Finally! Sorry for the wait, mind you I'm a college student so I'm swamped with work quite often. I wrote an extra long chapter to make up for it:) Note: if you have any Harvest Moon fan fiction and need revising, let me know! As a beta reader, I want to read your work:)

Let me know if you like this chapter! It helps knowing that people are reading and enjoying this story, so please comment! I tend to work faster when chapters are more in demand. So if you want a chapter sooner, just tell me:]

Enjoy!

Damn, it's a lot worse than I remember….

I frowned as I inspected the rundown farm. The house, or whatever was left of it, looked much worse than it did before. A few boards from its roof collapsed and the paint was peeling everywhere. A few weeds and wildflowers grew on the porch and the sides, which surprisingly, I thought made the place more beautiful

I put a finger to my chin and thought.

Well, I think I can afford to fix this place up with my shares of everything we've earned. I guess I can ask the carpenter for his help. I'm going to need tools too… and seeds. Oh man, I also have to fix the barn and the coop… But I can pay for those with whatever I earn from crops. I should have enough to buy at least a cow, a sheep, and a chick. And I need workclothes…

I took out a notepad and pencil and started writing down estimates. Earlier that day after I admitted I planned on becoming a farmer, I quickly walked out and made my way to the farm to avoid any potential wrath from my livid mother. It wouldn't have mattered. Nothing was going to change my mind.

"Hi R-Rose."

I turned around casually and saw Candace standing a few feet behind me, with her hands clasped in front her. I smiled, "Well hello, dear. What are you doing here?"

Candace looked at her hands shyly, "I-I heard t-that you were s-staying. I'm gl-lad you are." She looked up at me and smiled timidly.

Really?

My heart was overwhelmed with warmth. "I'm glad too, Candace. I hope you and I will become close friends. You're the sweetest girl I know." I meant it, I really did. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel happy when Candace spoke to me.

Her blue eyes, usually misty with gloominess, instantly lit up to a radiant shade of blue. "R-really? I don't h-have that many… f-friends. In fact," she looked up at me with a little sadness in her face, "I don't have any c-close friends."

I walked over and clasped her hand in mine. "To tell you the truth, neither have I. We have always been moving from place to place. Never really got the chance to know anybody. I guess that's part of the reason I wanted to stay, so I can actually live a normal life with friends and neighbors and all. Trust me when I say I hope we will be friends."

Candace smile widened, "Thank you, I w-wish the same very much."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Candace and I spent about a good hour chatting about all sorts of things before we reached town and parted ways. She and her sister are orphans and they moved here to live with their grandmother years ago. I told her that I still have my mother but have not seen my father in years. They say I get my looks from him though, which I don't quite remember to be honest. We shared a bit more before I headed to town hall to turn in my filled out resident card and also to pick up the deed to my new land. I hugged her after we said goodbye and she walked back home.

I opened the town hall's doors, expecting to see the mayor, only to find Gill at the desk sorting out paperwork. He looked up and seemed annoyed but his annoyance was quickly replaced with a look of surprise.

"Rose, what are you doing here?"

I tilted my head to the side, a little confused. "I came to pick up the lease and give you my estimates…?"

He ran his hand through his platinum blonde hair and sighed, "Oh I apologize. I must've forgotten. I've been busy setting up leases for your family and buying tickets for the ones leaving. Here, let me give you yours."

I couldn't help but giggle a little bit at his frustration. It became a little obvious to me now that Gill didn't always act like himself around me. His fair face would become dusted with pink on his cheeks whenever we looked at each other. His speech would become a little slurred when he tried to talk to me, and he would have a hard time keeping eye contact with me whenever we did talk. It didn't bother me much, I thought it was a little cute. It almost seemed like a child-like infatuation.

I wonder if Owen ever felt that way….

My eyes quickly shut and I scrunched my face. My small hands quickly clenched up, my nails digging into my palms.

Don't ever think about him again, Rose. Not now, not ever!

I inhaled quietly and walked over to Gill, who was busy looking for my lease. He finally held up some papers and looked pleased.

"Here it is, I almost thought I lost it. I worked all night on this one just for you, Rose-" he quickly stopped talking and looked away. He coughed and continued, "Uh, only because you have asked for a farm, not a mere house like the rest of your family of course."

Hehe, he is adorable like this.

I giggled at my own private thoughts and took the papers from him, "That's understandable. Thank you, I truly appreciate your hardwork. Now that we are going to be neighbors, it's very comforting to know I have someone I can rely on that is very dependable."

