Chapter 6

Jealousy

Hands full of horse treats, Lillian makes her way towards Kana's house. Sure enough he's out in the pasture brushing one of the horses. As soon as he sees her, he looks towards the horse, unable to face her. I totally dipped out on her last night. I can't tell her why.

Just as Lillian was about to wave, a male voice calls out from behind her. She turns around to see the young man from the other day. What was his name?

The boy eagerly approaches Lillian, hardly out of breath when beside her. "I'm glad I caught you, Lily." He smiles wide, two little dimples appearing on both cheeks. He seemed a bit upset and forceful the night Lillian first met him but now he seems friendlier. She watches him with curious eyes.

"Are you busy tonight?" The boy asks a bit nervously. His reaches his arm behind his head and his hand ruffles what hair spills beneath his hat. Lillian watches him quietly before speaking. "Why do you ask?"

The boy's eyes flick from her to the dirt floor beneath them quickly. "You probably still don't remember who I am, right? I'm Dirk. I deliver mail between the two towns here." He lowers his hand and it rests beside his thigh.

Lillian remains quiet as Dirk continues to stare at the ground. Just as Lillian decides to speak, a hand grabs hers. Startled, she drops the horse treats and they all scatter the ground. "Let's get tea at Grandma Yun's tonight just like we used to." His seafoam eyes are locked onto a pair of violets. Unsure how to respond, Lillian stands still. "Please," Dirk begs.

"Okay," Lillian says quietly. She wasn't afraid of Dirk, but his directness was a bit troubling. Dirk smiles once again and Lillian takes advantage of his happiness to remove her hand from his. "I have to get going. I'll see you around five." He waves before scurrying off into the main part of the town.

Kana leans against his fence having watched the two converse. By the smile on Dirk's face, Kana already knew he didn't like what they talked about. He watches Lillian lean down to pick up the treats, some of which had fallen apart as they impacted with the hard dirt. Kana returns to brushing Hayate in an attempt to look as though he hadn't seen her.

"Good morning, Kana," She says cheerfully. Lillian holds out one of the treats and the horse Kana was brushing snatches it from her hand. She giggles and the rest of the horses gather around her, each one waiting for their treat. Once her arms are empty, she giggles, her hair nuzzled by the horses wanting more. "I'm all out!" She says through giggles.

Kana watches her, his lips parting into a soft smile. "What's up?" Act natural.

Lillian looks at Kana, his brown eyes meeting hers. "I thought that if I did some of things I did before I lost my memories, I might end up remembering more."

"I see. So making my horses fat is supposed to help you?"

"When you put it like that, you make me feel like I'm doing the wrong thing."

"I'm just teasing you. If you truly believe it will help you, I'm all for it."

Lillian continues to the pet the horses but an awkward silence ensues. Kana lowers the brush from Hayate and watches Lillian who seems to be doing the same with him. He quickly averts his eyes, afraid he'll say something he shouldn't.

"Dirk asked me to have tea with him tonight."

Lillan's honesty surprises him. That's what they were talking about? A feeling of anger starts to build up inside Kana but he quickly dismisses it. "Yeah?" is all he can get out.

Lillan lowers her hand and her lips ease into a soft smile. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to go or not. I was a bit shaken up by his request, to be honest, but I didn't feel afraid of him."

She smiles wider as the horses nuzzle and chew her hair. Feeling a bit of jealousy in his heart, Kana tried to come up with an excuse to convince Lillian not to go. "I don't think it's a good idea," he says quietly.

Lillian's smile fades as her eyes fixate on Kana's stern face. "Why not?"

Kana's hand tightens around the brush while his brain works. "I just," he pauses for a moment, "I have a bad feeling about it."

"I know he's a bit direct, but I don't think he'll do anything," Lillian says.

"You didn't like him the other night, so I don't understand why you want to spend time with him now?" Kana's voice was beginning to rise.

"I was still in shock at that time. I didn't know who to trust."

"I don't see why you're defending him."

"I don't understand why you're getting angry."

"I'm not angry. I'm just looking out for you."

"Then why do you sound jealous?"

Upon hearing the word, Kana drops the brush and trudges towards his house. "Go if you want. I don't care," he says before closing his door with a bang.

It was nearing five in the evening and Lillian was waiting inside the teahouse. A few people greeted her, none of which she remembered. They heard of her accident and reintroduced themselves in her favor. Taking a sip of her green tea, Lillian couldn't stop thinking about Kana's reaction.

It was silly of him to be jealous of Dirk. Lillian thought of Kana in a different way. A way that felt intimate and comfortable. She smiled at the thought of the two of them.

"What are you smiling for?" A voice interrupts her daydream and Lillian nearly jumps in her chair.

"Dirk!" She gasps. He smiles at her while raising an eyebrow. "I hope I wasn't disrupting anything," he says sliding into the chair across from me.

"I was just thinking." Lillian lies.

Dirk spends the night telling Lillian some stories between the two of them in the past. Lillian found herself laughing at some of the tales. By the end of the night, she couldn't help but feel closer to Dirk than she thought.

"I had a really good time," She says with a giggle.

Dirk tilts his head and grins. "I'm glad. It really felt like old times."

Lillian stops laughing as a scene plays out in her head. She and Dirk are sitting on the fence beside her house. They're laughing when suddenly Dirk begins to leap around frantically swatting at the air. Lillian is laughing hysterically while Dirk screams. "Bee! Get it away from me!"

The memory fills Lillian with laughter. Dirk, curious at her outburst, joins in. "What's so funny?" he says gasping for air.

"I just remembered you're scared of bees!" Lillian wheezes. She continues to laugh. Dirk's face turns red but his lips continue to maintain a smile. "Out of everything you could remember, why did it have to be that?"

"I don't know."

Continuing laughing, the two walk down the path until it breaks in two. Dirk waves as he walks towards his house and Lillian hers. Once her house is in sight, Lillian spots a figure leaning against her door. She recognizes the dark outline as Kana.

"What are you doing here?" She asks confused. He was angry earlier today, so why was he waiting for her?

"I wanted to make sure you got home safely."

"Thanks for the concern," Lillian says bitterly. She trusted Kana, but his jealousy was out of hand. "Good night," she says before he can say anything else. She reaches past him and unlocks the door. As she turns the knob, a hand stops her and forces her to turn.

"I won't deny that I was a bit jealous today," Kana murmurs.

"A bit? You were beyond jealous." Lillian scoffs.

"Fine. I was really jealous."

"So you came here to admit you're jealous of Dirk?"

Kana's head shifts to their hands. He doesn't answer. Lillian decides to go inside but before she can, her lips are met with Kana's.

Eyes wide and shocked, Lillian gapes at Kana as he stands before her. The light of the moon illuminates his chiseled face. His dark eyes study her with compassion lurking deep inside.

"I shouldn't have done that," Kana mutters before letting Lillian's hand fall to her side. He backs away and runs off towards his house. Lillian calls out but it's already too late.