"I think lazy farmer is a much better description of your personality than hyper."
I wrinkle my nose as I open my eyes to look at a young man wearing a blue cap, a black short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of jeans. He has his jacket tied around his waist. Currently, I'm lying down on a bed of rocks that have been baking in the sun, so they're quite warm. I can feel the dew of the grass poking through the rocks on my skinny little legs, sticking out of a pair of loose swim-trunks that I managed to swipe from my brother. The smell of corn drifts over here from Poultry Farm, just next to my own farm, and the smell of wild flowers and grapes, just waiting to be collected, comes from the mountains. Birds are chirping, and I can hear the sound of the river slowly trickling by. My left hand feels quiet wet; it's lying in the river, gently bobbing up and down.
I love spending time in the summer like this. This makes me feel so relaxed; the temperature of the rocks managing to reach my skin through my tie-dye shirt, my shoulder-length hair just barely tickling the nape of my neck, and the song that the birds are singing. It's almost enough to make me fall asleep, and I've almost done just that before Gray comes along. I sit up.
"I'm not lazy. I'm taking a break from my job," I say, standing up and showing Gray the undersides of my hands, which are calloused from years of working as a farmer. But in the end, they just show off how much effort and heart I actually put into my job. Gray raises an eyebrow.
"Relax. I was just messing with you," he says, lying down on the area where I just was. "The heat is just unbearable today, isn't it?" he asks. I frown; why would he ask a question he already knows the answer to? It just doesn't make sense. Suddenly, an evil grin spreads across my face.
"If you're so hot, why don't you do something about it?" I ask, walking to his side. With a small shove, I manage to push him into the river. The current isn't that strong, and he resurfaces, sputtering. I giggle at the sight of him; his hat is slightly awry, his jacket has slid down to his hips, and he's spitting out water. I swear to myself that I can practically hear the water evaporating off of him, he looks so red.
"Hey! What was that for?" he snaps, trudging out of the water. He takes off his cap and wrings it out, ocean blue eyes searching my own forget-me-not colored eyes for an answer. I try my best to make my eyes say, 'Screw you, I did that for my own enjoyment and I don't need you to give me any bull about it'. Apparently, Gray's eyes don't like the answer they're receiving, because he grimaces. "Well?"
"Oh, no reason. You just interrupted my happy time and stole my happy place is all," I say in a casual tone of voice, lying back down on my place again. I smile calmly up at Gray, who frowns back down at me. A few drops of water run down orangey blonde hair that belongs to Gray and drip off, landing on my face and making clean spots on my face which is dirty from farm work.
"I changed my mind. Very annoying is now your personality description," Gray mutters, putting on the ground then crossing his arms and sitting down at the area that my feet are not quite able to reach; I would be able to poke his side if I stretched my feet as if I was standing on my tip-toes. But right now, I'm just happy the way I am, thank you very much. I pick my head up off the ground and look at Gray. He's staring at the water, watching as the light reflects off it and lights up the dew, sitting on the grass. I can't help but disturb this picture-perfect moment by poking his cheek, earning me a glare from the blacksmith in training.
"Hey, Gray?" I ask. "Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." he answers, sneering. I roll my eyes and prod his chest with my index finger after sitting up. His shirt feels a bit warm, now that it's had the opportunity to dry after that small dip in the lake, but it's still wet. The previously unruly hair that stuck up in places all over his head is now lying down flat; I get the feeling that his hair is framing his face, like a pair of curtains. I can smell various smells on him; a slight smell of ashes, presumably from working in front of a furnace all day – I admit it, that wouldn't be my dream job either -, and I can smell... pine trees? I sigh, realizing that I would never understand the deal with guys and cologne or aftershave or whatever in the Goddess they called it.
"If you're trying to be funny, it's not working. Anyway, what do you mean by these personality descriptions anyway?" I ask. Gray smirks and waves his hand, droplets of water flying off in various directions. He frowns at them.
"Meh, you wouldn't be interested," he mumbles in a teasing tone as he wiped his hand against his shirt, which really isn't helping at the moment. I scoot closer to him and put my head in my hands, leaving my elbows to rest on my knees. Gray smirks.
"Well, you know how sometimes these websites of popular TV shows have character descriptions?" he asks. I nod, intrigued. "I kind of do the same thing for the townspeople here."
"Oh? And how would you describe them?"
"..."Gray remains silent as he pulls his knees to his chest, which is now dry. He still isn't putting his cap on yet. "...I don't wanna talk about it."
"Aw, come on!" I beg, putting my hands together and mustering up as best of a pout as I can. But, I still want to see that brooding pose, so I pause a few seconds before I continue. "Please?"
"All right, if you just stop that!" Gray snaps, putting his hand on my face and pushing me away, but just a little. I grab his wrist and move his hand away from me.
"So, how would you describe... Cliff?"
"Well, he's a quiet but interesting person. If you get close enough to him, he really opens up to you and trusts you with a lot of stuff. Otherwise, he tries to blend into the background," Gray says, not taking his eyes off the river. I think about the next few people.
"Mary?"
"She's a really nice girl. Great sense of humor, and great taste in books," he muses, smiling a little. I can't help but feel a little jealous, so I cross my arms and put my tongue in my cheek. When I think about it, the inside of my mouth still tastes like that grape juice I had earlier. I still remember the ingredients of that grape juice; grapes, some sugar, and a teeny pinch of salt. Suddenly, the next person comes up into my mind, and I smile shyly.
"...what about me?" I ask quietly. Gray turns around to look at me.
"What about you?" he asks back in the same tone of voice I used.
"Personality-wise, how do you feel about... me?" I say, picking up a small shell that I've found among the rocks. Upon closer examination, it looks like... a shell that I've long forgotten the name of. Whatever it's called, it looks like a small fan. On the outside, it's a color that would be described as purplish-pinkish, while on the inside, it's a creamy white, with some sunset orange mixed in.
"...well..." Gray murmurs quietly. "How do I say this... you're really hardworking, and you're reliable and trustworthy. I... I also think you're..." Gray's cheeks turn slightly pink. I look at the shell I'm holding; his cheeks are almost the same color as the outside of it, if not a few shades lighter.
"You also think I'm what?" I urge him on.
"...cute."
I feel my cheeks warm slightly as small droplets of dew fly in various directions. My heart goes a little faster, than slows down a little. I can hear Gray's heavy breathing, thinking that it must have been hard to say.
"I- I'm sorry, I have to go now..." Gray stammers as he makes his way off my property. The sun in the sky has changed its position a little, causing the tree where I collect honey to cast a shadow. The shadow melds with Gray's as he runs across it, but soon he disappears. What he said lingers on in my head, and I put my fingers over my mouth and giggle. The sound of my slight laughter mixes in with the sounds of chickens clucking, cows mooing, and the river trickling on by.