4. Rivalry
It had taken Annie a great deal longer than she would like to admit before she realized that the beautiful blonde woman posed no threat to her.
In her mind, the rivalry had been very real for the better part of her second year in Oak Tree Town.
When had it started? Well, that would be whenever her heart first started to skip a beat in the presence of the town's resident gentleman. So in that case, perhaps it was the better part of her full first two years in the small town.
The older woman was quicker to the punch than she was, to be frank. Perhaps it was in spring of her second year, when she had decided to act on her feelings and begin seeking out more of Klaus's time and attention.
In a naive way, Annie had hoped that no one would think anything of it. She had given gifts to other villagers, even other bachelors within the town. Nothing got past Iris, though.
So one autumn morning, upon visiting Klaus's home to drop off some freshly harvested tea leaves, she stumbled upon the two of them having coffee on his couches.
"Good morning, Annie!" Iris had chirped cheerfully. "I was just about to update Klaus on my newest project, care to join?"
Her happiness and ease as she reclined against the dark couches made Annie's stomach clench uncomfortably, so her silence was apparently taken as acceptance.
"Excellent! Oh, and you brought tea – you always preferred tea didn't you, Klaus? Let's brew some for us to enjoy."
Numbly, Annie handed the tea leaves to Klaus who smiled at her politely with a look that she felt was perhaps apologetic. Did he feel guilty because her advances were noticed but uncared for?
As the perfumer set to work boiling water for the tea, Iris pulled the young farmer to the side.
"Klaus and I like to get together and talk about each other's work," she said and for a moment Annie thought she was going to faint from the tension in her neck. Was the blonde gloating now? Annie was not prepared to handle a full assault from her rival. Not with that relaxed smile on her face, so full of easy confidence and calm. Not with those beautifully pressed clothes draping over perfectly shaped curves.
"We're close in age, so it's fun talking to him..." Iris continued, the mirth evident in her eyes as she watched Annie squirm. "...but just FYI, we're not together or anything."
Annie was almost entirely certain that the great bubbling laugh that erupted from the blonde was purely due to the shocked relief that the farmer felt melt right through her – from head to toe.
Needless to say, their so-called rivalry quickly dissolved into a wonderful friendship. In fact, that morning was probably the best tea Annie had ever tasted and the best company Annie had enjoyed in a long time.
