Yin Yang Love Song

Chapter 4 Vin

Chapter 4

VIN

C hryssy guides me to a floral-wallpapered room where everything is set up for afternoon tea. The clink, clink, clink of ceramic mixes with… Leo’s laughter?

“Chryssy, hi. Vin,” Leo says, patting the empty spot next to him on the velvet bench. “I was just telling the aunties why we’re here. How’d it go?”

“The aunties ?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at his word choice.

“Well, that’s what they are, aren’t they?” Leo says.

“Vin, these are my other aunties, Rose and Daisy,” Chryssy introduces as she sits in a chair across from me.

Everyone’s seated around tables topped with ceramic teapots and three-tiered stands containing little sandwiches and scones. Through the large bay windows, sunshine casts streaks over the room, warming the space. A couple of tables are occupied on the far end by guests reading and puzzling. Tea sets and animal-shaped creamers rest on pink shelves lining the far walls.

A woman in a dress with hair swept back in a jade-claw clip introduces herself as Rose. She offers a tight-lipped smile as she does so.

Chryssy’s other auntie, Daisy, greets me with a friendly smile. She removes her yellow glasses and lets them hang from a beaded chain around her neck. “Welcome to the Wildflower Inn,” she says, dropping flowers into a bone china teacup that she pushes toward me. “Lotus will help calm and relax you. It’ll be perfect after your long day of travel.”

“Thank you for the tea and snacks,” I say, eyeing the fresh-cut flowers sprouting from an eclectic assortment of bud vases.

Rose moves the kettle around the table and fills each cup with hot water.

I instinctively check my phone for messages. I swipe away notifications about missed calls from Jim but make the mistake of reading an email from him.

Vin—Got a few options lined up for a little see and be seen. Let me know when you can talk. —J

“Leo filled us in on your situation, Vin,” Violet says before taking a bite of scone.

I tuck my phone into my back pocket. “Is this why you came along?” I ask Leo. “To have a gossip session with the aunties?”

Leo shrugs. “Talking to them has been the highlight of my past two weeks, so yeah,” he says. “Rose used to be a divorce lawyer, and you should hear the stories she has. I couldn’t imagine feeling this way while also dealing with paperwork.”

Rose has definitely nailed her inscrutable expression.

“I’m sure,” I say. “But don’t worry about my situation. I’m handling it so you can focus on getting better.”

“Are you going to do it?” Violet asks Chryssy.

“I have no idea,” Chryssy says. “I haven’t committed either way yet.” She takes a long sip of tea.

“Not even to help Vin with all the pressures he’s facing with his record label?” Daisy asks her.

Chryssy peers at me over the rim of her cup. “I only knew about the charity event,” she says, setting her tea down slowly. “Vin, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s really going on. If you want to go on a fake date, it needs to be built on truth and trust.”

I glare at Leo before filling in the parts I left out.

Chryssy furrows her brows at the tower of sweet treats. “This is something you’re really willing to do?” she asks.

An unexpected knot forms in my stomach at her question. I don’t want to act like I’m dating someone for real. Who would actually want to do that? But I can’t deny there would be obvious benefits.

“I’m willing to do what it takes to succeed,” I say. “Always have.”

As Violet reaches for another scone, her arm brushes against the flowers in the vase and a few petals drop on the table.

“Look. It’s dying in front of us,” Rose tells her sister. “If you want to see flowers, Violet, look outside.”

“You have to be dying to be living,” Violet retorts. “I like having nature surrounding me, inside and outside.”

Daisy reaches for the flower that lost its petal. “Since it’s on its way out, I might as well press it,” she says.

Rose looks pained by this. “I don’t like it, Chryssy,” she says bluntly, suddenly switching topics. “I’ll support whatever you choose to do, but our family has had enough heartbreak as it is. You want to prevent later problems? Don’t do this. It’ll only be a distraction, and we have real things to focus on.”

“Speculation led to bookings, Rose,” Violet says. “Imagine what this could do for In Full Bloom.”

Rose seems to consider this while examining a mini berry-topped tart. “I’m just trying to look out for the family,” she states.

“People do love the start of things, especially relationships,” Daisy says. “It’s an escape in the form of a love story, even if it is fake.”

“This is just one date, not a relationship,” I clarify.

