Oh golly, I'm sorry this took me so long. I've been distracted by lots of stuff lately. Namely my stress, though. I've been packing it on for almost a week now. D: Anyone know any good stress relievers? Anyways, back on topic, let us see what happens to Claire and Gray now, shall we? :D It's back to Claire's point of view, by the way.
I had fallen asleep in Gray's arms; it was my dream come true. Actually, my dream went more like this...
I was standing in the middle of the Mineral Town farm. All around me were hundreds of corn stalks, and they were all ready to be harvested.
I sighed with satisfaction at the field and looked around me.
As I looked back at the house, a small toddler waddled out of the front door and ran over toward me. He was a sweet little redheaded boy in blue pajamas, and he had bright aqua-colored eyes. As he neared my spot in the field, he reached out toward me, beckoning for me to pick him up.
I smiled sweetly at the boy and picked him up in my arms, nuzzling his cheek with my nose. He giggled and looked behind him, reaching toward the man that had just walked onto the farm.
I turned my head toward the farm entrance and made my way out of the maze of corn. The man who had walked onto the farm was none other than...
"Mm...Gray..." I mumbled, attempting to roll over, only to find I couldn't. I slowly fluttered my eyes open, the corners of my mouth slightly tugging downward into a small frown until I looked up to see deep blue eyes gazing into my own.
I felt my lips slightly twitch upward at the spacey look in his eyes. But I also had a nervous feeling that I'd mumbled his name in my sleep. Way to go, Clarisse, way to go.
"Gray? Hello?" I spoke slightly softly, waving my hand in front of his face.
He didn't say anything, nor did his expression change. He just reached up and grabbed my hand, pulling me closer to him. I felt myself blush as our noses lightly touched together.
"What are you two doing in there?!" Ann's voice boomed from just outside the door.
I instantly jumped back, pulling myself away from Gray and snapping him back into reality.
"N-nothing!" I shouted back, hoping the door wouldn't be kicked in or something.
Luckily for me, the door was just swung open and the redheaded waitress simply stood in the doorway. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, looking Gray and I over.
"Why is your face so red, Claire?" Ann raised her eyebrow at me, and then looked back over to Gray.
"I uh...um..." I fumbled around my brain for an excuse. There's no way I could tell her that I fell asleep on Gray, and then he almost tried to KISS me!
"She fell asleep, and your yelling woke her up." Gray mumbled, standing up and grabbing his hat off the nightstand.
"Oh? And where did you fall asleep, missy?" Ann inquired, placing her hands on her hips.
"Uh, on the mattress...?" I blinked at the redhead, hoping she would just let the topic drop right away.
"Tch, it's only three o' clock, Claire! You should save sleeping for later!"
"Three...o' clock? Goddess, why did I put on my pajamas, then?" I groaned, sliding my hand down my face.
"I don't know." Ann shrugged.
"I'm going for a walk..." Gray mumbled, placing his hat firmly on his head and walking out of the room.
"So, you must be hungry, Claire! Come down stairs for a snack!" Ann chirped, taking my arm and dragging me out of the room.
"Well, I guess I'm kind of hungry." I mumbled, my stomach growling as if to say, "You're more than just kind of hungry."
"My dad is the best cook ever, so he made you a boxed lunch!" Ann beamed happily, dragging me down the stairs.
"Careful on the stairs, Ann! Or we'll both fall!" I squeaked, trying to keep up with her pace.
"Ah, afternoon, Claire." Doug greeted, washing a glass cup. "Your boxed lunch is right here." He placed the glass down and held out a small box filled with food he'd made.
"Thanks so much, but you didn't have to make anything for me." I reached out and grabbed the small box, opening it to see rice balls, sushi, and some pineapple slices.
"It's nothing. It's just a small snack to tide you over until dinner in a few hours." Doug gave me a smile and motioned for me to go sit down at a table.
I nodded at the bartender and took a seat at the table closest to the stairs. I set the box in front of me and grabbed a rice ball, nibbling on the edge of it.
"I'll be right back, dad! I'm going to get all of the girls, okay?" The waitress rushed out the door, not even waiting for her father's response.
I shook my head and continued to munch on the snacks that my gracious host's father had prepared for me. It felt right to be in this town, but it also felt right to be in the valley. I dropped my half eaten rice ball back into the box and buried my face in my hands. What am I going to do? Should I stay in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and run the risk of only seeing Gray on Thursdays? Or, should I move here and never see any of my Forget-Me-Not friends unless I decide to waltz back over there and risk being shunned because I left my own father's farm?
"Claire, if you have a problem, you can talk about it. It'll make you feel a lot better." Doug stated, motioning me to come to the bar.
I nodded and stood up, taking my boxed lunch with me to the counter top.
"Well, you see..." I wracked my brain, trying to think of a way to tell the bartender without sounding like I wanted him to make a decision for me.
"You're stressed out because you don't know if you should move here, or if you should stay back on your ranch in the valley, right?" The older man smiled down at me. "Don't rush your thoughts; give yourself enough time to think about all of it. For now, just enjoy your stay here, and then when you get back home, don't think about it for a while until you get back into your regular work pattern."
I let my head drop onto the table as I thought more. "It's so hard to choose, though..."
The bartender put his hand on my shoulder, "Just relax for a while. Don't over think your situation just yet. And, if it helps, talk to your friends in the valley for advice. Don't you have a bartender there you can talk to?"
"Yeah...that's what I'll do. I'll talk to Griffin as soon as the bar opens tomorrow." I picked myself off of the counter top and smiled at Doug. "Thanks for all of your help..."
"It's what I've got to do, Darlin'. You might just end up being my daughter-in-law." The older man laughed, winking at me.
I felt myself flush and turned my back toward Doug. This guy is crazy! I shook my head rapidly and started munching on my rice ball once again.
"I'm back! Did you miss me?!" Ann shouted, bursting through the front door with Karen in tow and the other girls behind her. "It is time to party!"
I ran my hand down my face, but smiled at the group of girls. As long as I'm here in Mineral town, I should just relax and enjoy myself.
I'm sorry, but I've got to stop it here. The next chapter will be the girls' party. I'll try to get it out within the week, but with all of the stuff that's been going on in my life; I just don't know if I can do it. Ugh, real life sucks.