Flours For You | ✓

15 | ghosting queen

DEDICATED TO EMMA

to my lovely friend. while we haven't seen each other in a while, I find myself always wondering about you; how you are, what you're doing, and if you are happy. while this year has given a lot us reasons not to be, I wish that you are giving every day a chance to show its beauty to you. I wish nothing but the best for you. I love and miss you. <3

AFTER MOM HAD been released from the hospital from what the doctors concluded was just a heart spasm from shocking news, I visited her practically everyday. This was uncharacteristic of me, as unlike Avisa who had a kid who was tossed back and forth by their grandparents for caregiving purposes, I never had a reason to be there.

What was even more uncharacteristic was my mother's response when I arrived the day after my missed visit.

"So, where were you yesterday?" my mother asked me as soon as I had entered into the door, her eyes sending daggers straight into my soul.

"I was busy." I shrugged, pouring myself a coffee from the dispenser.

I could see my mother from the corner of my eye, folding her arms across her chest. "If you're not going to be honest with me me, then tell me, why did East show up here yesterday asking where you were?"

I inwardly snorted as I pondered on her words, but as I opened the fridge reaching for some creamer, I came to a crashing realization that maybe what she was saying had some truth to it.

My grip on the handle tightened as I cautiously closed the fridge door. "You're lying, right?"

"Well, are you?"

"No, of course not," I retorted, rolling my eyes as if it could cover up the traces of my dishonest pupils that had watched an entire Korean drama the day before. "Why would East--" My hand paused in mid-air as the bottle of creamer I held balanced its inside contents that were sloshing to and fro as it determined whether to stay still or spill out.

"He needed to tell you something," my mom interrupted my train of thoughts, "he said it was urgent. But of course, you weren't answering your phone, so that's why he came here. To find you."

"Jageuman, umma. Wait a minute, mom." I raised my free hand as if it was a wall that I was building in between us. "I need to go." I frantically grabbed my car keys that I had set on the kitchen counter upon arriving along with the coat that I hung and begrudgingly geared the front door door ajar.

"Where are you going!" my mom shouted at me.

Instead of answering her in a way that would have her singing how she told me so, I laughed in a maniac manner and winked at my mother as I skipped away. "I love you, umma! Mom!"

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Roughly thirty minutes later, I had found myself sulking in front of East's front door, huffing and puffing and practically doubling over my knees as I ran through a hundred different reasons in my head as to why this was not a good idea. But before I could dive into reason number five, I heard a soft purring noise at the other side of the door: Naners.