By the time winter arrived, Mako had returned home from his trip. He managed to receive funding from his successful fertilizer research and so he went back immediately to his pet project, the failed dish fertilizer. After what happened with Cam, I never dared to go back to Bluebell alone. Whenever Lillian dropped by to deliver some failed dish, I would inquire about Cam but that was all I could do. In truth, I really wanted to see him in order to apologize for leaving him like that. I still couldn't do it alone so I devised a plan.
Project "get-Nori-to-be-friends-with-Bluebell-girls" was underway when I told my best friend about the two new friends I made in Bluebell. Nori was excited for me, contrary to what I believed. I had assumed that she would be jealous towards me for making new friends but I guess that was just me not understanding how a normal friend would feel.
"You've grown so much, Reina." The raven-haired girl spoke, reminiscing our old times together. She had turned the wool I bought her into a beautiful winter shawl and she even made me one that matched the pattern of my kimono. "I remember when you first came here, you barely stepped out of the house. The only time people remembered your existence was during festivals. Even then you still tended to be by your lonesome self."
I silently chuckled at the memory. Moving to Konohana, I had pretty much told myself that I did not come here to make friends but to make discovery. Nori was the one who taught me how fun it was to do both.
"And then you joined the hand fishing contest." An amused smile appeared on Nori's lips, something that always happened whenever my weakness was involved. "Who knew that the cold emotionless Reina was afraid of fish?"
"Okay, to be fair, those animals are creepy with their lidless eyes. Catching them is hard work. I'm just not one of those athletic types who are able to handle such things." I couldn't help but blush knowing how fearful I was during that time.
"It's always good to see your human sides though. Spending time with plants too much does affect your social skills." She rested her head on her hand, tilting it slightly. "That's why I love listening to your love stories."
"Yeah. Love… about that…"
I felt like I owed Nori an explanation as to why I had disappeared that night. Telling her straight away was probably the right move to do but at the time I was too pre-occupied with my feelings that I completely blocked her out. Now that I'd calmed down, I was able to tell her the whole thing, even about my darkest jealous rage. I narrated almost the whole thing that happened from the past few weeks—minus the little groping incident that occurred—while Nori sipped on her tea occasionally as she listened to it intently.
"Sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. It's so long overdue." I finally said after I finished my story.
"No worries, Reina." She tapped me lightly on the shoulder. "Besides, you're buying me a cake next time we go to Bluebell."
The one thing that people tend to not realize was that Nori's smile wasn't always filled with good intention. The more I knew her, the more I saw that she used that sweet smile to cover up the wickedness in her. No one would ever dare say no when she flashed that smile. Nori put out an innocent aura that no longer worked with me, since I knew how she really was. It really made me appreciate her more for allowing me to see it. This was one of the few signs that proved we're best friends.
"But my dear Nori, I thought friends are supposed to forgive each other." I flashed her an equal smile, something I don't show anyone often.
"And I thought friends treat each other to cake."
"… You got me there."
After resolving the problem of who would buy who cake, we went on to prepare for the cooking festival. Nori had decided to join this week's Salad competition with my favorite Tofu Salad, along with Lillian who was making Pasta Salad. Bluebell was really inspiring her cooking, that I could tell.
There wasn't much to do once the competition had started. We could only wait until Pierre announced the winner: Konohana of course, since the two strong chefs Laney and Howard were not on the Bluebell team this time. I congratulated Lillian and Nori when they got down and showered Doctor Ayame with praises. It was more of a gesture out of fear because the Doctor tended to threaten those who didn't provide her with a satisfactory compliment. There was a lot of buzz going on at the peak today instead of the usual bickering between the mayors. I caught a glimpse of them actually exchanging smiles.
Lillian was in on this whole "let's be friends" plan and so she offered us a ride on her cart back to Bluebell. I jumped in the back this time while Georgia accompanied Lillian out front. She didn't want to miss sitting close with a horse so we let her.
