A/N: Luke's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility.

Chapter 1: The Dream

"he said, "Listen to my words: "When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams."
Numbers 12:6

I close my eyes, and all I ever think about is the female rancher that left Waffle Island in search of a better home, a home that she couldn't find within the island. One day, when Angela and I were resting underneath a pine tree in the Paraline woods, Angela randomly said that she couldn't handle her animals and her fields. That statement took me by surprise because earlier in the season, she told me something completely different – that her crops were thriving and her livestock flourishing. What happened, and why did she lie? Although I didn't reply and only put my arms around her to comfort her. The next day the rancher had left Waffle Island.

I can't help but feel resentment towards Angela for leaving me alone with my pops and Bo, for she was the only one that listened to my problems. But now that she is gone, I have no one to turn to. All the other villagers that live on the island are not my friends anymore. Since the day that Angela left, I have kept to myself and pushed everyone away. At first, I felt guilty since Owen and Kathy were my close friends, but since they never once stop pestering me about what happened about Angela, I couldn't bear to speak to them anymore. Since then, the hyper-active Luke doesn't exist anymore because that part of me died the day the rancher left. I am and will be forever alone now.

I stop thinking about the past and open my eyes, presuming that it's midnight since the full moon is out in the middle of the night sky. I just finished cutting a huge pine tree from the forest, and now, I'm resting as I sit on top of a wooden barrel inside of my pops' workshop. The windows are open, and I can feel the cool summer breeze on my face. I sit there without stirring, looking out at the moon for a long time, and wonder if Angela misses me as I miss her.

"Goodbye, Angela. Sorry if I could not come to see your departure, but you know how pops is —more work to be done as always. I hope … that you do not hold it against me, and I hope … to see you again someday in the distant future."

I whisper to the night, and that is my final farewell to her. I know that soon she will forget about me and move on with her life. All the moments and the time we spent together all those years will be forever forgotten. That deeply pains me because as long as I'm still alive, I will forever remember her in every expanse, and yet I will always care about her in every sense.

I let a deep sigh escape from my lips. I need to stop thinking about Angela and also move on. I can't dwell on her presence every night for the rest of my life like right now. I still have my whole life ahead of me. I mean, if it didn't work between Angela and me, then that's fine since they are other girls on the island that I may perhaps see a future with … like Selena. I shake my head from side to side to disagree with my thoughts. Now, I know that I'm losing my mind, and it's time for me to head to sleep. I get up from the barrel that I'm sitting on, and I quietly walk to my bedroom, trying not to wake up Bo, who is sleeping in the same room as me. I silently change into my sleepwear and crawl into the comfort of my bed with the darkness surrounding me.

. . .

That night I dream of a brown-headed rancher riding a horse on the open plains with a smile on her face. I raise my hands high, waving at Angela to grab her attention. She notices me, making the horse stop in its track, and jumps off the horse's back. Angela runs in my direction at full speed. Barely containing my excitement any longer, I run to her, to be in her arms and never let her go. When Angela and I finally close the space between us, we stare at one another and notice that we are one-inch apart from each other. I softly touch her brown hair and place it behind her ear. I need to see her face clearly and see those deep chocolate eyes that are dancing with joy because of me. For the first time in my life, I'm genuinely scared because never did I need another person such as now, which frightens me deeply.

"Angela…" I breathe, looking at her slightly chapped lips. "I think I love you."

I'm afraid that I have said the wrong words to the rancher. But all I hear is a soft chuckle coming from her lips. I look deep into her eyes again, and I see my reflection in them. Angela puts her petite hands on my face to hold me closer to her.

"You fool. I think I love you too."

That was enough to drive me crazy. Without my will to command my mind, I slam my lips unto hers. My hands caress all of her body as I feel her warm skin with my cold hands, holding her tight. Angela wildly kisses me back as if it were the last kiss we will ever share, and secretly we both know that it is. When we finally part ways, the petite rancher shyly looks up to see my amber eyes.

"Angela, please stay with me and don't ever leave. I need you…"

I whisper softly into her ear as I embrace her tightly once more. I will never forget this moment ever in my life, even if I know it's just a dishonest dream. If only I could tell her everything that my heart is feeling at this exact moment, but I know I can't because soon I will wake up from my deep slumber, for the dawn is approaching rapidly. Soon, when I open my eyes, the rancher will no longer be with me anymore.

"Luke, I want you to know that I will always care for you no matter what happens," Angela states, removing her arms from my torso to look at my face. She stares directly into my eyes and hesitates before speaking, "I'm sorry for leaving you, but I need to go once more. Oh, how I wish I can stay with you, Luke, but I can't!"

"Angela, no, don't go! Didn't you just heard me said that I need you?!" I thought to myself as I feel a wave of anger rising, and I don't know what to do. I try to calm myself before I say or do something I will regret. Although I know this is just a dream, somehow, I believe that Angela is also having the same dream as me at this exact moment. It's almost as if our minds have reconnected with one another to say our farewells to each other. So, instead, I release a breath that I was holding, and I quietly whisper, "Why can't you stay, Angela? Let's be with each other … always."

"Luke, how I do wish I can be with you always! But I can't – please listen to me when I say that I can't stay nor I can't be with you. I – "

No. No, I don't want to listen to her words that are building a wall of separation between us. So instead of hearing her speak, I gently place my hands on her face and kiss her softly on her soft lips, but she swiftly removes my hands from her frame. Her actions have me perplexed as I can only stare at her with confusion. But she only shakes her head, "no," with a resentful look on her face. Angela turns to walk away from me, leaving me all alone once more. I only stare at her as she departs from my side, and soon her silhouette disappears from my vision.

"Angela, please don't leave me since I need you more than you'll ever know. I'm sorry for everything - I should've let you finished speaking, and I should've listened to you." I state softly to myself as I stare at the direction in where Angela left a second ago. "Come back … please …"

Only a heavy silence answers me back. So that's it, that's the end of us. However, how did things change so drastically between us in less than a second? I thought that we were fine – even admitting our love to each other. But all I know is that tonight she will never be mine. How can I forget about Angela and move on when I dream about her every night? Maybe someday I will learn to ignore my thoughts and dreams about the rancher and finally rest.

And so came the dawn with the night once more fading to make room for a new day. The sun enters through the gaping window, caressing my face with a light kiss, and the dream went away with the night. I wake up and wish I were still dreaming because in my dream, there was passion; there was Angela.

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