𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐍 𝐋. ─── ☾ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐘
ʟɪɴᴋꜱ ↪ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ ↪ ᴊᴏᴇ ᴋᴇᴇʀʏ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ ↪ ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ
ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏꜱ ↪ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2.7ᴋ ↪ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ʙᴀʀᴏɴ ʟᴀᴍʀᴀᴍ x ꜰᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ↪ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: ɴᴏɴᴇ
English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistake and if you can help me improve it, I will greatly appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it :D
ㅤㅤBaron couldn't understand how something so delicate, such a light and small living being, could weigh as much as a truck still loaded inside. It wasn't as if he'd ever tried to lift one, mainly because his back would probably be completely shattered and his arms would likely never work again from the effort required to do something so extreme; he wasn't Hercules to handle something so wild and intense. But the daisy, the small and precious daisy with white petals and yellow stems that seemed to move toward the sun, seeking its light to continue living, seemed to weigh as much as the aforementioned vehicle because its meaning was so intense and it held so many feelings and secrets, that it seemed to be equated with it, almost in the same way that Egyptian mythology judged the hearts of the deceased with a feather; the comparison was practically embarrassing, but it was the best way he could describe it.
ㅤㅤThe boy's heart pounded so fast that, for just a moment, he thought he was back in his childhood, when he was a little boy playing with his charming and perfect mother as they ran through the fields surrounding their old, warm house. The house that had once been filled with joy, happiness, and laughter, but which was now shrouded in a terrifying silence that often woke the chestnut-haired boy, making him think the worst had happened.
ㅤㅤHis mother, terribly ill, had been forced to remain bedridden for six months to prevent the pain and strain of the illness from causing her even more suffering than she already endured. She had found slight relief only in pills that, as time went on, continued to become more and more expensive until the wages from the post office, through his son's job as a delivery boy, were no longer enough. This forced Baron to take on a series of part-time jobs that weren't even stable, which he had to resort to in order to survive or, at least, help alleviate his mother's pain by buying her medicines and paying the high electricity bills for the oxygen machine she had to use constantly.
ㅤㅤRemembering that as he walked to his only happy place, the only space in the whole world where he didn't feel like a burden and where he could ease the pain that nestled in his saddened and weary heart, caused a frown to cross his face. He always refused to look at you with a grimace of annoyance that would let you know how worried he was about not being able to do enough to keep himself afloat.
ㅤㅤEven if he would never say it out loud, at least not in your presence, because he didn't want you to look at him with pity or sadness, he was ashamed of not being able to do more for the only family he had, the one that had always given him everything. If he couldn't do much more for his mother, how could he truly be worthy of being in your presence and sharing a relationship with you beyond what you already had?
ㅤㅤA heavy sigh escaped his lips, his head slumping forward as if it weighed ten kilos more, and he continued walking among the passersby on the street, their vision obscured by his long hair that hung like a curtain around his face, so that he couldn't see what was around him and what was around him couldn't see him.
ㅤㅤHis brown eyes, on the other hand, were fixed on a stone in the path. It was small, not noticeable to someone who didn't pay much attention to their surroundings, but Baron used it as an anchor to avoid revisiting places in his mind that he preferred not to remember or dwell on as he prepared to be in your presence.
ㅤㅤBecause it was more than clear, his intention that day was to impress you with what he carried with him: The daisy.
"You've come earlier than I expected."
ㅤㅤThe soft, cheerful, and talkative tone of voice, which she would recognize even in a crowd of over a hundred people, caused his body to react almost like a spring.
ㅤㅤHis back, previously hunched from the way his head had been bowed since making the final turn through the village's narrow streets to finally reach the main street and your small shop, his destination, quickly straightened. His lower back seemed to realign with a soft creak, and his shoulders, previously lanky and loose, allowing his arms to swing slowly at his sides, tensed, giving his an almost robotic, military appearance. However, his kind gaze and his slightly longer, unusually disheveled hair made him seem far removed from the restrictive and confident image of a man in an official uniform.
ㅤㅤInevitably, a warm, silly smile spread across his face. A smile that was accompanied by his heart leaping in his chest at the sight before him, as if he had just seen the most beautiful creature in all of Creation, something Baron firmly believed every time he saw you.
ㅤㅤThere was no creature, no person, more beautiful and precious than you in the entire world, of that he was certain.
"What?"
ㅤㅤThe tone in his voice made you laugh; it was inevitable. And it wasn't that you were laughing at him, not at all, but you loved hearing him express himself when he was with you; it was like dealing with a teenager who was completely in love with a magazine cover girl he'd had a crush on for years. And that, to no one's surprise, was exactly what was happening, only Baron wasn't a teenager anymore, and you weren't like those girls who appeared on the covers of the discount magazines at the dollar store just a few meters from your shop.
ㅤㅤ“I said you came earlier than I expected,” you repeated gently, trying to stifle your laughter, as you turned to face the small wooden bench you'd been tending to before the chestnut tree appeared. “You usually come at noon, and considering I didn't hear the church bell, I think you're earlier than usual.”
ㅤㅤBaron couldn't help himself, especially when he heard you. The right side of his mouth lifted slightly, a sly smile playing on his lips as he listened to you notice something as trivial as the time he visited your flower shop every morning, or at least after his workday. But he simply couldn't help it.
ㅤㅤEver since you opened your little shop, which had clearly been successful, judging by the fact that it was still open a few months after you arrived in town, while so many other businesses closed, Baron had been a regular customer, even though he didn't usually buy anything. On days when he wasn't planning on bringing flowers to his mother, he'd wander by and pop in just to say hello, to chat a bit with someone his own age. In a town where young adults were scarce, mainly because there was nothing to do there and many decided to move to a big city with more opportunities, the chestnut-haired boy couldn't help but grow fond of you when he learned you were almost the same age.
