- With Nami that morning -

"Hey Dad, I was wondering... If you could send me more cash, for a longer stay here in the valley?" Nami asked him hesitantly as she spoke into the inn's telephone behind the desk, her voice low.

"Why?" he demands venomously, his voice so loud over the phone that it hurt Nami's eardrum. "Are you really that ungrateful for what I have given you so far? You have the audacity to ask me for more?"

Nami held back a frustrated sigh. "I just said. ...For a longer stay in the valley," she repeated.

"Well, that reason isn't good enough. You've never wanted to stay in a place for so long before. Why is that dump so special?" he asked, him growing angrier by second.

"I have my reasons," Nami firmly answered. "I'd like to...stay here long-term, for a couple more years," she confessed. 'Or maybe even forever.' Nami thought to herself hopefully, but she couldn't dare say such a thing to her father. She sadly knows that he just secretly gets a thrill at watching her suffer and struggle going from place to place around the world; he likes having that power over her.

Her father scoffed. "You know, I'm so tired of you always causing so much trouble for your mother and I. It's your own fault why you even have to travel on your own with no place to call home in the first place. You're lucky we even give you any money at all. It's simply so the Harvest Goddess doesn't punish us with bad karma or whatever. Your life would have been so much easier if you would have just married a man like we wanted."

Nami looked down at the wooden floor boards she was standing on and was quiet. She had nothing to say.

Her dad then let out a rather condescending laugh. "Don't tell me you're 'in love' and that's why you want to stay in that pathetic place? Pft. If you're really in love with a girl, if you really love her, then you'll let her go. Because that girl deserves better than you. You'd be selfish to pursue something with her, you're a nobody. You have no skills, you can never keep a job. You've got nothing to offer her. No one could actually love you with the way you are now anyway. You'll just hold her back from true happiness and will just hurt her in the end, just like how you hurt your mother and I with your selfishness. All you do is hurt people."

With that, Nami's father slammed the phone down, cutting off the call. It left Nami quiet and trembling, yet at the same time she felt a numbness lurking in her heart. She felt like she hated him, yet for some reason she always wanted his opinion, his validation, but she'll never admit that to anyone, even herself. She always so easily believed his words deep down even though she acts like she doesn't believe them whenever she talks to him. She acts indifferent and puts up a tough front, but she wishes that her parents cared about her the way that she still cares about them, despite the past. Despite them kicking her out of their home for certain reasons when she was in her early twenties.

What Nami doesn't know, is that every time she tried to have a job anywhere, her father would always call her employer, and would complain about Nami in someway, sabotaging her, and always causing her to get fired, which always resulted in her relying on him. He'd get a thrill having that kind of power over her while that lead Nami to believe that she was totally useless and not good enough anywhere that she went. Her self-worth went down the toilet and she wonders why she even bothers anymore, and she kind of always just went with the flow not caring about anything and not really caring about her own life until... her.

Until the new farmer girl came into town. And that farmer girl...

She Is...

Everything that Nami never knew she needed.

- Back to farmer girl's point of view -

I completed all of my farm chores and other errands today all day long, but I didn't run into Nami at all once today. I'm sure I'll see her soon, but I just hope she's not avoiding me. I'm so happy we finally returned to the valley yesterday all safe and sound. I can't stop blushing though just from thinking about all the past events that recently happened.

'I don't know... All I know is... That I just want to keep on holding you right now.'

I blushed. The way she said that, the way she was holding me... The way... We almost kis-

I froze in my tracks when I suddenly saw Nami approaching me, we were both now standing at the pathway that was right outside the entrance to my farm and the path that also lead to Vesta's farm over the bridge.

The sun will be setting soon.

I had a weird feeling. Nami looked stiff and...

I don't know. Something is off with her.

Nami's gaze toward me seemed intense, as if she was angry at me, but I could tell...she wasn't.

"Look, whatever they said about me isn't true. I've never felt that way before about you."

I froze, absolutely shocked. What is she talking about? Who is 'they'? Where is this coming from...?

Nami then shattered my soul with just one sentence.

"I don't have romantic feelings for you."

I stood there, feeling as if the wind had just got knocked out of me after hearing her sudden declaration.

Nami's voice was stern, her sapphire eyes fierce as they locked with mine.

"I just want to make that clear. No matter what anybody has told you or any rumors you might have heard about me, I've never had romantic feelings for you. I've never felt that way. I'm sorry if I ever gave you the wrong impression before, especially after yesterday. I apologize. ...Alright, I'll see you later."

And just like that, Nami turned and casually walked away from me with her hands in her pockets - as if I was nothing to her.

As the sun began to set, I slowly sat down on the bench that was located in front of the river and near the bridge that lead to Vesta's farm. Everything was quiet, I couldn't hear a sound anymore.

I felt my heart shatter, resulting in all the now broken pieces to sink into a endless void of helplessness within me. I sat there, feeling like the smallest crumbled-up piece of paper as the tears wouldn't stop relentlessly leaving my eyes. It felt like my world had ended, as if I felt numb but could also ironically feel everything at the same time. How stupid is that, how stupid am I...