"Ew! Ew ew ew! Lillian! Why didn't you warn me about the fish—Oh Goddess that was a frog!" I couldn't help but fuss over all the slimy items that the girl kept in her cart. She seriously needed to take lesser things with her. It was full of items one could forage from the mountains, especially insects.
"Lillian, honey, I think … you need to sell these before they turn bad." Nori called out after removing some rather discolored flowers from her kimono.
"Sorry. I kept forgetting I need to give them to Cheryl." Lillian replied.
"Never mind. Take your time then." I replied a bit coldly. That little girl did try to pick a fight with me.
Even with the horse cart, we were still outrun by the other Bluebellers, as if they came back with the magic of the Harvest Goddess. By the time we arrived at Laney's house, Howard was already there to greet us with his usual apron and matronly warmth. My first thought was how'd he get there so fast but the others didn't seem to think it was odd so I kept it to myself. As the girls chatted their way to a seat, I tried to steal a glance into Cam's workshop. I strained my ears to hear anything but it seemed that the high-pitched chatter was too overpowering. Slightly disappointed, I took a seat next to Lillian.
Nori was by the kitchen to help Laney get the tea and cakes ready, mostly because she was interested in the whole experience. Georgia, on the other hand, was not into dainty preparations but busy chatting about carts with Lillian instead.
"I might need to upgrade to a bigger cart soon. I've saved up to rent a new horse as well," the farmer explained, "so I'll have to leave my old horse to you. She's been working hard, I'm sure she'd appreciate a more laidback lifestyle."
"Not to worry, sugar, I'll give the best care anyone can give to your horse. She deserves it. We'll talk to my father tomorrow morning about the exchange."
It didn't take me long to figure out that Georgia was similar to Kana in terms of their love for horses. Georgia didn't seem like the type that would fawn over her horse like Kana with his Hayate but I could be wrong. Horses were not my forte so I decided to talk about the other pets Georgia was selling.
"Um, I noticed that Lillian has cats," the two girls stopped their discussion to look at me, "I've seen Kana taking care of cats before but I never knew that you can train cats to tend to your animals."
"Hmph! That Kana probably couldn't see anything past Hayate. Sometimes I wonder if his horse is all he ever thinks about." To my surprise Georgia pouted and crossed her arms when our topic turned towards Kana. I was actually steering them towards cats, not the man selling them. Still, the seed had been planted; I could only see how it would grow.
Lillian laughed, "Give him more credit, Georgia. Kana is a good pet store owner. Sure he brings up Hayate a bit more than he should but yeah, as a guy, you'd expect him to be more interested in girls than horses."
To this, I saw Georgia eyes lit up a bit differently. She bit her lips for a moment before turning back to her pouting. "Y-yeah. Even when I was with him, he won't shut up about his horse. My horse is definitely better than his!"
'Ah, so she is as horse-obsessed as Kana is,' I made a mental note, smiling to myself.
"What's this? You were with Kana? When? Why did I not hear about this?" Laney joined our table with a tray full of teacups alongside Nori who set down two kettle pots. I could smell the herbs that were seeping through the lid.
'Hmmm, chamomile.'
"Thank you kindly, Laney." Georgia said as she brought a cup towards her to hide her face as she answered, "Well, y'know, we met often during those annual horse shows held at that other town. He'd bring Hayate, I'd bring Dakota and then we'd fight over whose best. That's our trademark."
Georgia sounded a little bit more sad than angry and I wasn't sure why. I gave a questioning look at Nori since she looked like she understood. It wasn't until Laney commented that I finally nodded.
"What she really means is that, she wants to be the one that Kana is obsessed about."
"Laneeeey! What in hay's name are you talking about?" Seeing Georgia's face was enough to answer her own question for us. Her blond friend simply giggled.
"I knew it! Georgia loves Kana!" Lillian was the loudest of us all considering that she knew both parties well.
