I was up bright and early on the day of Winter Harmony, hard at work in the kitchen. As I stood there in front of the oven, I wondered if things had worked out right with the package I had sent. Jackson was still out of town, but I had not forgotten the delicious brownies he had given me for Spring Harmony. Granted, he hadn't baked them himself, but he'd bought them and given them to me and that definitely counted in my book. Jackson had told me that if I needed to get in touch with him then Laney had all of the information I'd need. I had felt rather awkward going to her and asking her to provide me with her son's current whereabouts, but she had managed to put me at ease and I finally realized that interacting with this half of my family would only ever be as awkward as I made it. Even Lauren was treating me as she normally would, although for a week there she'd given me this look. . .Anyway, I couldn't let Jackson go without something chocolate even if he wasn't in town. Therefore, I had made him a special chocolate treat and then shipped it through Dirk to the address that Laney said he was currently at for the week.
Thinking about Jackson caused a little twinge of sadness. After all, I'd thought I wouldn't be single on Winter Harmony this year like I'd been on Spring Harmony, yet there I was. I was okay with that, though. I'd always been okay with being single whenever I was single. I don't know. I guess it's just whenever I thought about how things didn't work out with Jackson and how much energy I had put into accepting him and trying to make it work, I just felt bad. I especially felt bad whenever I thought about the fact that even though I hadn't been using Jackson to get over Akito and I'd been genuinely interested in making our relationship work, I had still had those very deep and very real feelings for Akito the entire time, even if I'd tried not to think about them. Jackson deserved to get chocolate from a woman whose heart belonged to him and only him and someday I hoped he would. Of course, even then he would still get chocolate from me. After all, it was our group's tradition. Dating, engaged, married, single, whatever. Everybody got chocolate from each other in our group. And today, if my timing had been right, Jackson would be getting chocolate from me.
My mom was sitting at the table sipping on coffee while she watched me. She'd baked something for Oliver, just as she always had because he was the official substitute for my father for the day. After all, my dad hated chocolate and never let her give him anything on Winter Harmony. Of course, he always gave her something on Spring Harmony and she didn't like not being able to reciprocate in kind, but she'd always accepted it because not giving him anything was better than giving him something and seeing that look on his face that said 'I don't want to not accept it, but I'd really rather not accept it. But I'll accept it because you're my wife and I love you more than the air I breathe.' Or something like that. I knew he felt guilty about her not being able to give him anything and that was why, even though it was a Monday, he was still in town and always stayed in town whenever the holiday fell on a Monday.
"Do you think that it'll arrive today? I mean, I don't want it to get there late and I certainly don't want it to go bad before he gets it. I don't want Jackson to come home and say that I gave him food poisoning from bad chocolate stuff or anything. Do you think it'll be fine?" I asked her as I opened the oven a little bit to check on the progress of what was inside.
"It will get there right on time. It will not spoil before he gets it. It will all be fine," she told me in that soothing motherly tone that she probably mastered the second I came out of the womb and made my entrance into the world.
"You're right. Right? I'm probably obsessing over nothing. It's just. . ."
She sat her cup down and looked at me in that knowing way of hers. "Relax, sweetie. Okay? I know you have all these feelings going on inside of you because it's Winter Harmony and things didn't work out with Jackson. I can assure you, though, that today will be fine. He will get that package. He will see it's from you. And he'll be grateful that he was still being thought of today even though he's not home for the holiday."
Mom was right, of course. She was always right. I stopped hovering by the oven and sat down at the table to return my attention to my own cup of coffee. I looked up as my dad walked into the kitchen. He kissed me on top of my head and then kissed my mother on the lips and said "My Lily." He'd been calling her that ever since they officially got together, according to mom, and nobody else was allowed to call her that but him. "I have a proposal."
"You proposed to me over two decades ago," she told him in an amused tone as she smoothed his bangs and adjusted the hat on his head.
"It's not that kind of proposal," he told her with an amused tone of his own while he stayed bent down and so close to her face that I wondered if I should leave the kitchen and give them a little privacy. "I was wondering if you would like to take a walk outside of town with me." Other than the flowerbed and by the river, that was his favorite place to go. "And after that, maybe we can go to the cafe and we can. . .We can have some hot chocolate."
My mother froze and looked up at him disbelievingly. "Hot chocolate?" When he nodded, she repeated "Hot chocolate?"
He seemed to blush a little, but he didn't tug at his hat to hide himself from my mother as he said "Yes."
"And you're going to drink it?"
"Yes," he said again in confirmation.
"Do I get to buy you this hot chocolate?" she asked hopefully.
"You do," he assured her.
She beamed at him and kissed him before saying "That sounds like a wonderful plan. I'll go get my coat."
