Chapter 9: Getting to Know You
She hated it when people checked on her. It made her feel… vulnerable. Like the entire world could see her faults; like everyone was staring at them, judging her. She'd been that way with Alan, even though he was her best friend. With Shane, it wasn't any different. Her attitude lately did make her realize one thing though: she wasn't functional. Not really.
Sure, she weeded her plants and did her farming duty, but lately, she was just going through the motions. She wasn't really there mentally speaking. The dogs were fine, though, and so was the cat, so it didn't really matter, did it? Who would care? She could stay out of town for a while; she had managed to make a seed extractor, which worked rather well with the majority of her crops. She didn't have to go into town to sell her wares either; Lewis did that for her, though sometimes she did wonder at what price. No one would notice or care if she didn't go into town for a while, right? Would they even notice if she died?
"Ms. Lizzy!" Wrong, apparently. The brunette turned, shielding her eyes from the sun as she turned towards the sound. She frowned slightly at the sight of a dark purple haired figure running up towards her. Lizzy dusted her dirty hands off on her jeans.
"Jas? Is everything okay?" Why was she here? The only reason she could think of was if something was wrong with-
"Yeah, everything's fine." A gruff voice behind the girl said as a figure made its way between the trees.
"Shane. What are you guys doing here?"
"Jas wanted to visit. Something about making cookies like you promised." His cheeks turned slightly red as he looked away, running a hand through unruly hair. His god daughter looked up at the brunette eagerly as the dogs trotted over, sniffing the newcomers before running back off. Lizzy sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair which was now falling past her shoulders. Shane's gaze shot to her, so she managed a weak smile. She didn't really want him asking what was wrong. Not when she wasn't all that sure herself.
"Yeah, sure. Let me see if I have what we need, and we can make some today."
"You don't have to today if you're busy," the man replied, moving so a hand rested on Jas's shoulder.
"Nah, it's fine. Let me just look in my cabinets. Jas, will you watch the cat for me? Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."
The girl nodded happily and chased after the black animal, while he waited until she was near before darting off to a nearby tree. It was Maxwell's favorite game next to hide and seek.
She walked into the house and over to the cabinets. The only full part was the spice cabinet. She had brought all of those with her when she moved. The rest of the cabinets were rather… empty. Depressingly so. There were some items that she had foraged and dried in containers, but she kept the majority of things she was going to eat in the fridge, and the rest in the freezer for "harder times." She wasn't really sure what that meant anymore; lately, she just hadn't felt like eating, so she didn't. It probably explained why she kept on getting busy in the middle of the day.
"Been a while since you last went shopping?" The voice behind her made her jump as she slammed the fridge door closed.
"Something like that." She looked away from him, as she spoke. "We'll have to get stuff from Pierre's before we bake." She walked past the man, grabbing her purse automatically as well as some reusable grocery bags. A hand touched her shoulder, and she reflexibility stiffened.
"Are you alright?" His voice was soft as he stepped in front of her, forcing her to look at him with his other hand. Lizzy sighed and closed her eyes rather than meet his gaze.
"I don't know."
She seemed to have enough gold to buy the groceries, so why didn't she have enough food? Shane contemplated as they walked back from Pierre's. Maybe she was saving for the next season; wasn't that something farmers had to do? As they walked through the door, he set the things on the counter, noting that there was a table and a few chairs, but no couch. She had a tv at least, but the place was pretty bare. Why hadn't he noticed before?
"Let's make sugar cookies," Lizzy told Jas. "That way you can ice them if you want. Then, we'll have some dinner."
The girl nodded excitedly, hanging on to her every word. Time for him to leave, then. He wasn't really into the whole cooking thing. He grabbed a chair and was about to drag it into the living room when the purple-haired girl skipped up to him. "You're going to help us too, right Uncle Shane?"
Yoba he couldn't say no to those puppy eyes. Not when he'd been acting like a shit guardian lately. When he went out and drank, it was Jas that he disappointed the most. He wasn't sure if he even deserved the kid anymore. "I guess." Lizzy raised thin brows before hiding a smile behind her hand.
"Okay, then Jas we need to pull up your hair, and both of you need to go wash your hands. Then we'll get started." The brunette expertly used a hair tie on Jas's locks before giving her a slight push. "Bathroom's through the bedroom." Lizzy rolled up her own sleeves and washed her own hands in the sink as Shane followed closely behind, using it after she was done. She looked at him for a moment before putting away the things they bought; the eggs and butter in the fridge next to the milk, leaving out only what they would need. The flour and sugar she simply put on the table after wiping it off. Jas was back before he could manage to say anything, and the group began to bake.