Gill's usually narrow icy eyes widened a bit. He stared at me, perplexed.

I hope I didn't make him uncomfortable or weird…

"Um, Gill? My estimates?"

He shook his head again and muttered, "Oh, yeah… right. What do you need?"

He walked over to the mahogany desk and motioned for me to stand on the opposite side facing him. I walked over and took out my list from the pocket of my jean shorts.

"Okay, I need the following: a hoe, a sickle, a watering can, some standard furniture…."

I heard the doors of the town hall open but I didn't bother looking back, I just kept listing items.

"As for purchases, I need seeds, livestock, fertilizer, feed and fodder which in total accumulates to a total of 16, 000 G more or less. I have approximately 100,000 G in my savings so cost shouldn't be much of a problem-"

Gill held up a hand and I paused. I looked at him in confusion.

"Could you wait just a minute, Rose? Let me take care of this resident for a bit. Can I help you, Owen?"

Oh God….no… no…

Everything inside me seemed to shut down. My thoughts. My movements. My emotions. Even my heart. I was petrified in fear, terrified of looking back. I wanted at that instant to evaporate into thin air, to disappear, to run away… but I knew I couldn't. I had to stay there and deal with it like a big girl.

Which was absolutely, excruciatingly, painfully unfair.

I couldn't even bring myself to let my hair fall to my face. I just kept staring at my list, hoping Owen would notice me and walk away.

In disgust maybe…

Gill rolled his blue eyes, "Look meathead, I don't have time for you to just look at me with your mouth opened like that. What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy with Rose?"

"Uh, right… I'm here for… to give you our list of inventory we need to ship off to the mainland."

I heard footsteps slowly approach the desk. I bowed my head and shut my eyes, hoping this could end quickly.

I dared myself to peek a little out of the corner of my eye and noticed a figure standing next to me. I quickly looked away and made myself stare at the little notepad in my hands. The poor thing was starling to crinkle as my grip tightened and tightened.

There was a small but awkward silence in the room that followed, but thankfully Gill was not a man of patience.

He extended his hand out and grumpily spat, "Hey, you're here to do business with me so stop staring at Rose like that. Just hand me the list and I'll get back to you after I am done with her."

I heard a little rustling of paper. That must've meant that said list was being handed over.

Come on Rosie, hold it together. Keep quiet and try not to feel anything, don't show him anything. No emotion, nothing.

"Rose?" Gill's voice was much gentler when he said my name. It also startled me a bit since I was too preoccupied with trying not to cry. Or pass out.

I meekly muttered, "Hm?"

"Repeat what you need and I will look for the supplies you need, okay?"

"Uh, sure."

Gill nodded and walked over to a cabinet briskly. He began to pull out items from it.

"Water can, sickle, and hoe… now what else?"

I tightly grasped my notebook for dear life and forced myself to talk, "Uh, references for people that can help with renovation and I need to be fitted for clothing…"

To my great shock, I heard a similar voice next to me gruffly whisper, "Why are you still here?"

Why is he talking to me? I thought he never wanted to see me again, or even speak to me again.

I almost stopped talking and contemplated talking back, but I absolutely refused. The thought of Owen brought me as much joy as it did misery. Especially when his cruel words kept repeating in my head.

"I can't even stand the sight of you…. How could you Rose?"

"S-some basic furniture like a cabinet, a few guide books would be great especially about the history of Castanet, a map of the island, a list of natural resources I could forage…."

"You were supposed to be gone, I thought you were done with wooeing every man on this island…"

That one hurt. My voice almost cracked and I had to pause so I could regain my composure.

Why are you doing this to me?

"Ahem…inventory books, parchment, any office supplies. Also, I no longer have need for my costumes. I can sell those or give them away if needed. And that's it."

By then, Gill had a large box stuffed with some supplies I had listed. He walked over to the phone on his desk and dialed a number. After waiting for a few seconds, he said, "Hello, Sonata Tailoring? This is Gill. Yes, I'm well thank you. Listen, I have a young lady who just became a new resident who needs to be fitted for working clothes… No, no, no not dance costumes… Yes, I know you don't have that many rhinestones…. It's clothes for farming, specifically. I'm sure you know her, she's one of the dancers. Name? Ah, Rosalie. But she goes by Rose."

