Thanks for the reviews. Here's chapter three...it's kind of long.
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Chapter 3
For what felt like the three hundredth time that day since she'd sent Lukas off, Rosetta jumped up as soon as the door opened, only to discover it was only a customer or her father returning from an errand. Not the person she wanted to see. Not Lukas. The longer it went on, the more pitiful she began to feel.
It was times like these she wished she were friendlier with the other villagers. It wasn't that they disliked her, but she sensed something whenever she was around them. Intimidation—that was the word for it. They seemed intimidated by her. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, but at the moment it made her feel lonely. Her father was out, not that she could talk to him about Lukas anyway. She wanted to talk to a person who would understand, without judging her.
The door rattled, and she looked up, now hoping that even if it wasn't Lukas, it was someone that she'd at least get along with.
It was Camus. Rosetta felt her spirits lift a little. She'd always gotten this unexplainable kindred spirits vibe from Camus. She felt like they'd have things in common. Perhaps it was a little crazy, because they'd barely ever talked. But still, he was better than nothing.
"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, ambling up to the counter. "How are you?"
No hint of intimidation. Yet.
"I'm…" Rosetta began, and then stopped. She wondered whether or not she should be honest. After a moment's thought, she opted for a lie. "…Fine. And how are you? Can I help you with anything?"
"I'm fine, thanks…actually, I came here to get something for Melody…" His voice faded with embarrassment.
Aw, how sweet, she thought. It was a little strange to have the big, muscular, macho-looking Camus blushing in front of her in her father's store. But it still seemed sweet.
"Let me guess: jewelry?"
"Good guess."
"Well, let me grab the case…I'm afraid we don't have a lot in stock. No one seems to buy a lot of jewelry in town," she said apologetically, crouching down to get the case beneath the counter, continuing to talk as she pushed aside a few dusty boxes. "Are you looking for anything in particular? Is it for a special occasion…?"
Rosetta found what she was looking for and set it on the counter. It was a rectangular case with a glass lid. A small assortment of rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets were arranged beneath the glass.
"No, um, it's actually…" He trailed off again, grinning sheepishly. "For no reason at all. I just…"
"Woke up this morning and wanted to buy something for her?" she finished, smiling back at him. I bet Lukas wouldn't do anything like this, Rosetta thought to herself. He's spontaneous, but he's not…
She shook her head to clear away the thoughts. She didn't want Lukas to start ruining her mood again.
Camus scratched the back of his head, obviously trying to look casual as his face grew redder. "Yeah, you could say that."
Her smile widened in spite of herself. It was hard to not wish Lukas were a little more like Camus. She cleared her throat and carefully opened the lid of the case.
"Okay, so…let's have a look."
--
Melody lay with her back against the grass, letting the sun warm her face. It was unusually balmy weather for autumn. But she knew that within two weeks, winter would hit with full force and snow would be everywhere.
"So, how are you?" Sharron asked from her spot beside Melody, choosing to sit up with her knees drawn towards her. They were in a more secluded spot in the forest, where the trees thinned to give way to a small clearing. Today, they had snuck off like they often did to have a chat privately.
Melody let her eyes open a little until sun leaked through, and then squeezed them shut again. "Fine," she answered after a stretch of silence.
"How are things?"
It almost made her laugh, the way she and Sharron talked. One of them always knew what the other was trying to say.
"Well…we…we did it again. Last night."
"Ah."
More silence, but it wasn't awkward. That was another thing. Sharron was quiet and thoughtful and patient, and never did more than a gentle prodding during conversation.
"I just…sometimes, I feel this really…big feeling."
"Big?"
"Yeah." Melody sat up suddenly, blinking blearily in the bright sunlight. "I feel this big swelling in my chest…whenever I'm with Camus." She hugged her arms around herself, feeling a chill in the breeze. "It's like I'm scared, but I'm also happy I'm scared, and I'm also scared that I'm happy." She paused, and then laughed. "That doesn't make any sense."
"No, no, don't say that. It does."
Melody smiled to herself at Sharron's reply. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her palms.
"You know…I think I know what I'm afraid of."
"What?"
Now came the embarrassing part. Even though she knew Sharron wouldn't laugh, she felt self-conscious.
"Well…it's just…I…" She took a deep breath. Her words came out in a disjointed rush as she continued. "We've, you know, done it before. Camus and I. We've had sex. More than just a few times, and…it's that…I'm afraid because…" She came to a stop, trying to choose her words carefully. "I'm afraid because we've never—neither of us—we've never said it." She stopped again, long enough for Sharron to interject.
"'It'? What is 'it'?"
"Well…it. I mean, we've never said 'I love you.'" Melody felt her face burning. "Is it bad? Is it bad that we're sleeping together but we've never said that?"
