Jeeeez I just updated this chapter like five minutes ago and something got messed up. Sorry to everyone who checked it out today and it was messed up! Updated 9/2/18


I and Love and You

Annie stepped of the cobblestone platform after the train lurched to a stop. Right hand on her luggage, left hand holding her straw hat onto her head, she took her first steps towards her new life. In just a few feet, she would be walking through the large, wooden gates leading into Oak Tree Town, her new home for the next few years of her life. She inhaled shakily, pushing herself forward.

In the summer of her twentieth year, there was a man who entered her life, irrevocably entangling himself with everything Annie loved. His soft white hair brushing against her warm skin; his rough, dark hands tracing circles on her lower back, and the sun…

The sun was setting. Within the reds, yellows, and oranges, she found herself entranced, unable to look away. Dew covered grass kissed her bare legs as she leaned back, eyes never leaving the sky. He turned, looking down at her; his eyes begging for attention. Her caramel eyes found their way to his- sparkling like rubies in the slow, dimming light.

"Hello, you must be Annie." A woman greeted as Annie quietly slipped through the door of what appeared to be a town hall. She nodded, her strawberry locks bouncing around her thin face, "Mhm." She hummed, "You must be Miss Veronica." She said, reaching out her hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

The woman smiled, never breaking her elegant demeanor, and motioned for Annie to follow her. They left as the sun had began to set- dark blues and violets emerging from underneath the once lightly colored sky.

During the winter of her twenty-first year, just a few days short of her birthday, Annie had awoken during the early hours of the morning. A cigarette hanging from her pale, chapped lips, she slipped out though the screen door of her apartment. He was sitting on the concrete steps, watching as the sky, yet again, turned from those dark blues and violets to the mesmerizing reds, yellows, and oranges Annie so loved. Knees cracking as she took her place beside him, she scooted closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You always watch the sunset; you've never watched the sunrise."

Annie lifted her head, staring into his cold, dark eyes. They didn't sparkle the same as they had the summer when they first met. "I'm leaving." He said, and she knew he meant it that time.

"You'll be staying with Madam Eda until your house is finished; I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear over the phone." Veronica said, sighing has she tucked a copper strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sure this move has been just as chaotic for you as it has been for us."

She smiled faintly, scanning the distance surrounding the fields. Annie shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sure it won't be a problem." She replied, nodding towards the older woman, Eda. "It will do me good to learn the techniques before being on my own."

Eda chuckled, waving her hand towards the quaint, yellow house. "Come now, say goodbye to Veronica and let's get you some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." Eda said, heading home as Annie waved goodbye to Veronica.

"Fritz will be quite excited to meet you here soon." Eda said as Annie caught up with her. "He's excited to have a new 'farming rival', as he likes to put it, but I don't doubt that he'll be any less pleased to see what a looker you are." Eda teased, shaking her head. "You have to watch out for that one; he's a fireball."

Annie's grin melted off her face as she glanced up towards the night sky.

A farmer, a gardener…What difference did it make? By the time he finally stood up from the concrete steps, the sun had already risen to the sky. The cold, winter wind licked Annie's bare skin. A lighter, another cigarette, and a cold cup of coffee…Her hands- shaking.

He said, "I love you."

Annie mumbled the words back under her breath, lips frozen, eyes glued to the ground.