Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Violet had been living at Devlin’s house for a month now, but she can still count on her fingers the times they exchanged words. They both wake up early and eat breakfast together. But they rarely spoke to each other. She’s either reading a book or streaming through her phone while he reads the newspaper or fiddles on his tablet. She never initiated a conversation, nor did he.

It was just as well because she had nothing to say to him. So it was much to her surprise that he asked if he could come along with her.

She was watching an episode of her current favorite Turkish series when he tapped on her shoulders. She flinched in surprise and looked up. Devlin was smiling at her. She raised her brows in question.

“I said what are your plans for today?” he asked.

“Just going to some event,” she responded. “Why?”

“What event?”

“There’s a cultural festival this afternoon. It’s a celebration and a showcase of different cultures around the world. So there would be dance performances, food, items for sale. Stuff like that.”

“Can I come?”

She snorted. “Really? You’d come with me? To a festival? That’s not even your thing.”

He crossed his legs and lifted his chin. “How would you know if it’s my thing or not?”

“You just don’t look like you’d enjoy it.”

“Try me.”

Violet rolled her eyes at him. “Fine. But if you so much as utter a word of complaint, I’ll dump you like a sack of potatoes.”

He just smirked.

So now here they are, standing behind a group of teenagers, who can’t seem to realize they’re taking up too much space on the walkway walking hand in hand. Violet had little patience left so she held Devlin’s hand and dragged him around the group and walked hurriedly in front of them. She didn’t stop until they reached the nearest booth. She sighed in relief. She didn’t like crowds but she hauled her ass out of her comfort zone just to come here for the cultural experience, so she’d better return home satisfied.

Booths of varying colors are lined up around the huge grounds, with a flag planted in front of each booth. Directly across from them is Korea. To its right is India, then Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Philippines. To its left is Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada. She could no longer make out the others from this distance. She would go through each one later on, she promised to herself. A stage was set up in front and a group of dancers is performing.

She turned to Devlin. “You okay?”

“Sure,” he replied, his face stoic. Why did he even bother to come?

Violet walked forward towards the Korean booth. Platters of food are displayed on the table and photos of different boy and girl groups are plastered on a large board beside it. The woman manning the booth pointed to the back, showing a collection of hanbok for rent.

Violet glanced around the woman and saw a photobooth set up. A broad grin appeared on her face.

She chose a hanbok beautifully crafted from white and pink fabric. The lady managed to force Devlin to choose one too. Violet laughed silently at the grumpy look he gave the lady, who, bless her heart, didn’t even blink an eye.

The lady rubbed her palms together. “Okay, let’s take some pictures.”

Devlin and Violet walked in front of the camera. The photographer, a young man, sat down in front of a laptop. He peered down at it, then looked towards them. “Can you please stand closer together?” They did as they’re told. “Closer. Don’t look so stiff. Sir, can you hold her by the waist?” Devlin looked down at Violet and grunted. But he pulled her closer and put his right hand gently on her waist. She swallowed. “Okay, now smile!”

Violet tucked the photos carefully in her purse. They turned out quite nicely. No one would be able to tell that they didn’t even like each other. She clapped her hands together happily.

They tried out different dishes from every booth. Violet even coaxed Devlin to eat balut. He gagged when he saw the little pieces of hair sticking out from the egg. She threw back her head at his reaction.

True to his word, Devlin never uttered a single word of complaint. At first, he was indifferent, like he was just forcing himself to go along. But he eventually warmed up to it. He started pointing here and there for things that caught his interest. He took out his phone to take pictures and videos. Violet caught him smiling, but he changed to his usual smug expression when he realized she was looking. They went around the grounds until they circled back.

Violet can now feel her enthusiasm dwindling down with the onslaught of exhaustion from all the walking. She looked at the sky. The sun had almost set. “That was fun. But now I’m really tired. Shall we go?”

He opened his mouth, paused, and looked down. “Okay.”

She watched him curiously. She was almost sure he wanted to say something else.

Devlin started up the car. He looked sheepishly at Violet. “Shall we eat dinner first before we head home?”

“Okay.”

They went to a Mexican restaurant. She was not that hungry since they tried different dishes earlier. But Devlin ordered lots of food.

“Can we finish all of that?” Violet asked. He just shrugged in response. “I won’t be eating much. It would be such a waste if we didn’t finish everything off.”

“It’s fine,” he muttered. What’s the matter with him now? He looks to be back in his usual haughty self.

It took a while for the food to arrive so she just played some games on her phone. A notification popped up. A message from Bella. Heard from Max that today’s the death anniversary of Devlin’s parents.

Violet glanced at Devlin. Ah. Now it all clicked into place. Why he suddenly wanted to spend time with her. A feeling of sympathy washed over her. She knows what it’s like. She’s been through the same thing.

