Exactly two weeks later after the fireworks show, I woke up in the middle of the night to a loud boom and a shaking house. I was immediately wide awake. What could that be? An earthquake? My guess was incorrect as my bed became still once more. Half a second later I remembered Yolanda and Uncle Jake nervously making preparations for a typhoon yesterday. This must've been it. And it was pretty dang close, judging by the shaking house.

I lay still, my eyes wide open, too much adrenaline coursing through me to go back to sleep. I waited for the next rumble and flash, but instead heard a sharp cracking noise. Was that the thunder? No, there was no flash. Five seconds later the real thunder shook my small one-room house again, a little less severely this time. Or did it feel weaker because I had been expecting it?

I didn't have time to ponder over that because the cracking was there again - almost earsplitting. My heart started to pound, and for no apparent reason I jumped out of bed, put on some pants and my sweatshirt, and slid my mother's picture out of the frame.

My gut was telling me nothing good was going to happen anytime soon. It was also urging me to get the heck out of my house. I obeyed without question or hesitation, since I had learned to trust this sixth sense of mine when I just barely escaped a tidal wave thanks to it on Toucan Island when I was much younger.

I had clicked the door in place behind me outside when another angry crack came from the left side of my house. I started to back away, to get a better view at first, but those few steps ended up saving me a lot of pain and possibly my life because just then the giant pine tree standing off where the cracking had come from toppled over, completely crushing half of my little house.

I stood there, gaping in disbelief at the tree as the rain slowly soaked through my simple sweatshirt. I clung to my mom's photo, careful not to get it wet even in the daze I was in.

My house was pretty much obliterated right then and there, within ten seconds of me getting out and standing over where I was now.

Finally another clap of thunder startled my brain into working again. I needed somewhere to stay for at least the night. Uncle Jake, Aunt Colleen and Maya at the Sundae Inn probably wouldn't be able to hear me if I knocked on the door, and if I yelled I'd probably only succeed in waking up the whole town.

My grandma already had that girl Elli staying at her place; she had no extra room for me. Plus, her house was too far away in the dark. I'd end up falling flat on my face or hitting my head on something before I even got halfway there.

Then my only other option I could think of at the moment was... Chase. Of course. It was always Chase.

All I had to do to get to his place was to follow the path north of my place, take the first left, then basically continue straight until I ran into his house.

As I sulkily trudged up the path, my mind, in a late reaction, registered the intensity of what had just happened. My house was gone. Along with most of my junk in it, too.

Eyes wide open and unblinking with shock, I silently hugged my mother's picture close and wrapped my sweatshirt around me tighter as I followed the flashing outline of the path.

I finally found Chase's door to his house and pounded on it with shaky hands. My now-numb brain hadn't even noticed that the lights were on, and my eyes were momentarily blinded as he opened the door bewilderedly.

I bit my lip as he stood there, in his normal clothes in the middle of the night, staring at my sodden, bedraggled figure in confusion until I couldn't take it anymore. I burst out crying and fell into his warm, dry arms, getting his poor clothes almost as soaked as I was from my tears alone.

Even though he was incredibly confused and had no idea what was wrong, Chase did his best to calm me down and set up a bed on the couch for me. When I had at last cried myself dry, I sank gratefully into the plush cushions and warm blankets and fell asleep without saying a word to my friend.

After I few minutes of watching me sleep curiously, Chase had the feeling he had done the right thing by making me a bed and stood up, glancing down at his now-drenched shirt and apron. Oh well. It had been about time to change clothes and get to sleep anyways, he thought as he put away his ladle in the kitchen and stored the ingredients for the chocolate mousse he had been about to make. The storm had woken him up and he couldn't get back to sleep, so he had decided to cook something to pass the time until his eyelids started getting heavy again.

He silently walked into his room to change into something drier, giving me one more quick glance as he passed.

"Naomi, wake up. Are you feeling better? Here, I made something for you." A familiar voice penetrated into my dreaming world. I squinted my already-closed eyes and shook my head as if to dislodge an annoying bug from my hair.

A finger brushed away my wildly tangled hair from my face, letting light hit my eyelids. I slowly and reluctantly allowed myself to wake up.

Suddenly my brow furrowed in confusion. Where was I? This definitely wasn't my house; the ceiling was too white. My rickety old place had yellowing walls. And I smelled something sweet... Chocolate? And there was someone else here. The person who woke me up in the first place.

