"Oh, Rio. I thought you were going to be out tonight with Neil?"

Rio could only look at him with sad eyes, and with that he understood not to ask anymore about it.

"I would be honored if you might sit and enjoy your herb garden with me. I know you don't often get to enjoy the fruits of your own labor."

Sanjay dusted the snow off the bench beside him and she dropped herself there, limp with the weeks anxieties. The air was crisp yet it somehow carried the warm scent of earth and rosemary. They took in a deep breath at the same time and laughed. How had she never noticed the way his eyes closed when he laughed, the way his head tilted back to show off the lines of his neck? He really was a beautiful person. Was everyone from his country like that? Both Amir and Olivia carried themselves well, and yes, they too had been blessed by the Goddess in terms of looks...but Sanjay had a noticeable difference. Maybe it was the humbled look in his eyes, or the way his lips turned up at the corners, or...

"Rio? Miss Rio?"

Back to earth.

"OH. Uh..yes?" She fumbled around her words. Keep it together, you're just on the rebound and looking. Don't mess up your friendships too.

Sanjay laughed at her absent-mindedness. "I asked if you were cold at all! Are you alright to be out tonight? You seem a bit...distant."

She scrambled for words, or rather to keep them from flowing forth like a burst dam. She wanted to tell him all about Neil just to keep the anger from building up inside herself. "I'm a bit...uh broken up...it's a little cold with Neil." Shit.

Sanjay furrowed his brow with great concern and put his hand on her shoulder. His grip was solid, but friendly. "Rio, did something happen with Neil? Are you alright?"

She blinked back tears. "I think the best thing for me right now is to close my eyes. Do you mind Sanjay?" He shook his head and released her shoulder. He began gathering his things from the bench beside him to leave, but a sudden weight on his lap stopped him. Rio had curled up beside him with her head across his knees, and he let her be.

It was Starry Night and in a way, they had spent it together. The thought of it made Sanjay feel a little flustered. It wouldn't seem right if the other villagers knew. After all, Rio had given Neil a commitment ring nearly three seasons ago and it was expected that she would marry the local animal dealer. Sanjay hadn't been too close with Neil, in fact he had somewhat disliked him. The most conversation they had went terribly; Rio had stopped by the mansion to give Amir and Sanjay some herbs and she had asked Sanjay that if in return he could pick up some animal medicine for her. He stopped by Neil's stall on his daily grocery run, and when he asked, Neil seemed very suspicious.

"What do you need it for? You don't have animals." He pointed at Sanjay as if to accuse him.

"Rio had stopped by with a delivery and said she was very busy. She asked if I could purchase some for her on my way to visit the blacksmith..."

Neil grunted. "I knew it. I'll deliver it MYSELF if you don't mind." He stomped away from his stall, leaving his animals unattended. Sanjay did not want to leave them alone so he waited there until Rod came back. He told him where Neil had gone and Rod agreed to look after the stall until his return.

Now Sanjay thought about how strange that situation was. In fact he couldn't remember seeing Rio until a week later. He cursed himself for not seeing their issues sooner; he should have checked in on her. Sanjay decided that he would talk to her about it tomorrow, but for now snow had started falling heavily and he didn't want either of them to catch cold. He slung her tiny frame over his shoulder, which would have reached the top of her head had she been standing up. He found it quite charming that she was so small, as her farm work had proved something quite different.