I quietly cursed under my breath. My cover has been completely blown. Gill was giving me away so effortlessly; by the end of the phone call, I bet Owen would even know what crops I planned on growing two seasons from now.

Well Rose, you couldn't really expect to hide from him for the rest of the time you would live here. Get real. He probably doesn't even care.

"Yes, I agree Shelly." Gill looked up at me and gave me a small smile, "She would be a lovely new addition to this town. Exactly what we needed."

His smile contained a newfound confidence I haven't seen from him before. He looked as if he really wanted me to know that he was glad I'm staying. The sudden revelation caused me to blush, much to my surprise and embarrassment. I looked away but smiled a bit anyway.

It helped to know that some people were happy to see me and weren't disgusted by the mere thought of me….

"I'll send her right over. Bye, now."

Gill hung up the phone and looked at me, "Well that ought to take care of it. Go over to Sonata Tailoring and get fitted. Tell them I sent you. I'll make a few calls to the carpenter and other places to let them know that you need supplies. Here's a list of phone numbers. Also, the box of supplies is pretty heavy. Maybe Owen could…."

I knew what he was going to say. Before Gill could even finish his sentence I quickly shook my head, "No, my brother can pick it up later today. Thank you so much, Gill. See you around."

In three quick steps, I was gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Although the walk to Sonata Tailoring wasn't far at all, my thoughts about Owen tormented me so much, I felt like I was walking through thick honey the entire time. It was hard to tell how he reacted to knowing that I would be living in Castanet since I absolutely refused to look at him. But I did remember catching Gill say something about him looking at me instead of him.

What does that even mean? It doesn't necessarily mean he was looking at you in a good way though…

As I opened the doors to the tailor's, my thoughts were quickly stopped as a little figure quickly side- stepped in front of me.

"Hi! Welcome to Sonata Tailoring! Unless you're not buying anything in which case, get out!"'

The little figure was a young woman roughly around my age but a little shorter than me. She had brilliant light pink hair, quaintly decorated with small white flowers, a fashionable dress with matching Mary Janes, and large blue eyes. She reminded me of a porcelain doll, although she seemed anything but fragile.

I cleared my throat, "I uh, was sent here by Gill."

Her large eyes lit up in excitement and she clasped her hands together, "Oh, you're that one dancer! I LOVE your clothes by the way. Especially that one red dress you wore, hehe. Love it. My sister tells me you're very nice to her, so I like you already!" She tossed her pink hair to the side in a very girly fashion, "I'm Luna by the way. You need fashion help, you can come to me anytime."

Sister?

I bowed to her politely, "Very nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Rose. I'm sorry you mentioned a sister, who is it if I may ask?"

"Candace, of course! Yeah yeah yeah, I know we don't look alike but believe it or not we areeee." She coyly laughed and turned her head to the back of the store.

"Grandma, Candy! She's hereee!"

XXXXXXXXXX

It's either a small world indeed or Castanet must be tinier than I thought. To my surprise, the sweet old woman named Shelley was the same Shelley I met a few days ago and she also happened to be the grandmother of both Candace and Luna. What startled me the most is the fact that Luna was Candace's sister. But how? They were complete opposites!

Well I'm not one to talk. My sister and I aren't only just polar opposites, we look like we are from different ethnicities….

There was tiny me with bright red hair, violet eyes, serious disposition and secretly shy. Then there was statuesque Marina with her brown eyes, black hair, olive skin, and brazen personality. My skin is only slightly darker because of the hours I've spent under the sun.

After a few hours of standing up, having my measurements taken, and getting to know the owners more, I was told that I would have my clothes shipped to my house. I thankfully accepted and promised to visit soon.

"Join Irene and I for tea soon, my dear." Shelley said sweetly as she waved goodbye to me.

"Yeah, and don't be shy to stop by! Maybe you could show me how to design the outfits your dance group wears, hehe!" Luna giggled. Candace just waved at me in silence but with a smile on her face. God, those two must be clear reflection of the kind of relationship Marina and I have….

"Thank you, I will! Goodbye for now!"

I stepped outside and checked my watch. 9:00 pm.

Well I don't want to go home- to my new home- yet. It's been such a long time since I have slept alone. And I have never lived alone. Hm… I wonder if Marina got that job at the bar. I can check there.

I checked myself in the reflection of the window of the tailor shop. My red hair looked a little disheveled so I ran my fingers through it so it would tidy up a bit. I didn't bother much with makeup today, so all I had on was mascara and eyeliner. I straightened my clothes up and headed to the bar.