I blinked, my dark green eyes wide now, and sat up quickly. My gaze darted around to take in my surroundings, then I saw him sitting on the edge of the coffee table. Chase.

Everything came flooding back to me at once; the storm, the shaking house, the tree...

I had to press my teeth together to the point where they felt about to crack to prevent myself from crying. When I looked over at Chase again, deep concern was showing in his eyes and his face, which I assumed was rare for him.

"You seemed pretty shaken up last night," he began before I could say anything, picking up a small cup that sat beside him and handing it to me. I couldn't bring myself to smile but hoped my gratitude would show in my eyes as I gingerly sipped the perfect hot cocoa. I loved chocolate.

"You'll tell me what happened, I hope?"

I nodded but held up a finger, signaling that I needed a minute. If I talked now, the tears would start flowing uncontrollably again. I pretended I wanted to drink some more cocoa, though.

He also nodded and added, "I called in sick for both of us. Yolanda wanted to come see what was wrong but I told her she was needed at work... Really, I'm guessing you don't want to be too crowded right now."

Somehow I wasn't surprised Chase knew exactly what I needed. Our personalities were so alike, as I had discovered two weeks previously, so I guessed he would have wanted the same thing if he was in my shoes. Although I couldn't imagine him crying like a deranged little kid with nightmares in front of me if his house was taken down by a tree.

When my cup was drained, I dared to talk. "So, obviously we had that big storm last night," I started quietly. Chase nodded again.

"Well, last night, I was woken up by some of the thunder. It shook my house because it was so close. I tried just laying there, waiting to go back to sleep, but then I heard this awful cracking..." I continued the story until I got here, at his house.

We were both silent after I finished; Chase probably didn't quite know what to say. Finally I got the nerve to speak up again, though my voice sounded slightly choked. "What should I do now?"

Chase pondered over that for a bit. We sat there in more silence until he answered, "I say we go talk to Yolanda about that. She knows a lot more than me." He gave me a reassuring smile that lifted my spirits miles. I even managed a smile back.

"That sounds good," I replied, barely audible. I took his hand even though I didn't necessarily need it to help me off the couch.

As soon as we stepped out of the door, Chase really surprised me by putting a firm arm around my shoulders. I didn't actually mind, though, and I didn't blush to my approval. But that's coming from the girl who just lost her house.

On our way, I spotted Julius coming out of his house. He raised his fine purple eyebrows that bugged me so much and smiled, seeing us as prime gossiping material. Chase and I just both narrowed our eyes at the pretty boy, not in the mood. Chase shook his head to make sure Julius got the point.

Yolanda was already onto us as soon as both our feet were inside the Inn. My grandma mistook Chase's arm around my shoulders as him supporting me because of an injury of some kind, and we both had to shout at the same time to get her to stop jabbering about getting me to the Clinic.

Chase's arm slid away as he explained what had happened to my house to Yolanda, Uncle Jake, and Aunt Colleen, who listened with horrified expressions. I was barely paying attention, since I had just spotted Maya standing at the large stair. Obviously, she had seen Chase with his arm around me, and obviously, she hadn't heard he had called in "sick" today and had been heading down to see him. Her turquoise eyes were alight with fury, and I was almost taken aback at how protective she was. I had always thought of Maya as a dumb, delicate girly-girl who, if anyone needed protecting, it was her in need. Seeing her rage at me being merely supported by her crush proved me oh-so wrong.

I held her attempt of a menacing gaze until I almost snorted with how ridiculous she was acting. Right then Yolanda was beckoning me over to join the little huddle she, Chase, Uncle Jake and Aunt Colleen had formed.

All amusement gone now, I wearily took a few steps over to them and listened.

"Naomi, I'm so sorry, but you can stay here only so many nights for free unless you have a date when your house will be livable again. It's getting to be the busy time of the year, so I need all the rooms I can," Colleen told me, her expression full of pain. I nodded in sullen understanding.

My eyes suddenly widened. "Can I talk to Dale? To see when the house will be done?"

Yolanda raised her eyebrows. "Honey, you need the money for the repairs first."

My spirits were sinking very quickly. I hastily tallied up how much money I could spare, and how much it would probably cost, and was silent.

Everyone was staring at me expectantly. I looked down and tried to keep my voice from cracking. "I don't know if I'll have enough. Let me call him."

