I kind of love and hate this chapter...I mean, I like that things are slowly starting to happen but I'm more excited about future things XD Chapter three, which is already written, is my favorite so far, I think :3 I can't wait~ But one thing I really like about this chapter is Jack. I tried to portray him differently then most fics do, so hopefully that'll be interesting for you guys ^___^

Also, sorry for my absence! The next long break won't be til school in August (sigh). But thanks for taking part in the poll while I was away. When I left, Rick and Kai were tied, but as I predicted, Kai is now dominating ;) And he hadn't even shown up yet! But he's here in this chapter, so enjoy. :D And if there's any Rick fans out there, go help him out in the poll! Haha XD

I appreciate all feedback :) Reviews are what keep me going sometimes. If you have time, I'd really like to hear from you.

Next update will be the Friday after next 'cause I want to work on my other fics. :P

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Chapter 2

I woke up with a yawn, not feeling entirely rested, but I forced myself awake anyway. I'd stayed up late trying to get answers about Jack out of Popuri, but she'd stayed uncharacteristically tight-lipped, giving me only the bare bones facts: He was a farmer. He was quiet, probably because he was shy, and wasn't seen around town very often. He'd come in the spring. So far he hadn't gone to any of the festivals.

She told me all of this matter-of-factly, like she was holding back, and I wondered if it was because she was interested in him. Or knew he was interested in her. Nevertheless, she remained unusually silent on the subject.

I'd also managed to ask the question that'd been on my mind all day, though I hated to admit it, and had tried to hold myself back from doing it for as long as I could.

"Is Kai in town yet?" I asked innocently, studying my fingers in a way that I hoped looked to be innocuous.

Something changed on her face, and I couldn't tell if she was upset. "He comes back tomorrow."

So that was why I hadn't seen him while she was taking me all over town. I was dying to ask more—to find out if she still liked him, if she still wanted to hang out with him, if she still had any resentment towards either of us for what we'd done to her.

But I didn't, because I wanted to avoid stirring up any bad feelings. The most important thing was that I was friends with her again, and that Kai didn't matter anymore because I had Rick.

I cringed in my sleeping bag. Well, maybe I don't have him anymore after what happened yesterday… I shut my eyes until the waves of remembered embarrassment subsided, and then I crawled out of my sleeping back as silently as I could. Popuri was still asleep and I knew I wouldn't wake her as I slipped into my flip-flops and padded out into the hallway.

No one else was awake in the house yet, which was something I was at that moment grateful for. Usually I wouldn't have minded bumping into Rick in the mornings like I'd sometimes done before, but I felt relieved he wasn't in the kitchen this time for two reasons: one, I knew I couldn't take the mortification triggered just by the thought of him, and two, I didn't want anyone to see me leave the house, because I was on my way to see Kai.

I couldn't believe I was actually doing it, but I couldn't stop myself either. Popuri said he was arriving that day. I knew that there was the likelihood he wouldn't even be in Mineral Town yet, but I still had to check. It was probably the only chance, especially since it seemed like Popuri certainly wasn't going to be taking me.

When I got to the Seaside Lodge, I didn't see anyone behind the counter, and I felt a disproportionate amount of disappointment. I still walked over to the shack anyway, and my pulse quickened with anticipation when I heard a shuffling noise. Moments later, Kai's upper body appeared; he'd been kneeling down behind the counter.

"Claire," he said, looking surprised to see me. He was dressed in his usual summery garb and seemed slightly out of breath, like he'd just finished doing some heavy lifting.

"What's up?" I answered casually, pretending like it was perfectly normal for me to show up at his place at the crack of dawn after no contact with him for a whole year.

Well—that wasn't entirely accurate. He'd sent me one postcard a month or two after I'd left, one of the cheesy kinds with a picture of the beach. Wish you were here, he'd written, with a little winking smiley face. Though I would never admit it, especially to him, that postcard had occupied my mind for quite a while. What did he mean, exactly? Was he just teasing me? Or could he actually be serious? The smiley face seemed to indicate the former, but I'd never known for sure. And how had he gotten my address? Perhaps he'd contacted Lillia for it. I'd finally pushed it out of my mind by deciding it was merely another one of his games and didn't answer it.

Anyway, I knew he would be surprised, but I pretended everything was normal. After all, we'd agreed to be friends, hadn't we? And friends visited each other, didn't they? Of course they did.

"I'm just opening some boxes of shipments and organizing everything…I had Zack deliver my inventory so it'd be ready when I got here." He wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead and then said, "You never wrote back."

I knew immediately he was referring to his postcard.

I studied his face carefully, but it was indecipherable and I couldn't tell if he was actually upset or not.

So I replied, as glibly as I could, "I was busy."

"Oh, ouch," he moaned, gripping the spot over his heart. "Is that how you treat the guy who's in love with you?"

I stared at him wordlessly, waiting for the punch line. Or maybe that was the punch line.

"What, are you surprised? Didn't I tell you I wasn't going to bow out gracefully?"

He remembered.

My mouth unhinged.