I was expecting another friendly greeting from the owners of the bar but instead I bumped into a heated argument between my sister and…. Selena.

Shit.

"You can't have my job! I was here first, you stupid whore!"

"I don't want your stupid job, you basic bitch! I do more than just belly dance, unlike you! Hayden, tell her!"

Poor Hayden stood in the middle of both screaming women, unsure of what to say. Another young woman with blonde hair I have seen work in the bar was trying to mediate but her pleas were unheard.

"Girls please! I'm sure we can all work something out! Just please don't fight, you're drawing the attention of customers away from their conversations…."

After I closed the door behind me, everyone turned their heads towards me. I just stood there with my eyes wide open, "Uh, did I come at a wrong time or something?"

Hayden looked relieved, "Oh no, you came at a perfect time! These girls are having some scheduling conflicts, maybe you can help them out?"

I looked over at the two girls. Selena looked absotuely horrified to see me. When she saw me, she shrilled out hysterically, "What are you doing here?! You're not supposed to be here! Why the hell are you here?!"

Yeah, I already heard that today…

I shrugged," Surprise."

Despite the fact that it was Selena's fault that I was in such a miserable situation that brought me a lot of pain, it was much easier to talk to her than it was with Owen. She didn't make my heart go crazy or my mind out of sorts. I just didn't like her.

Marina pointed an angry finger at Selena's direction, "I asked Hayden for a job here and he was totally okay with it! I can work later shifts but Selena refuses to even let me work in the same place! Tell her it's wrong and that I have every right to work wherever the hell I want."

"Why are you asking me? Ask the mayor."

Marina rolled her dark eyes dramatically and raised her arms above her head. "Gee I don't know, didn't you double major in something like that?"

"It was International Relations, Nina…."

"Yeah whatever that is. Just use your smarties right now, please?" She looked at Selena and taunted, "You about to learn today, bitch."

Selena tried to lunge herself at Marina but the blonde haired woman held her back with quite impressive strength. I quickly stepped in, "Look Selena, whether you like it or not, you can't keep Marina from working here. You're an employee, not an employer so it's Hayden's choice not yours."

Doesn't anybody know that? Damn, she's either basic or that spiteful…

Selena quickly turned her head to Hayden and begged desperately, "I've worked for you for so long! I have brought more customers here thanks to me, and I've showed up everyday. I'm sore all the freaking time but I don't care, I love this job too much to stop!"

Pfft, he doesn't even know you're an illegal stowaway…

Hayden smiled sympathetically, "Now now, Selena. I'm not firing you, I simply want to hire someone else for the hours you can't work."

"That's not a bad idea. Selena could start from opening time to 10:00 pm, then Marina can take over from that time till closing time. Does that work for you, Hayden?" I said, hoping that that would. The poor man looked very overwhelmed. He was quite kind as well, so I really wanted to help him out if I could.

A smile formed on his rugged face and he nodded, "I like that idea! Okay girls, you heard her. Marina, you start in an hour. Any more complaints, and I'm letting you go for the night without pay. Now if you excuse me, I have customers that need to get drunk off their minds after witnessing this fight. And by customers, I mean me."

He quickly walked away, hoping not to be caught up in another fight. I had to give it to him, he certainly had patience for girls. Selena marched after him and Marina triumphantly walked towards the now empty dance floor.

A tap on my shoulder caught my attention and I turned my head to find myself face to face with the lovely blonde girl. She smiled at me and extended her hand towards me, "Hello! We haven't been formally introduced but I have seen you a couple of times already, you're quite a commodity here! My name is Kathy by the way, thanks for helping us back there!"

I shook her hand, "It was nothing really, I've had practice with my sister shoving me into situations like that. Truth be told, I'm not even that good at it. I'm Rose, it's nice to meet you Kathy."

She cocked her head and winked at me, "Come in for a free drink with me tomorrow! It's the least I can do for you. Oh! You should also come to Flute Fields with me for a horse ride sometime, you should meet my dear friend Renee! You both kind of look alike! Right now I have to get back to work and serve the customers, but please make yourself at home!"

We waved at each other goodbye and I headed to Marina's spot on the dance floor. She was inspecting the floor closely but when she saw me, her full lips formed a large smile.

"You shoulda been a lawyer or something Rose, you always know what to say. I'm so excited! I'm gonna be the better dancer, just you wait! I'm just making sure that psycho didn't spill any water or marbles on the dance floor…."

