Chapter 2
Yellow petals danced in silent flirtation with the wind, twirling coyly, banking and dipping till they fell to the ground, spent, submissive.
"They can't win," she said, twirling a lock of her hair in time with yet another falling petal, mesmerizing in its brief but splendid display. "The wind may pull all it likes, but it can never keep a single petal for longer than a few moments. They always fall. They always part."
Alice watched her in silent contemplation, then stepped forward with a smile and her usual air of cheerful friendliness.
"What are you talking about, Bella?" she asked. "Were you writing something?"
Bella blinked. The scene outside pulled at her just as strongly as the thoughts within her head, but with an effort, she turned slightly to focus on her friend. "No, just thinking." Her eyes strayed to the window for a brief glimpse, just a glimpse and she pulled back. "I already have a story prepared for tonight's session. But then the wind picked up outside, and… it looked like some kind of magic, you know?"
"And you got distracted," Alice finished, smiling fondly.
"And I got thinking," Bella insisted, narrowing her eyes, though she couldn't fight back the smile that curved her lips.
"Of course," Alice agreed easily. "Is it something you can share, or is it still not thought through?"
"Not thought through," agreed Bella, now turning to face her fully. "But I can tell you if you want."
"I'll listen if you want," Alice countered, winning a sudden smile from her friend. "Do you want me to just listen or tell you what I think?"
"Maybe both. I'm not sure if I can… but maybe you could…" she hesitated.
Alice nodded.
In the five years since she had met Bella, she had come to understand her pretty well. She still didn't know why she lived here in this remote settlement away from the comforts that a city would have offered. She didn't even know exactly how old her friend was. But she did know that when the storm clouds blew over the horizon, Bella would sit at her desk, pretending to write, while in fact watching the approaching storm. When her leg ached more than usual she would write torrid love scenes that she would never read aloud, because they made her blush. When she was sad, she would send out anonymous donations to homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Alice didn't know what demons drove Bella to act as she did. But she understood what it was like to face one's demons, and that was enough.
"It's something that came to me last night," Bella started, "I think it was a dream. I woke up way too early, with all these pictures in my head, and none of it seemed to make sense. I was so unsettled, I thought it'd do me good to go for a walk." She grinned back at Alice's amused expression. "Yes, I know, I always think a walk sounds like a great idea, and end up utterly frustrated and annoyed. But it really was lovely outside, so I went to sit under that tree," she jabbed a thumb towards the window. "And then one of those ridiculous birds tried to poop on my head, and the wind picked up and rained down all these petals…"
"And that got you thinking?"
"It reminded me of something from my dream. The colors, maybe? The sun wasn't up yet, you know, so everything was kind of drab, but the flowers were so bright. Anyway, it made me think of why people try so hard to stay together when everything in their life is trying to take them away from each other. If we're just petals thrown up in the air, tossed about by a wind we can't even see, why do we get so attached?"
"Well, between a sedentary life on the tree, and the sedentary life scattered on the ground, the wind offers the only true excitement in my imaginary petal-life, right? Why wouldn't I latch onto that feeling, that memory?" Alice commented.
Bella nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. But it's still not a logical response. Why don't we have logical responses, Alice? The most bothersome part of being a human is having the ability to use logic, and we're basically still living off instinct and emotion." She sighed, gaze once again fixed outside. "It's confusing, and a little annoying, to be honest."
"Sometimes you can't let go of emotion, though, can you?" Alice mused. "I saw a man today."
"And?" Bella prompted.
"I don't know. He seemed sad."
"A stranger?" Strangers in their little hamlet were unusual enough to be noteworthy. In the last five years or so, there had been only a handful of strangers passing through. Bella was the only one who had stayed.
"Yeah," Alice nodded. "He drove in this morning, and just parked himself in the café. All day long, that's where he's been. Weird, you know?"
"Maybe he's meeting someone," Bella said, trying hard not to let her imagination run too wild.
Alice wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. He didn't seem to be waiting for anyone. Just sitting there, looking conflicted."
"Oh," Bella said. The possibilities danced through her mind, one outlandish story after another jostling for attention.
"Yeah. So anyway, I dropped by to ask if you wanted to come over to the café a little early today. Say, four-ish? Help me set things up for the story-swap?"
"It's a book club, Alice," Bella protested weakly. "Yeah, I'll come over early."
"Great! See you there." And Alice was gone, as abruptly as she had come.
Bella carefully stood up, stretching to relieve the stiffness in her limbs. Then grabbing the sleek wood cane that rested against the side of her desk, she made her way out into the small garden. The warmth of the sun felt good on her skin. Despite her aches and the frequently melancholic thoughts that flitted through her mind, quiet moments like this made her feel at peace. Moving here, building the life that she had… days like this made her believe it was worth it.
Sometimes, that had to be enough to keep a person going. That, and friends like Alice.
Bella smiled at the thought of her friend, and of the small but warm community they had become a part of, over the years. The book club had been Alice's idea, even though she would vehemently deny it. Alice and Bella were discussing books in the café one day, and it turned into sharing stories along the same theme with the other people in the café, and before they knew it, they'd been there for hours. It happened again a few days later, and then again, till Mrs Cope demanded that they set a regular date so she wouldn't miss out. They agreed, and someone told the Newtons, who told the Stanleys, and pretty soon it became a standing weekly tradition.
Turned out, everyone loved a good story, and everyone had a story to share. Bella loved it most of all. It definitely made the hard days much easier to bear. So it was with a light heart and only slightly unsteady step that she made her way to the café later that afternoon. A smattering of regulars greeted her with waves and smiles, and it made her feel even warmer, a sense of peace settling in her heart.
"Bella, you're here!" Alice greeted her with a grin, waving her over to her usual table near the window, the one with the most comfortable couch. "Sit, I'll get you something to drink."
Bella nodded and turned towards her usual nook, then stopped in surprise. A tall man stood before her. A very handsome man, she noted, with a sharp jaw and sharp green eyes, and hair the color of burnished copper. A man who made her heart beat so fast that she felt flushed and flustered. She didn't like it, she decided, a bit petulantly. She didn't like being so rattled, and for what? He hadn't even said a word! Besides, there was something… unusual about him.
Also, he seemed to be staring at her, and that wasn't very polite.
"It's you," he whispered, "How can it be you?"
His shock snapped her out of her own thoughts, and suddenly Bella realized that this must be the sad man Alice had told her about. Right now, he was a mess of emotions, pain and confusion swirling around him as thick as vines. She stepped forward instinctively and reached out to steady him… and promptly fainted in his arms.