He stood up straight and helped her out of her chair before pushing it back against the table while she strolled out the kitchen to get ready. He glanced over and I was pretty sure he'd somehow managed to forget I was even in the room. He rubbed the back of his head and looked away from me as I smiled. Then he left the kitchen as well when he remembered that he'd be needing to put his own coat on if he was going to take this walk with mom.
I continued my baking while they were gone. Baking was something I had always been exceptionally good at from a young age, so I always took extra special care when it came to Winter Harmony. I wanted whatever I made to turn out absolutely perfect because, after all, I had a reputation to uphold considering I used to bake the desserts over at the cafe when I worked there part time as a teenager.
I had made something for Oliver considering he'd made me something for Spring Harmony since he knew how much I loved chocolate. My treat for Makoto was done and packed up. Now I was just waiting on what I was making for Akito. I was just taking it out the oven when I heard some loud knocking at the front door. After sitting the pan down and taking of the oven mitt, I hustled over to the front door and opened it up. Colby was standing there looking her best, all decked out in uncharacteristically girly clothes, coat included, and I knew that could only mean one thing.
"Are you still baking?" she asked as I moved aside and motioned her to hurry inside before anymore of that cold air blasted me.
"I just took the last of it out of the oven," I told her as I closed the door behind her. I crossed my arms over my chest as I observed her.
"I already made the rounds. Makoto has what he's getting. In case you're wondering where Akito is today, he's in Bluebell. At least he was a minute ago when I gave him his chocolate. That will save you the trouble of having the hunt him down. You know how he likes to bounce back and forth between the two towns and. . ."
"Are you heading over to Buena Vista?" I asked her, unable to keep the question to myself any longer.
She turned to look at me and fiddled with her hair in that un-Colby way she only got about her whenever Ignacio was involved. "Yes."
With a sigh, I said "Col, he never comes to town to bring you anything when he knows it's Spring Harmony here."
She didn't like having that pointed out to her and I could tell by the look on her face and the stubborn straightening of her spine. "I know that, Violet. But I can't expect for him to come over here for every Bluebell or Konohana holiday. They have their own things going on over in Buena Vista that he has to keep up with."
For some reason, I really couldn't keep my mouth shut even though I know Colby and I know that the more you push her on an issue, the more she pulls in the opposite direction. That was especially the case whenever it came to Ignacio and I'd learned long ago to hold my tongue on my opinions where he was concerned. Colby liked to give advice, but she hated to take it. I knew that. Yet my mouth just kept on talking.
"You make the effort to be there for the important Buena Vista festivals."
"He makes it over here for festivals, Violet," she said defensively. "You know he does."
He did sometimes. You know, whenever the wind shifted directions and the mood hit him. "He never comes for the important festivals." And by that, she knew that I was talking about Spring Harmony, Winter Harmony and the Starry Night festival. Whenever it came to those important and romantic events, he was nowhere to be found. He liked to put on a good show whenever he was in town, but he never made the effort to be around for the truly romantic events. At least, he'd stopped making that kind of effort a year or two into their relationship.
Colby was good and mad now and I knew it because her head was tilted down slightly, her fist was raised and clenched, and if all of that wasn't telling enough then the expression she wore was. It spoke volumes. "He cares, Violet. He loves me. We've been together for a long time. I don't need him to always be around to know how much I mean to him."
I shook my head, feeling truly bad about this because I knew she was wrong, absolutely wrong. I didn't want to call her a doormat. I didn't want to say those words. I knew that to Ignacio, that was what she was, though, and I knew that when she finally realized that it was going to be awful for her. "Colby. I know you don't want to hear this, but. . ."
"Enough, Violet," she snapped, her nostrils flaring slightly like an angry bull that was getting ready to charge.
I knew she wasn't going to hit me or anything. Colby would never hit me out of actual anger even if she smacked me playfully or out nearly squeezed the life out of me with her hugs. Even if she sometimes shake me back and forth when she was frustrated by me. Colby would never hit me. She did look like she was close to saying something to me that she might regret, though. Maybe she was going to say something like 'What do you know considering you've certainly never been in a seven year relationship?' or 'How can you stand there preaching to me when you and Jackson just broke up?' Whatever she was thinking about letting pass through her lips, though, I'd already decided that I would forgive her for it no matter what. She was my best friend. She was in denial. I loved her enough not to let words I knew she didn't mean come between us.
"Colby," I started.
She unclenched that fist and held her hand up between us. She took a deep breath and I could tell that she'd regained control of herself and wasn't about to say anything that I'd have to forgive her for. Colby was still good and mad, but she wasn't about to lash out at me. "I don't want to let the day get away from me. I think it's time I head over to Buena Vista. Don't worry, Vi, I'll be sure to tell Iggy you said hello," she told me, using the nickname I used for Ignacio even though I knew he hated it. That was the only barb she was going to send my way and I was actually relieved by that.