I noticed a piano in the corner with a bench; I walked over and sat down, crossed my legs and leaned back casually.

"Marina, you want to work late because you know Luke comes here at that time, right?"

Her olive cheeks turned pink and she looked away, "That obvious, huh?"

"No, but it is to someone who has known you your entire life. Nina, you hate missing sleep. There's no other reason why you would want a late shift. But I was just guessing."

Marina ran her fingers through her long, thick hair. She looked as if she was trying to find the right thing to say.

"Oh Rosie, I really like him. I want to see him as much as I can but he's always working. I need to stay productive so I can pay my rent and see him too, so this was the best option. Don't worry, I won't slack off." Marina looked up at me with a determined smile on her lovely face, "I'll only be much better because the thought of him seeing me will keep me going."

I grinned and nodded, "More power to you, sis."

Next thing I knew, I heard Maya's voice call out my name.

"ROOOOSIIEEEEE!"

I turned and saw her walk towards me with Luna and Candace following her. I grinned happily and waved at them.

"Hey there, what's up?"

Maya ran up to me and hugged me, which caught me completely off guard. I've never been hugged by someone that wasn't related to me before. Sad fact, but it's true.

"Is it really true that you're living here?! That is so cool! We are gonna have so much fun! I heard you're gonna be a farmer! Sweet! Can I ride your cow? Can you make me cake from your animal products?"

Luna walked over and flicked Maya's forehead, "Don't be such a glutton! You don't want her to change her mind and leave, do you? Besides, we wanted to ask Rose for drinks not her food!"

Maya flinched in pain, "But why not both?"

I laughed in amusement. I could already tell these girls were going to bring so much color to my life indeed.

"I can't really drink now, I start work tomorrow. But how about some dancing? I think I promised Maya I would teach her some technique."

Maya and Luna looked at me in astonishment. Both of them jumped up and down in excitement. "Teach us please!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Marina technically had an hour before work so we had the entire dance floor to ourselves. Everyone else in the bar was too busy chatting and drinking to notice so it wasn't that bothersome to me. I doubted Ramsey, Dale or Cain would bother to watch a group of us silly girls try to dance.

We settled on practicing house dancing, a particular favorite of Marina's. After explaining a brief description of the dance, Marina and I proceeded to demonstrate with some examples. We started with very basic footwork before complicating it a bit. Luna and Maya surprisingly had no trouble keeping up but Candace did. She was tremendously shy, even in front of us.

"Don't worry Candace, no one will laugh at you. I will drop kick anyone that dares to!" I told her, hoping it would reassure her.

She looked around the bar nervously, "What if they see me?"

I smiled, "It doesn't matter. Why would they say anything? They're not trying, you are! Trust me, I'm just as shy as you. But when I dance, I forget about being shy because it makes me so happy. Maybe dance is what you need to help boost your confidence and overcome your shyness."

Candace managed to look at me in the face and whimpered, "R-really? You really t-think so?"

I winked, "One way to find out."

Then I had an idea and clapped my hands together.

"But if we are gonna do this, we better do it to something you like. Is there a particular style of dance you have always wanted to do?" I smiled, "Pick anything at all, I will know it."

Candace's blue hair fell lightly across her face and she stared at the floor deep in thought. I barely heard what she said next.

"Well…. I s-s-saw that dance you and Owen d-did at Med-Medley Night. C-can you t-teach me?"

My smile faded a little bit. I was still more than happy to teach my new friend anything, but the mention of Owen's name brought a certain degree of sadness to my heart. My heart ached at the memories of us dancing under the bright lanterns without a care of who was watching. Oh, Owen…

"Su-sure. Anything you want. Come here and stand next to me, let me show you how to sway your hips."

I fought with myself to keep my focus solely on Candace instead of… instead of… him. It was hard to do when we were dancing to what Owen and I….

STOP IT ROSE, LET HIM GO. Any man that believes a bimbo over you is not worth it…

"A-am I doing it right, Rose?" Candace was originally a little stiff but I finally got her to sway in a more natural way. I looked at her in admiration; I certainly wasn't expecting her to pick up bachata that quick.

"You got it! Now two steps to the right, then two steps to the left. No, don't stop moving your hips! Yeah, right like that. Now let's do a simple turn…. There you go!"

