Chapter sixteen
Rina hummed to herself as she worked her fields. It was the end of the year and she was prepping the soil, turning it over and adding fertiliser for the next day's seeds. There were still mounds of snow around that she had spent the morning, shovelling aside. The meltwater would be helpful over the coming weeks as it got warmer. She had some foresight and made sure that the piles weren't too big and spaced them out in case they drowned her baby crops. Rina couldn't carry a tune in a bucket but it didn't stop her from attempting to join in with her little radio that valiantly belted out the local radio station's idea of popular music.
She put down her hoe, leaning it against the fence as she stood up and stretched. Her back cracked enjoyably and she let out a light moan. 'Ugh, Yoba, this better get easier in time,' she moaned. Deep down she knew that it wouldn't if the past year was anything to go by. Rina took a moment to look over her fields. Even though there was a little chill in the air, she had opened up her coops and barns, just to allow a fresh breeze to circulate while she was out working. With a happy sigh Rina picked up her fertiliser and began to sprinkle it into the small canals that she had meticulously worked in. She was almost halfway through when her phone began to ring.
Rina pulled her phone out her back pocket, holding it up to her ear and balancing it between her shoulder and ear. 'Yello,' she said casually as she picked up, there was no point looking at the caller. There were very few people with this current number. After her father had tracked down her last one, she had let Sebastian do a little bit of tech-wizardry and he was confident that it was now private.
'Rina, could you meet me down in your orchard?' Sam said simply.
'Oh sure,' Rina said in reply. 'Anything in particular wrong? Are you okay?' She asked as she finished the current patch she was working on and put down the fertiliser. Sam assured her that everything was okay and so she hung up after letting him know it would be a couple of minutes. Rina wiped her hands on her jeans and pulled on her hoodie. In fact, it was one of Sebastian's old hoodies but after a year it was now officially hers. She turned off her radio in case she was a little longer than planned and made her way down the orchard. Her land was vast and seemed to cover all the terrains so it did indeed take her a few minutes to get there.
She saw Sam standing next to the small lake that she had at the edge of her property. He was dressed smartly and she began to wonder what was going on. There was a bit of a creak when she opened the gate and he turned around to face her. 'Hey, Rina,' he said swiftly moving a hand around his back.
'Hey, Sam,' she smiled brightly at him and walked over to him. 'What's up?'
He looked her over and sighed, 'that's uh, one of Seb's hoodie's huh,' he said as more of a statement.
Rina glanced at the jumper she wore, 'yeah… but it is one of the ones that Robin gifted me when I first got here, so it's not like, I've stolen one from him and not given it back,' she joked and saw that his expression hadn't improved. 'Why?'
Sam seemed to shake himself out of the funk he was in, 'uh, nothing, I just recognised it that was all,' he said quickly. 'So, uh, um, the reason… I called you here…' he said awkwardly and Rina frowned.
'Sam, you're starting to worry me, are you sure everything is, okay? I mean… you look great today, are you going to ask Penny on a date? Is that why you're nervous? You wanted my opinion on the outfit? Because, you don't need to worry, you look handsome,' she said as she tilted her head, trying to guess what was bothering him.
He chuckled a little sadly, 'actually… I was here… I wanted to ask you…' he breathed in deeply and showed her the bouquet that he had been hiding behind his back. 'If you… wanted to be… my girlfriend,' he said in an embarrassed laugh. The flowers were in full bloom and the scent hit her almost immediately. The colours covered the entire rainbow and came in a full range of species, from roses to tulips.
It took a moment for Rina to realise what was going on but all she could think of was, how in the name of Yoba, did he manage to hide those behind his back? She shook her head briefly, to almost correct her thoughts. After a moment, her eyes widened and she stared at him in surprise. 'Sam… this is so unexpected,' she said honestly, trying not to sound confused or insulting.
'I know, I just… had to ask. If you don't try, you'll never know,' he said almost desperately. Rina nodded in understanding and stepped closer, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm.
'Sam…' her tone was soft and apologetic.
His shoulders fell ever so slightly and Rina's heart panged in pain. She didn't want to cause him any pain. 'I know. I know what you're going to say. I just… had to ask,' he nodded, not offended. He knew she would refuse. It still hurt and he hadn't let himself have any hopes but it was always going to suck, feeling the rejection.
Rina rubbed his arm a little. 'I'm sorry, Sam. I just… don't feel that way about you… about anyone, really,' she said as she brushed back a bit of hair that whipped into her face. 'I'm really sorry.' Why does this feel like I'm kicking a puppy? Also… it doesn't really feel sincere either. Asking me on the off chance I said yes? Not cool, she thought bitterly. Rina looked straight at him and shrugs a shoulder, 'sorry, Sam. It's just not the right time in my life and honestly? You wanna work on your proposal,' she teases in attempt to lighten the mood. 'Saying to me, "I just had to ask", isn't very romantic or appealing,' Rina giggles causing an embarrassed blush hit him.