I said nothing. There really wasn't anything more for me to say. So I stood there and watched her open the door. For a second, I thought she might slam it behind her, but she seemed to think better of it and gave it a firm closing instead. After all, she was mad at me and not the door. I hadn't meant to get anything started. I hadn't meant to potentially ruin her day. I knew Colby like the back of my hand and I was well aware that saying what I did would tick her off even if it was the truth. Still, though, I'd said what I'd said and I just hoped that my words wouldn't ultimately push her even more into Ignacio's arms.
For a while I just stood there staring at the door, thinking back on the argument. Eventually I remembered the chocolate goodies I had waiting for me in the kitchen. I remembered that there were guys out there waiting for my little deliveries. I felt badly about what had just transpired between me and Colby, but I didn't actually feel bad about what I'd said. Rather, I felt bad for Colby. In the end, though, I couldn't let that ruin the whole entire day because Colby would get over it, probably by tomorrow. Still, though, she was on my mind very much as I packed up my stuff and put it inside my rucksack. She was on my mind as I stood at the end of the driveway considering whether I should go to Bluebell and see Akito or head over to Konohana and find Makoto. She was certainly on my mind when I decided Konohana was my first destination and had a chat with Keiko about her. I didn't stay long chatting with Keiko after giving Makoto his chocolate, though, because it really was a romantic day for them and I didn't want to intrude. Makoto had put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, though, when I was on my way out. He'd never liked Ignacio either.
I stopped at the tea house to get something hot to drink and recharge before I braved the cold again, mulling over my conversation with Colby the whole time. For some reason, today of all days just didn't sit well with me. That was why I'd opened my mouth and said something even though I knew how she'd react. For some reason, today I'd felt the need to warn her. After a while of staring down into my cup, I realized my drink was cold and decided I'd better get going. Ying had been shooting me concerned looks and I let out a sigh. It seemed that I actually had started to let what had happened with Colby ruin my day.
Colby had told me that Akito was in Bluebell. Still, though, I couldn't help looking over at Kana's shop as I made my way toward the tunnel. I felt like somebody was watching me and again, I thought I saw movement over by one of the windows of the shop. And again, I felt like I was just seeing things. The wind seemed to be trying to cut right through me as I emerged on the other side of the tunnel. Looking up at the sky, I noticed that the sky was looking a little different. It didn't bode well.
As I entered Bluebell, I noticed Jessica making her way back toward home. She noticed me and waved and I waved back. Nearly as soon as the door shut behind her, I heard "Lillian Jr."
When I looked over, I saw Kana standing in front of Georgia's barn. It was then that my brain chose to remember the story my mom had told me about the time Kana had kissed her. 'There he is. Akito's father. Akito's father who totally had the hots for my mom back in the day and kissed her. His lips touched hers before my dad's did. Wow, this is awkward.'
"Hey, Kana," I said, trying not to be awkward due to the new knowledge my mother had bestowed upon me. It was ancient history, after all. My mom was happily married to my dad. He was happily married to Georgia. He was friends with my dad now. It wasn't my place to feel weird about it. So I relaxed and smiled. "Has Georgia given you something chocolate and delicious for Winter Harmony?"
"Of course. She was up bright and early this morning. Dessert was my breakfast."
"Colby told me that Akito was in Bluebell today. Is he in the shop?"
"He's in the barn," Kana said as he jabbed his thumb back toward where he'd just come from. "I'm heading in so he's all yours."
Kana whistled some little tune as he hopped the fence and headed off toward the shop. I climbed over and crossed the pasture. Just as Kana had said, there was Akito. He was brushing one of the horses and I saw that it was Delilah. Apparently he'd finally decided to move her to Georgia's shop so there would be more people around to keep an eye on her.
"Ah, it seems like I've found just who I was looking for," I said as I made my way into the barn.
"You were looking for me, huh?" Akito said before he leaned down to speak to Delilah. "You see that? I told you she'd be around today. She can never stay away from me for too long."
I rubbed Delilah's face and she started to nuzzle into my hand. "What makes you think that I wasn't looking for Delilah?" I asked as I gave her a horse treat I happened to have in my pocket.
Akito put the brush he'd been using up before he put his hands in his pockets and pretended to look thoughtful. "Well, because obviously Delilah is a horse and therefore she doesn't eat chocolate."
"Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants," I spoke as I poked him in the chest. "What makes you think that I have chocolate with me today?"
He pretended to look thoughtful again before he said "Because it's Winter Harmony."
I realized then that he was standing so close to me that I could feel his body heat and smell that fresh laundry scent of him. Boom-clap. Game over. "Alright," I relented kind of woozily as I took a couple of steps away from him and took off my rucksack. "I brought something chocolate for you."