Candace's smile grew so much, I was startled at how big her smile was. I would have never guessed this shy, sweet girl could ever be this excited!

"I… I'm doing it, Rose! Any more moves you can teach me?" She looked at me in excitement. I nodded and held up a finger with a sly grin on my face, "Of course. Let's do the funnest part. Turns and spins!"

We were so caught up in the moment that I never noticed the doors of the bar open. I didn't even notice who it was until I got so dizzy from turning and happened to stop in the direction of the doors. Although I was completely out of breath from all the swaying and turning, I stopped altogether when I saw who it was.

Owen stood there, just watching me with an expressionless look on his face. He was with Luke, who saw me as well and waved at me. He started to walk towards me with a smile on his face, but Owen just stood there. But he still kept his eyes on me. And I kept mine on his.

I didn't even notice Luke greet me before he walked over to my sister and led her to an empty table. I didn't know how to react, or what I should have done. I almost considered walking over and asking him why he was hurting me so much.

But when you're Rose, life never works out that way.

"Baby, there you are! I was wondering when I would see you. I had the most awful day, I have to tell you everything!"

That familiar shrilly voice belonged to Selena. And by then, she had already flung herself at Owen and thrown her arms around his thick neck He looked a little confused when he looked down and saw the red haired siren staring coyly back at him. Owen's hands almost instinctively caught her waist but he just kept them there. She pulled him closer to her in a tight embrace. Which he reciprocated.

He held me like that yesterday. God, why didn't I see this coming? I should have known that it was too good to be true. He's too beautiful to be this kind… He probably used me instead of the other way around… He knows he could.

I looked away from them and felt a lump on my throat. I almost yelled out in pain when I realized that I dug my nails too deeply into my palms. I brought my hands up and noticed a little bit of blood. Despite the sight, I clenched them up again.

Note to self: cut fingernails.

How could I ever have thought this was my fault? I didn't do anything wrong, Selena convinced him I did. Yet here he is, treating her the way he treated me not even less than 24 hours ago. Who moves on that quickly? Unless… he never felt anything towards me in the first place. Why would he do that to me? He thinks I'm just a whore…

"Hey Rose? A-are you okay?"

Candace put a hand on my shoulder and looked at me with a worried look on her face. Behind her stood Maya and Luna, who looked flushed as well as concerned.

"Yeah, you don't look so hot. You look pale as a ghost! Are you sick, sweetie?" Luna asked. She stood on her toes to try to put a palm on my forehead.

"I know what you need! Do you want chestnut pie? It makes me sooo happy when I'm sad!" Maya piped up. She looked a little too happy at the thought of pie. I tend to forget how much Maya LOVES food.

Luna rolled her eyes and snapped, "Why would she want food if she's sick? Unless… you really are sad. Are you, Rose?"

"Yes, are you?" Candace said. "I s-saw you pause and stare at something with a blank look on your face before you looked away. I-I thought you were gonna throw up or something."

I forced a smile, "It's okay, I-I-Im…. I'm…"

I'm hurting. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm bitter. I'm disappointed. I'm not okay.

I was this close to admitting to them the source of all my problems in such a fragile state until I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned around hesitantly.

"Well good evening, ladies. It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

Calvin tipped his hat at all of us and gallantly flashed that signature crooked smile of his. Maya and Luna giggled and bowed cutely at him. Candace bowed as well but kept her eyes on the ground.

"Hi Calvin, it's nice to see you as always," Luna said a little bit too flirtatiously. Maya twiddled with one of her braids as she batted her eyelashes at Calvin.

"The pleasure is all mine, ma'am." He turned his gaze at me and smiled, "I heard you were staying for good here. Had to come see it for myself to know it was real. I gotta say, I thought it was a dream."

He chuckled in embarrassment but I just stood there, staring at him. I didn't mean to, I just didn't know what to say after all those emotions I felt upon seeing Owen.

"Oooh, don't mind us. We were just going home! Goodnight, you twooooo!" Luna winked at us before shoving both her sister and a dazed Maya out the door, leaving Calvin and I standing by ourselves.

As I watched them leave, I noticed that Owen and Selena had taken a seat not too far away from where Calvin and I were standing. Selena was chatting mindlessly about something I couldn't hear, but Owen seemed less than engaged or even interested.

He just kept staring at his drink, occasionally nodding here and there. I noticed his grey eyes kept trying to flick up towards my direction but I think he knew I was watching him, so his eyes would go back to his drink.