Uncle Jake showed me to the phone, which I perfectly knew where it was, but I was so nervous I was grateful for his supervision. Shakily, I dialed the carpenter's number. Luke answered, and of course picked up the note of distress in my voice. He demanded I tell him what happened. I was touched how concerned he was for someone he barely knew, but I still couldn't bring myself to smile.

"Oh, jeez." I could practically see the look of dismal on his face. "Here's Pops. Good luck, Naomi." Luke handed the phone to Dale while hastily giving him a summary of what happened.

I was not a very wealthy person, hence the tiny house and how old and messy it was. The only reason I had even lived there was because I had inherited it, probably from my dad. My pay at work was a bit low, especially compared to people like the blacksmith, Ramsey, or Dr. Jin, so I basically got enough to live by and maybe a couple hundred G for spending.

In any case, my pay was most definitely not enough to cover the cost for my house, even if I got a discount, and even with the extra bit I earned from the Ocean Festival. WIth all the money I had right now I'd be able to, but I still needed food and essentials like that. I had the option of going into debt, but I wasn't willing to do so. It would be at least two years before it would be paid off.

"Thank you, Dale," I managed, then dropped the phone with a clatter onto the receiver. I buried my face in my hands, uselessly trying to hold in my tears. My family and Chase got the message; I wouldn't be able to live on Waffle Island anymore.

A few hours later, we had everything sorted out. I had until Winter 5th to stay at the Sundae Inn and still work to get a little extra money before I left. Pascal agreed to let me have an exception of a free ride until the next island or city, where I would find another inn to stay and and maybe a place to work until I had enough money to buy another house and start a new life.

The thought occurred to me that I didn't think I'd mind it quite as much if I hadn't met Chase. I quickly shoved it to the side.

"I guess I should get to work..." I said after a moment of silence where all of us sat at at one of the tables in the dining area.

Yolanda gave me a sharp look. "It's okay, Naomi, you should rest."

"No," I cut her off. "I want to work. It'll get my mind off this stuff."

Beside me Chase shook his head to stop Yolanda from protesting further. She gave an uncharacteristic defeated shrug. "I'll go tell Hamilton about your plans, then."

In the kitchen, I successfully preoccupied my troubled mind with cooking for around an hour until Chase painfully brought me back to reality.

"So you're staying for the cooking contest," he started.

I knew he hadn't intended on causing me pain, so I accepted the invite to a conversation. "Yeah. It's always been my favorite festival. Although this year I guess I'll have some competition," I realized with a little hollow laugh.

Chase flashed me a small grin that I barely caught out of the corner of my eye. For some reason I found it contagious enough to put a tiny smile on my own mouth.

"Just because you're leaving doesn't mean I'll go any easier. Unless you want me to?"

I blinked. We knew each other's feelings so well, yet we'd only become friends around a season ago. It was almost uncanny; we could practically read each others thoughts.

"Nah, give it all you got, please. I don't like it when people get all sympathetic when something happens to me."

He nodded. "I figured as much." See what I mean?

"You'll probably win, anyways," I sighed with a shrug. Nothing much I could do there.

I could practically see his eyebrows arch in my mind. "Don't be too sure about that, Naomi. First of all, your cooking's seriously good. Second, if you keep doubting yourself like that, you will end up losing to me. You're giving yourself a self-fulfilling prophecy."

I almost couldn't tell if my face was burning with more shame at his scolding or embarrassment from his praise. I busied myself with idly stirring my clam soup I was in the process of cooking instead of talking anymore.

"Too bad you'll miss the Thanksgiving Festival." He made my face red all over again right as it returned to its normal color. "I was looking forward to tasting your cake."

"How do you know I was even gonna give you cake?" I asked mischievously, determined not to hint him that I was embarrassed in any way.

"Well... I was going to give you cake."

Oh, I should've seen that one coming. Of course he was going to give me cake if he expected one for me. I mentally smacked myself and tried not to feel too stupid.

"Maybe I should just make one right now, then!" I suggested before I realized what I was saying.

"Beat ya to it." My eyes widened in surprise as I turned around to see Chase pulling a chocolate cake out of the oven. I had been so absorbed with my own cooking and the conversation that I didn't notice the smell or that he was using an oven.

He walked over and handed the cake to me, looking sad. "Thanks for being my friend. Happy early Thanksgiving."

I looked down, surprisingly not to hide my pink cheeks, but to hide the tears in my eyes. "Thank you, too." I hated the way my voice cracked. Suddenly the corner of my mouth twitched upward. "Hey... How'd you know I like chocolate cake best?"