I was consumed by the dizzying thought of he's in love with me oh crap he's in love with me oh crap—

Then he laughed, mischievous delight filling his features. "Jeez, Claire. You can pick your jaw up off the ground now. I was just kidding."

If it was possible, my jaw only dropped further. The shock drained away, replaced by tongue-tied fury. "You—! But—!"

"But what?" He cut me off, grinning. "You seem disappointed."

"I—I'm not disappointed, you jerk! I'm mad! I mean…you did say you weren't giving up! And then you kissed me! And…and that postcard! And now with you saying—!" The words spilled out of me, frustration unstopping my inhibitions. "How did you think I was going to react?!"

"Uh-huh. You're as uptight as always, Claire. I thought you knew I was joking with all of that stuff, but…" He shook his head and sighed before continuing. "I suppose I was too convincing." He said it smugly, like even he was impressed by his own brilliant acting skills.

I rolled my eyes, but for some reason I was laughing a little, too. "So you weren't serious," I said, in a disbelieving tone.

He responded just one beat too slowly, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. "…Of course I wasn't. Did I let you down? Like I said, you seem disappointed."

"Well, I'm not."

"Okay."

"I'm not," I repeated, more firmly this time.

"Okay," he said again, shrugging, but I saw he was concealing a smile.

"Ugh," I grumbled, trying to stay mad, but I couldn't. I gave in and snorted a laugh. "You're such a jerk."

"That's me. Watch out—if you're not careful, I might steal the flip-flops back again."

"I'd like to see you try," I challenged, leaning against the counter.

"I might," he said warningly, shaking his finger. "How else am I supposed to get you to come visit me again?"

"Yeah, about that…"

"What?" He looked concerned, as if he were worried I was going to say I wasn't going to visit him ever again or something.

"Well, I…I figure with Rick and everything, it'd be best if…if we didn't do that anymore. At night, at least. I mean, I don't mind being friends with you during the day. If you can behave yourself." I smiled, trying to sound upbeat about it.

"Ohhh, I see how it is. Your boyfriend might get jealous." I bit my lip when I heard him say the word "boyfriend" but didn't correct him, though it didn't seem to be the right word to describe Rick in relation to me. "Hmm, not much we can do about that. I'll do what I can to be on my best behavior, then. And we'll stop the nightly visits."

I blinked, not really believing what I was hearing. "Seriously?" It was that easy?

"Seriously," he affirmed.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I still didn't believe what he was saying was true. Last summer, when he'd told me he wasn't going to "bow out gracefully"…well, he'd said it in typical Kai fashion, but there seemed to be something more behind it. More to that peck on the cheek. And now he was telling me that none of it meant anything, and he was going to leave me alone. It was a little disorienting.

But I should be happy, right? I want Kai to give up on me.

"…Thanks," I finally answered, but I didn't feel like I meant it.

* * *

Kai and I talked for a few more minutes, but it felt awkward. Or maybe it was just me. Despite that, however, and despite how irritating he could be, I really was glad to see him again. We'd spent a lot of time together the previous summer, just talking, and it was good to know I'd still have him as a friend.

I said goodbye and then headed back to Chicken Lil's, hoping to make it back before anyone woke up. As home came into view, I saw a person standing nearby, leaning against the fence and looking up at the building. I sped up a little, and when I got closer, I realized it was Jack.

"Good morning," I called out, slowing down once I was close enough for him to hear me.

He jumped and his head snapped over towards me in surprise. He smiled once he recognized me and I smiled back. "Hey," he replied, a bit shyly, sounding relieved. "Claire, right?"

"Yeah." I came to a stop a few feet away. "Er…is there anything I can help you with, Jack?"

"Well…" He trailed off, his face turning a bit pink. "Actually, I was looking for Popuri. I, um—I hadn't quite gotten to knocking on the door yet, though."

"Oh," I said, smiling wider. This guy seemed so sweet and innocent. "I don't think she's awake yet, sorry…"

"Oh, that's okay. I figured as much." He seemed to cringe inwardly a little. "Um…I'm kind of surprised to see that you're up, actually—I mean, I wake up early for the farm work, but I'm not used to seeing anyone else…"

"Yeah, I—I had somewhere to go. And I'm an early riser to begin with, I think. But uh, would you like me to check on her for you? I'm sure she'd like to see you."

"Th-that's okay!" he blurted, stammering a bit before clearing his throat. "I mean. You don't have to. I think I'll be going now, anyway."

"Okay…well, I'll at least tell her you stopped by."

"All right. Thanks."

He waved and started to walk away, but then I called out to him. "Wait. Jack." He stopped and turned back around.

"Hm?"

"Listen…" I broke off, glancing around to make sure we were alone before I went on. "…You like Popuri, right?"

His face flamed bright red now. "N-n-n-no, of course n-not! I don't kn-know what you're t-talking about."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake," I said, pretending to look convinced by his less-than-persuasive declaration. "Well, I was going to tell you something about the festival that's in a few days, but I guess if you don't…"

"No, wait! Tell me! I-I mean, I don't, but I—I'm curious."

I tried to stifle my grin. "Oh, okay. It's just a swimming festival, but I know Popuri's going to be there. And you know, so will the rest of the town. But anyway, I was just thinking that you should go, too."