When Violet lost her mother, she could barely force herself to get out of bed. She didn’t eat properly for days until Amara told her her mother would be devastated if she could see the state that Violet was in. Amara cradled her in her arms but firmly reminded Violet that life had to go on for her. With Amara’s and Bella’s help, she eventually accepted it. But every single day, she missed her still, so she threw herself into anything that would make her busy and occupy her thoughts. But every time, on her mother’s death anniversary, Violet feels her absence the most.

As Violet feared, they couldn’t finish even half of the food they ordered. Seeing the look on her face, Devlin asked the waiter to donate the rest of the food to the homeless. Then they went home.

Violet grabbed the book by her nightstand and pulled back the covers on her bed. She lay down snugly beneath the soft comforter, opened the book and started reading. But the image of Devlin trying to act nonchalant in order to hide his sadness penetrated her thoughts. She shook her head to ward them off. Not my problem. But she couldn’t concentrate on what she was reading. She let out a frustrated sigh and sat up. She went to her closet, took out a large sweater, then headed straight to Devlin’s room. This is such a bad idea, Violet.

She knocked loudly on his door. No one answered so she knocked again.

“What?!” he barked.

“Jeez, relax. It’s just me.”

He rubbed his face and pursed his lips. “What do you want?”

“Come on. I want to show you something.” Violet turned around and walked forward. She glanced back when she didn’t hear him follow. Devlin just stared at her. “Come on. I did you a favor today. It’s your turn now.”

He grumbled but still followed her. She went to the library and up the ladder going to the cozy little reading nook built at the corner. She pulled open the large window and climbed out. She motioned for Devlin to do the same. They are now in the roof, overlooking the myriad of lights illuminating the beautiful grounds around his mansion and the endless body of water that’s faintly visible through the moonlight. She breathed in the salty fresh air and listened to the sound of waves hitting the shore. She carefully hunkered down and lay her back onto the roof.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!”

Devlin looked at her in confusion. “Just what the hell are we doing here?”

“Stargazing,” Violet smiled widely at him.

“Stargazing?”

“Yep. Come on, Devlin. We don’t have forever.”

He rolled his eyes and sat down beside her. He looked at her for a second and shook his head. Then he leaned back down too.

Violet raised her arms up to the sky. “Look. They’re so beautiful, aren’t they?”

“I guess.”

“When I was a kid, I used to do this with my mom. She and I would just lie down together and look at the stars. Then she’d tell me stories. Of her parents, her childhood, the friends she met along the way. She used to say that when people die, their souls are placed in a

different body. That if everyone who died went to heaven or hell and just simply ceased to exist on Earth, they would turn out pretty congested. So souls must be recycled. It’s a bit ridiculous, I know. But it made sense to a little kid. And even when I grew older and formed my own beliefs, that one stuck with me. So when she died, I told myself she was reborn into a different body. And that she was living a happy life. Far happier, even, than what we had.”

Violet turned her head to the side. Devlin is looking intensely at her. Moisture gathered in his eyes. He frowned and looked away.

To lighten the mood, she joked, “So my motto in life is to always be kind because I might be cursing my own mom.”

Devlin cleared his throat. “Did you know?”

“About what?”

“What today is?”

“Um, only when we were at the restaurant. Bella mentioned it. She heard from Max.”

Devlin nodded. For a few minutes, only the chirping of birds and the steady rhythm of the sea pierced the quiet of the night. “I miss them so damn much.” Pain etched his voice.

“I know,” were the only words she can say.

“We were so happy. It’s been twelve years but the pain is still there.”

“I guess it won’t ever go away. We just learn to live with it.”

“Do you think they were reborn?” He asked, now smiling.

“I’d like to think so. Maybe she already met your dad and probably 15 years from now, you’ll have a little brother?” Violet teased.

Devlin laughed. “You might be right. My parents were childhood sweethearts. I remember one summer vacation, I met this little girl who loved to read. I was ten, she was seven. I used to pull pranks on her because she didn’t want to play with me and only wanted to read books, which she always carried around with her. My mother was smitten with her and amused at my antics, because the girl and I reminded her so much about her and my father when they were kids. Um, I’m not sure why I’m telling you this. It just popped into my head.”

I grinned at him. “That happens. When I try to recall things about my mom, just about anything comes to mind. Sometimes I’m scared I might forget her eventually.”

Devlin touched her hand. Hesitantly at first. Then he curled his hand around hers. “I’m sorry about your mom.” She was surprised at the gesture. She kept her head turned towards the sky but she could feel him staring at her. They stayed that way for a few seconds. Her heart beat faster and those little sparks pierced through her armor again. She blinked and pulled her hand back.

They didn’t talk much after that. Just gazed at the sky and the stars. They were each lost in their own thoughts. When Violet felt the cold seeping through her bones, she got up and offered her hand to Devlin. He took it.

They walked back to their rooms. When Violet turned the knob, Devlin leaned towards her. “Thanks, Violet. For today.” With that, he gave her a grateful smile and walked away.