"Lucky guess?"

I raised an eyebrow along with my gaze to look at him skeptically. He actually laughed - a true laugh, not sarcastic or hollow. "Are you kidding me? I've seen the way you scarf down chocolate. You always scoop up a fingerful of it to taste when you're making desserts, too."

Somehow I wasn't bothered that he noticed my little habit and fondness of chocolate. In fact, he seemed much more unsettled than me; I saw the color come to his cheeks as he realized what he had said.

And believe it or not... I felt pleased that Chase paid so much attention to me.

I had to switch the topic or do something quick before I let that disturbing thought sink in. "Well, thanks," I squeaked. "I'll make one for you tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded and went back to the cutting board.

I stood there thinking about what to cook next, and of course the only thing that came to mind was cake. I felt dumb again as I set to making Chase a carrot cake; hopefully he liked carrots. And early gifts.

I finished the cake right before closing time. Hastily, I pulled it from the oven and handed it to him before exiting the building, remembering all too late that I had nowhere to return home to.

"Naomi!" Yolanda looked at me in surprise. "I thought you were staying here until Winter."

"I... I wanted to see my house again." I came up with the brilliant excuse before I knew what I was saying. "It doesn't feel right not going home after work," I admitted.

She nodded in understanding and I gratefully passed her to continue to Caramel River.

My teeth found my lip as I took in the sight of my ruined house, half of it smashed in. The giant pine sat there with an almost arrogant air to it.

Pain flashed through me and I suddenly felt angry. Failing to suppress a yell of rage, I swiftly covered the remaining distance between the tree and myself and launched a kick at it, succeeding in taking a little bark off the damp trunk and stubbing all my toes.

Gritting my teeth, I limped over to a low branch coming off the side of the dead tree and sat down. I took off my boot and brought my throbbing foot up on my other knee so I could rub it until the pain went away.

Strangely, I found myself sending a prayer, to the Harvest Goddess. This was weird for me since I had never sent a prayer to anyone or for anything in my life that I could remember.

Please... My eyes closed and a tear rolled down my cheek. I didn't bother wiping it away. I thought everything happened for a reason. I guess Chase came to the island so we could be friends, even though he ruined my dream of becoming a legendary chef. My mom died so I would be closer to my other family and have a goal in life, maybe. But why bother with all that if it just adds up to me being sent away? It's not making any sense!

I sat there, my eyes remaining closed, for around a half-hour more until I decided I could bear to go back.

Nearly a season later, a few days before the Harvest Festival, the cooking contest, I got permission from Yolanda to get the day off work and use her kitchen. Why? To prepare a dish for the cooking contest, of course.

For a while, I actually forgot about having to move away and leave all my family and Chase behind. I felt the happiest I had been since the storm. See, that's what cooking does for me.

I guess I'll actually have to try this year, I thought with a little chuckle. Feeling pleasantly determined, I set to work laying out the bags of ingredients I brought and setting up the cooking supplies I would need. I knew from experience that you didn't just make one dish for the contest and call it good, no; you make several - at least ten - and then decide which one has the best chance of winning.

This year I'd probably have to make twenty before choosing; this was Chase I was competing with.

Unfortunately today my cooking skills seemed to be lacking. Quickly, I became discouraged. I began mindlessly making dish after dish after dish, most of which turned out burned or wrong in some way.

By the time the door opened I was so busy frustradedly stirring a pot of miso soup, I didn't notice until he came right up behind me and spoke.

"Need some help with that, Naomi?"

I was so startled by Chase's voice this time that I actually let out a yelp and jumped a little. But he didn't seem to mind or notice and reached over to put his hand over my own on the ladle.

Of course embarrassment was my main reaction to that. I would've been embarrassed anyways for him just to be standing as close as he was, but now he practically had his arm around me. I know he did it before, but I was feeling a bit traumatized then and he was just trying to be a good friend and supportive... Right?

Chase's firm grip on my hands brought me back to the present - sort of. He directed the ladle to start stirring the opposite way that I had been when he walked in and much, much slower. He didn't say anything more, leaving me to drown in my embarrassment and stare at the pot as my face steadily grew hotter and hotter.

Finally the soup was done. We both sensed it at the same time and stopped stirring, both of us reaching for the burner switch at the same time to turn it off. I almost couldn't help laughing, but somehow Chase didn't seem in that kind of mood.

