One morning, Lance went to his university. He received a green envelop from the Director. He said, "Lance, I know it's sudden but you need to decide within three days before the school opening next month. I'm really looking forward to a favorable response since this is a rare opportunity. You are the chosen one for this batch. If you will say no, then we will have to give that to the next one, that's why we need you to give us your decision soonest."
After three days, he went back to the university and handed back the envelop.
As he was walking in the Fountain Park, he saw many tarpaulin of the upcoming Flower Festival that was already being advertised a month ago. Just then, he received many messages from his classmates' group chat. He back-read and then send a "coming" reply.
The day of the Flower Festival came. It started in their city just five years ago since the Mayor's family is fond of flowers from different countries and he wanted to showcase it to his people. It is already open from 8am but the real deals are the flowers that bloom so brightly and glow under full moon of the last month of summer season.
Lance went with his five classmates by 6pm. After having dinner together, the same girl whom Lance was with at the Fountain Park last time was also with them. As they were on the foot before the 100-step staircase to reach the peak of where the flowers under the moonlight were showcased, the girl signaled something to her other four classmates and they all nodded and put a thumbs up. Some mouthed "good luck", "go girl" and giggling for her.
"I'm really glad you are free to join us," said the beautiful girl at Lance.
"I actually like flowers, too," Lance said with his usual smile. "I'm glad to come with everyone. Hey, wait, where are they? Can you see them, Meg?" He looked around but couldn't see them in the crowd.
"I think they saw something and stopped," Meg softly said. "They will just follow. Can we go ahead?"
"Oh. Ok."
"But," she said, looking away and blushing. "Since it's crowded, we might get separated, too. Can I hold your hand?"
"Eh?" Lance asked.
"Well, I don't want to go up alone," she shyly said. "But if it's not ok with you, I will just make sure that I'm following you."
He saw she was really worried getting alone since they were already separated with the group. He looked hesitant but answered with a smile, "Okay. I will offer you my left arm."
Her eyes lit up and she put her right arm on his left arm and they proceeded to climb up.
Meanwhile, Claire was also going to the night of the Flower Festival with her two co-workers/friends – Miki and Misa. She really didn't want to go since she's not fond of flowers but seeing how they really wanted to, she can't help but accompany them.
After climbing the 100-step staircase to the top, one will still have to walk at least 500 meters to reach the main spot of where the different kinds of flowers are planted. It was almost as big as the Fountain Park.
There are already a lot of people on the side of the plantation to see the flowers blooming until the moonlight. An announcement was heard saying that they will witness those flowers glowing around 9PM. Since it was still 8PM, Lance and Meg decided to sit down first on the street food section. They took an empty seat on the side. Then Meg excused herself to go the comfort room.
Inside, she retouched with her make-up, patting some foundation on her face and glossing her lips.
Claire had just gone out of the toilet and went to the sink to wash her hands. She happened to glance at the girl on her left, which was Meg. She then remembered it was her she saw last time with Lance at the Fountain Park. Miki also went to the sink to wash her hands.
When Meg was finished retouching, she already went outside.
"Wow, she's pretty," Miki commented.
Claire and her two friends hurriedly went outside the public WC to grab some easy food. They ordered at a burger stall and took a table in front of it. At the other side of the food stalls, Miki seemed to see Lance and the pretty girl together. She called Claire and Misa for confirmation. Just then, they saw the two of them kissed under the soft yellow shade of the street light.
"OMG!" Miki blurted in surprised. She then hurriedly finished her drink. "Let's go girls! He might see us."
"But we're not yet done," Misa said.
Miki stood up and seemed panic. "Just hurry."
When they finished, she pulled Claire and Misa together to leave that food area.
Back to Lance and Meg. He was also surprised at what just happened. When Meg came back from the WC, she sat down and told him that she would give him something, gesturing it would come from her sling bag and told him that since it's a surprise, he should close his eyes. And then, she kissed him without any warning.
Realizing he was kissed, Lance immediately, yet still gently pushed her away. He looked a little furious but remained calm. "What did you just do?"
With his reaction, she felt nervous and embarrassed but she looked straight at him. "That's my way of saying that I really like you so much and I'm willing to wait for you next year. Since you're leaving, right? That's why I took this moment. You already know that I have feelings for you but you keep on saying you will focus on your studies first and you won't entertain any relationship. We're going to graduate next year. After that, you can finally go into relationship, right? Then choose me. I'll wait for you."