I turned my attention back to Calvin and quickly tried to think of something to say.

"H-hi. What's up?"

I'm horrible at conversations, mother of God….

Calvin eyes twinkled a bit, "Like I said, I had to find out if you were staying. I have to say, I've never been this excited to have a new neighbor before. Especially such a lovely lady, like yourself."

I swallowed hard. Wow, I've never had someone compliment me the way this guy does. Does he mean it though? How can I know? I've been mislead terribly before…

"I… I don't know what to say."

"Then say yes."

I looked up at him in confusion, "Yes to what?"

If this turns out to be a proposal, I don't know how to tell him that this is not how I imagined being proposed to.

Calvin took my small hand in his and held up near his chest, "To dinner with me. What do you say? Will you go out with me tomorrow night?"

I did not see that one coming.

I peeked over Calvin's shoulder to look at Owen's table. This time Owen made no effort to hide the fact that he was staring at us. He stared with an almost alert, and a little furious, look on his face.

For some reason, it made me angry.

Why are you even mad? You're the one that can't even stand the sight of me over something I am not even to blame for. And it's more than obvious that you're with someone else, maybe even to spite me. Well I refuse to feel sadness over you. I would much rather feel anger towards you. I don't deserve to hurt over someone like you.

"Rose?" Calvin put a finger on my chin and turned my face towards him. My eyes opened wide in surprise at his sudden move.

How can one man be so smooth?

He looked a little anxious. "Rose, I know I come off a little too forward. But I take pride in knowing what I want. And I want to get to know you better. If you want to call it a friend, you can. But I just want you to know that I won't hurt you. In fact, I am rather fond of you. And I would want nothing more but to court you. So, would you give me a chance to at least get to know you better?"

Court me?! He is interested in me that way? Wow… even Owen couldn't bring himself to tell me anything like that. Probably because he wasn't interested in anything like that. To him, I was just a one-time thing just like Selena said.

I blinked a few times before I could think of something to say. Looking into Calvin's blue eyes made me wonder if maybe I was looking at the wrong guy this whole time…

"Why?" That's all I managed to say.

Calvin smiled a bit, "Well, where can I start? Obviously, I think you're a beautiful woman. Though you're quite tiny I must admit, haha."

I almost pouted at that. Just a force of habit of mine I've had since I was a child. I hated my height.

He continued, "You're small but you possess this quality that makes you seem almost six feet tall. This assertiveness, this look on your face when you dance. If you don't mind me saying so, you have quite a womanly body as well. It must be your dancing or your exoticness, but I have never seen such curves. It gives you more maturity."

Should I slap him or something? Is that appropriate to say? What would Mama do…

"No, don't get me wrong, that's not what caught my interest. But your physical attractiveness caught my attention. I've never seen such deep violet eyes before, or such brilliant red hair before. But the best part, was talking to you. You are so intelligent and cultured, I almost felt inferior to such wit and brains. But you were so kind, so gentle…"

Is this a confession? No one has ever had the guts to admit such intimate detail before. Does this mean it's real?

"Rose, I feel like I know you yet I feel like I don't at the same time. I want to get to know this wonderful girl that seems to shut out everyone from her heart. I want to know if I can do anything to show her how much she's worth and how much she means to everyone. Will you let me?"

Take a chance, Rose. Let Owen go, he hurt you. He won't believe you, but he'll believe his lying ex. He obviously still has feelings for her, so let them be and be happy.

I took another peek and noticed Owen again. He looked livid and he glared at me with a look in his grey eyes that almost seemed unkind. I couldn't tell if he felt jealousy or disgust…. I don't even know why I bother trying to figure out. It's not worth it. It shouldn't be.

Yes.

I pushed my hair out of my face with my free hand and nodded at Calvin. At this time, I had no idea what else I could possibly say with all these emotions overtaking my heart and my mind. I smiled at him to reassure him of my decision. His smile turned to a grin and I could see his perfectly straight teeth for the first time. Calvin raised my hand to his lips and kissed it, never taking his eyes off of me.

I'm not a vengeful person but if this is how Owen wants to play it, then fine. If he wants to flaunt his relationship with his ex- girlfriend after everything he told me to hurt me, then fine. I will fight to try to move on, but before I do, I'm going to make sure I hit him where it hurts at least once. Just so he knows what kind of pain he made me feel. The pain of knowing that you weren't the only one.

"You can call me Rosalie, if you'd like."