I turned to face him. "So... Why are you here?"

The pot was in the corner of the room, so it felt very cramped. Chase was right there in front of me, and since he was already a little bit taller than me, him this close made me have to tilt my head up so I could look in his eyes. He gave me a curious lopsided smile. "Yolanda told me you were here... I guess I just wanted to see what you were cooking."

I raised my eyebrows half-jokingly. "More like wanted to make sure you cooked up something better than me!"

Chase scoffed and shook his head. "You have so many dishes here, how could I tell what you're going to enter?"

I didn't answer and just smiled. I felt more happy he was here, but I couldn't think of a way to ask him why he had helped me. We were supposed to be against each other, after all.

"Well, really, why are you here?" I repeated, my voice sounding more squeaky than I cared for.

Chase's eyebrows rose slightly. "T... To see you, of course. Why else?"

"Oh," I couldn't stop myself from saying. I blinked. I had thought maybe he had stopped by to pick up an ingredient he or Yolanda needed or something. I hoped I hadn't made him mad.

Suddenly Chase felt way too close. I started to scoot to my left to the open area of Yolanda's kitchen, but I felt Chase's hand touch my arm. I instinctively glanced over, giving him the instant to lean down and briefly brush his lips against mine. Within a second it was over; if you blinked you missed it.

I stood there, frozen in my position, eyes wide. He hadn't even given me a chance to blush! But he already had his back turned to me as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry to have interrupted your cooking. I should be getting back to work anyways," he said bluntly, then he was gone.

Even after he left, I was still motionless, sometimes chewing my lip, then pursing them, and on occasion lightly touching them with my fingers. Had I imagined that? It was so quick. But the soft, tiny sensation was still there.

Finally I shook my head and turned back around. Immediately I eyed the miso soup.

"Sometimes the simple stuff is the best stuff," I recalled Chase saying once while at work. I knew what I was going to enter in the contest now.

Three days later, on Fall twenty-seventh, I heated and then wrapped up my miso soup and started the long walk from the Sundae Inn to Brownie Ranch.

I found myself actually not caring if Chase won against me. It would just go to show that regular customers to the Inn wouldn't be missing much when I left, I reasoned.

Chase... Not for the first time since three days ago I wondered if I had been imagining the kiss he gave me.

Of course, the fastest route to Brownie Ranch was through the Maple Lake District, where Chase would undoubtedly show up right as I got there. I hadn't seen him since that little incident because of packing and was suddenly nervous. I vowed to act as normal as possible.

Right on cue, Chase was there to meet me at his house.

"Hey," he greeted me with a smile. Okay, so far pretty normal.

"Hi," I replied quietly. His purple gaze found my bowl of miso soup. He had no way of knowing what it was, though, since it had a cover over it to keep the heat in.

"Is that your dish? What is it?"

"None of your business!" I said teasingly, holding the bowl to my side so he couldn't see it anymore. On the inside I was suddenly doubting my choice. How would Chase react when I found out the recipe I had submitted was the one he had helped me with?

"Oh, come on. I'll tell you what I'm submitting..." He waved what he was carrying, a rectangular plate also covered, enticingly in front of me. I turned my head away defiantly.

"No way. You can show me yours, but I won't show you mine!"

"Fine then. Be that way." He turned his head away too. After a few seconds, though, we started laughing.

By the time we got to Brownie Ranch, I was infinitely relieved. Neither of us mentioned what had happened three nights ago and it was pretty much like old times. Again I was becoming a little more convinced it had just been my brain playing sick tricks on me.

We split up to do our own thing at the Festival. I made sure to submit my dish at a different time than Chase entered his, still feeling secretive for no apparent reason. I spent the rest of the time watching the mole-whacking game and adoring Renee's animals.

At five Mayor Hamilton called everyone over for Yolanda to announce the winners of the cooking contest. Feeling a thrill of nervousness, then scolding myself for caring if I won or not, I made my way over and ended up standing next to Chase.

"Hello again," I murmured to him.

"Long time no see." He flashed me a humorous grin. I rolled my eyes at the bad joke.

Yolanda cleared her throat. "Now, I'm happy to announce the winners of this year's Harvest Festival cooking contest. In third place is Elli, with her chocolate cake!"

Everyone clapped politely for the Flower Bud Village girl, who looked happily surprised.

"Next, in second place is..."

I braced myself for my name.

"Colleen, with her vegetable sandwich!"