Lance had already a moment like this with her two years ago, even before he met Claire at their shop. They were in a karaoke room with some classmates. Whoever gets the highest score will be punished with a dare consequence. Unfortunately, Lance got it even if he tried to not hit some notes. The dare he got was obviously to kiss Meg, knowing she had a crush on him. When Lance's face came closer to hers, he didn't kiss her on her lips, nor in any part of her face. He just whispered to her ears, "Save your lips for the man who will truly love you." That was also the time when his classmates called him a killjoy, but he didn't mind. He also told them that he wouldn't enter into relationship yet since he's still studying. With this and his everyday life as a university student and being at the top, not even seen always being exclusively alone with a girl, unless it was school work and/or coincidence, he gained their respect for being true to his conviction until now.
Back to the present situation, Lance took a little sigh that she didn't notice. "Look, Meg," he started. "I can't make you wait. Don't wait for me."
"Why? Am I not good enough for you? Am I really not beautiful enough for you?"
"No, no. Don't say that. You're very beautiful, Meg. You're very popular, you know that. For sure, there's one who truly loves you."
"Why can't it be you?"
Lance didn't want to say anything anymore but he felt guilty inside.
Meg waited for him to say anything but she just shook her head to contain her feelings. "Why can't you just tell me straight?"
He sighed deeply before finally speaking. He didn't meet her eyes. "I already like someone else."
With this, tears fell from her face. "Is that the girl I accidentally saw in your phone?"
He didn't answer.
Even Meg didn't even want to hear it anymore. "You said she was just a friend. You liar. You should have told me that earlier rather than masking your excuse with 'finishing first your studies' crap." Then she stood up and left him.
Lance buried his face on his palms and gritted his teeth. He remained seated in that same place until his phone alarmed at 8:30PM, when they should already be near the garden. He decided to pick himself up and just go home already.
>>><<<
Claire and her friends chose their spot in front of the garden where they had the most perfect view.
"Yes, we made it, girls!" Miki said.
"You're really good at these things, Miki," Misa complimented.
The two girls realized that Claire was quiet. They exchanged a worried look. Miki put her two hands on Claire's shoulder to make her face her. "You okay, Claire?"
"Yes," Claire said. "Is something wrong?"
"Shouldn't we be asking that?" Misa said.
"Hmm? What's wrong, anyway?" Claire asked.
Miki held Claire's shoulder tightly and looked straight at her eyes. "Uhm, about what we saw earlier. You're not affected, right?"
Claire smiled and shook her head.
Miki smiled in relief. "Well, we all know about you and Lance. That cooking contest just to have a date with you. And we also knew that that was only once, and nothing happened anymore. And maybe he had already given you up since you're not showing interest in him, right? I think he finally found a girlfriend."
Misa added, "That was also already a year ago. A lot of things have already happened."
Claire nodded and smiled, and crossed her arms on theirs, she in the middle of them. "Let's enjoy the flower viewing now."
Though Claire said that, she felt something different. That scene kept replaying in her mind though she tried to shove it away. She said to herself, "I only think of him as my younger brother, but why do I keep seeing that same thing. And my chest. It feels heavy. Why? What is it?"
"WOW! LOOK!" the crowds started saying excitedly.
It was not 9PM yet the flowers started blooming and glowing in different colors – red, purple, pink, blue, orange, white. It's like a neon light show of colors being illuminated by the flowers. The moon stood big and shone brightly right in the middle of the night sky.
Claire looked at the flowers from her left to right, but one spot caught her attention. It was the white flowers that were in the farthest center across her. She looked straight at them. They were flowing and seemed dancing because of the wind. Then, she suddenly didn't feel her feet, her legs, her arms, as if she lost gravity. Everything around her stopped and it became quiet. The only noise she could her was the beating of her heart getting faster and faster as if going to explode. She was caught in the trance. Something flashed on her mind. She saw herself in a wooden casket - pale, sleeping or maybe dead – showered with white flowers inside. People gathered around her, mourning for her from day break until noon. Her body was buried on the ground. Then a young girl come to her tomb and put the same flowers.
She was pulled from the trance when one of her friends pulled her arms away to take a photo on the flowers. Her consciousness was now back to the present time, but she felt her head spinning. She put her hand on her forehead and withdrew from the crowd. She managed to find a tree and laid her back on its big trunk. She was a having a hard time breathing until she slid her back down and sat on the ground.
