There she was.

Even in the crowded bar, her blonde hair stood out like the sun. She sat at the bar, empty stools beside her. Many eyes were on her – lonely bachelors wishing she would waste just a little bit of her time on them; jealous girls wishing they had her glowing skin. Claire truly was enviable. It was just so hard to dislike her. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, she was also one of the kindest people in town. She never once stepped foot into the library, but I had asked around. Not one person could say a bad thing about her. All who knew her admired the blonde farmer for her hard work and her charm.

The nagging feeling in my stomach was growing unbearable. Tonight was the night. I had to confront her. My happiness depended on her.

I took a deep breath and began weaving my way through the crowd. I was never a huge fan of the Inn. It was always so loud. I preferred the silence and solitude of the library. I would always welcome visitors, but my introverted self could only handle so many at a time.

The hot stench of beer and cigarettes was overwhelming. The dim lighting of the candles cast a sleepy glow on all the patrons' faces. I was almost to the bar when I saw Claire begin to stand and reach for her coat.

She couldn't leave. Not yet.

"Um," I squeaked. "You don't know me."

The blonde turned to me, and her blue eyes met mine. Her mouth fell open slightly with curiosity.

"But I know who you are." I swallowed, but my mouth was dry. "Mind if I sit down?"

Claire's eyebrows rose, and she nodded, taking her seat once again.

"Do I look familiar?" I asked. "If I don't – well… I should. I'm sure you've seen me around. I know you've probably heard my name, though we've not been introduced."

I'm the fool in love with the fool who's still in love with you.

"I'm so sorry, I but don't recognize you." Claire apologized sincerely.

She began gathering her things again. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you've got a minute, I'll buy you a drink." I took a deep breath. "I've got something to say."

Claire smiled, and I ushered to Ann, the barmaid.

"What'll it be, ladies?" The redhead grinned, nodding to me especially. "Good to see you here, Mary."

I forced a polite smile, and then turned to Claire, who was looking right back at me.

"Whiskey, please. No ice." She said softly.

Ann turned to me. "And you?"

"Nothing for me, thanks." I stared at my hands.

When the redhead went to fix Claire's drink, the blonde spoke up.

"Mary, is it?" I nodded to her, and her eyebrows rose. "I'm slightly confused. Did I do something wrong?"

Yes.

I shook my head quickly and shut my eyes. "No. You didn't."

"Then what is this about?"

I didn't even know where to start, nor had I planned what I was going to say.

"Gray and I are getting married."

Claire grinned, and poked at my shoulder. "So you're the lucky lady, huh?"

I couldn't keep the sadness from escaping my mouth. "I know about your guys' past."

Her grin faded and her brow furrowed. The blonde shook her head gently and placed a reassuring hand on my knee.

"Oh, no, no." She said softly. "I'm not even a part of his life anymore. I just helped him get back on his feet, is all."

I was reminded of the first day Gray visited the library. His face was bright and his demeanor cheerful – a rare occurrence. I can't remember when I had fallen in love with his boyish good looks and air of mystery. It might've been the first time I saw him in his grandfather's shop. Maybe it was when I bandaged his injured hand and looked into his eyes for the first time. I couldn't help but love him.

I later learned that Claire had brought on his joyous mood from that first day. He told me that his grandfather had yelled at him, and Claire had reassured him that he was a great blacksmith, but he was still in training and needed to accept constructive criticism in order to become even better. I never knew how to give him that emotional boost he needed when he was feeling down. I only knew how to distract him from his negative thoughts with stories. Stories were all I had.

Gray would always visit me. We would talk about books and the weather, and on rare occasions I would let him read a few pages of my novel. Letting him into my mind was a hard thing to do. I was always waiting for judgment, but it never came. I secretly wanted him to criticize my writing, but it never happened.

"It's great." He would say. "I can't believe you are writing a novel all by yourself."

A monkey could write a novel, but that doesn't mean it would be any good.

A lot of our conversation topics led to the blonde farmer. I would watch as Gray told animated stories of their encounters, and his eyes would light up like the stars. All I could do was nod in agreement. He would thank me for being a good listener and friend. Some days he brought me flowers. It was a sweet gesture, but if he truly knew me, he would know that I couldn't stand them. His feelings for me were artificial – I knew how he felt about Claire better than he knew himself.