So all my fears...were true? It really was just all wishful thinking on my part? Is she really not gaslighting me about her true feelings for me? Never before have I wanted someone so badly to lie to me about something, please someone tell me her words are just lies. Is she really telling the truth? I guess it really was all in my head, that every moment that I thought was romantic with her or any clues that I thought were evidence that she liked me, was me just being delusional after all. Oh, what a fool I've been... Believing that she could actually want... me.

That I was important to her, that I actually was... I-I...

At that moment, it felt as if a million swords had stabbed my heart, causing me to even stammer in my own thoughts. How silly. Almost helplessly, I put a clenched fist to my heart as an attempt to relieve the pain, but it was to no use. I closed my eyes tightly as I was choking on my sobs, the pain causing me to lean slightly forward while sitting. My eyes felt so puffy, so swollen and red. The bright side is that my eyelashes always look so much more longer when I cry at least and my green eyes look somehow prettier, b-but... What good is that...? If I don't know how to make myself stop this endless crying? I don't know how to make myself unlove Nami. There. I said it. I love her... I do love her. I love Nami. I'm in love with Nami. I-

Chris appeared. "Kayla. Are you okay? You're...oh my."

I looked up and she looked into my green eye full of tears; her expression was immediately full of concern.

The blonde woman forced herself to smile. "Please... give me your palm. I feel compelled to read your fortune now. I have a feeling it will help give you some guidance."

Wordlessly, I extended my left palm towards her as the pink-outfitted business woman stood in front of me as I remained seated. Chris bent over a little bit as she stood and she noticed my whole body was trembling, so she clenched onto my other hand as well and held it tightly to comfort me, as she simultaneously was reading my left palm with her other hand.

Chris was quiet for about five minutes, her intently concentrating on reading my palm, and then finally, she spoke.

"The person you're in love with... lied to you. You think they never had feelings for you, but they do. They always did. It's a BIG lie. They do have feelings for you. They're just trying to protect you from themselves. They think you deserve better, but they need to work on becoming the best version of themselves for you."

I sat there in shock trying to process her words as I felt a single tear stream down my right cheek. Chris clenched my right hand tighter and continued on with speaking; her voice soft and so warm, giving me the uttermost amount of hope.

" ...For now, just give them time. Keep spending time with them, keep showing them love. They'll come around. Just don't force anything or pressure them. They'll realize that they are willing to do anything to be with you. You... You really make this person want to be better. You make this person feel weak, in a good way. Like, you're their weakness and biggest strength at the same time. You make them want to be vulnerable, when they don't want to be. They're scared to get attached, they're scared to hurt you by accident... But... I feel like this will all work out in the end, everything will unfold perfectly it says when I'm reading your palm here. Just have faith that she is already yours."

Chris flashed me one bright smile and she closed her eyes. I was speechless. I was scared to believe, I was scared to give myself false hope. But... It'd be so cruel of her to lie to me like that... to give me hope when there isn't... She must be telling the truth.

I...I'm so scared to do that, when in the past I have given my all to things before in full faith and have failed. But...

When it comes to Nami, I rather try to have faith, than to not at all and then wonder what if...

I'm not going to give up.

No matter what Nami says, I'm going to believe that she has always had feelings for me and that somehow, in someway, we're going to be together.

No matter what.

Chris let out a soft giggle.

"Y'know. I think, Nami really loves you too, you know."

I blinked rapidly, blushing furiously. Stunned, that she said Nami's name.

"H-How... How did you know it was her?" I asked her breathlessly, my heart pounding.

Chris smiled. "I always felt Nami's energy whenever I read your palm in the past and now. But... At the same time, I think anyone could see that she has feelings for you. It's that obvious. You don't need a fortune reading to know that."

Chris flashed me a wink and I blushed even harder.

"There's also something else you should know, it's a vision of the past I saw when I read your palm," Chris confessed.

My eyes widened, the pure anticipation immediately taking my breath away. "What... What is it?"

"I saw a vision of Nami - when it was spring time last month. She'd constantly stare up at the cherry blossom trees, looking intently at the pink petals... and I could feel her energy. She couldn't stop staring at them, because those pink petals - they reminded her of you."

I was beyond speechless, and now my cheeks were flushed the same kind of pink as those cherry blossom petals. "T-That's... I..." I started to say mindlessly, my brain still trying to process the vision she had just revealed to me. It now feels as if I'm in a freaking romance novel or movie, or something.

My heart then jumped at remembering something.

Oh. Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. It's...

Nami's Birthday.

What should I get her?! I want to get her a gift that's not from the dig-site or my cooking for once, I want to get her something unique that she wouldn't expect from me. I have to do something special...

Chris then giggled, as if she was reading my mind.

"Y'know... Nami likes fall flowers as gifts."

My eyes widened insanely.

NAMI LIKES FLOWERS?!

Author Note: I wrote this chapter before I wrote chapter 22 *sweatdropped* it kind of just happened, lol. But I do have all the chapters planned out in my head. Thank you guys so much for reading and please tell me your thoughts by reviewing. Thank you so much. I shall update when I can. This chapter is called "She Is" because this chapter reminds me of the song 'she is - by the fray' if you'd like to take a look. When I first thought of this story, the ending was the first thing I thought of, haha. I can't wait to write that, but still a long way to go until the ending. Teehee.