Cookies were much more complicated compared to what he was used to; the hardest thing he cooked were the pepper poppers he had to put in the oven for a few minutes. The so called "art" of baking was completely lost on him. But, Jas absolutely loved it. She loved learning to mix the dry things and then add the wet, how much of what to add when. Her favorite part, and his, if he was honest, was rolling the dough and cutting out the shapes. Lizzy apparently made cookies a lot if the amount of shapes she had said anything. His goddaughter chose ones at random, even ones that didn't make sense. He didn't care, though, she was having fun. He picked up one in the shape of a dog and set to work, carefully cutting out three pieces of dough before placing them on the cookie sheet. Lizzy was there to watch the ones already baking in the oven as well as reroll the dough once they ran out of room to cut. She didn't say much. As a matter of a fact, Jas did most of the chattering, talking about school with Vincent and about how she was going to marry him someday. That comment made him gaze over at her in shock while Liz let out a chuckle.
"You're a little too young to decide that," the brunette told her. "Maybe wait until you're older to decide that." Though she wasn't happy, the topic of icing the cookies was enough to distract the little girl, for now.
Making the icing was a messy process; all three of them were covered in powdered sugar by the end of it since Jas decided to turn the beater on high too soon. Lizzy was actually pretty chill about it, though; the dogs would help clean it up, she said. Food coloring came next which always a pain with Jas; he experienced it every year during the egg festival. He gently helped her mix the icings, trying his best to clean up after her mess as they worked. While they applied the coating to the cookies, Shane watched Lizzy as she did as well. It was a type of icing he'd never used before; one that you had to use a baking brush to put on. At least the purple haired girl thought it was fun; she did like to paint during her lessons with Penny.
He had requested black icing and was staring at his cookie intently. The first one had been easy: all black. This one had black and white on it, though, which was a little more complicated. Most of Jas's cookies were pink and purple. By the time they finished decorating, it was seven, and Jas was starting get sleepy.
"Why don't you two watch something while I make dinner?" The brunette said, the mess from the baking having been cleaned up already; the only thing left to do was clear off the table. Jas didn't complain; she simply nodded tiredly, and Lizzy shot Shane a concerned look. "Unless you two should be heading off?"
He took a look at Jas before nodding. "We probably should." His niece grumbled as he picked her up and settled her against his side. Her head rested against his shoulder as she shut her eyes. "Maybe we can do dinner some other time." It was more of a question, than a statement; he didn't want to overstay his welcome; Jas was included in his package, after all. To his surprise, Liz smiled and nodded.
"Let me walk you back. You can't carry the cookies all by yourself." She quickly packed them up in a container, placing wax paper in between layers of the cookies before opening the door for him.
She walked next to him as they headed south, taking care not to step on any of her saplings. "Shane?"
"Yeah?" Brown eyes met hers before she blushed slightly and looked away.
"Do you want to play Zario Party sometime? I have an old Cube we could play on. If you want to, that is."
"Yeah, sure." He continued to study her face for a moment. "I'll pick us up some pizza from the saloon on the way. Tomorrow okay?"
His reply surprised her; that much was painfully obvious. But, instead of amazed, she just seemed… excited. They neared the entrance to the ranch, and she stood awkwardly by the door as he fumbled to open the door before her warm hand softly closed over his and helped him open it. She set the container on the counter before she replied in a soft whisper. "Seven. I'll see you then."
She was gone before he had time to turn around, so he gently tucked Jas into bed and headed back out.
"Is she asleep already? It's so early," Marnie commented, apparently having just come into the house if the keys in her hand and purse on her shoulder meant anything.
"Yeah. We made cookies at Lizzy's, and I guess it tired her out," he commented. At his aunt's large grin, he rolled his eyes. "I'm going out. I'll be back later."
Their visit had lifted her spirits for sure. The next morning, she found herself humming while taking care of her crops before hurrying inside to clean. Not that it wasn't clean already or that there was much to clean; just that things needed to be… nice for when Shane came over. She even went as far as to drag her mattress into the living room so they could sit on it while playing games. She had even showered, done her hair and makeup all by 2pm. There was one other place she probably needed to go, though.
Before she could change her mind, she kenneled the dogs and set out towards town. As she approached the white building, she took a deep breath and walked in.
"Hi, how can we help you?" She recognized the voice from the occasional conversation. Maru.
"Hi, Maru," she began politely before hesitating. "Is Dr. Harvey in? I was wondering if he could do a… check up for me today. If he's not busy, that is."
"We actually have an open slot right now," the woman replied professionally before handing her a clip board. "Fill out this information, and he'll be right with you."