It was the second Summer after Claire's arrival that Gray stopped talking about her. He had no more stories to tell, no more laughs to share – it was like the fire in him had burned out. The only time I could get any rise out of him was when I mentioned Kai. It was like his name triggered something in Gray that nearly pushed him to his breaking point.

The word around town was that Claire and Kai had become an item.

Gray began to hang around me more often at that point. When his heart was aching, he sought refuge in the place he was most comfortable, and the place where I just happened to be the most. I think he began to mistake this comfortableness as feelings for me. I wanted desperately for them to be true, but deep down I knew. His heart belonged to someone else.

"M-Mary?" Claire's voice dragged me from my memory.

Her drink sat in front of her, untouched. When it had arrived, I had no idea. My mind was a whirlwind of emotion.

"It might sound crazy, but last night in his sleep –" I began, my voice shaking. "I heard him call out your name."

Claire looked at the floor. "It was probably nothing."

"That was not the first time, he's done it before."

The blonde looked back up at me, a mix of emotions in her eyes. I couldn't tell if she was angry or sad or guilty.

Or anything at all.

"… It's hard to face the truth, y'know?" I chuckled, my eyes blurred with emotion. "I cannot stop loving him. I'm crazy about him. I can't go five minutes without thinking about him, and I can't imagine a life without him. I'm a fool in love with a fool… who's still in love with you."

I thought about Gray's proposal, which was lackluster, but so Gray.

"I passed my test, finally." He had said to me. "This is what I had to make."

He held out a ring. It was a gold hoop with a tiny emerald stone surrounded by the smallest diamonds I had ever seen.

"Will you -… d-do you w-want it?"

His words caught me off guard. They seemed somewhat rehearsed.

My cheeks had burned so deeply I thought they had caught fire. I looked up at him, and saw that his were burning as well.

"I mean-… Will you take it? This ring?" His dark eyes met mine.

My mouth opened and shut quickly. "Wh-… I… What do you m-mean?"

He looked away, shrugging slightly. "You know… That."

Where were the fireworks? Where were the roses? Where was the emotional declaration of love?

"Do you… really want to?" I heard myself say.

Gray had pulled his hat over his eyes. "I m-mean… It only makes sense. We're always together. We only really have each other… Why wouldn't we just… you know… get… married?"

Like it was just a necessary thing. He just kind of figured that was the next step, it seemed.

"Yes! I mean-… yes, I will marry you." I had said as he handed me the ring.

I slid it on to my own finger.

"Alright. I'll uh-… see you later then."

Gray had left, leaving me with tears in my eyes. I still don't know if they were tears of joy or sadness.

I fumbled with my hands, looking anywhere but in Claire's direction. "I know love is a fragile thing, and I'm trying really hard to make it last. But it's not easy… holding onto my dream… when he's holding on to the past."

In my peripheral vision I saw Claire take a long drink from her glass. I glanced at her briefly and watched her mouth open and close, unable to voice the words that were buried deep inside.

My head was aching. The lump in my throat was working its way back down into oblivion. I felt at peace with myself for once. I was so tired.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the money for her drink and a generous tip. I slid off the bar stool and faced Claire, who turned to face me as well.

"Just one more thing before I go." I looked at my feet, then back to her shiny eyes. "I'm not here to put you down or anything. I don't want you to feel bad for Gray or me. But you don't love him, Claire – that's a fact. I've seen you around. You and Kai look really happy together."

She smiled at that, her pretty face glowing.

True love.

I reached for her hand and squeezed it between both of my own.

"I love Gray more than anything in this world. I may be a fool for doing so, but I can't help it. I love him so much." I said gently. "But you hold his heart in the palm of your hand, and it's breaking mine in two."

I released her hand and watched it fall gently back to Claire's side.

I nodded to her, and turned, fumbling my way through the crowd to the front door. I reached the entrance of the Inn, and slowly turned to look back.

Claire was gone.

All that was left at the counter was her empty glass.

I turned again and pushed open the heavy doors. The cool summer air hit me like a punch to the face. The doors closed behind me, and I was left in the silence of the night.

I tilted my head back and gazed up at the darkness above.

There was not a star in the sky.