When Lillian and Cam went out for the first time and he told her more about herself (for a change since it was always Lillian talking), she admitted to him that she thought Laney and him were siblings. That meant she thought Howard was his father.
How oblivious the girl was then.
"So, Cam," Lillian began, looking straight into his eyes.
He impulsively looked away. He found it so uncomfortable when he made eye contact. It was so nerve racking; being all friendly and close - especially with someone like Lillian, with her striking eyes. They were sitting outside by the flower bed.
But then again, he was the one who asked her out. She just seemed... interesting to him, that's all. Cam, you idiot.
"Do you like it here?" she asked softly, "In Bluebell?"
Cam perked up from staring at his twirling thumbs. "Uh, yeah, I guess."
"I'm glad to hear that. I love living here too," she commented.
"Yeah..." he murmured, nervously adjusting his tie then sticking his hands in his pockets.
He was pretty sure he said he "guessed", not "loved" living in Bluebell.
She nodded. "You told me you lived in the café with Laney and Howard. You three seem close."
"Sure, but it's nice to escape sometimes, like on Mondays-"
"Is that why you're always gone? You want to get away from them?" She gasped slightly.
She really was an oblivious, nosy, and rude girl. Cam sighed, "No, I study in the city."
She smiled, "Wow! I've been to the city once... It's so crowded there!"
Cam smiled back a bit. "You get used to it. And whenever I come back, Ash is there to greet me. It got annoying at first, but you get used to that too."
She giggled. Cam blinked in surprise. Once. Twice. She giggled. He didn't know that was possible. Well, he saw her laugh a lot with Ash and the other villagers, but never him. She found him... funny?
He snapped back to reality when she spoke up. "But anyway, back to Laney and Howard..."
"What about them?"
"At first, I thought you were Laney's older brother," she chortled.
Cam scratched the back of his head, a confused look etched on his features. "Really?"
Lillian nodded, stifling a laugh. "Yeah, you both had blond hair and the same green eyes... Sometimes you look alike."
"Just because of our physical appearance?"
"Same facial expressions sometimes, too!" She added.
"Oh," he paused. "But Howard... You thought he was my dad?"
Lillian laughed even more. "Yeah, that's kinda when I realized that maybe you weren't related. The way you acted around each other and how you - for some odd reason - didn't um, take after him."
"Take after him?" It was Cam's turn to question her.
She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Your personality is so different from his."
"So you just assume that since I'm nothing like him, we can't be related?" Cam stated.
She frowned, "Well, I just thought... because Laney and Howard are sometimes alike too..."
"Wait, er- we're not related," he sighed, "and I didn't mean for it to come out so harshly. Sorry."
"It's alright," she smiled, "I like talking to you."
The memory came to him as they walked in and were greeted by the father and daughter, both smiling cheekily. They glanced at each other occasionally with a strange glint in their eyes, as if going on about some inside joke only they knew.
As if. No. They were.
Cam sighed to himself. The two always got excited whenever they saw him talking to someone. They're still like that even when Ash comes over to his shop.
"We care about you, Cam!" They both would tell him.
It's great that they care, but they get irritating, hovering over him as he attempts to strike a conversation. They were like mosquitoes, thirsting for gossip while sticking their long noses into other people's business - Cam's business.
Then again, as annoying as it was, he just got used to it.
Laney smiled sweetly at Lillian. "What brings you here during a typhoon, Lillian? Did Cam drag you out here?" She looked over to him. "Is that why you were out for so long?"
"No," Cam replied bluntly, "it's a coincidence."
Lillian nodded then pulled out some chamomile from her rucksack. "Here you go, Laney."
"That's one of my favourite things! Thanks! This makes me really happy!" Laney smiled warmly, accepting it happily. "I'll put it in my storage... I might make a new recipe with this ingredient. Some flowers are edible. Did you know that?"
The rancher nodded, violet eyes gleaming. "I'm glad you like it! Is your father here?"
"Hello, Lillian! You're a real sweetheart, you know that?" Howard beamed, intertwining his fingers together.
"Thank you, Howard," she giggled in response, "I brought you a Magic Red Flower."
Howard smiled sweetly, like melted chocolate, "Ooh! Thank you!"
Cam observed the smiles on their faces, how contagious Lillian's cheeriness was.
"Stay a while, Lillian!" Laney offered, "Until the typhoon dies down a bit at least. The café may not be open, but at least you have some company."
"Thanks, but I should get going," Lillian replied, smiling sadly.
"No no, please stay!" Howard pleaded, "It's so dangerous outside! The weather reports said it would clear up soon!"
Lillian glanced over at Cam suddenly. "Why are you so quiet? Are you alright?"
Cam snapped back to reality and felt his face heat up. He tugged down at his hat. "Yeah. Uh- sorry about those two, they're really dramatic."
"Are not!" They both protested.
The farmer girl chuckled, "Thank you so much for your offer, but I really have to go and check on my animals. Don't worry, I'll be just fine."
Howard pouted, "Okay, just be careful on your way home!"
"And be safe!" Laney added.
"Bye, thank you," Lillian smiled sweetly while waving as she headed for the door.
Cam simply nodded at her. "Bye."
"Nice talking to you again, Cam," she stated, her face tinted a rosy pink. He blinked in surprise. It's been a while since he saw an expression like that from her. Lillian left, the three watching her from the window.
"Aw, poor girl." Howard sighed, "She works too hard."
"But you have to admire her for that," his daughter mused.
"It gets annoying," Cam grumbled, "She thinks she can do everything. She doesn't know how to take care of herself. She doesn't think about herself for once. That's going to get her into trouble."
