Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 32

The summer days passed pleasantly—hot, humid days and balmy nights filled with picnics, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. On the evening of Bluebell's Flower Festival, Cam came to visit and surprised me with a cluster of beautiful lavender roses. I breathed deeply of their sweet fragrance, and said with a smile as I led him into the living room, "Thank you, Cam! That's so sweet of you! 'Enchantment'?" I asked, trying to recall the meaning of the velvety blooms.

He looked into my eyes and said, "They have another meaning, too: 'Love at first sight'."

I looked down at the flowers shyly, feeling my cheeks grow hot, and asked, "Really? Did you really fall in love with me at first sight? I didn't know that. You... you hid it rather well."

"I couldn't help falling in love with you when I first saw you," he replied as he sat on the sofa. I sat next to him as he went on, "I remember I'd been lost in thought—remembering the past—and suddenly you were standing there, all radiant and golden in the sunlight, and I felt like I was slowly sinking into billows of storm-blue silk when I first looked into your eyes. I'm sorry if I seemed cold... I was in a bit of a daze and could hardly even think, let alone speak. And I wasn't yet ready—I was still hurting from the last time I'd been in love, even though that had been years before. I didn't think I'd ever love anyone again... until I met you."

I tucked my arm into his and leaned my head on his shoulder, thinking about the day we met. After a few minutes, I looked up at him and asked, hesitantly, "So... that girl... the one you once mentioned. What... what was her name? What was she like?"

He sat silently for a moment, then sighed and leaned back, putting his arm around my shoulders to draw me closer to him. "Her name was Nadia," he began, his eyes focused on nothing as he lost himself in his memories. "She was so beautiful: long, black curls, pale ivory skin, and eyes the color of violets. She wasn't from around here—her family was wealthy and came from somewhere in the deep south. Her older sister was in very sick, and the doctors had told her parents to take her to some quiet place in the northern mountains where she could rest and recuperate. They rented Eileen's house while she was away at some seminar or class or something for several weeks. I was eighteen at the time; my parents had died just the previous winter, and I felt very much alone."

He paused, sighing at the memory of his loss, then continued. "Nadia was sixteen. She was strong-willed, but she seemed kind-hearted. I remember watching her the day they arrived. I'd never seen anyone so... so exquisite. She called out something to the carter as he unloaded their possessions, and her voice was sweet and musical. I was infatuated with her from that instant. I brought her flowers and tried to get to know her better. She was cool the first few days, but after they'd settled in, she began to warm up to me. It all happened quickly after that—by late summer we were in love. I even asked her to marry me, and she accepted. But then...."

He paused again, swallowing hard. "Then Armand came to town one day. Tall, muscular, handsome, and rich—the girls were all fainting at his feet left and right. But he only had eyes for Nadia. Still, I wasn't too worried. I knew that she loved me, and I trusted her implicitly. Until... until one day I came across them kissing passionately in a little glade in the woods near the river shallows."

Cam brushed his hand over his eyes, rubbing his forehead is if it ached. "She came to see me that night. Said it was over, that I'd never meant anything to her, really—I was just a diversion to her. She'd never been serious about our engagement—it was just another notch on her belt, I suppose. She said she'd be marrying Armand as soon as she was of age, and then... and then she left. I never saw her again. My heart was completely shattered. It was days before I could even get out of bed, let alone function. So when you arrived... well, as I said, I was still hurting even though it'd been more than five years. And I didn't think I was ready—didn't think I even wanted to try—to love anyone again. After she hurt me like that, I didn't think I could ever trust another girl."