Meanwhile, Clarence was going up to the top garden and he saw Lance going down. He called him and Lance was a bit startled since his thoughts were continuously running on his head.
"Clarence? Why are you here?" wide-eyed, he asked, still looking drenched in thoughts.
"I'm going to get Claire and her friends. They're here to watch the flowers under the full moon."
"Claire is here?"
"Yeah. I bet it's crowded there so you weren't able to bump into each other. You're going home already?"
>><<
"HEY, IS SHE ASLEEP?!" said one person from the crowd when he saw Claire sitting on the soil ground under the tree, with her head bent down. Many stopped because of that. Miki and Misa hurried to get off the crowd because they noticed that Claire suddenly disappeared. They immediately saw her and went to her. "Claire, wake up!" they said as they shaking her shoulder lightly.
"Oh, no. What happened to her?" Misa asked worriedly. "She's so cold!"
Then a man rushed to them. He bent down and touched a knee on the ground.
"Claire's brother!" the girls said in relief. "And Lance!"
As Clarence came forward to take her by her arms, the moment he touched her, he felt a burning sensation on his chest, where his birth mark was. It was as if something pointed and hot was inscribing on his chest. But he endured the pain and took Claire to a nearby bench.
They covered her with a shawl that Misa fortunately have.
"Clarence," Miki called. "Why is Claire's skin glowing?"
Yes, she was glowing that's why they covered her and circled around her so people wouldn't see her.
Clarence rolled his eyes to his side, as if thinking of something. "She's actually suffering from a rare skin disease. But don't worry it's not dangerous."
Lance heard him and he knew it was just made up, an excuse for her friends not to get suspicious or have any other thoughts.
Clarence looked them and forced a smile. "Please don't tell anyone about it, okay? It's for her own good."
The girls both nodded. They kept fanning on her face using the leaflets for her to have some air, until she slowly opened her eyes.
"Claire, are you okay?" the girls asked.
But before she could speak, Clarence stood up and took her. "We're going home."
They managed to get down with Claire being half conscious. They took a cab and she immediately fell asleep inside on her brother's shoulder.
"Clarence, please inform if she's already okay," Lance said worriedly, outside the cab.
Clarence nodded and the cab drove off.
>>><<<
Claire opened her eyes and found herself lying in a lamp shade-lit room. She looked around and noticed it was not her room, but probably Clarence's. She slowly got up and went outside. It was dark on the living room, given that the lights were all turned off but she saw her brother sleeping on the sofa. She went to her room and saw Miki and Misa sleeping on her bed. She went back to Clarence's room and lay on bed. Her eyes looked blank. She crossed her arms on her forehead, covering her face. "What Jane told me. It really happened. I remember it all now. I really did die. But..."
The next morning, Miki and Misa came to her room and hugged her tightly. They were in tears seeing her back to normal.
"Sorry, girls, for making you worry," she said with a smile to relieve them.
"Are you sure you're already okay? Maybe you still need us? I'm willing to stay," Miki offered.
"No need. Thank you. You better get back to work now."
"Okay. Just message us if you need anything."
Before they left, Clarence thanked them.
"This is actually nothing!" Miki said.
"Claire has already helped us a lot," Misa added.
"When she first came to the hot spring house as a guest, she saw me through that I was trying to drown myself. I failed because she pulled me away from the water. Without me saying anything, she said 'Even if you're in pain, even if you're struggling, LIVE. For your sake and others.' That's one reason why I am still alive today and keep being positive! I have kept on providing for my family till now."
"Me, too." Misa said. "It was when I was just starting to work there. I was really clumsy and shy and kept making the same mistakes. She was patient on me until I was already in one month. She told me if I make a mistake again, she will cut my hair short. Since I don't like short hair for myself, I really behaved and finally made it right! Hahaha! She was scary at first but I know she's only concerned about me."
Clarence smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm also glad you are her friends at her workplace. She treats all of you as her family. She's so thankful, especially when you accepted her back to work when she was gone for few months without prior notice. You are the ones she thought she can come back to."
The two girls' eyes widened in joyful surprise and blushed. "Really?!" they both exclaimed.
He kept nodding and chuckling. "Yes. She's just kind of awkward to say such things."
Miki and Misa laughed giggly. "So her!"
"I'm also really thankful for your kindness and hospitality to her. For everything," he said. "Can you also tell your owner and manager that for me?"
"Sure!" Miki said while Misa nodded in confirmation.