Chapter Text
June 8 1926
Morning came and Aveline was already cooking up a warm pie for the newcomers. Casually humming whilst rolling out the dough. As she prepared the crust she thought of what she wanted, a new dress would be nice.
A few hours passed by and Aveline knocked on their door, pie in the other hand. After a while, a young woman opened the wooden door.
Something about her feels odd...
Those words ran through Aveline's mind over and over again as she greeted her new neighbor, the tray holding the pie shaking in her grasp. Her eyes lingered on the woman, trying to figure out this feeling.
Her eyes were droopy and tired looking, blue as a dark blooming cornflower. Similar, her long hair was a dull shade of blonde. But bright blue cotton dress she was wearing directly contrasted to her desaturated nature.
"Oh my, I wasn't expecting this.. I'm sorry but can you hold on to it for now? The table still has boxes on it- I'll go tidy things up"
Aveline watched as the woman dashed into her house, pondering on the sense of familiarity. But she had no time to think as the woman somehow already cleared the table in just a matter of seconds.
"Ah- I can help you unpack!" Aveline spoke quite loudly, so the woman would be able to hear her from all the way outside
"Ohno that's fine, I don't want to bother you.."
" No worries! My schedule is free and I have nothing better to do.."
"Really? Thank you..."
"Oh your welcome!" Aveline replied with a cheery tune
As Aveline tread through the unopened boxes her gaze still lingered on the woman, she didn't even know her name yet she felt a sense of familiarity.
"Oh I almost forgot to ask you! What's your name? I'm Aveline!"
"Nice to meet you Aveline, I'm Marianne." She replied in a more somber manner.
The pair then began unpacking boxes and rearranging things, getting to know each other in the process.
"So why did you move here?"
"Ah..Um..Well....I..."
"Oh uh- it's fine, you don't have to tell me" Aveline replied, taking in note of Marianne's demeanor.
"Well...I could ask you the same thing, why did you and your husband move here?"
"Oh well- The scenery is just so beautiful and we both wanted a change of pace and-"
Aveline continued her blathering, noticing the subtle smile on Marianne's lips.
It was a smile she had seen before. A smile she knew.
Yet.. she couldn't put her finger on it..
"Marianne...Have we met before? I'm sorry-You just seem so familiar.. Maybe you were a childhood friend of mine or-"
"No. I'm sure"
"Really? Well you just seem so.."
"My family and I grew up in a farm, we didn't have any neighbors or friends. This is actually the first time I've stepped foot outside of the farmlands.'
"Well that’s a bit depressing.. I couldn’t imagine having to only my family to talk to, I’d go crazy!”
Clouds began to form as the pair finally finished their hard work, it was already the afternoon once they've unpacked the last box.
”Is that the last box?”
“Yup! We’re all done!” Aveline replied, fixing her dress and hair in the process.
”Oh thank goodness..I’m getting exhausted…” Marianne replied as she slumped onto a chair nearby
”Wait a minute.. why isn’t your husband here to help?
“He has some..family matters to attend to or something if I recall correctly…He always does”
“Oh isn’t it lonely?” Aveline questioned, tilting her head a bit to the side
”I’m used to it.”
”Well… since you’re free now, why don’t I show you around town? It’s quite the sight. Plus there’s more to it than it meets the eye, there’s hidden gems you wouldn’t find just walking willy-nilly!”
”Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll grab my purse. Just give me a moment.”
Aveline anxiously waited. She knew that was just an excuse to know more about this woman. She needed to know what was so special about Marianne. How each word that came out her mouth felt so close and warm, how Marianne’s smile made her feel, and how the long blonde hair perfectly draped over her shoulders. Everything about her drove Aveline’s mind into a whirlpool. But her thoughts were interrupted by sweet voice.
”Alright, let’s go-wait don’t you need your bag as well?”
“Oh no I’m fine, after all I’m just showing you around.”
The duo spent their afternoon walking around the town, exploring different little coffee shops and stores, just enjoying their time together. With each and every step they took, Aveline felt the strange feeling bubble up inside her. She needed to know what was going on. But that wasn’t the only thing on her mind. Just what the hell does she want as a gift?? Sure a new dress would be nice but Aveline could hardly choose a colour let alone the design. Would Aveline even like it in the future? Should she just ask for a damn coffee machine?? Though, her thoughts were interrupted when Marianne suddenly stopped.
”Hm? Marianne what’s the matter? Anything wrong? We can rest for a while if you want.”
”No it’s not that… just look at that gorgeous dress! I’ve never seen anything like this, is this what people really wear in the city?” Marianne chimed, observing the blueish jade laced dress with a glow in her eyes.
An idea sparked in Aveline’s mind..maybe she can use this as a way to get closer to her and to please her husband’s request for a gift for herself ..
”Well..If you want I can get it for ya!”
”Oh no no no no! That’s fine, it just piqued my interest since I just never seen anything like this, because, you know.. I’ve lived in a farm and all”
”Are you sure? Well think of it as another “welcome to our neighborhood” kind of gift!”
”Well if you insist..”
After the pair browsed a few more hidden gems, talking about what their favourite kind of coffee was (if you're wondering then Aveline likes a cold latte and Marianne loves a blackദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧), and just forming a genuine bond between them. All good things come to an end so once it was the evening they both parted ways.
By the time the sun set, Aveline already arrived home and was preparing dinner. She couldn’t stop thinking about Marianne. Every thing about her was on her mind. What was this sense of familiarity?? And why did she want to know her better?? But it’s whatever, she needed to focus on chopping the vegetables first before she would chop one of her fingers. But at least one thing was off her mind for good, what she wanted as a birthday present. She already saw the dress Marianne loved, all she had to do was tell Raymond she wanted that for herself. The dress would be in her hands and all she needed to do was to give it to Marianne.
Wait.
She only just met this woman, why was she already so determined to give her such a gift, let alone an expensive one? Damnit she needed to know why Marianne caused her to be like this, why in the world was she starting to get obsessed with her?? Maybe she's the-
knock knock
"Oh Raymond! You're home early!"
Raymond and Aveline sat down on the dinner table as usual, talking about work or how their day went.
“Thought of something you want yet?” Raymond mumbled, food still in his mouth.
“Ah! Well when I was walking with Marianne this afternoon I saw this fabulous dress!” Aveline beamed, smiling through her lie.
“Well that’s great! Is from that boutique down the road? We can go pick it up after this.”
“Thank you Raymond! This means the world to me!”
Later that night, Aveline was lying in her bed, still thinking about Marianne. She couldn’t sleep at all. Who was she really? Eventually, she fell asleep and had the same dream. The same girl. The same scenery.
And the same smile
That’s when it clicked.
Aveline jolted awake in a cold sweat, gasping for air after her sudden realization.
“N-no way… she must be the woman from my vision and dreams.. this must be it.. the strange feeling..the weird desire to be closer to her…and that damn smile.. there’s no other explanation.. maybe I couldn’t recognize her at first because..I’ve never seen her in such detail before…”
Hands to her head, Aveline's mind felt dizzy and overwhelming. Emotions she never even felt before were stirring up inside of her. What was the deal with this lady? Aveline needed answers.