'Ah, yeah, sorry about that,' he winces. Then what she said at the beginning sunk in. Sam looked at her in confusion. 'Wait… no-one? You don't have any feelings for anyone?' He repeated. For a split second he contemplated batting her around the head with the flowers. She was in such denial. Her expression said it all. Sam cleared his throat and corrected himself. 'I mean… I totally get it, please don't feel bad.'
She wore a half smile and nodded, 'I'm sorry you wasted a bouquet,' she whispered holding her arms as she shuffled a foot.
'Oh, hey,' he said holding it out to her, 'take it, no obligations. Enjoy them,' Sam said smiling, Rina began to protest and he wouldn't hear it. 'I know they'll brighten up your house and if anything, take them for our friendship.'
'Sam… that's so sweet. Thank you, and we'll always be friends, you know that, right?' Rina said as she held the flowers. Sam nodded and they shared a hug. Rina knew that she wouldn't be saying anything to anyone about this and he was highly unlikely to. After a brief conversation, Sam said goodbye and Rina made her way back towards the house to put the flowers in water. 'That was a rollercoaster,' she said to herself as she walked up the steps towards her upper fields. She took a moment to rest and look over her crop lines while her mind mentally screamed. WHAT IN THE LIVING FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT?! She gripped the bouquet tightly and tries not to freak out.
Rina tried to avoid pacing and pulling out her hair, she didn't want to damage the flowers as they were beautiful and innocent to the situation. 'Fuck!' Rina moans as she follows the fence, that entire conversation was the ast thing she wanted. What if someone else got the same idea? Like Alex, or Elliot? They were nice enough and she started to panic that perhaps she came across as too friendly. Maybe it's time to put distance between myself and everyone else… Fuck, what if they think that because Sebastian and I kissed on my birthday that something is going to happen? That they've got to act before they miss their "chance"? Rina bit her lip and sighs as she smells the flowers to calm herself down. 'Yoba, damn it,' she whispers, rubbing her eyes with her spare hand.
In the end she simply followed her fence towards the house, lost in thought. As she got closer, she heard a voice calling across the field and looked up to see Sebastian waiting on the porch. 'I did text-' he began to say as she got close and then he noticed the bouquet in her arms. '… Is that, hey um, that's a bouquet,' he cleared his throat, 'a bouquet from, uh, Pierre's. Um, Pheebs… that's like a particular bouquet,' he said as he stepped forward from where he had been leaning on her railing. 'In uh, in this town… giving someone that bouquet is, um, well, it has particular meaning,' Sebastian said, trying to explain and not show his internal panic.
Rina nodded as she walks past him to open her door, walking into her kitchen, 'oh, yeah, I know, it's okay though, no drama,' she said wanting to keep it as vague as possible as she didn't want to embarrass Sam, especially to his best friend.
Sebastian didn't follow her inside and instead stood at the door and scratched his temple, 'uh, okay? So, um… who? Who gave you the bouquet?' Rina gave him a look but he wore an expression she hadn't seen before. He looked almost angry before his expression became blank.
She placed the flowers in the sink quickly and turned to face him properly. 'Hey, it's no big deal, Bastian,' Rina said almost nonchalantly. She brushes a few loose hairs from her face and leans on the counter, 'like I already said, there's no drama, Sam simply-'
'Sam?' Sebastian cut in. His tone was almost impossible to read. Rina tilted her head and she stepped forward, noticing that he took one back subconsciously. 'As in Sam? One of our mutual friends? My childhood best friend?' Sebastian said with a huff before throwing up his hand in gesture of disbelief. 'Wow, uh, okay… so. So. Uh, I'll have to uh, go talk to him seeing as he might… might not be cool with us hanging out now that you're dating-'
Rina could see that he was totally off in his own mind as anything she said didn't seem to be getting through to him. 'What the hell are you going on about? Sebastian! Will you calm down for a damn minute and let me explain?!' She said as she tried to grab a hold of him but he backed up even more, turning his body away from her.
'I can't be here. I just…' he sighed and looked at Rina. 'Congratulations, I, um… guess?' He said as he almost practically ran away.
Rina was left there completely stumped to what just happened. Why was he acting this way? It's not actually like she had agreed to date Sam but Sebastian didn't give her a moment to explain anything. What the fuck just happened? She thought as she went to pull out her phone to call him. He just freaked out; she thought looking for his number. She paused for a moment and sighs, locking her phone and putting it on the side. If he wanted to talk, he would have stayed. Something has clearly freaked him out. Once he's calmed down I'm sure he'll come talk to me. He probably just needs time.
