I'm never there to share your food and our flirty messages don't lead up to anything. I'm so busy all the time. I can't give you a hug when you need it. I can't help it because this is just something that comes with not being physically together, but trust me when I say I'm not happy with it either. I'm mad at the distance between us, Flora."

She couldn't answer at once, shocked with his sudden outburst. His sincerity was so clear it was almost possible for her to reach out and grasp it.

"If it's any consolation, I would've gone, definitely," Sean said. "I may not have gotten there in time, but at least I could've been there when you woke up."

She swallowed. "If it's any consolation, I wanted to wake up to you too."

And then their eyes met, and at that moment the distance melted away like the bubbles the ocean brought in with every calming wave. Sean gazed at her, and it was like he forgot to think about the lines and boundaries for a second. He held so much affection in his eyes and he didn't try to hide it.

It didn't last too long, though. He raised his eyebrows. "You want to wake up to me? Even though I'm so hot I'd probably make your wounds erupt or something?"

"It'd be worth it. I promise I'll call you the next time I get an appendectomy."

"Very funny."

His eyes traveled to her stomach again. He reached out his hand, lifting his eyes to ask for her permission, before he lightly grazed against the scar with his fingertip. His touch was gentle, but it initiated a small ripple right away.

"Did it hurt?"

"Before the surgery, yes, but I recovered really fast."

"Too bad I weren't there to get you Einstein balloons."

She stared straight at his face, challenging him. "Einstein isn't my dream man."

Sean held her gaze, smiling a little before he broke eye contact first. "So, um...I heard through Jess that you weren't seeing anyone now."

"That's correct." Thank you Jessica, you passed on all the crucial information.

The waves were still crashing against the sand a small distance away, bringing in and taking away nothing, but Flora could feel something light and flirty building up between them, sturdier than a sandcastle. Like a seashell resonating with tales of the ocean, she could feel her body buzzing with giddy energy. The air smelled as salty as before, but now it was tinged with a new flavor.

It was possibility.

She tilted her face up and smiled at Sean behind her sunglasses. "How do you feel about this information?"

"That's the best news I've heard of in a while. And I thought I couldn't be happier when I passed my finals."

"You like that I'm single and miserable, huh?"

"I like that very much. The more miserable the better."

Flora laughed, liking that Sean didn't choose to go down the I-have-no-right-to-interfere-with-your-social-life route. "How about you?" she asked. "Met anyone special at all for the past two years?"

"Actually, there is." He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his thighs. "I met someone who changed my life."

"Should I be threatened?"

"His name is Fred. He's my best friend in college."

She asked to hear everything about him, so Sean started telling her that Fred was a year above him and felt like an older brother. They met when Sean was invited to pledge for the fraternity he belonged to. Greek life was a common thing at MIT where over half of the guys were involved, but he said it was rather toned down and laid-back, and all he had to do during the recruitment were things like taking part in philanthropy events on campus and sober monitoring for parties.

"So I was brought into a room," Sean said. "It was very, very dark. There was a creepy movie projected on the wall and some disturbing sound of metal scraping against metal and muffled screams in the background. There was a line of dark red drinks on the table. One of the senior guys asked us to pick one and drink it. It looked like blood."

"That sounds like some cult ceremony."

"Yeah, all the members were solemn, and for a moment it felt ominous but then Fred coughed and said, you don't have to drink it if you really don't want to. Then someone else said, it's tomato puree so if you could, like, just go through with it? I almost laughed. Right then I decided that it was the type of fraternity I wanted to join. They tried to be scary but they just couldn't. I never felt like I needed to prove anything with them."

Flora listened with a grin that seemed to have permanently resided on her lips. This was wonderful, sitting so close to him, with the balmy breeze ruffling through her hair and Sean's voice circling the afternoon. The sun washed down his toned body, highlighting the sand on his muscular legs. He was a movie she wished could play on forever.

"Fred's parents were Nigerian immigrants. They came here with nothing but they made a name for themselves with their real estate business in Manhattan."

"I see you enjoy hanging out with rich people," Flora teased. She liked how he didn't care for the lux life but he wasn't one to judge or be intimidated by it, either.

"Almost exclusively. I don't talk to people unless they have a trust fund."

She smiled. "So how did he change your life?"

