The Secret Admirer

Chapter Two

Over the next few days, you come downstairs to the branches growing a bit further each morning, spreading the soft pink blossoms over most of your downstairs. In addition, you find a new note, written in that same calligraphic hand and signed with the same initials. 

You found yourself happily hopping out of bed each morning and hurrying downstairs like a kid at Christmas. The notes were the best part of your day, and your fondness for the person leaving them was ever increasing. You continued visiting the gardens each day with a flower behind your ear, in the hopes that you might come in contact with your admirer, but no luck.

However, a week after the initial incident in the grove, that changes.

As you arrive at the gardens, you can see a large cluster of people gathered in the cherry trees, and a wave of disappointment washes over you. You'd hoped it would be as quiet as it had been most of the week, but with the entire grove blooming out of season, of course it would eventually draw a crowd. 

You're about to turn and leave when a bit of movement on the nearby nature trail catches your eye. You can just barely see someone walking away, and a little voice inside tells you to follow them. You hesitate a moment before taking its advice, and weave your way through the crowd.

Once in the trees, the noise fades rapidly, and you sigh in relief. The buzz of activity was just too much, and the shade of the trail was cool and quiet. Ahead, the person you'd seen just passes out of sight around a bend, and you hurry forward.

Walking along, you notice the trees are incredibly silent. The birds that normally are singing during the daytime are quiet, and there was no breeze to speak of. After a few minutes, the atmosphere becomes a bit unnerving, and you hug yourself for comfort. 

As you start to doubt your sanity (the person you were following was always just turning a corner ahead of you), a sparse trail of pink flower petals appears. You pick one up and discover that it's the same as the blossom you were wearing. 

You quicken your step and your heart matches the pace; someone was leading you someplace, and you were determined to find out who.

The path slowly grows more and more filled with petals, until it's entirely covered with a carpet of the soft pink shapes. As you round a bend, a ray of sunlight illuminates a clearing ahead of you, and in the clearing... is your dream.

A tall masculine figure in a grey suit, standing beneath a massive, blooming cherry tree.

A warm breeze blows through the branches, and the pink petals fall like snow, drifting lazily through the air. You pause just outside the clearing, unsure of what to do next.

"So... you've come," a rich, dark voice says suddenly, and you jump. "I was not expecting you so soon."

"I... just... followed the flowers," you say softly, and the voice chuckles. The man looks upward, but you still can't see his face. Something about him strikes you as incredibly odd, and a small shiver runs down your spine.

"I must apologize for that; I have a habit of being... overly dramatic," he says, and he clasps his hands behind his back. You can see that they're large, and shine dully in the sunlight. Gloves?

"You don't need to apologize; it's been the most wonderful surprise I've ever had. It's been such an amazing week," you say slowly, heart pounding. Something about this whole situation seemed... strange. Ethereal. It felt best to pick your words carefully. "The flowers are so beautiful, and they make me feel so happy. I look forward to your notes every morning."

He sighs, and you hear him chuckle again. "I'm so glad. Truly I am. I wasn't certain that humans liked that sort of thing anymore."

Wait.

'Humans'?

"I'm sorry, but what did you just say?" You fidget with the hem of your shirt, your nerves starting to take over.

"Ah. You caught that, did you? My apologies," he says as he wrings his hands behind his back. "I had not meant to give away my nature so flagrantly."

You pause a long moment before replying: "You're not human."

He breathes a deep and heavy sigh before answering. "That is correct."

You're unsure how to answer, and so you stay quiet. The silence stretches over long moments, and the air seemed brittle. Finally, he speaks, and the words break your heart.

"This is normally the part where most people run away," he says softly. "And if not now, once they see my true face. It's why I'm keeping my back toward you, and I must ask your forgiveness for being so rude."

"It's perfectly fine; I understand," you find yourself saying, and you're surprised you can speak after such a revelation. "Though..." you trail off, uncertain how to word your request.

"...you would like to see my face, correct?" he finishes for you, and you nod. A moment later, you realize there's no way he could have seen that, but: 

"Very well then. I do hope that... nevermind," he cuts himself off, dismissing his abandoned statement with a wave of his hand. "I would warn you that my face is not... normal by human standards, or by non-human standards at that," he says with a bitter laugh. "And most find it somewhat...distressing."

"I'm willing to take that risk. You've been so very sweet and kind, and I've been so much happier because of it," you say softly, your breath catching in your throat. Your heart had begun to hammer against your ribs, but not in fear; in excitement. "I really would like to know who it was that was being so kind to me, in the hope that I might return that kindness."

"I... before I turn," he says, his strong voice faltering, "I must confess that you're the most ravishing creature I've ever laid eyes upon. I would want nothing more than for my care for you to be the reason you smile each day. If you find it in your heart to return those feelings, I would be... very happy." 

His hands grip tightly to one another, and you see them shaking. Before you have a chance to respond, he visibly nods and turns toward you.

As he rotates on the spot, the air around him wavers slightly like heat off hot pavement, and whatever illusion he'd been casting fell away.

And you gasp.