Blossom Chagrin Falls Novels & Stories

She goes home at noon because she has been going home at noon on Tuesdays since the arrangement with Cristina began — the mornings at the office, the afternoons for the larger work, the division that has held for three years, and continues to hold. She walks home through the April Gràcia streets. The jasmine on the building across from the apartment is at the height of its bloom — she has been noting the date of first bloom since the third year of the second life, and it has been between the fifteenth and the nineteenth of March every year without exception. She arrives at the apartment. She makes coffee. The coffee smells wrong.

The fountain water rose without my bidding, lifting in a trembling column. She was searching. Reaching. Calling. Mavryn paled. “She awakens.” “Not fully,” I said quickly but we both knew it was inevitable now. “She’s reacting to the bond’s instability. To the power spike. To Aria and Ares waking too quickly.” Mavryn stepped closer, voice hushed in terror. “If she rises, the kingdom will fall.” I stared out over the balcony, watching the horizon darken as the sky bruised into unnatural purple.

I clenched my hands tighter as the pain in my palm seared. … I had no idea how long we walked for. The sun seemed to have climbed to its peak. I was finally allowed to remove the blindfold. Before me stretched a winding, narrow path that ended in a bottomless cave. Beside it stood a towering, ancient tree. Its scent of osmanthus drifted even from afar. The villagers said the tree had absorbed the essence of countless Blossom Brides. That was what made it so tall and fragrant. When we were thirty feet away from the cave, the procession abruptly stopped.

“Hahaha, no wonder you stayed there to attend. Of all the events in your school, the only activity that can make you attend is that foundation ceremony.” Walking out of the room, I saw a crowd of people walking towards the theatre hall. I looked for a quiet area and continued the call. “I have no choice. The Chairman is coming, so everyone needs to attend. By the way, do you need me to fetch you there? I know you will drink a lot since you’re in a bar.” “Yeah sure. I’ll text you the place. Call me when you get here, okay? Bye Cathy!”

She was also the one who sent him the bunny officer video on the tablet. Her name was Jessica Cooper, a fresh university graduate—truly undeniably attractive and tempting. When she first joined the company, Benjamin had even joked that she reminded him of me when I was just starting out. I had her WhatsApp account, and I clicked on her status updates. The very first story was a selfie of her bunny officer costume, with a small mosaic carefully placed over her private parts. Her caption read, "Bunny officer has captured Mr. Benny's heart today." Benjamin's like on that story felt like a stab to my heart. He had openly commented, "Of course, Mr. Benny's heart belongs to the bunny officer."

Such an inspiration, she is. I quickly showered and wore a simple dress to start the day. . . . "My legs are killing me. Remind me never to go shopping with you, Ann", I groaned, as we entered the cafe BlossomBee. It was a homely place with a bunch of dandelions on each table. A delicious scent of coffee and muffins lingered in the air instantly making me relaxed. We ordered cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and blueberry muffins for brunch. The ambiance helped me become more cheery from a semi-querulous phase.

The sound hung in the air, delicate and fragile, like the first note of a lullaby that promised both comfort and warning. Aria stiffened, staring down at it, feeling the air thrum around her like a heartbeat not her own. By morning, the bookstore had stopped pretending it was normal. Books shifted along the shelves of their own accord. Titles changed when she wasn’t looking. The register printed a receipt for The Blooming Path: One Copy Sold. She hadn’t sold anything. Her phone buzzed relentlessly with notifications. People online were posting photos. Hashtags like #CrimsonSprawl and #RootSignal trended faster than she could read. One claimed to see the flowers inside a locked train car. Ano

A familiar conversation drifted out. "Was that flower really that hard to pick?" "You bet. Moonwatch Cliff is so dangerous that even professional climbing teams wouldn’t dare go there lightly." Through the half-open door, Rhea saw Vera idly turning the briar rose in her hands. Sienna Caldwell leaned in, eyes bright with gossip. "Then he really risked his life to get it. When he delivered the flower yesterday, I think I even saw your name tattooed over his heart. He’s really planning to chase you, huh?

The private chapel was tucked away on the grounds of a sprawling, centuries-old estate in the Cotswolds, hidden completely from the prying eyes of the world. It was a crisp, perfect autumn afternoon, the ancient stonework of the building draped in vibrant ivy that had turned a brilliant, fiery red. Inside, the air was thick with the sweet, heady scent of white lilies and the warm, golden glow of hundreds of flickering candles.

Zachary hummed in response. When he saw Callum holding a cactus, he asked, “Did you buy that?” “Yeah, I went to Spring Blossoms before work.” “Spring Blossoms?” Zachary found the name a little familiar. He seemed to have heard it from his beloved wife before. Callum did not hide it and said honestly, “It’s Ms. Camryn’s flower store. The name of the store is so unoriginal.” Zachary said faintly, “Flowers blossom during spring.”