Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the characters in the game. :( Darn!

I watched Cliff from behind the railing of Manna and Duke's Winery as he slowly reached for a grape, plucked it between two gentle fingers, and set it into the basket with loving care. How was it that every single motion he went through just seemed so…graceful? Just walking over to meet him I had tripped over first a pebble, and then a random tuft of grass in the middle of the road. Since when was grass growing right in the middle of the road, anyways?

Cliff spun around at that time even though I hadn't made a sound- I panicked at first, wondering if I had said something out loud- and then his expression softened into a smile. "Hello, Claire," he murmured, walking up to the railing and resting his arms on that side just as I was resting my arms on my side.

When had Cliff and I gotten to the point where he didn't cringe at such close contact? Our faces were almost inches apart as I rested my arms on top of the railing and my head on my arms, staring at him with a small smile. I remember moving here and helping him to get a job after Ann told me about his money problems, and I remember slowly starting to work beside him and hold hands and then kiss. Our whole relationship seemed to just…fall together. We never worked at it.

"Hey. Whatcha doin'?" I asked childishly, and he smiled at me. His hair was pulled back in that same dirty ponytail I wish he would cut off. I preferred guys with shorter hair, to be honest. But somehow, I had fallen for Cliff- well, sort of.

"My job," he said it as if it were obvious, but still grinned at me. He called my endless questions 'endearing.' Ann said he probably meant 'annoying,' but I think that's because she used to like him.

I laughed at him, poking him between the railing in the chest. "No, really?" I asked sarcastically, and he just smiled. I sort of wished he would say some sort of comeback, but he never did, and I don't blame him. It was all new for Cliff, and he still thought that it was all sort of crazy. I used to think it was all sort of perfect, actually. What other two people could boast about a relationship that just ran its course? I never once had to attempt to get Cliff's attention. I always did, and he tried to get my attention, and I gave it to him just like that.

"What did you do all day besides work here?" I stressed the word besides and he grinned again. Shrugging, he told me, "Not much. All I really did today was work. What did you do?"

Cliff thought my life is interesting, for whatever reason, and he hung onto my every word as I told him, "Well, this morning Hannah and Anna got into a fight, so I had to build a fence for Hannah to run into, because Goddess knows if I let her roam around she would abandon me. I rode Piper all the way up to the mountain top and got back down in only twenty minutes, he's getting really fast. Then I just went shopping, and I got you this," I held out a wrapped present after probably boring him with chicken squabbles and horse speed.

I always picked up presents for people and had them wrapped. I didn't want to hurt Cliff's feelings, but I had stopped by the library with a book for Mary, to the ranch to drop off an apple for May, and to the church to drop off a meal for Carter. I was notorious for wasting money on people, but they didn't seem to mind- especially not Cliff. His whole face lit up as he grabbed the present, as if I hadn't given him one just two days ago.

Cliff always made presents, which I didn't mind. Occasionally he cooked something with Ann's help, but he was a terrible cook. A lot of times he would find some sort of shell at the beach or a smooth stone or a flower, and turn it into something somehow. Shape it, or carve something in it, or weave something out of it. "Wow, thanks Claire!" he interrupted me as he pulled out the rice ball I always gave him. He acted like I hadn't always given him one, but I smiled, grateful for that.

"Yeah, well. I just wanted to get you something," I shrugged innocently and smiled up at him as he brought his lips to my cheek in that awkward way he always did. Cliff had kissed me on the lips so few times I could count on my fingers, and seemed uncomfortable even kissing my cheek. We were unofficially going together, and yet he dreaded showing affection towards me, blushing madly at just this simple act.

He held out a sea shell. "I found it near the church today," he blushed again, and I took it, smiling simply. I probably had an entire drawer full of sea shells and stones and random wilted flowers. "It's pretty," I said, but it looked the same as the last one he had given me.

It was those sorts of times where I found myself rethinking everything Cliff and I had…gotten, as I couldn't say work for. Neither of us put much effort into getting something better, positive that things would just get better for us. I gave him presents, he gave me presents- the only problem was, I gave everyone presents. And these kisses on the cheek? Popouri had a habit of kissing people on the cheek. How many times had Kai kissed me on the cheek? It didn't seem to mean much at all.

But when I looked back at Cliff, with all of that adoration in his eyes- I remembered why I did like him. I sure didn't love him- yet- but I did like him, and it was because of all that emotion I saw in him every day.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes clouding over as he straightened up from his slouch to look at me properly. I smiled under his inspection, nodding. What else could I say? "I was having one of those I'm-not-sure-if-we-belong-together moments, don't worry?" So I nodded.

"You're going to get fat off rice balls," I pointed at the food. "Sorry," I added, shrugging and pretending I didn't care.

Cliff just grinned at me again. "No, I won't," he said very simply. I wished he would have played around like my other friends would have. I had done that with Carter, the seemingly perfect pastor, only to have him quip back with, "Well, I'll gladly welcome the fat if it keeps this stuff coming!"

"We can hope," I said dramatically, wiping my hand on my forehead as if the sun was blaring down, even though it was going down as we spoke. It was summer, but summer was winding down quickly into fall, and the cold air was already coming. Cliff grinned, knowing this. "So, when do you get off?"

"In twenty minutes. What are you doing after this?" he said this as if we were on a date, and not just standing around while he was supposed to be working. I hoped Duke didn't come out and see us like he had before, since he got pretty angry- no more discounted wine for me.

"I dunno. Nothin'." I shrugged, lifting up my chin for a moment to stare past him just in case, blink, and then set it down again. Cliff watched this all closely.

"Do you want to come to the inn when I'm done?" he gestured to the fields as if I didn't know what I was supposed to be waiting for. I watched though, pretending to give him my full attention. I always tried to make it seem like whoever I was talking to had my full attention.

"Yeah, sure. Isn't Kai leaving in a few days? Maybe he'll be there. I'll miss him once fall comes around," I grinned, feeling stupid when Cliff's face fell slightly. Kai was a flirt, but if you broke through that he was a good friend, and he had coached Cliff along in the whole 'relationship' process. Otherwise, Cliff would still be staring at me stupidly while I walked into the church every single day.

He nodded. "Yeah, he's leaving the last day of summer, as usual." He looked back at the grapes. "Well, I have to take the basket in to Manna," he picked up a basket stuffed almost to the brim with Manna and Duke's best grapes. "But I'll see you soon," he blushed at me a bit, and, after a moment of what looked like extreme deliberation, pushed his lips against mine.

I grinned widely as he turned, blushing, and walked away. When Cliff got the courage up to do something like that, it was amazing. It reminded me all over again why I liked him- it seemed like every time I started to feel doubts he reassured me somehow or other.

But then I walked into the inn, prepared to wait for Cliff with the always happy Ann, and he was there. Why did he of all people have to be here? Well, of course- because he lived here. But why did he have to be her right now?

"Hey, Claire," Gray smirked at me over his cup of juice. "You never stop by the blacksmith's. Those tools of yours are holding up good, then?" This had to be some sort of ruse. Gray was never this…conversational. He was just plain rude.

The last time I spoke with him, he proved that.

Author's Note: Sorry, there's not much happening in this chapter, but I just have to establish what's going on. :) Thanks for reading, everyone, and I hope you come back to read the next chapter! Sorry if you think any of these characters, or the characters to come, are ooc, but I'm not sure if Harvest Moon characters can really be 'ooc.' I mean, we have such little to go off of, I feel like in every fan fiction people have to make the characters a bit of their own. :) Well, thanks!