I hoped my surprise didn't show on my face. That meant... either Chase came in first and my dish didn't even make it, or vice versa, which I sincerely doubted. When my eyes flicked over to Chase for a second, he looked slightly confused too.

My brow furrowed as Yolanda continued with a large smile. "And last but not least, in first place is... Both Chase and Naomi, with chestnut pie and miso soup! This year is the first time we've ever had a tie."

We turned to look at each other, startled by this turn of events. Everyone clapped politely again, though some people looked mildly surprised.

Then Chase smiled. "Well, that was a nice surprise." I could only nod. I wondered if Yolanda was just trying to be nice because I was moving away. Again, I scolded myself. I was being too pessimistic.

Elli, Colleen, Chase and I stayed afterwards to collect our prizes, then we all headed home for the night. Colleen and Elli congratulated me and Chase, but then went silent for the rest of the walk to town.

Right as we arrived at the door to the Sundae Inn, Aunt Colleen turned and gazed at me sadly. I felt uncomfortable as she stared.

Finally she spoke softly. "Everyone will miss you, Naomi. Especially Chase."

I hoped it was too dark for her to see the color of my face. "Um, yeah, we were good friends," I muttered, not quite sure what to say.

She tilted her head, smiling knowingly. "I'm not so sure you were just friends."

I bit my lip. Not this again. "Please, Aunt Colleen, I can't go getting more attached to people than I already am when I'm leaving in six days. I don't know how I'll handle leaving everyone right now as it is anyway!" There was a note of pleading in my voice that in any other circumstances would have kept hidden. Without waiting for my aunt to reply, I pushed past her into the building.

But by now I had stopped denying it on the inside. I did love Chase. He was the only friend I'd ever had, so of course it was going to sprout into something more. It had been inevitable, now that I thought about it.

All the same, I still had to leave him.

The next day I had work off again since it was a Sunday. I slept in, until 10 o'clock, and slowly, groggily, got dressed and made my way downstairs. Everyone greeted me cheerfully, and I tried to return it but was still a bit too sleepy. I ended up yawning and raising a hand in reply.

As I plopped down into a chair at one of the tables, Yolanda came over with some herb tea for me.

"Oh, thank you," I said sincerely.

"Do you want breakfast?" she asked with a smile.

"Nah, I missed it. I can wait until lunch. You don't need to strain yourself for me." I tilted my head to the side. Was everyone in an unusually good mood because they thought it might cheer my up about leaving? Only five more days to go.

My grandma shrugged and scuttled off to resume preparing the kitchen for tomorrow.

I sighed and took a long drink from the tea. I was pretty hungry, but lunch was only a few hours away. After I finished my drink, I set off to help Yolanda in the kitchen. Man, good moods could be so contagious. Maybe that was her reason. Make me in a happy state so I'd feel more inclined to help out.

I was smiling to myself at that thought around eleven when the door opened to reveal none other than - you guessed it - Chase.

"Hey guys, just thought I might stop by to help too. I don't have anything better to do," he responded to our questioning looks. Soon he was in the kitchen with me and Yolanda, assisting us with washing the heaps of leftover dirty dishes from the week and straightening out tablecloths and such. We made pleasant, uninteresting chat as we worked. I realized my good mood had been boosted when Chase had announced he had come to help out. I wondered vaguely if I would be able to stand it when I moved away.

Yet, if I didn't know him any better, Chase's movements, his attitude... He seemed nervous. I was totally baffled, but I tried to shrug it off.

At around eleven-thirty Yolanda went home, leaving the last few tidbits and odd dishes for us to finish.

I was setting the last cup in the cupboard when I heard Chase speak up.

"So... Naomi," he started, sounding unsure. I turned to look at him, but found his eyes trained on the plate he was washing.

"Yeah?" I asked, feeling strangely amused. Chase wasn't one to get all stutter-y and nervous.

"I was... Well, I was wondering if you'd like to, uh, go on a picnic with me for lunch." He concentrated intensely on his plate, scrubbing it much harder than necessary. His face was the pinkest I had ever seen.

I found myself trying to smother giggles. Jeez, good moods weren't just contagious; they were intoxicating. "Sure," I managed with a grin. "What, did you think I would say no for some reason?"

He didn't answer and just looked extremely relieved instead. He finished mauling the poor plate with his scrubbing and handed it to me so I could dry it and put it away.

