Chapter Three

"Elli," I began, "I need you to call Simon up. It's about time we filmed the next News Update." I'm not quite sure but for some reason I had been putting this off. It's not like I've forgotten about it, in fact it's been in the back of my mind for quite some time.

"That's right!" Elli blurted out; it appeared she had forgotten about it. "The Starry Night Festival is in a few days!" She looked at me inquisitively, "Do you plan on asking a certain someone?"

It was fairly easy to guess who this certain someone was. It was Hikari, the farmer who moved here this last spring. I had asked out to dinner a few weeks ago and since then Elli has been teasing me mercilessly.

I had been intending to invite her out again, but alas it was hard enough asking her out the first time. Requesting her to go out with me to the most romantic festival? I think not. Beside that problem, the New Year's Festival will be not even a week after that! It's the festival with the biggest tourist amount. I'll be much too busy.

Glad to have an excuse from my would be humiliation (had she rejected me)I said to Elli "I won't be able to, the New Year's Festival is so soon afterwards I'll most likely have to stay late every night to plan for it." I turned my head as if to look out the window, although I was actually grinning from this convenient excuse.

Wiping the grin from my face I turned back to look at Elli. I was surprised by the look on Elli's face, she seemed almost furious. It was an expression I had yet to see on her face, and never thought I would see on it.

"Don't you even dare to bail out on Hikari! This is the festival every girl should be escorted to by the man she cares for. I'll be damned if I just sit by and let you stay late working while she sits at home heartbroken missing the most romantic festival of the year." She had said this with such passion one would think as though Elli had gone through the same thing. Then it struck me, could that of been the reason why Elli up and left her family? The man she loved failed to ever express his feeling for her, or even worse fell for another.

I sat there struck dumb by this sudden realization. It had never occurred to me that my happy go getter coworker could have experienced such misfortune.

I found my voice and softly asked Elli "If she really wanted to go with me she'd ask me herself."

Elli made a frustrated sound. "You always seem so indifferent about her she's not quite sure whether or not she's annoying you."

What I had been about to say left me. Did Hikari actually think that? Wasn't it obvious I was so far gone for her that I was at a loss of what to say to her? I was fairly certain she knew about my unease around her.

She went on with her rant. "I swear Gilligan Hamilton," opting to use my name like my mother or father would have if I had been misbehaving. "Don't you dare do so..." Her face lightened up as if she had an idea or had just remembered something. "Then again I just remembered something; Chase, the other day when I was helping out at the inn, had said he was planning on asking her out to the festival. So suppose it doesn't matter, you'll be like you always have; alone and working, and Hikari will be able to go to her first Starry Night Festival with Chase."

I let out a breath of air I hadn't realized I had been holding. Hikari with Chase? That finicky little pretty boy? I thought he was interested in Maya; well he is for sure finicky indeed. I looked at Elli in disbelief, hoping to see any sign that she had been lying. Unfortunately she was no longer facing me, making her way towards the phone.

I got up; telling Elli there was something I needed from the library. She nodded not able to reply, I could however, feel her grinning behind me. I'm sure she knew that was only a pretense that I was truly going up there to be alone.

Ever since I was a child the library had been my sanctuary, I could spend hours on end in there. Nobody ever went up there anymore, while in the room I would feel as though I were a million miles away from the world. The room gave off a musty smells, a mixture of dust and book decay. I relished in the smell as I reflected on things. I had long since finished reading all the books in here; we had such a sad little collection. Had there been more funds to spare I would have loved to bought more.

All this time, ever since I had first met the girl, I had been only focusing on my own emotions. Of my fear and love for her that I hadn't even considered to think of Hikari's emotion. All I had cared about was me, and my image.

My promise that I made when I was a child, was that I would strive to achieve perfection. I would make my parents proud to have me as their son, even with my fault of being shy. In my quest for perfection I lost touch with reality, I became a proud person, no longer improving stuck on a pin, rotating and no longer growing. My pride has gotten in the way. I've been unwilling to show any sign of weakness I've gone and confused the one that I love.

I let out an audible sigh, getting up I started for the stairs. I would change; I would go up to her at ask her to –

"Oh! Gill"

It was Elli, I hadn't been paying attention to where I was walking and had bumped into her.

"I was coming up here to tell you that I had called Simon and he said he's be here around noon tomorrow assuming he can get a break that is, also that I'd be heading off for the day and that you should be too."

Was it five o'clock already? I hadn't even noticed. "Very well, I have to finish something up so I'll stay a bit later." Elli gave me a disapproving stare, but she should very well of expected me to stay late, it's not as though I've ever done anything different.

"Well… Have a nice day," she said a little sadly.

I sighed after she had left. I had forgotten about filling out a reply letter to Theodore. Writing, proofread, sign, stamping, and the works would take me at least an hour. I had so hoped that I'd be able to speak to her right away…

I worked diligently for 45 minutes, I knew this only because I kept glancing at the clock. I was able to finish the letter earlier than I originally imagine. I stared at the sealed envelope, gather my courage. I would walk up to her farm and ask her before she had the chance to reply. And... If she denied me… well I won't think of that.

I examined my surrounding, surprised to see that I had already arrived to her farm. However it didn't appear as though she was there. Since all of the lights were out. I blew out a frustrated sigh. If Hikari wasn't on the farm, god knows where she'd be. For all I know she could be in the mines.

Dejected, I went my way towards town. I was extremely hungry; I wasn't exactly in the mood to make my own bland dinner. I sighed again, and began to make way towards the Sundae Inn.