"Why?" Jack's question came instantly, like he'd forgotten he wasn't supposed to be so eager. He was child-like in an endearing way, and it was hard to remember he was actually a year older than me.

"Well, there's gonna be this big race that all the men in town compete in, and I was just thinking how impressed Popuri would be with whoever won. For instance…hypothetically speaking…if oh, I don't know…say that you won, I bet she'd pay even more attention to you. In theory, of course."

His face lit up for a moment, and then he finally seemed to remember that he was trying to be more nonchalant. "Well, that's…something to think about, I guess. Now that you mention it, maybe I will go. You know, for the spirit of competition. Not because I have to win for Popuri or anything."

"Of course," I agreed, nodding.

He looked satisfied with this reasoning and then gave another wave. "Well, I've got to get going. Thanks for letting me know about it, Claire."

"No problem," I answered, waving back. I felt satisfied, too. I'd never played matchmaker before, and it was actually kind of fun.

* * *

Too bad I couldn't be as successful in my own love life. "My own love life"—also know as the complete crashing, burning, horrendous failure so bad that even if you squinted really hard and tilted your head to the side, you still couldn't recognize it as resembling anything anywhere near romance.

Okay, so maybe it hadn't gotten that bad. At least Rick was still talking to me. But it was the friendly, joking, hey-aren't-we-good-buddies kind of thing. Which was fine, except that I wanted more…well, physical contact. It was as if Rick thought I needed space or something, and taken our relationship two steps back—back to the way things had been before I'd ever kissed him.

Not that I could blame him for getting that impression. After all, I'd ducked my head when he tried to kiss me. But as much as I would've liked to be able to sit down and talk to him, Chicken Lil's had become a flurry of activity with the wedding. Rick would usually slip out of the house to get out of the way without me even noticing. I was secretly a little disappointed and even a bit bothered by the fact that he never invited me along with him. I could've used the escape from the chaos myself. Plus, I did want to spend more time with him.

We still had the time when we took care of the chickens, though I usually let Rick do most of the talking. And there were times when even his attempt at polite friendliness failed, and we fell victim to suffocating awkward silences broken up by the squawking of the poultry.

Finally, I decided I'd had enough. We finished up with the chickens one evening and headed back inside. I walked a little behind him, and before we got to the door I reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. Not too hard; just enough to get his attention so he'd stop.

"Rick…can I talk to you for a second?" I let my hand drop once he turned to face me.

"Um, sure," he replied, shifting so that he was standing a respectful distance away. He shoved his hands deep inside his pockets. "What is it?"

"Well…um, I just…I know you're avoiding me." He opened his mouth to protest, but I continued on before he could speak. "Or maybe not avoiding me exactly, but…I mean, you're not being…well…anyway, it's my fault and I'm sorry. For suddenly turning you down when you tried to—to kiss me. I didn't mean to give you mixed signals or whatever. I guess…I sort of just freaked out for a second, not because of you, but just—" I stopped, unsure of how to finish. I didn't really feel like I was off to a great start. "Just, because I'm stupid. And now I kind of miss you. A lot. Like, I want to be able to do more than just hang out with you…"

My face was burning by the end of my speech. It felt like the air surrounding us had raised a good five degrees just by the sheer intensity of the heat emanating off my face. What I'd said felt very un-Claire like and embarrassing—it felt wrong to put myself out there like that, and so incoherently. I waited with bated breath for his reaction.

And what was that reaction? It was to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, my voice going high with humiliation. I wanted desperately to scoop up the words I'd just spewed and shove them back into my mouth. So much for putting myself out there.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, his speech slightly muffled by the hand he cupped over his mouth. "I'm just…I'm relieved, I guess."

"Relieved?" I hadn't quite been expecting him to say that.

"Yeah. I thought that…oh, I don't know. That maybe you hated me or something."

"N-no, I wouldn't ever hate you," I said quickly, trying not to be aware of my own mushiness. "Why would I hate you?"

He shrugged, laughing a little again. "I don't know. I guess it's really hard for me to believe that you could possibly feel the same way as me…"

"Well, I do," I answered, smiling back in reassurance. I felt relieved myself. "I mean, I think I do. How do you feel, exactly?" I felt silly for asking, but I wanted to hear him say it out loud, in his own words.

"Hmm…let's see. I can't stop thinking about you. I want to spend all my time with you. And ever since that time—well, I wish I could touch you again, even if it's just for a second." I could tell he was trying really hard to keep his voice relaxed, but his face was bright red. We matched.

I reached for his hand at the same time he reached for mine. He brought my hand up with his so that our palms were pressed flat against each other and our fingers were splayed out. I looked at those fingers that were so much longer than my own, and then finally, he kissed me and I closed my eyes and I forgot about our hands.

I forgot we were standing just a foot away from the doorstep, and that Popuri or even Lillia could open the door and find us.

And, happily, I did not have even a fleeting remembrance of Kai or when he kissed me or anything he'd said to me, today or before.

Right, I was too full of thoughts of the boy right in front of me.

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