"I have a favorite coffee shop off campus. Their yirgacheffe is out of this world but sadly their app was in major need of a revamp. I made one for them and entered it for a programming contest...just some basic functions, nothing groundbreaking, but it's easy to navigate and I won. It helped their business a little bit too. Next I designed a software system to facilitate the way we hand in our term papers, share notes, and keep track of citations. Fred thinks I have a talent for this."

"You're a genius."

"Far from it, but you know how I've always wanted to be an engineer? He talked me out of it. He thinks I could've gone to any engineering school and end up making roughly the same amount of money, but I chose MIT and I should make use of the resources we have here. We really do have a great environment and social connections. We get to meet all those legendary alumni, company founders and executives."

"You can be an entrepreneur. I heard that Boston has a lot to offer in terms of start-up opportunities."

He nodded. "I never thought of that before, Flora. I just wanted to secure a stable job with a decent salary, but it's like...have you seen Matrix?"

"Yes, I watched it after you told me it's one of your favorite movies."

"Remember when Neo was offered the blue pill and he could wake up in his bed and everything would be forgotten, or he could take a chance and swallow the red pill, and he got to stay in Wonderland and see how deep the rabbit-hole went? Fred made me take the red pill."

"Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path." Flora beamed. "I'm proud of you. You're going down the rabbit-hole now."

"We're bootstrapping our own mobile app design company. We got the fund from his family. I switched my major from Mechanical Engineering to EECS...Electrical Engineering and Computer Science...a few months ago."

"Are you going to come up with the next big thing like Google Maps or YouTube and takeover the world? I'll download your app right away. I'll ask everyone I know to download it, too."

"We're a B2B company, so we do commercial transaction with other businesses, instead of directly selling to consumers like yourself. B2C...business-to-consumer marketing is expensive and challenging for a first-time entrepreneur. I don't think I have the creativity to come up with a revolutionary idea, but I can focus on selling my service to other companies."

"Wow. You must've spent a lot of time thinking about this. I bet you're even busier than before."

He nodded. "Unfortunately yes."

"What's your daily schedule like?"

"I get up at seven everyday, go jogging, practice German, read tech news and several business-related blogs, drink coffee, then I bike across the campus to get to my morning classes, grab lunch, go to more classes or the lab, eat dinner with friends, go to the gym or play basketball, do my homework and study until I fall asleep, wake up at three am to reply to dirty texts my ex sent me. Wash, rinse, repeat."

Flora chuckled in embarrassment. She knew Sean had a hectic life, but she never stopped to consider just how little time he had. Considering how he was always patient with her on the phone and was prompt with texting her back, he really was doing his best.

"Your ex doesn't harass you that often," she mumbled.

"Yeah, but sometimes she sends me half-naked selfies and my bedtime is pushed back for another ten minutes, at least. She has no idea what those pictures do to a guy."

"Okay, I'm mortified. Stop teasing me."

"I'm not trying to embarrass you," Sean said very seriously. "I love it when you text me, even when they came at an ungodly hour. I read your texts like I'm going to be quizzed on them later."

She felt her face growing hotter with every minute. She believed him, however, and she was happy that he enjoyed her texts as much as she enjoyed his. "So...with a schedule like yours, do you have time to date and stuff?"

"Stuff?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"You know what I mean."

"I don't have time to manage anything serious now. I can't even manage anything casual. But to be very honest, Flora, I party a lot more now on weekends...I don't know if it comes with being in a fraternity or if it's just something everyone does in college...but you know what happens at frat parties."

Flora would be naive if she thought Sean had sworn off girls completely. He was too good-looking and too single to be left alone, and she wasn't completely unaware of the hookup culture on college campuses. It still set off a small warning bell inside her head, however, that maybe one day one of the quick fun he had would continue on after the party had ended.

"That's understandable," she made herself say.

"It always ends with the party. I can't carry on anything not just because of lack of time, but also because of sentimental reasons." His gaze swept over her face and lingered over her lips. "I've made it clear about my status. I'm single but I'm unavailable."

Not knowing how to reply, she could only stare back at his lips stupidly.

Sean moved his head, and his eyes traveled to somewhere behind her. "They're coming back," he said.

Flora turned and saw Jake and Jessica strolling back towards them, hand in hand, both looking a shade darker already.

"So, are we making progress here?" Jake asked the moment he came back.

"Jake, you're like a kid who keeps opening the oven to check if the turkey's ready," Jessica complained. "Don't you know you'll only delay it? Leave the turkey alone!"