“And it’s definitely not a love story,” Chryssy adds.

“Sounds harmless then,” Violet says. “What are you thinking, Chryssy?”

“Still working on it,” Chryssy says. She pushes a strand of hair behind an ear as she thinks. While I wait for her response, I sweep my eyes over the light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

“I’m hearing that as not a no,” I say, my tone a little too hopeful. “I know it would be hard for people to believe that we’re together—”

“Now that, I agree with,” Chryssy says.

“—but we wouldn’t be the strangest pairing to ever get together,” I finish.

“You have nothing to lose, Chryssy,” Violet says cryptically.

Chryssy takes a long breath in, tapping her teacup with her pointer finger. “If I pretend to date you,” she says, “I’m going to need something in return.”

“Understandable,” I say right away. “What do you need? Money?”

Chryssy laughs once. “I don’t want you to pay me to go on a date,” she says, shaking her head. “If I go with you to your charity event, you have to come with me to a family thing.”

“And what, pretend to be your boyfriend?” I ask.

“This is too temporary for labels. It’s a date for a date,” she says. “My family would never forgive me if they thought I was dating you and I didn’t bring you to this. And like Auntie Violet said, the more places we’re seen together, the better for your reputation and our business.”

“What do you get out of it?” I ask.

Chryssy flattens her hands on the table. “We’re promoting our tea line at this event,” she says. “We need to drive preorders and email sign-ups. You’d need to wear the swag and drink a cup of tea.”

My grin flatlines. “We’re highly selective with our brands, and I’m a coffee guy.”

“You can’t drink both coffee and tea?” she asks.

“I’m a coffee guy, too, but I’m enjoying this tea,” Leo interjects.

“I’ve found you’re usually on one team or another,” I say, bumping him. “And I’m firmly on the non-tea team. What else do you want?”

Chryssy plucks a berry off her own tart and tosses it into her mouth. “There’s nothing else I want. Having someone of your caliber promote our brand even for just a day would do so much more than money could.”

“Me?” I ask. “A heartbreaker?”

“You’re so unlikely it’d be believable,” she says, throwing my words back at me.

“Come on, Vin. You can wear a hat,” Leo says. “It’s not like there’s a conflict of interest.” He turns to the group. “We were considering working with a high-end amaro brand, and Brew Haus allowed it. And even if they didn’t, we’ve broken rules before.”

I haven’t thought about a backup plan, but I know I don’t want Jim’s options. If anything fake is going to happen, I want it to at least be on my terms.

“Okay,” I say before Chryssy changes her mind. “Deal.” I hold out my hand for a shake across the table, careful to avoid the flowers and towers of treats.

“You sure?” she asks, eyeing my hand. “This is what seemed to get us in trouble last time.”

I keep my arm out, and Chryssy slips her hand into mine.

“And you thought I wouldn’t be helpful,” she says, her eyes playful.

A smile breaks free on my face, and I’m not trying to be charming. It’s not forced, either. For the first time all week, I’m relieved.

Leo claps, startling me. “Great, now that that’s settled, there’s something else. I’ve decided I want to stay here.”

I drop Chryssy’s hand as I swivel toward Leo. As I do so, my knee bumps Chryssy’s under the table. The contact is noticeable enough that she jerks away, shifting back in her seat, safely out of touching range.

“What’s that?” I ask him.

“This place is amazing, Vin,” Leo says. “You should hear what they do here. If I’m going to be better for tour, I need to heal. This is where I want to do that.”

“Rehearsals start on the second,” I remind him. “Can you heal him in that amount of time?”

The aunties take sips of their tea and glance at one another.

“It happens as fast as it happens,” Rose says. “Two, maybe three, months is a safe timeline to ensure that we’re not rushing through the treatment plan. Of course, this can be shorter. Some guests pop in and out. Given your fast-paced lives, there will be an adjustment period to slow down.”

“Our life is fast-paced for a reason,” I say, crumbling a scone between my fingers. “We can’t afford to go slower than we do.”

“Every heart heals on its own time,” Daisy says.

“Leo’s in good hands here with us,” Chryssy says gently.

“I don’t want to go home,” Leo says while fiddling with the tail of a cat creamer.

“I’m not just going to leave you out on this island,” I tell him. “And we have rehearsals. Meetings. Work. What about all that?”