"Of course." It was the usual stuff; insurance, family history, past medications… She hesitated on the last part, not really wanting Maru to see any of that. It wasn't that she didn't trust the girl, but… well, it was a small town. She filled it out anyway, just in time for Harvey to call her name, leading her back to an examination room.
"Are you here for a checkup?" He asked conversationally as she sat on the examination table.
"Sort of," she began cautiously, handing him the papers. He looked through them for a moment before nodding.
"Any past surgeries?"
"No."
"Any other physical ailments?"
"No."
"Alright then," he said, starting the exam by taking her temperature. He worked quickly, sliding his stethoscope into his ears and sliding his hand along her back and then under her shirt, where he listened for any sort of abnormalities. Blood pressure and weight were last, and he was done. "You're underweight," he said simply. "You need to put on around 20 pounds or so; I remember you looking much different when you moved here. Are you doing alright?"
"I'm fine," she reassured him quickly, though she didn't look into his eyes. "Dr. Harvey, I was wondering how you'd feel about prescribing me antidepressants," she spat out suddenly, not wanting to lose her nerve.
"I'd be alright with that. Though, may I ask why you need them? You say you've not taken any in years."
"I was weaned off once things became… more manageable."
He nodded in understanding. "We'll try the last mixture of medications you took, then, but we'll start at the lowest dose and work our way up."
She breathed a sigh of relief. Since the doctor was the only one for hours, he also had his own supply of medications, though limited. He had what she needed, and that was all she cared about. He also didn't ask for too many details; hopefully that meant he'd keep doctor-patient confidentiality. Within reason, of course. She paid her bill on the way out and thanked him.
"Feel free to stop by my office if you're ever feeling ill. You're young though, you'll probably stay healthy without trying."
She shot him a smile of thanks and ran out.
She didn't have any other reason to be in town, so she headed home, pill bottle stashed in her purse. She had had enough problems when she lived in the city for taken the pills, so she prayed that no one here would find out. She wasn't ready to have the talk about why she needed them.
Once she was back, she released the dogs and took a pill. She was supposed to take them with dinner, but it was close enough to that time; the half an hour walk to town, the appointment, and the walk back had burned quite a few hours. It was half past five. She fed the dogs and got out her computer, looking at the spreadsheet for her finances. Getting a chicken coup would be a nice addition to the farm.
She didn't deserve him coming like this. Not with a fucking awful hangover, and not with a cold-by-the-time-he-walked-there pizza. He had even downed a beer before he came, to settle his nerves. It didn't ease the pounding of his head, though. Nothing had all day. Why she even bothered with him he didn't know. Still, here he was, outside of her door, half an hour early. That wasn't too bad, right? The pizza didn't take nearly as long as he had thought it would to make. Gus and Emily were surprised when he didn't order his usual amount of beers, and he cringed at the memory of the wide smile the blue-haired woman gave him. Whatever. He'd be back tomorrow anyway. His knuckles rapped against the wooden door quickly, and it opened a moment later, the brunette beaming at him as he walked in, pizza in hand. She looked… great. Her hair was straighter than usual, and she had make up on. But it was more of what she was wearing that made him say that. To other people, it probably wouldn't be much, but the short shorts and tight tank top outlined her body nicely. It made his body ache in memory of being inside those wide hips.
"Thanks for the pizza," she said as she led him inside, settling on the mattress and patting it in clear invitation for him to do the same. He sat next to her, noting that she was super prepared. Plates and napkins were laid out as well as glasses of water. "Sorry, I don't have anything else to drink," she said sheepishly. "I thought we could eat while we play, if that's okay."
"What about the dogs?" He asked as the animals in question sniffed the box he had sat on the bed. Lizzy simply cleared her throat and the dogs walked away, settling on the floor in the kitchen.
"They'll be fine."
He opened the box and served them each a slice. Yeah, this was awkward, he decided as she took a small bite of the pizza and chewed. They both seemed too tense to make any sort of… normal conversation.
"I've got Zario Party, Super Zario Sunshine, and Honic. I don't really care what we play, but I thought I'd let you pick." Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he glanced over.
"Zario Party's fine," he answered. "It's the one that's the most entertaining anyway."
Liz nodded and plugged in the game, turning the source of the TV to the Cube and loading up the game. They each picked a character and started the game.
"You fucking cheater!" The brunette gaped one minigame round later. "That's not how you're supposed to do rainbow jump!"
"I'm not cheating," he retorted. "That's how I've always played." She groaned and pushed him slightly, making him lean over as he hit the button to roll the dice, obviously trying to get him to mess up. He simply grinned and pushed back, easily rolling a ten on the dice.