Flora groaned. "Jess, you're not making it any better."

"So are we making progress or not?" Jake asked.

"We're doing great," Sean said. He tossed a small smile at Flora.

Jake grinned. "We'll get going, then. We're having dinner with her family," he said, putting an arm around Jessica's waist. "Her dad can't wait to see me. He watches all my games on TV."

Jessica rolled her eyes. She picked up her bag before turning to Flora with a sly smile. "We'll let the turkey roast by itself. Text me later, yeah?"

When they were far gone, Sean still didn't make any move to leave. He lay back on the beach towel and chatted with her until the sky turned from heavenly blue to an opaque blue, tinted with streaks of orange and purple. She wanted to stay out and pushed dinner back for as long as it was socially acceptable.

Sean sat up and stretched his arms. He put on his shirt, and Flora knew it was a signal that he wanted to call it a day.

"It's getting late," he said. He stood up first and pulled her to her feet.

"Yeah. We should probably—"

"Want to have dinner together?"

She smiled. From that moment on, they no longer needed an external push. She knew she would be seeing him for the rest of his time back home.

The turkey was cooked perfectly, it seemed.

∞

In the days that followed, Sean and Flora shared a strip of the beach every afternoon as they lay together. He only had around two hours each day, during which they would talk, flirt, swim, and talk some more. There were also times when they didn't say anything at all. Occasionally, their fingertips would brush against each other, neither of them acknowledging that it happened way more frequently than chance would allow.

"I want to take a nap," Sean said one day. He covered his face with one raised forearm as he slept.

Flora was reading a novel, but now she set it down on her knees. She peered at his body through the side of her sunglasses, not wanting to get caught even though his eyes were closed. She liked it when he talked to her, but oddly she liked it even more that he felt comfortable not talking. It was adorable how he seemed so relaxed next to her.

Their time as a couple wasn't long, but this was the boy that had occupied her mind for many years already.

She first laid eyes on him when he was fourteen and was instantly attracted to his gracefully aloof aura. Their lips touched for the first time when he was sixteen. At seventeen, he stayed the night at her parents' beach house and let her become his first. At eighteen, they broke each other's hearts.

Now he was twenty, lying next to her in all his college boy glory with a golden tan, but when Flora ran her eyes over him, it was more out of love than lust. She wanted to imprint all the details on her brain.

His sculpted lips and the hollow between his clavicles. The veins on his arms and the hair on his legs. His jawline. His concave belly button. The gentle rise and fall of his chest. He went for a swim earlier and the seawater was just drying on him, a few drops glistening on his stomach. His dark hair was all over the place.

The waves rolled in and out, smoothing over the sand in a monotonous manner. She wanted to pin him down on the sand and kiss him senseless.

When Sean woke up again, the sun was beginning to set.

"Sorry, Flora. I didn't know I'd sleep for so long." He sat up and pushed his hands through his hair. "Are you bored?"

"Not at all."

"Do you want to take a walk?" He nodded at the beachfront, where the sun was just touching the sea surface, like a scoop of orange sorbet melting into a glass of soda. There was a sky full of just-baked clouds, puffy like pastries with a caramelized crust.

Her feet sank into the wet sand. Sean strolled alongside her, creating another set of footprints right next to hers. He squinted whenever he raised his head.

"Why don't you wear sunglasses?" she asked.

"I don't want there to be uneven color on my face."

"Shallow, aren't we?"

"I'm profoundly shallow." He grinned at her. "Besides, you like my eyes."

"Well, they are very pretty." She smiled up at him, drinking in the pools of blue that she never got tired of looking at. "Hey, I have an idea for your app development business.

He turned his face, his silhouette outlined by the remaining light, making him look brooding yet dangerously sexy. "Tell me."

"Okay, I don't know if this has been done before, but you can collaborate with some of those big online fashion stores, like ASOS or Shopbop, and make a customized app for the users. They can upload their photo and body measurements, and with these data they get a mannequin, like their own avatar that looks like them. Now, most of the online stores show skinny models looking fab in everything they wear, but with your app, they can click and drag the items they're interested in and see how it looks on them."

Sean stopped walking. "Like in video games you can choose your own character and you can add all those armors and weapons."