“This is my last hope before the world tour, Vin,” Leo says. “I know you want to plan, but right now I’m just sad. Can’t I just be sad for a little bit?”

“What physical sensations have you been experiencing? Have you been feeling fluttery? Dizzy?” Violet asks.

Leo sits up in his seat. “Exactly and yes. I’ve had shortness of breath over the past couple of weeks,” he says, holding a hand to his chest. “Sometimes it feels like my heart is skipping a beat.”

Rose, Daisy, and Violet nod in sync.

“Heart palpitations,” Rose says, narrowing her eyes at Leo’s chest like she can see right through him. “What you’re feeling are irregular heartbeats.”

“You’ve had a serious loss,” Daisy adds. “You’re undoubtedly and understandably grieving and experiencing severe stress and anxiety. This can result in physical pain and cardiac symptoms. It’s good you’re not ignoring this.”

“If I could, I would,” Leo says. “Preferably in the form of sleep. Then I don’t have to think about how my heart was ripped out, stomped on, and forgotten about.” He takes a shallow, wobbly breath. “You go from talking every day to someone, merging your lives together, thinking about them constantly… just to one day not. There was still so much I wanted to tell her. So much I wanted to do together. How does all of that just go away after a phone call?”

“Like having kids, there’s no convenient time for heartbreak,” Rose says.

“You really think you’ll be able to help him?” I ask, my hesitation obvious.

“It’s what we do,” Chryssy answers confidently. She props her elbow on the edge of the table and rests her chin against her fist. “Did you know that, in America alone, there are roughly twenty thousand wildflower species?”

Her question is apparently rhetorical. She doesn’t wait for me to respond.

“The way I see it, that’s how many species of heartbreak there are,” Chryssy elaborates. “Heartbreak presents itself in different ways for every person. Like a wildflower or fingerprint, each experience is uniquely its own. Often, it’s shock, sometimes it’s rage, other times it comes in the form of physical ailments. When we leave something unattended in ourselves and don’t work through it, it manifests in other ways.”

Instinctively, I flex my arm. “Can you connect the dots a bit more?”

Chryssy smiles. “Happy to. Because heartbreak is unique for each person, treatment plans need to reflect what’s best for individual guests. Sometimes people throw themselves into work to avoid having to think about the grief. Others numb themselves however they can. Some guests don’t want to get out of bed.”

“I wish,” Leo mumbles next to me.

“Leo, you might spend a few days in bed before you’re encouraged to get up and moving so that it’s more of a gradual process,” she says. “In our bodies, and in the natural world, we have Qi, or life force. Leo likely has Qi deficiency, which is what we see most commonly with heartbreak here. Digestion issues, exhaustion, shortness of breath. We can help with this.”

“Walking. Fresh air. Lamb soup,” I list off, recalling what she told me at the party.

Chryssy leans back against her seat, taking her teacup with her. “Partly. We get to know guests before creating their treatment plan so that we can best serve them according to their personalities and what’s going on with them. Have either of you heard of Yin and Yang?”

“Of course,” I say while Leo nods. “The black-and-white circle. It’s iconic.”

“Yin and Yang symbolize how everything is interconnected. It’s all about balance,” Chryssy explains as she grabs a scone. “The light side of the symbol is Yang, which is associated with qualities that are hot, dry, more active. The dark side is Yin, which has cold, passive, wet, slower qualities.” She moves her cup and scone up and down like she’s weighing them to help demonstrate her points. “The two are fluid, constantly flowing between each other on a sliding scale. Like moon phases.”

“So that’s what staying here will be about? Rebalancing Leo?” I ask. “What if he’s always been a little off-balance?”

My joke lands, and Leo coughs out a tight laugh as he elbows my side. “Just me?”

I hear what Chryssy and her aunties are saying, and I don’t want Leo to be in pain. I don’t like it, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve toured without months of practice. When we toured in our twenties, we could get by on a few weeks’ worth of rehearsals. Now, though, there’s too much to lose.

I’m about to say this when I see a flicker of hope in Leo’s tired eyes. They’re puffy and red, the typical playfulness in them dimmed by the situation. I’ve officially never seen him like this. I feel myself scowling at the innocent platter of scones as though they’ve wronged me somehow. But just like it’s not these scones’ fault, Leo’s not to blame for what’s happened, either. The love of his life just destroyed him. After all he’s felt and been through these past two weeks, maybe a little balance really could help him.