Sharron turned her face up to the sky, her eyes scanning the sparse clouds that dotted the great expanse of blue. "Well, do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Do you love him?"
"Do I…do I love him?"
"Yes."
"I…" Melody thought about the question. She figured she'd had to, and yet neither of them had ever said. "Yes," she said finally, feeling sure of herself. "Yes, I think I do."
"Well, then," Sharron said, lowering her eyes from the sky and turning towards Melody. "What's the problem?"
"Well, what if he…what if he doesn't love me back?" Melody knew it was stupid as soon as she said it. But she still felt the fear slice through her stomach as she considered the possibility.
"Melody," Sharron laughed, a surprisingly high, tinkling sound. "He does. I know he does. You know he does."
"Okay, okay, but…what if he thinks that…when I—if I say it…what if he thinks I'm trying to hold him back?" Melody struggled to explain and started to ramble. "I mean, you know how set he is on getting out of the village, and what if I tell him and he thinks that I'm trying to hold him back and keep him to myself, and then he freaks out because of it, and then he breaks up with me and then he…and then he…and then he leaves!"
The two girls stared at each other for several seconds, and then simultaneously burst into laughter.
"Okay, never mind. Forget I said anything," Melody said as their laughter subsided. "Anyway, enough about me. How about you? Are you…?"
"Yes."
Melody frowned. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. "Oh, Sharron…"
"I went again, last night."
"And you…and he…the two of you…"
"Yes. We slept together," she said bluntly. The words sounded callous and raw to Melody. Melody sighed discontentedly.
"Sharron…you know I'm your friend. And I can't tell you what to do. But…Lukas is with Rosetta. We both know that. And I just think—what if Camus did that to me, not that he would, but what if? I'd be so sad if I found out, Sharron. I'm sure Rosetta would be sad if she knew. I know I'd want to—" She broke off, not wanting to sound harsh. But she knew the only word that would fit was "die."
Sharron grew quiet. Then she spoke up. "You think I'm a slut, don't you?"
"Oh, Sharron, I wouldn't think that."
"But you do, right?"
"Sharron…"
"Oh, I don't care!" Sharron sighed, falling back onto the cushiony grass. Her hair splayed out around her, shining in the sun. Melody couldn't help admiring it. She'd always admired everything about the way Sharron looked; her otherworldly silvery hair, her heavy-lidded eyes, and the way she carried herself with elegance and poise.
Sharron put the back of her hand to her forehead, as if she were checking her temperature. She closed her eyes.
"I'm going to stop. I want to stop," Sharron said softly but insistently. Melody wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, but chose to stay quiet.
Sharron spoke again, changing the subject. "Maybe you should get going back to the bathhouse."
Melody bit her lip, wanting to protest but knew it wouldn't do any good.
"Yeah. Maybe I should.
--
Zavier sank deeper into the boiling waters of the bath. It was ten minutes past three. Felicity still hadn't shown up yet.
He had been afraid that he wouldn't make it. When he'd asked his mother for permission to stop his work so he could go, she'd immediately dug through her drawer to look for the thermometer.
Mom, he'd said, trying not to whine as he edged away from her. I'm not sick. I just…want to go to the bathhouse.
I should've known something was wrong with you when you volunteered to clean for me, she'd said, ignoring him. First that, and now this. You never want to go to the bathhouse! You never want to clean!
Yes, I do, Zavier answered without missing a beat. But he knew it was a lie.
Now here he was in the bath, stripped down to nothing, feeling humiliated as he listened for Felicity to come in. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. Of course she's not going to show up, Zavier thought. She's probably sitting at home right now, laughing about the desperate little boy she met today. Besides, what would I do if she did show up? I can't exactly waltz over to the girls' side and say hello…
Zavier almost started to get out of the bath when he heard a gaggle of girls' voices. He froze, listening intently as Melody greeted them.
"Good afternoon, Tabatha, Bianca, Mist! It's so good to see you!"
He immediately lowered himself back into the water.
"Hi!" This was Mist. Zavier's heart beat faster and the blood rushed to his ears, her voice alone enough to have an effect on him. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while! I was just on my way over, and I saw Bianca and Tabatha, and they were—"
"It'll be thirty gold, won't it?" Bianca interrupted, her voice sharp. "For the three of us?"
"Yep! Have a nice bath!"
Zavier could hear the clatter of coins on the counter as the girls paid. Then he listened as they went over to the girls' side of the bath, Mist chattering the whole time.
I feel like a pervert, he thought, sinking until the water hovered beneath his nose. I am a pervert.
