This is a sort of prequel to my other Harvest Moon story between Jill and Skye, so stay tuned for that!
Dia was born sick. She hated it, but she hated her parents even more for sending her away to the countryside after their divorce. She was always a bossy child, getting everything she wanted. It wasn't her fault that she was coddled. Still, that bossiness got better when she met the gentle Gina and her grandmother Martha. She had lived with them for most of her life, and although it was difficult at first, her spirit grew gentler as the years without her parents' negligence grew longer.
Dia became quite shy, trying to avoid being the awful brat she had once been, and by being so restrained, she didn't have many friends. Without Gina there to help, she probably wouldn't have any. So, Dia spent most of her time reading books in her villa, usually trying to get over some ailment because of her condition-a mild case of primary immunodeficiency. She could blame her mother for the hereditary condition, but she preferred not to blame her parents for more than the ignorance their busy lives had forced upon them. She didn't want to blame them at all, but she couldn't help it. She had tried to be understanding of their circumstances, but she couldn't help but be resentful.
Dia was in the café the first day of spring, reading a book, as usual, the downward position of her head making her sniffles worse than they originally were. She tried to lean her head back and drain her nose, but it didn't really work. So, she just took a tissue and put it against her nose, continuing to read. The door opened abruptly, a stranger barging in.
He introduced himself eagerly to everybody, but Dia just went back to reading, uninterested in what seemed an exhausting character, sniffling as loud as ever. Soon, she saw the stranger walk up to her in her peripheral vision, and she looked up at him.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently. Dia hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"Is it a sad book, or are you just a little sick?" he asked her, eyebrow raised. Dia looked down at her book, then back up at him.
"It's not a sad book. I just have the sniffles," she said.
"Oh, that's good. I don't know if you heard, but my name's Jack. I'm the new farmer here," he said, holding his hand out to Dia. Dia couldn't help smile at the coincidence. The book in her hands was an adaptation of the story called "Jack and Jill."
"I'm Dia," she said, and Jack flashed a charming smiled.
"It's very nice to meet you, Dia," he said sincerely. Dia blushed a little, chuckling nervously.
"Talk to you later, Dia!" he said, running out of the café. Dia blinked, and went back to her book, her face and neck hot. How embarrassing.
Dia saw a lot of Jack after that. He always brought her gifts, much to her flattery, and would talk about the weirdest things sometimes. But, she saw that he did this with many others. Almost everyone in the town received the same treatment that she did. So, she tried to suppress the feelings of being special or interesting or any other emotions. The weird thing was, though, that Dia didn't mind the rambling she often would have found annoying otherwise. Usually she would, feeling that it was a waste of precious reading time, but Jack was different. There was just something about his voice, she supposed.
What she enjoyed most was the little things that Jack did. Once, when they were on a walk, she mentioned how blueberries were one of her favorite fruits. After that day, Jack would only bring her blueberries as gifts. It was a small gesture, but it still made Dia's heart skip and stomach clench in a weird way that made her feel sick. Maybe she needed to tell her doctor. Perhaps she caught yet another sickness, one she had no recollection of having before.
She told her doctor, and he said that nothing was wrong. She probably just had a little crush. Dia had blanched at the idea, and supposed that perhaps that was it, or perhaps she just enjoyed being given so much attention.
One day, in the summer, little Tim found a treasure map in her house. How he found it was beyond her, but she found herself very interested nonetheless—especially when Jack said he was interested, too. Believing that the treasure was hidden in the Sacred Land of the valley, Dia went to investigate. She found it, and brought Jack back along with her. When she was looking at the scenery, surprised by the beauty she had missed from the outdoors many times before, Dia slipped. Jack had quickly caught her, her heart racing from many different factors. After that, Dia was even more confused than before about her nausea and erratic heartbeat. It made her uncomfortable, and quite honestly, she didn't like it.
Dia became even more shy around Jack. She would always hide behind her books whenever he came to visit, feigning absolute concentration on them, and yet not being able to read more than a sentence. Jack was friends with almost everyone, even the goons trying to destroy the valley! How could Jack possibly waste his time with her? He was very popular with the ladies (and some men), so why would he be so cruel as to make her feel special?
Trying to feel that fleeting moment of awe for the outdoors once more, Dia decided to sit under a tree in her yard one day, reading a sequel to the "Jack and Jill" adaptation. She had snoozed off, though, lulled by the quiet of the garden. Jack had found her lying there, immediately concerned and rushing to her side. Dia awoke to the slightly panicked Jack, calming him down immediately. Jack sat next to her, silent for a moment. Then he spoke up.
"Hey... why have you been ignoring me?" he asked her, trying to hide his hurt. Dia just stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
"Do I annoy you? Is that it? I know I can ramble a lot, and get a little weird sometimes. Augh, that's it, isn't it? I'm just too annoying and I just. . ." Jack ran a hand through his messy hair, with Dia just sitting there, looking at him and trying to figure out what to say. This was the first time she had seen him so nervous and full of . . . self-doubt. Just like her. She put a hand on his mouth, her heart racing.
"It's not that I don't like you. I just thought you had better things to do," she said softly, looking to the side a little. Jack froze, gazing at her with the full force of his warm brown eyes. Dia realized where she was touching, and blushed profusely, pulling her hand back and looking down at the book in her lap.
"S-sorry. . ." she mumbled, still looking to the ground. Jack remained silent, and Dia looked back up to see him just staring at her.
"What?" she asked. Jack smiled at her.
"Nothing," he said. Then he reached over and hugged Dia for the first time.
Dia couldn't stop blushing, her heart racing, and she hated it. She really hated feeling this sick. Then, Jack let go and got up.
"I'm glad you said that I wasn't bothersome, though I know I am pretty annoying sometimes. And I really don't have better things to do, 'cause nothing can top hanging with you," he smiled, winking playfully, and Dia scoffed. They stayed where they were for a few seconds, just staring at each other, and Dia raised an eyebrow.
"What?" she asked. Jack knelt down next to her, bringing his eyes level to hers.
"You have really pretty eyes, you know?" he said.
"Okay," Dia laughed a little. She hated how nervous he was making her feel, yet again. She wished he would just leave, but she also couldn't bear the thought of it.
Jack took her hand, and slowly leaned towards her. Dia froze. Her heart had never worked so hard in her life, pumping all the blood it could manage as quickly as possible. She felt like she was going to throw up. She couldn't feel anything. Her mind was completely numb. Everything moved too quickly, and she didn't even realize that Jack had kissed her on the lips until she saw him pull away. She jumped up, her eyes wide, and she put her hand over her mouth. She immediately ran back into her house. She prayed Jack wouldn't follow her, and locked her bedroom door behind her, her body shaking.
She stayed in there for a week, her food brought to her. She had her own bathroom and plenty of books, so she was just fine. Just fine, she kept telling herself. Jack had tried to visit every day, but Dia told Gina that she was sick and didn't want to see anyone. But, with all the stress she was enduring, her body actually became weaker and she did get sick—it was terrible. She had a scorching fever with a stuffy nose and a pounding headache. She could barely move and had the scratchiest throat in the world. Gina and Martha took care of her, but she still couldn't get over the nasty cold.
One day, Jack forced his way into her bedroom. He wasn't his normal self. He was very quiet and sad-looking, and just sat by Dia's bed, watching over her. But, since he had many duties, he couldn't stay very long. So, he just gave her his little box of blueberries, and left. He still brought her blueberries every day that she was sick. She never really noticed him there, since she was either in a lot of pain or sleeping. But, one day, she got much better.
And there he was.