“What if we push rehearsals to the end of June?” I propose. “That gives you a little over a month at the inn and a month and a half for practice.”

Leo closes his eyes and nods. “That would be… yes. Please. Would that work?” he asks Chryssy’s aunties.

“We can work with that,” Daisy says, nodding to her sisters. “You can take the last open room. Next week, we’ll have to figure out an alternative room plan.” She looks between me and Chryssy. “Thanks to you two, we’ll be fully booked.”

“Sounds like lots of people are benefiting from those photos. That’s really nice,” Leo says, smirking at me. “If it’s too much trouble, I can get a room somewhere nearby.”

“Guests stay on property,” Rose says decidedly. “Violet and I will share a room to make space.”

“It’ll be like summer camp,” Violet says. “I feel young again!”

“I’ll have our stuff and cellos shipped out,” I offer.

“Our?” Leo asks.

“I’m staying,” I decide. “I can do my work from here. I’ll stay in a hotel in town.”

“Nonsense!” Violet says. “Vin, you’re just as much a guest. You’ll stay here.”

“He can stay with me,” Leo offers. “I’ll order you a blow-up bed, Vin. My treat.”

Violet’s eyes dart over to Rose, then to Chryssy. “Well, what about the Dandelion?” she says.

Chryssy’s head swerves in Violet’s direction. “You’re suggesting Vin stay… with me?” she asks.

I put my hands up. “Seriously. Don’t worry. I’ll find a place of my own.”

“It’s not really with Chryssy,” Violet says. “The Dandelion is a converted two-bedroom shed.”

“Wedding season is starting,” Daisy says. “And renting a place is too expensive.”

“It’s not a problem,” I insist.

“I won’t hear about it anymore,” Rose says. “There’s an empty room in the Dandelion. That’s where you’ll stay.”

Chryssy’s eyes widen. “We’d have to share a bathroom. We can’t allow a guest to share a bathroom. Let alone a rock star. A cellist rock star? A cellstar? A rockist?” she rambles.

I surprise myself by saying, “I don’t mind.” I clear my throat. “I just mean I don’t want to be an inconvenience. Please don’t think of me as a guest here. We’re grateful to have gotten a room at all. I’ll sleep in the car if I have to.”

“Obviously we’re not going to make you sleep in the car,” Rose says. “We can’t handle that kind of liability. It gets cold here at night.”

“Chryssy, you can stay with me if you’d like,” Daisy offers.

“I wouldn’t want to impose on you,” Chryssy tells her before turning back to me. “I’d be happy to share the Dandelion. It’s important that Leo is taken care of, and if you insist on being here, too, then we’d love for you to stay… with us.” She says this as though she doesn’t work at an inn. That’s how she earns a living. By strangers literally staying with them.

I dip my head. “I appreciate it.”

“Vin, Leo, I want to be forthright with you both that I’m a Chaobreaker,” Violet says seriously. “But I will not let that influence the way I provide care for you. And rest assured that I will not ask you questions like, Can you serenade me to sleep? Or can you maybe play me a soft melody while I enjoy my breakfast? That would be wrong of me. And I will definitely not ask you to perform a rambunctious tune if I need uplifting.” She thinks for a moment. “Yeah. No. I won’t do that.”

“And we will not ask you where the liquor cabinet is,” I reply with a grin.

“Honestly, I’m your fan already,” Leo tells Violet. He turns to Rose and Daisy. “All of you, really.”

“Leo, we’ll do the full intake form and observation tomorrow once you’ve rested. That way we can come up with your treatment plan,” Rose says. “There will be acupuncture treatments, meals that will help balance your Qi, morning Qigong, and gardening. Optional off-site trips will also be offered.”

“We allow very limited technology usage at first but aim to get that down to zero percent. Here we’re connecting to life in a different way,” Daisy informs us as she stands. “You must both be tired. Leo, we’ll show you to your room. Chryssy, will you get Vin set up?”

Chryssy drains the rest of her tea. “Happily,” she says, though she sounds anything but. She gestures toward the door. “After you.”

So much for just a date.