A/N- This little oneshot was written in response to a challenge by Lady Nailo, which was to write about a strange or unconventional pairing. I chose Cliff x Popuri and this is the result. Enjoy!
You Want A Reason?
I sat alone on the edge of the pier, my feet dangling perilously near the water's icy grey surface. I made very sure, however, that my skirt didn't dip in as my mom's got enough to deal with without me troubling her for dry outfits. Rick reminds me of that every single day. Not just about clothes though, about everything.
As if I need telling! I'm perfectly well aware that she may not live to meet my grandchildren, thanks. Rick drumming such depressing facts into me on a regular basis really doesn't help.
Pushing my soft pink hair out of my eyes, I glanced upwards into a sky just about as gloomy as my current mood. One bright side though, was that it looked like snow was due. We've already had some this Winter, but it's come to no more than a light dusting so far.
Summer's my favourite season - much to Rick's dismay - but I don't mind the Winter too much either if it snows. Without the snow I find it pretty bleak and unpleasant, but when I see that first flake of the year I just get the indescribable urge to rush outside and leap about, grinning and laughing and spinning around madly. As you can imagine, I've been referred to a 'bubbly' more than once. Not to mention 'childish'. And 'annoying'. Although actually that last one was my friend, Karen, and I know she doesn't mean it...much.
I guess I can be a little annoying sometimes, but that's just me. Who cares if I like having snowball fights with May and Stu? Or picking flowers on Mother's Hill? Actually, Rick does. He's not too bothered now that I'm older, but when I was younger he was forever taking me to the Church to try and instill a sense of responsibility in me. It never really worked, so now he just lets me get on with being myself, only occasionally telling me to grow up.
But how can I, when I'm never trusted to do anything more than make the morning toast? Ever since my father left in search of a cure for mom, Rick's taken charge at the farm; I'm never allowed to help as apparently I'm too ditzy! Oh, yeah - 'ditzy', that's another one of my many names. What's wrong with Popuri I don't quite know.
I just...want to make the most of life while I can. I know that must sound very silly considering my young age, but there's no telling yet as to whether my mother's illness is genetic or not. If it is, I don't want to have wasted my life taking everything far too seriously and never having any fun. I just want to live and - hopefully - love.
I thought I'd found love once, and maybe on some level I had. That was Kai, my first real crush. He comes to Mineral Town every Summer and stays for the whole season, running his little beach cafe. Ever since I was younger Kai used to come here and even then I used to think he was wonderful with his tanned skin, cool bandanna and care-free attitude. In fact, so did most of the other women. I think that's why Rick's not so keen on him. I mean, I love my brother and everything, but even I can admit that he's not exactly blessed in the looks department.
Anyway, Kai was, and still is, a breath of fresh air in this little town and so, as you can guess, I fell for him fast. Rick hated it of course and had no problem with telling me so. I shouted back that it was unfair, him being allowed to date and not me. He replied that it wasn't the same, Karen being his childhood sweetheart and Kai being nothing more than a pathetic player.
Now, I don't believe that accusation one little bit and I know I never will, but actually it wasn't Rick's crazy assumptions that got me worried. It was more about what I'd have to do to keep mine and Kai's relationship alive.
As I'm sure you can guess, he travels. A lot. He hates staying in one place for too long you see, especially if that place happens to be at all cold. I don't why he can't settle anywhere in particular; I've never really bothered to ask.
And that was the problem. He goes where he wants, no burdens, just total freedom. But me? Sure, the thought of such adventures sent excitement coursing through me, but the reality was leaving Mineral Town, leaving my family...
Kai actually asked me to join him this Summer, creating what was simultaneously the best and worst day of my life. Best because it was beyond amazing to even be asked by someone I'd fancied ever since I can remember. And worst because...I couldn't accept. Just couldn't, simple as that. Part of me wanted to, the part that felt the need for real fun and excitement, but then I thought of Rick and mom, and I faltered.
How could I leave them? I know that mom would've given me her blessing - at least outwardly - but Rick would've have been devastated. And personally I didn't blame him. When dad left, he took over and looked after me in the place of a missing parent. He did everything. So how then could I turn around and repay him by becoming just another person to abandon him?
I knew I couldn't do it, no matter how tempted I was. And although I was completely torn and deeply upset this Summer, I knew I was doing the right thing when I whispered a frighteningly final goodbye to Kai on this very pier.
There was a kiss too, but I can barely even remember that now. It was such a quick, spur of the moment, while-Rick's-not-looking kind of thing, that I hardly gave it a second thought.
If only I had...
As I stared out across the bleak, vast ocean spread out before me, I felt something cold and wet land on my nose. Then I realised: it was snowing again.