"Y'all got it wrong! I like his horse! His horse, okay?" It was adorable how Georgia was still trying to hide her embarrassment. She reminded me of when I was in denial. Nori and I shared a look before turning our focus back to the free entertainment. "I also like his work attitude. He never misses a day to care for his horses even if he was on his days off. He also always has stocks of horse treats ready and he's kind enough to give it out as a reward."
"Well girls," Nori was the one that spoke after Georgia was busy calming herself with her tea, "it appears we all agree that this girl is love struck by the infamous male bachelor of Konohana."
"Agreed!" We all cheered in agreement. The poor embarrassed Georgia could only duck her head in embarrassment. She seemed to have given up trying to defend herself.
"All in favor of planning a love attack say yee-haw!" Lillian added.
"YEE HAW!"
"Shut it! How about you yourself, Lil? Don't you have a guy you set your eyes on?" Georgia's question immediately steered our attention away from her and onto Lillian. The farmer wasn't able to hide her shock and soon she was pressed for an answer—an answer that I already knew.
"W-well. I, uh, haven't really decided on anyone… I mean, he probably doesn't even realize—"
"So there IS someone?" Laney and Georgia were both shocked. Only the Konohana girls knew who it was apparently. I stole another quick glance towards Cam's room, praying that he was not listening to this conversation.
"Girls, I don't think this is a good place to talk…?" Even Lillian was looking around nervously to see if anyone was sticking his ear against the wall.
"Don't worry about it. The only other people here are my dad and Cam but Cam's busy with his fertilizer to care about us girls." As Laney said that, I could see out of the corner of my eye, the door to the workshop moved slightly. I felt a churn in my stomach. I felt like I should stop this conversation. Cam was probably not ready to hear any of this.
"Guys, why don't we—" but my protest were in vain. They were too eager to know about Lillian's love life, and Lillian was more than eager to share in it. She was too nice.
"Okay, I'll give. I like Mikhail."
That was when I saw the door to the workshop closed. I felt like I was about to cry as I listened to Lillian's story of how she'd been gifting Mikhail his favorite food. Somehow, even though it wasn't my love that was unrequited, I still felt the pain. Perhaps it was because I understood the feeling. Perhaps it was because I loved Cam too much. All I knew was that my heart hurt.
"I do feel worried that perhaps he sees me as a friend. I mean, I do give out gifts to a lot of people, that's why I've been thinking of visiting the other guys less often than usual so—"
"Wait!" Without realizing it, I shouted out my protest in the middle of Lillian's planning. All eyes were back on me and there was no way I could take it back. So I held my ground. "I'm sure… that the other guys will feel sad. You should still visit them. Imagine if you're in their place and someone decided to stop being nice to you. Personally I'd be a little sad,"
I did not realize this but I was on fire. Words couldn't stop coming out of my mouth as I sat there, eyes focused on the table. "And, and do you really want to be with Mikhail that quick? You barely had two seasons to know this guy. Wait it out a bit. Weigh your options. Are you sure that you want to be with Mikhail and marry him? Get to know him first. Go on dates with him. Compare him with the others like… y'know, Ash or … C—" The name felt heavy in my throat that I couldn't even say it aloud. I had to fake a cough to make it less obvious but who was I kidding. Everyone could probably see right through me.
"All I'm saying is … you have to be really sure that he's the one before you confess your feelings like Nori here. Then you go share your vows." I finished, silently asking Nori's forgiveness for putting her on the spot like that.
"Excuse me, I'm not sharing any vows yet." Nori unexpectedly panicked. She lost her usual calm demeanor and turned red like a tomato at the mention of her confession.
"Get outta here! Nori confessed to someone?" Georgia was the first to vocalize her surprise.
"Yes. To her childhood crush, so she is like the example of patience, loyalty, and true love."
Now that Nori had become the center of attention, I was able to let out a sigh of relief. Lillian was not talking about Mikhail and Cam was not eavesdropping on her gushing. Gossiping apparently took more energy than I thought and I was suddenly exhausted. I finished my cake and brought the plate to the sink with Lillian following along. The others were still busy admiring Nori's courageous act.