A loud bellowing echoed over the farm and instantly took a higher priority on her list. 'I'll have to figure this shit out later,' she said rolling her eyes as she grabbed the keys to her barn. 'I'm coming, Fergie!' Rina shouted as she left, even though she knew that the cow had no idea what she was saying.
-x-
Sebastian knocked on the door of the house where Sam lived. He couldn't think straight, there was too much going on his head. He knew that Rina had been trying to tell him something but he wasn't in the right mental space to listen to an apology or explanations from her. The tight feeling in his chest was nearing pain. He couldn't place his finger on why he felt so out of it, so discombobulated. The door opened and to his surprise, Sam's father, Kent was there. 'Oh… hello, Mr Clark, sir, is uh, is Sam home?' Sebastian said trying to keep calm.
'Yeah, son, he's in. Are you alright?' Kent said, happy to see his son's friend. 'You've grown a fair bit since I last saw you. You're getting a bit stubbly there, lad,' he jokes as he stepped aside to let him in.
Sebastian forced himself to act at least a little normal, despite the whirlwind in his mind. 'Ha, yeah,' he replies, touching his cheek and feeling the roughness, 'I forgot to shave this morning, I'll admit,' Sebastian nodded. 'It's good to see you back home, sir,' he said honestly.
Kent clapped Sebastian on the shoulder, 'it's good to be home. You're looking well, son. Been hearing good things from Jodi,' he said conversationally as he walked Sebastian to the stairs. Sebastian nodded and Sam's father left him to ascend, the minor chat had simmered the flurry of thoughts for a moment but they soon returned when he found himself outside of Sam's door.
Rudely, Sebastian didn't even bother to knock and just walked in. He found Sam at his computer, working on something for the band. Sam spun around in his chair. 'Seb?' He said as he took off his headphones to hear him. 'Sorry, dude, if you knocked, I didn't even hear you. Didn't mean to ignore you.'
'Well, uh… funny thing,' Sebastian replied as he firmly shut the door behind him. 'I just… I just came from Pheeb's place and uh, she was… she was putting a bouquet into some water and I… when I asked her about it… funnily enough, your name popped up,' he said as he ran a hand through his hair and paced a little back and forth.
Sam sighed and stood up, 'Seb, man, look I get that you are upset but it doesn't mean anything-'
Sebastian glared at him and his sentence faltered. 'Doesn't mean anything? Did you seriously just say that? You don't think that the fact I had no idea this was coming and that you are both my best friends, doesn't mean anything? I mean, fucking hell, Sam!'
Sam's mind raced, did Sebastian not know that Rina had rejected him? 'Seb. You need to listen to me-' he said as he held up his hands and tried to diffuse the situation. He just needed Sebastian to calm down.
'I don't… I don't think I can, yeah, I don't think I want to,' Sebastian shook his head and walked to the bedroom door. Sebastian sighed and looked at Sam who gave him a pleading look. 'I just never thought you would… Not you… Sam. I just..' he seemed to deflate and his shoulders slumped. 'I thought one of you would have told me…Please… just…treat her right,' he mutters, yanking it open to find Jodi coming up the stairs to see what the commotion was about.
'Seb, please, you just gotta listen-'
Sebastian ignores him and walks out, leaving the door open. 'I'm sorry about the noise, Mrs Clark,' Sebastian said in apology as Jodi moved aside to let him leave.
Jodi raised a brow and walked into her son's room. Sam sat on his bed and sighed heavily, his head in his hands. 'Sam?' Jodi said looking back at where she last saw Sebastian. 'What was that about?' She asked as she stepped into his room, holding the door open but ready to leave if he asked her to.
He exhales and rubs his face in defeat, 'I asked Rina to be my girlfriend.'
'Sam!' Jodi said in a gasp and walked in, lightly batting him on the arm with the tea towel that she had been holding from making dinner. 'Why would you do that? You know Sebastian likes her!' She flaps it at him a couple more times.
'Ow! Mum!' He said in a jolt. 'It wasn't like that! We all just got tired of them tip toeing around each other! We thought it might force Sebastian to like, actually admit to her that he wants to be in a relationship!' Sam explained rubbing his arm. 'We even managed to get them to kiss at the Feast!'
Jodi placed her hands to her chest. 'Aw, that's sweet,' she said in a motherly way. 'Well, that was a stupid plan! You shouldn't force things like this!' She scolds and Sam groans. He stood up and moved over to his computer.
'Mum, come on. You can't tell me that these two-' he brought up the video on his computer from their time under the mistletoe, '-aren't totally in love with one another.' Jodi came closer to watch and sighs happily, she nodded to Sam who relaxed. 'See, mum, I was just… trying to knock some sense into him.'
Jodi flicks her braid over her shoulder in frustration. 'You had better go explain to him what your silly little plan was, before it's too late,' she said batting him again with the towel. 'Now get! Message your father if you run into any trouble, it's getting late.'