"Yes, except now we're talking about fashion items. Those are usually categorized and like, if you're looking at a pair of shoes, they only show you close-up pictures of the shoes. You can save the item and add it to your cart but that's pretty much it. However, with your app, users get to see how everything looks together, as an outfit, which is obviously the way it should be because with fashion, you have to look at the whole picture."

Sean didn't reply right away. Just when Flora was beginning to worry that she sounded stupid, he said, "Maybe after the user has established their shopping habits, certain new items can be suggested to them, especially if they rated their previous purchase. It's like a best friend saying, 'hey this might look good on you'. They can also compare similar items and choose one with the best value."

"Yes!" Flora nodded. "Maybe just when our new user @seanthehunk is about to put an Ermenegildo Zegna suit into his cart, a warning message will pop out and say, 'Check out this similar item from Banana Republic! It's 90% cheaper and you look equally hot in both of them anyway'."

He laughed. "I can't decide if that's a compliment on my physical beauty or a dig at my financial status."

"You know it's a compliment." She joined his laugh. "So basically this is still B2B, but it's got a bit of B2C element to it, too. Right?"

A veil of tenderness landed delicately across his features. She almost thought he was going to kiss her. His eyes softened, and he gazed at her for a while before speaking again. "Thank you, Flora. You have the best ideas. I mean it," he said, his voice falling sweetly on her eardrums, like an embrace. "And I can't believe you actually care enough to try to help my nonexistent business."

She didn't tell him all the research she did on startup companies and how much she wanted him to make it. If she could make an anonymous donation, she would, but since he'd never accept financial help from her, the least she could do was to offer him some inspiration.

"I know nothing about your business and it's just an idea," she said. "I don't know if it's doable."

"Executing out an idea isn't hard for me. Finding one is the hard part. Flora, I love...I love your brain."

"You love my brain? I love yours, Sean. Anyone can come up with crazy ideas, you know, flying cars and time machines, but it takes someone like you to make it come true."

Before she could register what was happening, he took a step towards her and pull her in for an impulsive hug. It only lasted for a very brief second, more like a squeeze, but it was enough for her to breath in the deodorant and sunscreen on his body. His hug was warm and solid. "Thanks. You're...we're a great team, right?"

"The best."

They stood in the sand for a while, both gazing foolishly at each other. He was so near and too cute, it was pure agony that they couldn't take one step closer.

"I'm going to London next week," Flora blurted out. "Come with me."

"You're going to London?"

"To visit my grandparents. Have you ever been there? We can sight-see together and I'll show you all my favorite places...you know what?" She stood up straighter, a delicious spark shooting through her all of a sudden. "Paris is only two hours away."

"Paris." Sean sighed, like the very word pained him.

"We can go to Paris together."

"I can't. I want to, but I'm going to intern at Microsoft starting next week too."

Sean always had a plan. It wasn't like him to just come up with a spontaneous scheme to start a company; he entered a contest, he switched majors, he got up at seven in the morning everyday, and of course he'd spend his time doing internship at a multinational technology company instead of chewing on baguettes in Paris.

"How long is the internship?"

"I'll be there for the rest of the summer." He scratched the back of his neck. "How about Christmas?"

She shook her head. "I can't—"

"Spring break? I think we should do this. I want to travel with you again."

It was so unlike him to be this enthusiastic. Flora could feel how much he wanted it, and his eagerness made her simultaneously overjoyed and dismayed, especially when she had to tell him about the email that came in the day before.

"Me too, but I applied for a student exchange program earlier. I didn't get it, but someone dropped out at the last minute so I can go again." She realized that her voice had gotten quiet, as if it would soften the blow. "Starting the next semester, I'll be in Tokyo. For the whole junior year."

∞

"I can't meet you today," Sean's velvety voice came through the phone. "I have to see my granddad."

"That's okay. Does he like company?"

He chuckled softly. It was very pleasant to Flora's expectant ears. He was at the age where he was starting to sound deeper and more resonant, like a man, yet he still carried that boyish charm in his voice. "You're welcomed to come with me if you want. My grandma is going to her cooking class so it's just me and him."

"I'd love to! I want to meet the man you admire most. What do you do when you visit him?"

"We play chess and then we go fishing."

"Fishing? Fishing is just sitting there getting old. So is chess," she joked.

"You mean sunbathing isn't?"

She smiled to herself. She didn't really mind doing whatever it was that Sean usually did, and when they arrived, she asked to learn how to play chess.