"Sorry Lil. I know I said I fully support you with Mikhail but … I have my reasons." I told her as we both worked at the sink. I lowered my voice down in hopes that Cam wouldn't be able to hear us since the sink was much closer to the workshop.
"I'm not worried about that. I'm just curious as to why you put Cam's name on the table. I thought you like him."
'Carp.'
As I feared, Lillian dropped the bomb. That was not how I wanted Cam to find out about my feelings so I had to think quickly.
"Yeah, he's a cool guy. Ash is cool too, I like him. And Kana if you don't mind the horse talk. Hiro's quite adorable. He's a likeable guy. I also like Mayor Rutger. He's not as scary as Mayor Ina describes him to be. I really have learned to like many people since you came here, Lillian. So, thank you." My hand was furiously working on my plate that it became overly cleaned. There wasn't a trace of oil or cream on it anymore but I wasn't able to stop my nerves.
"That's not what I meant." Lillian—oblivious to the whole thing—continued on. She seemed to have forgotten that Cam was within earshot of us.
"I know what you mean." I nodded my head towards the workshop to remind Lillian who was there. Her raised eyebrows and shocked face told me that she got the message. She quickly finished off her plate before joining the girls. Not long after, plates and teacups were being washed. Apparently Nori wanted to take a tour around Bluebell and the girls were more than happy to oblige.
After cleaning up all the dishes, we were set to leave. I took one last look at the workshop before calling out to the others to go ahead of me. Laney and Georgia were about to protest but those who knew my secret gave me a wink and helped pushed the other girls out of the door. The muffled shout of disbelief was hint enough for me to know that my secret was now known throughout the whole of Bluebell. Alas, that wasn't important. What was important was behind this workshop door.
I gathered up my courage before knocking. It took several excruciating seconds before I could hear Cam's voice permitting me to enter and when I opened it, he appeared busy with something on his table. I couldn't really see because he had his back towards me.
'Perhaps he really didn't hear anything.'
"What are you working on?" I carefully asked as I made my way closer to peek over his shoulder. There was an empty pot, a bunch of flowers and a florist just staring at them.
'Or I could be wrong. So wrong.'
"Girls … sure talk loud." Cam finally mumbled.
That familiar pain in my chest appeared again after listening to how quiet Cam's voice was. "Sorry, I tried to steer the conversation away from this whole love thing but …"
"It's not your fault." He finally turned towards me as he put his hand on my head, ruffling my head. There was a weak smile on his face. "Besides, I saw it coming. I like her so I noticed these small changes. She's been a bit distant lately, only stopping by to say hi and bye. Now I know why."
"You could still try to win her. I told her to weigh her options, not to rush things and—"
"Yeah I pretty much heard everything. That Laney. She doesn't seem to take my feelings seriously. Why do I sense that she did this on purpose?"
Come to think of it, Laney knew Cam's feelings towards Lillian. Even though he probably never said it out loud, I was sure Laney saw it as clear as sunflowers in the meadow. Suddenly I felt bad for Cam once more. The poor boy was bullied by his own sister.
"Anyway, don't worry about it. This just confirms that I do need to move out."
"What?!" I was as surprised as Cam when I realized I had spoken aloud. "I thought you abandoned that idea. I thought you were going to stay here and that I'd help you with the research and things." Once again, I felt like crying. It was harder to imagine Cam leaving town than to have him like someone else. I tried my best to keep myself from holding on to him.
"I did say that and I do mean it but …" he sighed, "as I was harvesting your orchard, I got to thinking that I can't rely on other people's work. I may not be as dedicated a researcher as you are but I still want to be able to grow the best flowers possible using my own hard work."
As the speech continued, Cam's voice became louder and more passionate. "It may take me years. I may be as old as your uncle until I'm finally satisfied or maybe I'll just continue to improve as years go by. I may need to travel to different places and I can't ask Lillian to leave her farm and follow me but I also can't stay here just because you like me."