I pulled the container out of my rucksack and handed it over to him. He opened up the lid and looked down at it. "Is this. . .?"
"It is a triple chocolate pizza," I declared as the scent of it wafted to my nose. It was chocolate. It smelled good. I loved chocolate.
"Violet, it's a giant triple chocolate cookie," he told me with a quirk of his brows.
"True. It's sliced like a pizza, though," I informed him as I pointed down at the giant cookie.
"I love chocolate cookies, Vi," he told me with a smile in his golden eyes. They looked like two suns shining upon me so brightly that I faintly wondered what all that stuff had been earlier that had made me feel all conflicted and upset. I forgot momentarily about the Jackson stuff and the Colby stuff. At the moment, it was just me and Akito.
"I know." Of course I knew that. I knew all of Akito's favorites and even more than chocolate ice cream, he absolutely loved chocolate cookies. It was his favorite dessert, point blank, and certainly his favorite chocolate anything.
The smile in his eyes spread to the rest of his face. "You gave me a huge chocolate cookie?"
"Well, it's sliced like a pizza, so. . ."
"Thanks," he said as he took a step forward and did something that he hadn't done in many, many years. He kissed me on my forehead. His lips lingered there, warm and welcome, and when he pulled away I had that boom-clap thing going on again at a thousand miles per hour. It was a sweet kiss. It was an innocent kiss. It wasn't the kind of kiss I'd seen him give to Courtney. It wasn't the kind of kiss I'd longed for that day I'd fallen in Konohana right before I'd had all those painful thoughts in the clinic. That simple little kiss meant something to me, though. "This is the best chocolate I've gotten all day."
I cleared my throat three times and took a couple of steps back for self-preservation. I took a few more additional seconds to regain my Drayton composure. Akito moved toward the front of the barn and motioned me after him. I followed behind and said something stupid. After all, I'd been doing a lot of saying stupid things today. "What about Courtney? Didn't she give you anything?" I immediately wanted to bang my head against the outside of the barn.
Akito smacked his free hand over his forehead and ran it down his face before making it to his chin. "She. . ."
I threw both of my hands up and said "Hey, Ki. Nevermind, okay? Forget I asked. We don't have to talk about that." 'Stupid, stupid, stupid. You're really stepping in it today, aren't you?'
He let out a sigh and smiled entirely for my benefit, but I could tell that it was fake. "It's just. . .yeah, she gave me something. After Keiko stopped by and gave me something chocolate, too, Courtney got mad. I explained to her that it's our group's tradition, you know? I told her that I gave Keiko and all the others in our group something chocolate for Spring Harmony so she was just returning the favor."
"It is our tradition. Surely she can understand that?"
"She didn't," Akito told me as he looked down at the triple chocolate cookie pizza I'd given him. "That's why I came over to Bluebell. I didn't want to go through it with her again when I knew you and Colby would be bringing me something so I figured it'd be best if I got my gifts here."
"Oh, Ki. Hey, I can take that back if you. . ."
He smiled again and this time it was genuine. It reached his eyes as he said "No, ma'am. This is my giant cookie sliced like a pizza and I won't be returning it."
I was quiet for a few moments before I asked "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," he told me immediately. "I'm sure."
"Akito. . ." I started. I didn't get to finish that sentence though, because that was when I saw Colby's horse, with Colby on it, come full-speed up the road. Without missing a beat, it jumped the fence into the pasture and dashed into the barn. It was quick, but not so quick that I hadn't seen the look on Colby's face. It hadn't been the angry expression she'd left my house with. It was. . .
Akito was thoroughly confused as he looked over toward where Colby had disappeared. "What is that all about?"
That bad feeling I'd had all day grew exponentially within those moments. My stomach was in knots. I placed a hand on Akito's shoulder to get his attention. When he looked at me I said "I'll see you later, okay?"
He nodded and I hopped over one fence and then the other, feeling like I might throw up. This was it, I knew. This was the day I had always known would come, but had always dreaded. Even though I'd always known it would come, as I stepped into the barn I found that I actually wasn't ready for it. I wasn't ready to see Colby standing there looking broken as she removed everything from her horse. I wasn't ready for the slumped shoulders or the hiccups brought on from her tears. I certainly wasn't ready to see her tears. Colby had always been tough. Any time she was with Ignacio, she was always at her most vulnerable. Any other time, she was tough. Now, though she looked broken. I could never have prepared myself for seeing my best friend broken like that.
With mournful eyes, she looked up at me. She smiled. It was watery, ironic, insincere smile, bitter and it was heartbreaking in its quality. It was a heartbreaking smile from a broken heart. "I-Ignacio," she whispered as that awful smile fell from her face. "He's been cheating on me."