But he was also a boy, and he couldn't help but take notice of the fact that there were three girls getting undressed on the other side of the rather thin wall separating the two baths…
While he was fighting a losing battle with his imagination, something Mist said piqued his interest.
"Have you heard about Felicity?"
His fantasies came to a grinding halt as he switched into full-on eavesdropping mode.
"No," Bianca answered, sounding bored. "What about her?"
"I heard she's sick again…another fainting spell just this morning…"
Zavier continued to listen, feeling confused. That means she'd fainted right after she'd spoken with him outside the bathhouse.
"Oh, really?" Tabatha said, sounding concerned. "But I thought she'd gotten better…"
"Hmm," Bianca grunted, as if she weren't really listening.
"No, apparently not…she went to the clinic but they sent her home to rest. I wonder how she's doing now…?"
The girls fell silent for a brief moment, and then Bianca brought up a different subject. Zavier stopped listening and lapsed into thought. After a minute, he got out of the bath and grabbed a towel, his daydreams about the girls forgotten.
--
Melody's skin was buzzing in anticipation like it always did when she was waiting for Camus. The last customers had filtered out and it was now almost seven. The bathhouse was closed. Camus would be closing up his shop soon as well.
I promise I'll stop by later. She still remembered the words he'd said that morning. She hopped up onto the front desk, swinging her legs back and forth impatiently. She was about to check the clock again when the door creaked open.
"Hello?" Camus poked his head inside. Melody felt her heart soar at the sight of him.
"Hi," she said, feeling shy all of a sudden. The conversation she'd had with Sharron was still fresh in her mind. It's okay, she tried to assure herself. You don't have to stress about it. Remember what she said? He loves you, too…
"Hello," he repeated. He stood somewhat awkwardly in the doorway, as if he wasn't sure what to do next. He decided to shut the door. Melody noticed he was holding a box.
"What have you got there?"
"A present…"
"A present for me?"
"Maybe," he answered. He was obviously trying to seem mysterious but was blushing a little too much.
"Aww," Melody cooed giddily as he held it out for her to take. "Should I open it now?"
"Go ahead," he said, putting his best aloof face on. She giggled and slid off the lid.
"Oh, Camus, you didn't!" It was a tiny golden heart-shaped pendant; too sweet for her to think it was cliché. "It's so pretty!"
"It's not anything special," Camus mumbled, rubbing the back of his head like he always did when he felt embarrassed. But he looked pleased at her praise.
"What made you get it?" she asked, taking it gingerly out of the box and dangling it in front of her. "It's not our anniversary or anything…Winter Thanksgiving's not for weeks!"
"Well, I…it was noon, and I was going to take a lunch break, and I couldn't help thinking about you so…" He didn't finish, looking too bashful to say anymore. It was rare for Camus to get tongue-tied, but Melody adored this side of him.
"Put it on, right now!" she said excitedly, holding it out for him to take. He smiled at her and accepted it. She jumped off the counter and faced away from him. She got the buzzing feeling again when his fingers brushed her neck. She swallowed. Was now the right time? Should she wait? Should she get it over with?
"Camus," she said, her voice suddenly quiet. She turned towards him. "I…I…I lo…" The courage that had bubbled up died in her throat. She couldn't say it. She felt disappointed with herself, but also slightly relieved.
"You, you, you what?" he joked when she hesitated, unaware of what she was trying to say. Melody coughed loudly, as if she were suddenly choking on something. When her fake coughing fit was over, she spoke.
"I…love…it. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he breathed before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. She kissed him back, her arms automatically going up around his neck as she went up on her tiptoes. After a few minutes she could feel him tugging her hat off and she pulled away.
"Camus, I…I'm sorry. I…not tonight, okay?" she said, fixing her hat that had begun to fall off. "It's not you, I just feel tired."
She felt instantly guilty as soon as soon as she said it; his face fell at once. He kissed her forehead, his voice sounding strained.
"No, no, it's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"No, really. You didn't. I'm really tired." Melody inserted a yawn to sound more convincing. "I really like your present. You're…" She tried to think of what to say. "You're the best. Thank you."
She hugged him tightly and he hugged her back. "G'night, Melody." His face didn't conceal his hurt. The guilt in her stomach festered.
"'Night," she answered softly. He nodded at her, giving her a brief smile before he shut the door behind him.
--
Camus was still feeling let down by the time he got home. He kept running through the conversation in his mind, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing. Maybe she hates the necklace…although, she'd acted like she liked it, so that doesn't make sense. He opened the door to the darkened clinic and stepped inside. He tried to shut the door quietly. Just as he was about to decide that her confusing behavior was just because she was a girl, the sound of his father's voice scattered his thoughts.
"I see you're home, for once," his father, Doctor Edward, said, chuckling when Camus almost jumped out of his skin in surprise. He was sitting behind his desk with a lamp on. Camus hadn't even noticed him.