ㅤㅤYou grew accustomed to each other, to each other's company, at least for a few minutes a day.
ㅤㅤ"Ah, yes, I see," he said quickly once he came to his senses, maintaining that smile that always touched you so deeply. "I just wanted to see you."
ㅤㅤHis words made you bite your lower lip. Baron saw it; he could see your cheeks flush in the shade cast by the green and white awning that covered part of the sidewalk.
ㅤㅤ"Are you...?" he tried to ask, his smile fading as concern suddenly gripped him. He took a couple of steps closer to close the distance and get a better look at your skin tone, wanting to make sure he hadn't misinterpreted it. "Are you sick? You're flushed. Do you have a fever?"
ㅤㅤThe sudden questions elicited a new laugh from you as you shook your head. Because no, you didn't have a fever, but perhaps the way your heart was pounding could be interpreted as a sign of illness, for it seemed that vital organ was skipping rope the same way you had when you were just a child.
ㅤㅤ"Oh, no, don't worry," you replied as quickly as you could, placing the watering can on the bench where the three precious potted plants you had been tending to before he arrived sat, wanting to offer him your genuine attention, the kind he always received when he was around. "It's because of the heat and the sun. Summer is approaching, and I have a bad habit of thinking that summer here is as mild as in San Francisco."
ㅤㅤBaron could only nod quickly, as if he genuinely understood what you meant, though the doubt etched on his smile only made you feel closer to the man before you; without meaning to, he was always able to appear sweet and innocent even when he was confused.
ㅤㅤ"It's hot in here, really hot," the chestnut-haired man stated, nodding as if that made him more right. "A lot, actually. I don't know the highest temperature we've had, but it's always been very hot. I even burned my face once; it was red and peeling, like an onion. I even got a couple of blisters on my forehead."
ㅤㅤThe more the man spoke, the more he seemed to be digging his own grave. His short and sad experience with women, limited to those he'd met in high school a little over ten years ago, had taught him what to say and what not to say to a woman, what might interest her and what would definitely repel her. Although he was mentally aware that describing his burns wasn't the best way to impress you, the problem was that he seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown and, therefore, couldn't stop himself as he recounted the events. And, contrary to what he expected to be an imminent rejection from you, it turned into an acceptance that filled his heart with joy; in any case, you would never have had the heart to tell him to shut up, even if he was rambling on.
ㅤㅤ"An interesting tidbit, to say the least," you replied, placing your hand on his right bicep, giving it a gentle squeeze before glancing at the entrance of your charming establishment. "Why don't we go inside? It'll surely be more comfortable and less hot than being out here."
ㅤㅤYour proposal was what Baron had been looking forward to most because, the moment he first let you in, he remembered the little gift he had for you. So, like an innocent child wanting to surprise the girl he liked most in the whole school, he put his hands behind his back as he entered your flower shop, observing the different types of plants that seemed to coexist so harmoniously. It was a paradise of scents and colors that truly reflected your essence; every time he entered your shop, it was as if he were enveloped by your presence, your warmth, and your love.
ㅤㅤBaron knew you had started talking to him. He was aware that he should pay as much attention to you as possible so he could remember you when he decided to go back home to take care of his mother or resume his usual routine on a day like this when he didn't have to work. But he was so engrossed in his own feelings and the slight sway of your figure as you walked down the aisle of the store toward the counter that he was speechless when you glanced over your shoulder, giving him a tender smile that made his heart practically burst.
ㅤㅤYou, on the other hand, were simply talking, oblivious to the effect you were having on the poor man behind you.
ㅤㅤThe moment you stopped at your counter, proudly arranging your little ledger, you felt a comfortable, comforting warmth suddenly envelop you, so different from the dry, uncomfortable heat of the summer that had arrived in the small town. So, with almost masterful slowness, you turned around to find Baron standing just inches away, as stiff as an iceberg, as straight as a wooden plank, and with a grimace so disconcerting it worried you. But as you lowered your gaze from his brown eyes, you noticed a small white daisy resting nervously in his trembling right hand, the one he had carried with him from home until he found you.
ㅤㅤ"And this?" you asked curiously, raising your head again to look at him. Even with the short distance between you, you couldn't bring yourself to take a step back. Your heart and your legs were urging you to take a step toward him.
"For you."
ㅤㅤThat statement brought a wide smile to your face.
ㅤㅤSeeing that delicate little flower as a gift from the man you liked so much was the sweetest thing you could ever imagine receiving from anyone. Of course, many had bought enormous bouquets from your shop, overflowing with the most striking and even expensive flowers, for their girlfriends or wives, but the fact that you were the one receiving them, for once, was the most charming gesture anyone could have ever made. And so, even as you watched the small daisy dance gently in the soft breezes inside the tent, your body moved on its own to wrap your arms around Baron's waist, pulling him warmly close as your face buried itself in his chest, feeling the rough, old fabric of his dark t-shirt.
ㅤㅤPoor Baron. The man, who already felt rather clumsy trying to string two coherent words together in your presence, suddenly thought he was dreaming.
ㅤㅤYour smaller body was pressed against his. You were embracing him; of all the people in the village, you were embracing him.
ㅤㅤAlthough he didn't know how to react at first, he had to blink a few times before his slightly more timid arms slowly moved to encircle you, settling around your waist and shoulders, allowing him to gently pull you close, letting you feel each other's warmth and allowing your hearts to race with the reunion of two souls that perhaps had been bound together for a very long time.
ㅤㅤAnd all because of that daisy, which became your favourite flower and which you would try to keep for a lifetime just to remember the man who made your heart beat faster.