For the first time in my life, I didn't want to jump about and celebrate, like some little kid. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was really odd, but I felt as though I was going to cry instead. Anyone who knows me will tell you I hardly ever cry (unless, of course I'm trying to make Rick feel guilty for something he's done), but right now, I felt as though every little bit of happiness inside me was just ebbing away.
I realised suddenly how much I missed different people. My father, Kai, even my mother despite the fact that she's still alive. I guess that came from thinking about her illness earlier.
Soon enough, fat tears were sliding silently down my face, blurring my vision and turning the sea in front of me into nothing more than a blue-grey swirl. Everything felt so cold and bleak, and I just couldn't shake the sense of abandonment creeping into my mind. I'd never felt more alone in all my life.
But suddenly, as though I'd conjured it up by magic, I spotted something tiny and seemingly insignificant bobbing on the horizon. It took me awhile to work out exactly what it was, but as it started getting bigger and bigger, realisation hit. It was a boat and it was on it's way here, to Mineral Town! To anyone else this would have seemed pretty unexciting, but not me, oh no. This sudden flicker of hope in amongst my despair, had lit a fire inside my head.
I jumped up, rattling the old planks, and watched as it slowly, but surely approached the beach. I didn't even bother trying not to get my hopes up as my mind was already awash with wonderful senarios. Kai returning, pledging to stay here because he couldn't bare us to be apart any longer...My father leaping onto the pier a small, but precious flower clutched in his hand...
After everything I'd been thinking about, it just seemed like fate...To good to be true almost.
But it was true, it had to be. Or so I told myself, repeatedly.
"Hey...Popuri? What are you doing here?"
I leapt at the sound of the deep voice, nearly toppling into the water in the process. It took me a second to regain my balance, but once I did so I was able to focus on the speaker properly and discovered that it was the Vineyard worker, Cliff. At present, he was giving me an odd little look that seemed to be a mix of concern and exasperation.
It was highly embarrassing.
"You scared me," I managed eventually, only realising once I'd said it that I hadn't come off looking at all collected. In my head, I could still hear my voice as I'd spoken to him sounding soft and breathy when compared to his rough tone; I found I liked that stark difference. Rather a lot, in fact.
And, to be honest, there were many differences between Cliff and I. He was so tall and thin whereas I was short and, well, proportioned. He had such dark, intense eyes in comparison with my light, ruby ones. His hair was beyond messy, scraped back yet sticking up all over the place. In contrast, you have my hair, permeanently curled in immaculate rings...The list goes on.
"Ah, sorry about that," he replied, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly. "You okay?"
My embarrassment faded instantly when I remembered what I was doing here. "I'm great!" I told him, my excitement bubbling over. "There's a boat heading over here, can you believe it? Boats hardly ever dock in Mineral Town - " Before I knew it, I was burbling away to him, spilling out all my hopes without a second thought. Of course, I was thinking a bit, but only to deliberately ignore the horrified look on his face as he listened. I knew as I watched him that I should probably just shut up, but really it was either that or burst out crying.
To be honest, I was kind of expecting him to tell me that the boat was coming to pick him up ,but that still didn't stop me freezing with shock at actually hearing it.
As he clutched his bag nervously after that little announcement, I heard the low rumble of an engine behind me and for a second time spun around abruptly. The boat wasn't all that far away now and just seeing it made me snap into action.
I ran down the length of the pier to where Cliff was standing just on the end. "You're really going to leave ?" I asked as I practically crashed into him.
"Y-Yes," he confirmed blushing a deeper red, but trying to keep an eye on his boat.
That wasn't good enough for me. "Why?" I demanded, not entirely sure where my sudden desire to keep him here had come from. It was certainly a bold move for me, but somehow I knew I was doing the right thing and kept with it.
"Uh...erm..." He blushed deeper again. "I...just don't have a reason to stay anymore!" I took this to be a reference to Ann's marriage to Jack a few weeks ago.
"Your job?" I suggested. "Your friends? The fact that the boat looks a little rusty!?"
At the very last suggestion he burst out laughing. He may have been laughing at me, not with me, but it didn't matter any more. I found that I loved that sound more than anything else. Suddenly, I knew.
"You want a reason?" I whispered, as my heart pounded furiously in my chest. I moved forward, wondering, hoping...I was doing the right thing, surely...
Kissing Cliff was a shock at first. His rough, worn lips felt so strange against my soft, smooth ones, but soon enough it didn't matter. Before long I could hardly tell the difference, it was all the same. All I felt was him - him and oddly the snow as it fell thicker around us...
"OI!" We flew apart at the shout of the boat's driver. "Are you getting on or not?"
Once again I expected the answer, but this time, hearing it didn't make me want to cry.
Quite the opposite, in fact.