"God! Dad! What're you doing down here, lurking in the dark?" he yelped, leaning back against the door. His father raised his eyebrows. Camus cleared his throat and collected himself, trying to stand straighter. "And yeah, uh…I'm home. Hi."
"Hello," Edward greeted him, now grinning knowingly. "I'm assuming you were with Melody. Again."
"Uh, yes…" Camus said, nervously edging towards the stairs. If his father was about to tell him about the birds and the bees, it was a little bit too late.
"Camus," his father said seriously. Camus put his foot on the bottom step. Here it comes… "I'm glad you found someone. I just hope that she'll be enough to keep you here."
"Sure, Dad," Camus answered, feeling bewildered.
Edward smiled at his son, patted him on the back, and then resumed his place behind the desk. "I've got some paperwork to catch up on, so I'll go to bed later." He paused and Camus waited, his foot poised on the next step. "Good night, son."
"…Good night."
--
Rosetta leaned on the counter, her chin in her hands. She was deep in thought. It was past eight and the store had closed hours ago, but she was still downstairs, thinking things over. Her father had already retired to bed and was probably in a deep slumber by now.
She wasn't sure what she was thinking about, exactly; her mind kept drifting aimlessly, snatching up different bits. She wondered idly where Lukas was. Even though it seemed so absurd, she missed him. She wished that she hadn't sent him away. She was always doing that. She pushed Lukas away and it was because she was scared.
Maybe I should try to be a better girlfriend, Rosetta mused. I am his girlfriend, after all…we should spend more time together…
As she was thinking this, a knock came on the locked door. She looked up curiously, wondering who would come at this time of night. She felt a little thrill of fear, even though she knew there was nothing to be afraid of. The village was so tiny and everyone knew each other; some people didn't even lock their doors at night.
She crept over to the door and unbolted it, opening it to a tiny crack. She peeked through.
"Can I come in?" It was Lukas.
Rosetta broke out into a confused smile; how lucky was she that Lukas would show up on her doorstep right when she was thinking about him.
"Okay," she said, somewhat dazedly. "Sure." She opened the door further so he could come inside, and shut it behind him.
"What are you doing here?" she blurted, and then regretted it. Everything she said to him came out so mean. "I mean, I didn't think you'd be back," she amended lamely.
"Well, I am." He stopped, looking thoughtful. "Can we go up to your room?"
"Lukas," Rosetta said warningly. Despite her previous commitment to be nicer, she found irritating that that was why he came.
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just want to talk. Can we talk? Please?"
He sounded sincere enough, but she regarded him with caution. "Okay," she said finally. I have to be more trusting, she told herself, although she wasn't entirely convinced.
As they headed up to her room, Rosetta snuck a glance into her father's room. The door was closed and there wasn't any light coming from under the door. She could hear him snoring.
When they got to her room, she hesitantly shut the door behind them. Lukas immediately flopped down on her bed. He looked at her with his head upside down. "C'mon," he said, gesturing to the spot next to him with a grin on his face. "Come sit next to me."
"Lukas," she said again, but she felt herself already giving in. She smiled wryly and walked over to the bed. She sat down slowly, keeping a stiff position.
"C'mon!" he repeated, suddenly grabbing her and pulling her down on top of him.
"Lukas!" she gasped, a laugh escaping her lips. "What are you doing?"
He didn't speak, but instead looked right into her eyes. Rosetta's lungs felt like they were malfunctioning.
"I thought you wanted to talk," she whispered, unable to look away from him. His face had gotten so serious; suddenly the corners of his mouth turned up.
"Then let's talk. I was only kidding," he said, pretending to be offended. Rosetta got back into a sitting position and he followed suit.
"What do you want to talk about?" Lukas asked casually, leaning back on his elbows. The electricity of the previous moment still remained in the air. Rosetta tried to resume breathing.
"I guess I just want to…apologize," she said, looking away. "I think I've been kind of a jerk." She could feel his eyes boring into the side of her face. It made her blush.
"Rosetta," Lukas said, and then the intensity, the electricity, was back with full force. She made herself look at him. He was closer to her now, close enough to make her feel breathless again.
"I…" she began, and then changed her mind, kissing him instead.
She could feel him jolt a little beneath her lips in surprise, but recovered and was soon kissing her back. It lasted longer then they'd ever done before. She usually stopped Lukas before he got too aggressive. When she finally stopped, she moved away a few inches and tried to keep his gaze.
"I need to know…are we going to…?" Lukas began, the question in his eyes. Rosetta bit her lip, feeling like she was standing on the edge of a cliff.
She nodded, and took the plunge.
--