"Sean can teach you while I get ready," his granddad said. He was a physics professor before he retired and Flora thought he looked like Alan Arkin. He had a great laugh and the kind of face that seemed to suggest that he'd laugh at all your jokes, no matter how lame they were. "Do you know he's really good at it?"

"No, but I'm not surprised."

"He's the master of all things nerdy, right?"

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Sean said. He pulled out a chair for Flora before he sat down across from her. His grandad went out back to gather his fishing gear.

"I don't know the first thing about chess," Flora said. "Are check and checkmate the same thing? I hear people call out these things in movies all the time."

He picked up a piece and set it in front of her. "This is The King. The goal of the game is to protect him. When The King is threatened with capture, we say that The King is in check. If there's no way to remove the threat, the game position is called checkmate, or simply mate. The game ends when The King is checkmated," Sean said. "Usually there's no need to call out checkmate, because a professional player would respectfully resign before that if a lost game is inevitable."

"I see." Flora smirked at him from across the table. Leaning in, she dropped her voice to a whisper in case she was overheard. "So the goal of the game is to make The King unable to escape from capture, and mate The King as soon as possible? I think I'm going to be a natural at this."

Sean pushed his index finger against her forehead lightly. "Get your head out of the gutter, Flora."

"I had no idea chess was such a sexy game."

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at her seductively. "Want me to show you how to mate?" he said, his tone serious, but the twitch at his lips gave him away. "Since I like my opponent so much, I can't wait to show you some of the classic mating positions."

"Of course. Show me all The King's moves."

"The King moves by taking one step at a time, while The Queen can do whatever she pleases. She can move in any direction and as far as possible. The Queen is the most powerful piece and The King relies on her to give him a hand."

Only Sean could flirt with the periodic table and a chessboard, Flora thought as she watched him play. Smart people really are the sexiest. He bit on his lower lip for the briefest second before he made a move, and then he reached out his long fingers to push the piece, never taking more than a few seconds. He looked up from the board and smiled at her.

"Check", he said, and she was captured along with her chess piece.

She was utterly fascinated.

A little while later, she was the same way watching him fish. She was mildly disappointed that the small fishing boat came with a motor, however, since it sabotaged her plan of watching him row. They stopped in the middle of the lake, their boat a small maroon spot among the vast turquoise water, and the afternoon light reflected off the surface, transforming into an abundance of gold confetti.

This was the boat Sean built with his granddad, and Flora was immensely flattered to be a part of it. While he busied himself with the hook, Flora started up a conversation with his granddad, who seemed more interested in her than in the fish.

"So you've been together for 50 years," Flora said. "That's just...wow."

"We're just too lazy to get out of it." He waved his hand. "It's like Newton's First Law of Motion. Every object stays in a state of uniform motion unless there's an eternal force...we just tend to stay married. Besides, it's pure horror getting through the wedding. Once is enough."

She laughed. "Do you have any little tricks to keep the romance alive?"

"When I first started chasing her, I gave her a single rose every Wednesday. I told her to hang in there because we're halfway past another God awful week."

"That's incredibly sweet. How long did you keep it up?"

The edge of his eyes crinkled up. When he smiled like that, the twinkle in his eyes resembled Sean's. "Who says I stopped?"

Flora gasped. "A rose a week for 50 years?"

"Well Newton said..."

She laughed. "Yeah, I know, you're too lazy to stop."

"Flowers are nice, but it's such a small thing, don't you think?" Sean's granddad said. "Whenever people think of the great things you do for love, they think of grand and very obvious things. From giving flowers to moving to her city. Quitting a job. Switching religions. Changing your name. Sacrificing. But to be honest, these aren't that hard. It's easy to act on a blast of passion."

"What's the hardest part, then?"

"I'd say...perseverance. Making the same choice everyday, over and over again." He scratched his chin. "Hmmm. Is this starting to sound like Newton's First Law of Motion again?"

All through this conversation, Sean was staring at the fishing rod in pleased silence. Flora knew he liked it when she got along well with his family. He didn't know how much she liked it, too. She thought Sean's granddad was wonderful. He had a clogged heart, however, and she remembered that his health was going downhill. Flora worried for him, but at the moment he seemed to be coping well.

She could see why Sean liked hanging out with his granddad and how he was influenced by him. Sean wasn't one to do dramatic gestures, unlike her. Her love was explosive like the fireworks on July 4th, while he was a smoldering fireplace, quietly keeping it warm during winter. She used to think she cared for him more because her flames were brighter, but now she saw that she was always the one to burn out first.

