"I'm sorry, Yellow. I really am. But Blue is - well, we've - it's just that - I-I hope you'll be able to find someone else whom you'll be happy with."
Red paused and bit his lip. He could almost hear the little tear of a heart coming to pieces, and winced. He'd told himself to be gentle, to break the news without breaking anything else. But now there was little else that he could do. Now he was staring at the bowed blonde head of the young girl who had - still did, he thought - loved him.
"I see," she said flatly. Barely audible. Just a whisper.
He longed to able to comfort her, draw her into his arms and tell her he was genuinely sorry for things to have to end this way. But that would send the wrong message. And besides, he knew he couldn't ever feel the same way about her as she did about him.
They stood there for several heartbeats, in miserable, awkward silence. Then he added, quietly, "I wish you all the best." He turned and left abruptly.
Yellow waited till he had gone. She did not see him go; she didn't want to, and besides she could sense his presence wherever he went.
So it was over. All her singular hopes and dreams. Over. Yes, she knew it was - had all along been - a one-sided crush, but there still was hope, a tiny bit of hope...not any more. Not any more.
She turned tail and started running down the hill, stumbling a little over the dips and bumps and dried tangled grass. Halfway down she began crying, although she didn't know at first, until the salty stinging tears started to seep into her mouth.
"What a pity," Green murmured to himself.
"What?"
Green sighed. "Nothing." He let the kitchen window curtain swing back into its original place and sat down at the wooden table. The dark girl sitting opposite him raised an eyebrow and took a sip from her cup of tea.
"Not nothing," she said.
"Can you please stop trying to read my mind?"
"Can't help it," she replied. "I pick up people's thoughts and emotions the same way most human beings pick up sounds and smells."
The lanky brown-haired boy sighed again. "Put it this way, it ain't nice to see Red telling Yellow that he's - " he broke off with a cough. Then, "made up his mind to stick with Blue, and - well, there's really nothing in for her any more."
The girl stood up, holding her empty cup and heading towards the sink. "Looks like rain," she observed absently, lifting up one corner of the curtain. "She'll have to come in soon."
"What do you mean?"
Thin lips curved into a wan smile. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes. Take my horse into town to treat that infected cut. You go greet her if she needs to come in."
Yellow paused, panting hard, and leaned against the dull earth-red brick wall of the farmhouse. She doubled-up, placing one hand against the wall, the other on her stomach. Drawing in breath, puffing, ribcage heaving painfully, tears blurring everything around her. Her knees hit the grassy ground with a soft thud. For the first time in her life, everything seemed to be so bleak.
Then it fell.
The little pitter-patter of raindrops danced over the hills, the farmhouse, her hair, the whole stretch of fields. Yellow let it dance around her. Then soon it became a lashing torrent, threads and needles coming down hard, stinging her face and mixing in with her tears, and forced Yellow to duck round a corner and take refuge in the barn.
Inside, it was quite warm and dry, despite being pitch-black. Smelled of hay. Yellow shivered involuntarily and took off her hat, which, like the rest of her, was soaked through.
"Hello."
Yellow jumped at the sound of the voice - familiar, though, strangely. The lights flickered on to reveal a figure standing at the doorway leading from the farmhouse to the barn.
"Hey," Green said. "Wanna come in?"
Yellow nodded in relief. She felt awkward, standing there and dripping all over the hay-strewn floor. Green led her into the kitchen, carefully draping a towel around her shoulders. She untied her hair and let it flop down. He offered her a cup of tea, which she gratefully accepted.
For a few minutes, there was nothing except for silence in the kitchen, broken only by the monotonous drip-drip-drip of water runoff from Yellow's hair.
Then Yellow smiled weakly and whispered. "Thanks."
Green shrugged. "Would do it for anyone."
Yellow bowed her head slightly and reflected on how different two best friends could be. Red, vivacious, cheerful, a little cocky, sentimental as always; whereas Green exuded seriousness, calm and focus. Yet their personalities seemed to compliment each other, neatly.
She could feel Green watching her intently. She sighed. Why did things always have to be so complicated? Why were people never able to fall in love with the right person? Why did matters have to end so painfully? She could feel the tears welling up and threatening to spill over again. She lowered her head further so Green wouldn't be able to see her tears.
Looking back, Green thought that it had been one of the boldest things he'd done in his life. But right at the moment, he didn't even really think.
He stepped forward and gently put his arms around her, and let her rest her dripping head against his shoulder. She seemed awfully small and vulnerable. She sniffled quietly.
After a while, she murmured softly, "Thank you," but didn't pull away.
For the first time in all the days he had been helping out on the farm, he wished that it wouldn't ever stop raining.
FYI: The setting here is based very, very vaguely in semi-reverse of the opening scene of An angel for May. The dark girl, in case you haven't figure out, is my OC Shadow