The two of us froze. Cam gasped after realizing what he had just said. However, instead of being embarrassed, I was actually feeling … angry. Sensing my hostility, the florist became nervous and unsure of how I would react.
'Oh he did not just go there.'
"Look, pal," I growled, "in case you didn't notice, you were my first plant friend so I was trying to show my appreciation by sharing my uncle's research with you. You may say that it's not your own doing but who can say that research is made from scratch nowadays? There's always someone who wrote somewhere about something that you'll end up testing and alternating. It's unavoidable so just be thankful that you even have notes to do research with. But I'm sorry if assisting you all this time was not welcomed and that I've been wasting our time."
"Reina you know I didn't mean—" he tried to defend himself but I cut him short.
"I'm. Not. Finished."
"Okay."
"And I'm sorry that my feelings have caused you nothing but trouble because apparently all I did was support your feelings for Lillian. Whoops! Was that also not welcomed? And how dare you drop this stink of a durian on me like this when you have had more than enough time to visit me or write to me to tell me 'hey Reina, remember all those things I told you back at your house? Well, apparently I don't mean it anymore!''"
"Reina, you're not allowing me to explain—" Cam raised his voice to match mine but I didn't want to hear it anymore.
"You've explained enough, Cam." My breath steadied and my voice had calmed once more. "If Lillian didn't move in you'd still be florist and I'd still be a botanist. You wouldn't have the urge to move out. Right now, you're just using your heartbreak as an excuse to leave town. You're not moving on, Cam. You're running away."
Cam was dumbfounded. I wasn't sure if it was because I was right or because he was surprised that I could talk that much in such a short amount of time. Before he regained himself, I had excused myself from the workshop, said goodbye to Howard—who appeared worried—before leaving the café to join the rest of the girls outside. I tried my best to act natural and I used my lack of social skills as an excuse as to why I was being quiet. It was easy to distract the girls from grinding my case. I simply asked about the tunnel and soon Lillian started talking about it being cleared out by spring time, and how Eileen had been working hard in both upgrading Lillian's farm and fixing the tunnel. Just like Sheng, she was very passionate about her work and did everything on her own as long as we provided the material.
We weren't able to talk for long since the sun was setting. So, once we set another date to meet up at Yun's tea house, we all said our goodbyes and went back to our own houses.
Winter was a very slow paced season. There was nothing in our orchard so I busied myself with Mako's fertilizer project or Nori's plants. On some instances I would accept Mikhail's offer to walk to the mountain and we shared our views about nature. I tried my best to listen to anything that might help Lillian get closer to him. So far, Mikhail had nothing but praises regarding the cheerful farmer.
"The other day, I was giving a private performance for Lillian when suddenly my string snapped. She's a person who knows how to appreciate art and the beauty of human emotion." He shared as he looked at his beaten up violin. Safe to say, Lillian was moving fast at trying to steal his heart. I made a mental note to find out about Cam's favorite dish to make but stopped at the idea of being the first to apologize. I knew I was wrong for shouting at him but I still wanted him to be the first to take action. Alas, nothing (and no one) showed up.
Konohana celebrated the annual ice sculpting festival. This year it was Sheng's turn to sculpt and he showed his fierce love towards pandas pretty well. Ying was always happy when it was the old man's turn since the two shared their love for pandas. I was just happy to see that she was healthy enough to join in the celebration. Rahi kept his distance from the girl but it was obvious how much he cared about her from the way he kept glancing at her while scolding her about not wearing enough warm clothes.
After a few more cooking festivals, it was finally time for the year to end. There was a lot of things I was thankful for this year and we all toasted together in the Town Hall's auditorium. As I glanced around the room, I could see all the love that was around that night; Nori was with Hiro, Lillian was chatting with Mikhail, Rahi was busy handing more food to Ying, Gombe was telling jokes to Yun, my uncle was sharing a glass of wine with doctor Ayame, even Kana brought a small wooden horse statue that I assumed was of Hayate. Together we counted down to the New Year and then we all cleaned up the room (except for the younger children and elderly who went to bed ahead of us).
