He was reading the newspaper at the local coffeehouse. It wasn’t ever particularly busy, and that’s why he liked going there. Slurping his coffee while slowly sinking into his chair, he read the same repetitive headlines about politics and business. His eyes glossed over an ad for a concert. A random street musician he had never heard of was performing. Sounds interesting, he thought.
That was when she walked in. The scent of cherry blossoms filled the room, and he turned his head to the door bells jingling. A young woman entered the store. She was wearing a soft pink blazer and heels, but by God, she was radiant. As she mouthed her order to the barista, he couldn’t help but follow the movement of her eyes and lips.
She didn’t notice him as she took the seat across from him, while talking to someone else on the phone. He knew eavesdropping was wrong, but her voice was like honey. Her hands made animated gestures while she sipped her coffee. She was the most intoxicating sight he had ever laid eyes on.
As soon as she hung up, he decided to gather up the courage to make a move. He knew he wouldn’t regret it. After all, it isn’t everyday that you meet a girl like that.
He asked if he could sit with her. She nodded, and smiled at him and it wasn’t long before they slipped into easy conversation.
“ I know we just met, and I don’t want to come off as creepy, but I have to say, you smell amazing, like the essence of Japan!” he exclaimed.
“Oh— that’s just my perfume, I get that a lot,” she said, grinning at him.
Something about her gaze and the way she spoke, felt like every word touched his heart. As cliche as it was, it was love at first sight.
As they bid goodbye to each other, he asked her if they’d meet again.
“If it’s written in the stars, or— if I’ve to fuel my caffeine addiction,” she said with a wink and left the coffeehouse.
Everyday he waited there for one more opportunity to talk to her, and every time he did it felt just as special as the first.
“Did anyone ever tell you that your smile could light up an entire room?” he said.
“Yes they have. You did. On multiple occasions,” she chirped sarcastically. Your smile is actually enough to light up an entire city, he thought.
***********
Weeks passed, they’d exchanged numbers and were constantly talking. He asked her if she wanted to come to the fireworks festival with him. She beamed at him, and grabbed his hands with hers. That was new. He never wanted her to let go.
The day of the festival couldn’t arrive fast enough. All dressed up, he left for the venue hoping to see her there. There were too many people, he was worried that he wouldn’t see her even if she did come.
Then he did see someone. A woman, dressed in a scarlet kimono, a few feet away. As he walked towards her, the fruity smell of cherry blossoms filled the air. Seeing her all dressed up, his heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest. He couldn’t stop staring.
“So you came,” he finally stammered out, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach.
“Yeah, clearly you can’t get your eyes off me.”
“Let’s just say you’re an added bonus to the fireworks.”
********
Valentine’s day was right around the corner. They had been dating for over a year, and things were going great. He was doing the job he loved and dating the woman of his dreams. Things were perfect, and all he wanted was to live a long and happy life with her.
It was a slow day, and he was bored and thinking of her, so he called during his break wondering what she was up to.
“Hi, I- ugh- , I’m at the gym,” she mumbled.
“I can hear kids screaming in the background, come on! Tell me what you’re up to!”
She didn’t reply, instead he heard in the background, “That’ll be 50 bucks.” She hung up after that.
After he was done with his shift, he came back home, only to find a note lying on the couch. It read ‘Cherry Blossom Love’. He smiled. She loved these kinds of games, and he, well, he loved her. He knew exactly where to go.
Pulling on a coat, he left the building, heading straight to the coffeehouse. From a distance he saw a crowd gather around the place. He smelt the faint cherry blossoms from a distance and knew it was her. As he quickly made his way through the crowd, he saw her lying on the floor, eyes closed, holding a cherry blossom bouquet in her hand.
He fell to his knees. The world crashed around him. His vision tunneled, and the bustling sounds of the crowd faded.
What? What was happening? Why was she here? On the floor?
He heard a faint scream, and an ambulance screeching into the parking lot. They would save her. Right?
The screaming got louder. He tried to speak to the medical staff. His voice was hoarse. Was it him who had been screaming?
He tried to hold her hand. To feel her familiar fingers against his. They didn’t lock on. They didn’t intertwine, like they always did.
She was wheeled away. His body finally gave up. Tears spilled out of his eyes, and he beat his chest, screaming at a God only he could see.
That was the last time he saw her.
*******
His life went downhill from there. He did not care about his job anymore. He refused help from his friends and family, locking himself in his room for hours at a go, just staring at a picture of her on his lock screen.
He felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He’d never cried like this before. Like the core of his soul was shaking. He did not know how to deal with this trauma. How to move forward in his life. A life where she wouldn’t walk with him every step of the way.
Why didn’t they take him instead?
********
It was several weeks after it happened that he had finally gathered some energy and stepped outside. He knew he had to get used to this world without her because that’s what she would’ve wanted. If anything, he knew he hated disappointing her. Each time he walked past the coffeehouse however, it felt like needles were piercing him all over. It was agony like he’d never felt before.
It was a random day, about a year later, that he walked past the coffeehouse and smelt something familiar. He followed the scent only to find a woman perched on a stool with a piano in front of her on the side of the street. Disappointed, he turned around to walk away. Then, she hit the keys. He stopped in his tracks. A faint ad flashed in his mind, but he couldn’t quite catch the memory.
The notes played in brilliant harmony. To him it felt like each chord struck a nerve in his body. The melodic sound of the piano combined with her lyrics was simply mesmerizing. He felt light, and warm like he was sitting on a cloud. In that moment he had no worries, he was just floating in oblivion becoming one with the piano. Every passing note felt like his wounds were getting healed. It was as if she herself was talking to him through the musician’s lyrics. He was mesmerized, and for once, at peace.
As much as he wanted it to last, the song came to an end. He was so grateful to her and wanted to thank the musician for her wonderful performance.
“You have no idea how much I needed that. Mind I ask the name of the song?” he said to the musician.
The musician gave him a soft, gentle smile.
“Cherry Blossom Love.”
Written by Venkat
Image credits: Google
(here’s a song you can listen to if you want to feel what he feels, especially on Valentine’s Day) : https://open.spotify.com/track/16dZKgnTEiwtd6whT8BHHp?si=Bkvmq-kjRXKRRoqg-Z_Y-A&utm_source=copy-link
Chords & Co. 