"So, where to?" I asked as we headed out together. To my own surprise, I didn't feel strange or awkward; in fact, I felt very confident.

"I need to stop by my place to grab the food and stuff, and after that I was thinking Alan's Tree at Brownie Ranch?"

I nodded. "Sounds good." Chase was seeming more himself again, but there was still that jittery nervousness underneath that I couldn't understand. I originally thought him asking me for the picnic was the reason for it; obviously he had been planning that. So what else was he thinking of?

I tried not to let that overcrowd my other thoughts, because, hey, it was a sunny day, I was going on a picnic with my best friend, and I was supposed to be in a good mood. I should just relax and chill out for once, stop being suspicious of everything and have some fun.

I waited patiently for Chase as he went inside his house to get food. My stomach rumbled loudly, and I grimaced. I hoped I wouldn't eat like a total pig in front of him, even more so with how good his cooking was.

Soon we had settled down by the big oak tree and ate our lunch, mostly in silence. It wasn't awkward, though, it was pleasant as we enjoyed the cloudless sky, the birds chirping and the mild heat from the sun. It was a gorgeous day, especially for the last day of Fall.

"Your cooking really is the best," I spoke up this time as I finished dessert, some delicious chocolate cookies Chase had no doubt made because I loved chocolate. "Customers at the Inn won't be missing much when I'm gone." My mouth formed a wistful smile as I wiped off my fingers.

I felt Chase's eyes on me. "What do you mean? Of course they would! Your cooking's pretty much as good as mine." I didn't catch how he used "would" instead of "will".

The smile stayed on my lips as I shook my head. "You wouldn't have noticed, but business went up after you started working at the Sundae Inn again. Plus, I was never friends with anyone besides you."

"I bet you they couldn't tell the difference between my cooking and yours. And just because you don't consider someone a friend doesn't mean they don't care about you." He sounded defensive. "Either way, what's not to like about you?"

My eyes averted to the ground. "My bad cooking, my secretive personality," I muttered, but Chase didn't hear.

"You're smart, funny, witty, nice, strong-willed, pretty..."

I looked up at him now, blushing. Darn it, I had been good about that today until now!

He returned my gaze confidently. "It's true."

My good mood was slowly diminishing. I didn't blame Chase, he had been trying to help, but still... I wrapped my arms around my knees and sank my head down.

"Well, I know I'll miss your cooking."

I felt like snorting, but remained silent.

"Don't believe me, huh?" Before I knew what was happening, a hand on my chin gently forced me to look over at Chase, then his lips were on mine.

To tell you the truth, I was glad he'd done that.

About five seconds later we broke apart. I didn't feel like I could hide anything anymore; I was free of my secret. I rested my head on his shoulder. "You know, Chase, ever since you came to Waffle Island, you've made my life miserable. But I think that just made up for all of it," I laughed quietly.

He smiled. "I tried to make that one night at Yolanda's a little more romantic, just to let you know, but you weren't exactly cooperating." The smile turned into a small grin.

I was silent for a few seconds. So that hadn't been my imagination.

Then I frowned. "What will Maya think of all this? She really likes you, I hope you've realized."

"Yeah, I know. Who cares what Maya thinks, though? She's out of luck, as far as I'm concerned."

"Well, maybe for now, but she's going to be after you like there's no tomorrow when I leave." My frown deepened and I felt the threat of tears behind my eyes. "I really don't want to leave you now."

"Hm?" Chase sounded confused for a moment. "Oh! That's right. I almost forgot..."

Curiosity sparked as he reached into one of his pockets. He saw me lean over to get a better look and he scolded me, "Close your eyes!"

Feeling like a naughty kid trying to peek at her birthday present, I obeyed. Something soft was pressed into my hand. It felt like... A feather? Suddenly my heart sped up. That was something important, but I couldn't remember! What did it mean...?

"You can open your eyes now." There was that nervous undertone again in his voice, only a lot more noticeable now. I opened my eyes to glance down to see what I was holding. I think I nearly fainted.

A blue feather was resting in my palm. Oh yeah. That's what was important about a feather. Chase had just proposed to me!

At first I was utterly speechless. Why would he propose to me five days from me moving away? Oh, of course. Because if I said yes, I wouldn't have to!

Beside me, Chase looked anxious. I felt bad for making him wait, but I was still in major shock.

I thought about it for a few more moments. Then I realized my answer would have been the same no matter what.

"Yes!" I cried, hugging him. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Things were definitely looking up.