"I thank you all today for coming here today to commemorate a special day."
Spring had come and we were all gathered at the mountaintop to celebrate the newly opened tunnel. The two mayors were standing in front with a smile on their faces after making a new pact to never be in another unhealthy competition ever again.
"Let's give a loud cheer to Eileen for her hard work in clearing the tunnel." Mayor Rutger said, leading in the cheers and clapping that followed soon after.
"And let's not forget to thank Lillian, who helped bring our two towns together." Mayor Ina stood next to Lillian with her hand on the blushing farmer's shoulder.
Everyone was there today and, yes, that included Cam, who was holding a glass of juice in his hand. I kept stealing glances at him but I didn't manage to gather any courage to come up to him. I wanted so badly to ask how he was. Well, that and more.
"Reina, Nori, we are definitely coming to visit your town after this." Laney and Georgia were both beaming happily, each with their own glass of juice.
"Yes, and we'll treat you to our special blend tea. Yun makes the best desert that you should try." Nori replied in an excited yet calm manner.
"And a certain someone can come visit a certain stable to meet with a certain someone." Laney said in a much lower voice.
As the girls continued on in that topic, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "Yes?" I answer, as I turned rather speedily that my hair smacked the face of my greeter.
"Glad to see you being energetic today, Reina." Cam stated, his hand touching his nose that got swatted by my hair. "It's been a while."
"Hi ...!" I exclaimed. Even though I had imagined Cam talking to me, I was not prepared for the real thing. Anxiety and happiness were mixed within me, and I was unsure which was stronger than the other. "Um, I see you're still in town."
"It just didn't feel right leaving some unfinished business. I did tick off a few on my to-do list. Now it's your turn."
"O-oh?" I was back to being nervous around this gorgeous man. Not seeing him for the rest of the winter didn't help either. "So what do you want to tell me?"
Cam glanced around nervously towards the crowd before leading me down the mountain path. "You mind?"
"Not at all."
I followed him, obviously, and the two of us walked side by side in peace. Neither really knew what to say. We could only hold on to our glasses and occasionally sip on them. Once I finished my share of juice, I wasn't sure what else I could do. Thankfully, Cam had started to talk by that time.
"I confessed my feelings to Lillian last winter."
If I had been drinking I would definitely be choking right about now. "Wow… you actually did it." I said, truly happy for him.
"Rejected, obviously. She was already making her love for Mikhail so obvious that you'd have to be a fool not to see it. I told her that I knew she liked someone else and that I just wanted to tell her that she was the reason why … blablabla boring stuff." Apparently Cam had started to be embarrassed by what he was saying. This was Cam after all. He, just like me, wasn't really a talker.
"Let me guess. She was the reason why you decide to be a better man because you want to be someone she can count on, and possibly decorate her wedding with flowers if it ever comes to that?" I teased him.
"… Close enough. So then I told her that I was going to leave town. She seemed sad at first but apparently she was sad for you." Cam let out a chuckle probably from the memory of Lillian. I was also picturing her looking concerned for me. That Lillian. Always so selfless until the end.
"So I told her that you knew I was going to leave and after another … sappy conversation, we're back to being friends. Now, you." He pointed his forefingers at me while still holding on to the glass. Cam looked really nervous and that made me nervous. Now we were both nervous.
"I, uh, should start by saying … sorry. I wasn't really thinking when I said all those things." Cam finally started, "You were clearly a great friend. Are. You are a great friend. You always try to support me even though that was against your personal interest and I appreciate that. I didn't even realize how hard that must've been until it was my turn to support Lillian with her Mikhail conquest. So…" he lifted up his newsboys cap before saying, "hats off to you."
I nodded back his compliment, blushing at the attention.
"You have all the rights to be mad at me but I do want us to be friends again. This won't change the fact that I'll be leaving town but this time, I'm leaving on my own conviction. Not to run away from Lillian or anything but because I want to pursue my career. I want to be a professional florist and flower arranger. I want to work on weddings, important occasions and decorate them with beautiful flowers that I grew on my own. I know I sound in over my head but the more I think about it, the more excited I get and I haven't felt this excited in a long time."