"Worried, are we?" Howard laughed lightly.
Cam sighed in annoyance. "No, not really."
Laney gawked at him. "You're so mean, Cam!"
"I'm just saying."
Everyone returned to their rooms, hoping the dreadful storm would pass. He stared outside his window, watching the hard rain splash at the glass.
Ugh, how much he hated the rain right now.
Not only was it incredibly dangerous for both him and his flowers, but it was also sickly hot and humid. He did not hate it- he despised it. It was an uncomfortable feeling and he was sure the flowers felt the same too. It was the same feeling he always experienced whenever he talked to someone.
But when he talked to Lillian today, all those feelings simply vanished, like the warmth of her voice melted all his worries away.
That stupid, confusing girl walking in the middle of a typhoon. Would she even make it out alright in that kind of weather?
Suddenly, he was struck by so many emotions, it felt like someone had hit him straight in the gut. He was the foolish one.
Lillian said she'd be fine, right? He could trust her.
The words he just said about her repeated and echoed in his head.
"She thinks she can do everything. She doesn't know how to take care of herself. She doesn't think about herself for once."
Maybe... not.
Cam felt a rush of guilt just remembering how quickly he dismissed her, not even thinking about what could happen to her.
He didn't tell the two that he was leaving. There was no time for that. He slipped on his shoes, despite the fact that they were still wet from going outside and stepping in the puddles. He whipped out his umbrella and headed for the door.
He looked around, squinting through the heavy rain. It beat down on the pavement, battering at his umbrella. The sound was so distracting.
"Lillian!" He called, spitting out rain that entered his mouth. "Lillian!"
He ran passed the statue in the town square, shouting her name through the rain until he heard a feeble voice reply, shaking with fear.
"C-Cam?"
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, she's perfectly safe." He said to himself.
He found her, standing still in the rain, holding herself up by clinging onto a tree nearby. She was so close to home. Why was she still out?
No.
"Lillian, what's wrong?"
He swore he could see tears mixing with the raindrops.
"I- I slipped then twisted my ankle on the way back," she replied, "It hurts to walk."
"My Goddess," he sighed in exasperation. "Okay, don't move. I'll help you," he said bluntly, and rushed to her carefully.
She gasped in surprise and froze as she waited for him to approach her. He extended a hand towards her and commanded, "Hold onto me."
She obeyed without hesitation, leaning and putting all her weight on him. Surprisingly, she was a little heavier than he imagined her to be, but he didn't mind. She was soaked to the bone, the water seeping into his own clothes.
"I'll bring you home," he said quietly. "It's good I found you."
"Thank you."
He grunted in reply.
"So," she breathed, her eyes fluttering as she limped her way back home, "why are you out in this typhoon? Checking on your flowers again?"
"Actually, no," he admitted, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks.
"That's a first..." she muttered. After a short pause, she added, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I made you worry."
If it were any other day, he'd be in denial and calling her an idiot. But, he didn't. No, Cam had realized something.
He replied, "S'alright, I guess."
"So are you planning to stay out here until the typhoon dies down?" She asked casually.
They were almost home, now. Just a few more feet.
"Maybe. I don't know. Probably until I see you safe inside your house," he answered.
Words were just spilling out his mouth, weren't they? He never felt this embarrassed before. His heart was pounding against his chest.
"Oh. Thank you."
"Lillian, I-"
"Why?"
Cam questioned, "What do you mean 'why'?"
"I thought all you cared about was flowers, really. Why are you suddenly-?"
It was his turn to cut her off.
"Well Lillian," he began, clearing his throat, "it's because- I guess I found something I like more than flowers."
There, he said it. All this time, he was just thinking about Lillian and was worried about her safety. Is that so hard to take in? Cam, the cold, quiet, florist finally found someone he cared about more than flowers.
There was a long pause, the only sound in the town was the rain - the uncomfortable sound of the rain that Cam despised so much.
"I'm sorry, that came out weird," he whispered, as he brought her to her door.
She limped inside, and gave him a sweet smile which made his face flush.
"No, don't be. Thank you, Cam. I like talking to you. I like being with you too."
Suddenly, she reached out to him and cupped his face in her hands, placing a light kiss on his cheek. Her lips were warm against his skin. The feeling was nice after the cold wind and rain. Cam inhaled the scent of herbs and mint - her scent. She was so close to him. Cam's eyes widened in shock as she pulled away. She giggled at his reaction.
"I'll... I'll be heading home now," he managed to say, blushing furiously. "See you around."
"Will you be okay on your way home?" She asked, concerned, "You... are very important to me, I don't want you to end up like how I did."
He smiled warmly at her. "I'll be fine, really."
She smiled back, "Okay."
She softly closed the door as Cam spun around to head back to the café. The typhoon started to pass as he made his way back. Cam still had a boyish smile on his face, something his lips barely made. He clutched tightly onto his umbrella.
He looked down at the moondrop flower that nestled in his chest pocket. Its brightness stood out from the gloomy sky.
Huh... he had found someone he cared about more than his flowers.
To him, Lillian was better than flowers. She truly was more beautiful than one he had ever picked. Her warmth and scent was more soothing than any other flower. Her eyes were a more brilliant shade of violet he had ever seen.
Her smile was sweeter than any bud. Her lips were softer than any petal he had touched. As much as an idiot Lillian was, she was stronger than a flower without a doubt too, withstanding a typhoon.
Maybe he didn't despise the rain that much.
A/N: That's it! :) It's pouring where I am right now. Got me in the mood to write the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed this two-shot! Please tell me how I did with a review. Thanks for reading.