She was happiness and excitement, while he was comfort and a sense of home. They really could be the best partners if they learned.

∞

It wasn't easy to say goodbye.

When their time was up, Sean and Flora went out for the last time and splurged it on the golden sun and sand. They stayed out until the air cooled, stalling, bargaining, trying to squeeze in one more conversation, one more flirty wink, one more accidental body contact. When they couldn't push it back anymore, they stood up from their designated spot on the beach.

"So. Japan. One year." He whistled, and it was the first time Flora realized that whistling sounded incredibly sad.

"Maybe when I come back, you'll be so successful, you can pick me up with your private jet."

"If I have one, I'm going to call it Flora. Do people name their private jets?"

"Oh. You want to get in Flora and stick your key—"

"Shut up about the key. You have a really dirty mouth for such a pretty girl." He smiled at her with a glint in his darkened eyes, his lashes lowered, making him look more alluring than he already was. "I love it."

Flora stared at him, her mood rapidly changing from light to weighty. A leftover smile still hung from her lips, but she felt like crying all of a sudden.

"Sean. I'm going to miss you so much. I'm missing you already. I think after every summer, I miss you a little more than the last."

Sean was standing in front of her shirtless, with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. Obeying an impulse, Flora's hand shot out to run down his upper arm through the fabric. It was a clumsy move and she looked like she was examining his biceps, when she really wasn't; she just wanted some warmth.

He looked at her hand then up at her face. He hesitated, and then finally, as if allowing himself to break a barrier, he reached out to brush through her hair with his fingers. Flora wrapped her arms around his neck, and Sean let her pull him close, so close that their skin was touching, his hot body directly pressed against hers. She could feel the heat off him, the sand rubbing in between her toes, the remaining sunlight draping down her shoulders, and Sean's lashes fluttering right in front of her. His hand moved to cup her face, and he pressed his forehead against hers.

She felt his shuddering breath on her face, and his lips were mere inches from her trembling ones.

It took all her self-restraint not to close that distance.

He grabbed her hair by a fistful, but he was gentle not to hurt her. He closed his eyes.

"Flora, Flora, Flora," he murmured. "You are my weakness."

She placed her palms flat against his chest. "You're mine, too."

If he asked her to stay, if he opened his mouth and told her that he didn't want to wait anymore, Flora knew she would oblige. She would turn down Tokyo in a heartbeat. She didn't know how to say no to him, and she wasn't sure she wanted to.

She was disappointed and relieved that Sean didn't ask that of her.

"You'll be okay in Japan by yourself, right?" he whispered.

"I'll be okay." She nodded, so quickly, so hard, before she could change her mind.

"You'll keep in touch and tell me everything, right?" There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice, almost like he was pleading. "I want to know everything, the good, the bad...everything—"

"Yes—"

"Please don't deny me that privilege. Think of me not just when you're lonely, but when you're having a good time, too."

"I'll think of you all the time."

"Me too." He sighed against her mouth. "Always."

Flora reached out to touch his face, her fingers brushing at his cheek with all the tenderness inside of her. She dared herself to remember this moment, to relish everything so she could go back and reflect on it for a really long time afterwards, without him. This moment was all the sweltering afternoons compressed into one, glimmering with tastes of summer, the ocean, sunscreen, fading memories, recurring dreams, hope and reassurance.

"I'll be okay," she said. "Didn't you tell me that intelligence is the ability to adapt to change?"

"That was Stephen Hawking, but yes, and you're the most intelligent girl I know."

"I'm more adaptable than a cockroach."

Sean laughed. She loved the sound of it as usual. It was a lovely touch to the moment they had. He pulled back and squinted at her against the sun. "Way to kill the sexual tension, cockroach girl."

Flora smiled back at him, and for some reason this time the tears didn't come. She just wanted to smile.

He rubbed her head briefly for the last time, in a half friendly, half loving manner. "Well, Tokyo isn't that far so see you soon, dear Flora."

∞

Flora pushed though the door to her dorm room with her shoulder, dragging her suitcases behind her with both arms.

The door opened wide suddenly and hit the wall. Her roommate Elizabeth stood behind the door frame, her arms crossed, a sly grin almost splitting her face in half. Flora adored her, and she was one of the few bright things that made dorm life more tolerable.