"Why did I think this was a good idea again?" She mock groaned as he bought the star.
"That's what you get for challenging the Zario Party master."
The rest of the game went easily enough after that; she made him comfortable in the same way Jas's parents had; like they'd known each other forever. While his attraction to her didn't help his ease, she seemed to not notice any of the overly awkward things he did or said, which was good.
By the time they finished the game and eating, it was 9 o'clock. Those 50 turn games really made the time fly by, even if they seemed to take forever. He flopped down on the mattress a few seconds before Liz did the same. "My fingers hurt," she complained as she placed the controller on the floor, turning on her side to look at him. Heat flooded her face for a moment, causing him to wonder what exactly she was thinking about when she turned that shade of red. "So, wanna watch a movie or something?"
The question caught him off guard, just like almost everything she did. Honestly, the fact that Liz seemed to want him around was the most astounding thing. He was certain that it would end eventually, but as of right now, he figured he'd enjoy himself. "Yeah, sure."
After picking a movie from her large collection, she popped it in and laid on her stomach, head pointing towards the television, propped up on her arms. He hesitated, and she gestured. "It's more comfortable this way." She handed him a pillow, which he placed underneath his chin and tried to turn his attention towards the movie; the bed was a queen, so not small. But, their arms were touching ever so slightly, and Liz shifted every once in a while, her tank top stuck beneath her arms revealing a little more of her bra with every movement. He tried to force his gaze back to the screen, though the movie seemed much less interesting.
He cursed his libido as his stomach began to grow warm, and his hips began to ache. He shifted for a moment, causing for Lizzy to glance his way. "Shane?" She questioned worriedly. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he half groaned, eyes regluing themselves to the screen. He just needed to get through this movie, and he could head home. Surely the walk would help clear his head. She obviously didn't believe him, but she went back to watching the movie, glancing at him every once in a while.
"What's your favorite color?" She asked suddenly, eyes still on the screen.
"What?"
"What's your favorite color? I like blue, especially the color the sky gets right after it's rained."
"Uh, green," he replied lamely, eyes leaving her for a moment.
"What about video game?"
"I like Vicher 3 on the Mega Station."
"Alan used to play that a lot. I'm too jumpy for that; the closet thing I've played is Legend of Link."
He shrugged. Games didn't really scare him all that much; they were just games. Things in real life were often much scarier.
At his lack of response, she fell silent, scrutinizing the screen for a moment before reaching to the right, grabbing a blanket from the floor and throwing it over both of them. "It can get pretty cold at night," she explained when he looked over at her. She didn't move closer to him, though. Was she just trying to be friendly or did she want him to touch her? He wasn't sure, so he settled with moving close enough that their arms were touching. She responded by letting her leg touch his, and he internally groaned. This girl had a way of testing his limits, which was ridiculous considering they had sex already. Sex that she had wanted. If she wanted to again, why the hell didn't she just say so? Was she getting shy all of a sudden? Did she think it was a mistake? The way she was acting was too damn confusing for him to tell. All that he knew was that he was too much of a coward to make the first move.
When the movie did finish, it was close to 12. He stood slowly and stretched, back audibly popping as the kinks worked themselves out. "I'd better go. Morris will have my ass if I show up late tomorrow."
"Okay. Be safe getting home, okay?" She stood and walked towards the door, dogs immediately running outside to pee when she opened it. "Thanks for coming over. I had a good time." She smiled at him; it was a real smile too, not one of those fake ones you give people when you don't really mean it. How could he have made her so happy? Who knew. She stared at him for a moment, as if expecting something, and he ran a hand through too long brown hair.
"Yeah, see you later," he finally replied, gaze moving from hers to the pathway leading back towards the ranch. He missed her slightly disappointed look, which she straightened back into a smile.
"Maybe we can do it again sometime?"
"Sure. Sounds… fun." It really did. He headed out the door as the brunette whistled at the dogs, them trotting back inside, though Lucas waited until he scratched his head to go inside. When she closed her door, he was suddenly shrouded in darkness. Pulling up his hood, he made his way down the path. Once he reached his room, he pulled a six pack from under his bed and cracked one open, downing it before falling face first into the bed, a long "fuuuuck" escaping him as he closed his eyes, hand reaching over into the bed to grab another. The anxiety flowing through his veins began to slow as the effects of the alcohol hit him; the walk to the farmer's house had been enough to sober him up a little before, but downing Joja's cheap beers so quickly was always a good way to get himself hammered. He figured a few more and he'd be able to stop hating himself every few seconds for making such a fool out of himself in front of Liz. Then maybe he'd finally be able to get to sleep.