True to his words, it was the first time I saw Cam smiling that much. He really was enjoying the idea of going professional. "So I told Laney and Howard. I'll be leaving in a few days and this might sound so forward of me but … I actually want you to come along."
Hearing this, I tilted my head to the side, slightly confused. I had to make sure that he wasn't joking with me. I stared into his eyes and not once did it flicker with doubt or lies. He was being serious.
"I know, I know it's sudden. I don't expect you to come straight away. Just think about it. You do have a job here but I'd appreciate if you can come and help me… set up shop, so to speak."
This time, I was dumbfounded. Did I really hear him right? He wanted me to come with him? Me? Reina the botanist?
'Is this really happening? I'm not day dreaming, am I?' I put my hand on my chest, trying to calm myself. Cam was waiting for my answer but I just kept opening and closing my mouth, unable to utter a single coherent word.
"Again, you don't have to answer right away." Cam spoke a bit slower in since I was having a hard time processing things. "We should probably go back to the others anyway."
As I looked around to gather my thoughts, I saw a glimpse of the dandelion that blew away. I was visited by a sudden flashback of the first time I stumbled across the little fellow. How I put my attention and energy to doing research on it. How it became a topic of conversation between me and this man in front of me. How I learned what it means to love, to live, and to make friends. If someone were to tell me about a year ago that I would be making a decision to leave my uncle and step out to the world on my own, I would scoff at his face before going back to my research.
"Dandelion." I whispered.
Cam, who was staring at me turned to see what I was looking at. "Oh, the dandelions are back. I read that those white fluffs are the seeds and that they use the wind as a way to procreate. The winds will carry the seeds and wherever the seeds land, chances are, they'll grow into another dandelion. They pretty much grow anywhere and are considered a wild flower."
The view was breathtaking. There used to be only one flower but now the whole area was covered with the blooming white dandelions. To be honest, the reason why I was very intrigued by it was because I saw myself as a dandelion. It looked so out of place and weak, especially when it was only holding on to their mother with such thin stems. I even cried when it got blown away. I compared it too much with my own shattered love life. I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of my moment of weakness. Cam appeared to be confused but I had no intentions on sharing my secret.
"Like a dandelion I'll fly, like a dandelion I'll grow." I smiled to myself as I self-wrote the poem, if you could call it that. The poor confused florist wasn't sure what to say to my sudden burst of creativeness. I took that chance to take his hand and shook it.
"I'm coming with you."
End of Act I
AN: Another chapter has finished!
Some of you are probably wondering, "what?! Act I? Since when does this story have an act?" or "wait, that's it? It's over? Now sitting on a tree k.i.s.s.i.n.g. ? I want my money back!" Don't worry, let me explain.
But first, I'd like to super thank Romance on Express for being my Beta Editor (Betitor for short). She helped me make this chapter better by finding what's wrong with it and 'wa-pssh' it back in order. (That's a sfx of a whip, btw)
Back to the whole End of Act thing. I know this is meant to be a pairing of Reina x Cam but I don't like rushed romance. Just because they're both into plant doesn't mean their love will bloom as fast as one. I wanted to keep it in one story but with the two of them moving to Oak Tree Town, there'd be new people and new settings so I don't want to confuse people. So, I decided to split it into two acts. Act I is when Reina realizes her feelings and grows as a person in Two Town. Act II will be when Cam realizes his feelings and grows as a person in Oak Tree!
So I'm going to tag Dandelion as complete but I will be continuing the story in another story entitled "Licorice" ... so original, I know. It'll continue Cam and Reina's love adventure at Oak Tree Town with new characters and circumstances from Story of Seasons. I'll sometimes use the name Kamil and Licorice in the new story, fyi.
Thank you so much for everyone that has been loving and following this story. I hope you'll continue to follow Cam and Reina in their next adventure *wink wink*
3