Her smile was creeping her out, though. It was one of those 'you got laid, right?' kind of smiles shared between lewd guys on TV.

"Flo..." Elizabeth ran her gaze up and down her face. "I never knew..."

"Liz, you look like you accidentally discovered my dirty magazine stash. I don't have one, by the way."

Liz leaned her head back and beamed at her. "Who is this San Francisco guy you've been hiding from me?"

"What San Francisco guy?"

Liz moved aside and jerked her head, pointing inside the room with her chin. Flora took a step, and for a moment she was too stunned to breathe.

There was an elegant assortment of flowers of various kinds. Pink roses, pale blue hydrangeas, purple lisianthuses, cream-colored peonies, all placed tastefully inside an elegant gray box, like a fairytale garden wrapped in dreams.

She picked it up and breathed it in. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen in a while.

"I'm sorry, I read the card," Liz squealed. "I couldn't resist!"

Flora picked up the beige card and recognized the handwriting at once.

Dear Flora,

I hope this is waiting for you when you get back to school. New York, London, Tokyo...you're going places and I can't be happier for you. Sometimes I feel like I'm constantly saying goodbye to you, but no matter where you are, you know I'll always hold you in my thoughts. Goodbyes don't scare me anymore because they just mean another hello to follow.

I can't give you a flower every week, but here are 52 of them to make up for a year's worth. Think of it as down payment. I owe you the rest when you come back to me.

Yours and only yours,

S.F.

P.S. I should've given you something like this a long time ago. I don't know why I didn't.

"Who is S.F?" Liz said. "He sounds hot. Is he hot?"

She blinked rapidly before she could answer in a normal voice. "Hotter then a thermonuclear fusion."

Elizabeth's eyes widened and then narrowed. She thrust her smiling face right in front of Flora's. "Is he the guy who sent you that stuffed animal for Christmas?" She pointed to Flora's bed, where a beaver was sitting on her pillow.

It was wearing a red tee with the gray lettering MIT. The beaver was their school mascot, because Sean told her that beavers were nature's engineers. Just having it on her bed made her feel smarter already.

"Yes."

"Flo! All this time you have this mysterious Mr. San Francisco and you never told me! I'm wounded. Seriously, I am. I thought we were friends."

"It's nothing personal. I don't tell anyone about him." Because he's my most precious secret.

"Pictures!"

"Liz..."

"I wanna see pictures! I have to put a face to that name."

Reluctantly, Flora pulled out her phone.

"Holy Macaroni." Elizabeth shook her head. She kept shaking it and shaking it, until she stopped suddenly and fixed her steely gaze on Flora's face. "Marry him."

Flora burst out laughing. She had to smile at Liz's enthusiasm. Liz wasn't like any of her old friends, and Flora felt relatively sane when they were together. She was grateful for the support, and in return, she started to talk about her history with Sean. She told her how they were madly in love when they broke up and how she was still hung up on him like it happened yesterday.

"We'll see what happens after I return from Tokyo."

Elizabeth's eyes shone brighter than the diamond studs Flora was wearing. "You'll get back together right away and live happily ever after. I can feel it!"

In a few years, Liz would become a TV actress in Manhattan, and she and Flora would grow even closer than they were now. She was a gorgeous Latina, a natural-born skier, and she always guessed the retail prices of items correctly. She was a delightful girl with a special talent of drawing dinosaurs and plants. She was good at many things.

Unfortunately fortune-telling wasn't one of them.

∞

a/n: dear all, i present you with 8.5k words to make up for the wait. i hope you're not bored with all the conversations Sean and Flora had - I'm not one to write 'they talk everyday' and leave it at that, and i really want to show you how they are with each other. also, i spent a great deal of time on research (if you go to MIT or you know someone who does, please message me!). i can't have Sean become one of those company founders who spend all their time stalking their love interest and sending kinky e-mails *cough* Mr Grey *cough*; it's exhausting starting and running a business and their hard work should be acknowledged.

do you prefer shorter chapters + quicker updates or the way we're now? also, let me know if you enjoyed the chapter, because i really really want you to like it. i swear i worked so hard on it and i hope you can see how much i love you all. as usual, thanks for reading and thank you for not pressuring me on updates x

P.S. sorry about the foreshadowing at the end, but I promise this is a happy story.

dedicated to @sighbrow for making me a bunch of beautiful covers x