Summary: "Fine. I guess I'll just leave. That should solve things, shouldn't it?" Lillian and Ash have been friends for as long as Lillian had been in Bluebell. When he starts giving her the cold shoulder, though, things take a turn for the worse.

Disclaimer: Harvest Moon belongs to Marvelous Entertainment.

"You're looking fairly glum," a voice mentioned from behind the boy, who was wandering aimlessly in the mountain spring, as dawn approached. Turning, he realized the voice belonged to Reina –for some reason, though, seeing it was her made his stomach drop. So Lillian really wouldn't be coming after him? Peachy.

"Hah… Yeah. I suppose you could say that," he sighed in response, stopping long enough for the dark haired girl to catch up with her leisurely pace.

"Perhaps a walk might brighten your spirits?" she suggested with a smile, walking past Ash, whom followed and matched her pace after an awkward pause.

The two made their way through one of the winding mountain passes in utter silence; Reina seemed not to mind, though the lack of chatter was starting to make the farmer boy feel unease in his gut. Even so, he dared not be the first one to break the peace, as he was full aware of the fact he would just let a tumble of complaints pass his lips as soon as he did so. Which would hardly do, especially considering he had just met this woman, what, a few hours ago?

He let out a small breath he hadn't realized he was holding when her voice chimed through the air, "So, you live in Bluebell, correct? You work at the animal shop with your mother and younger sister." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

His mouth hung ajar a moment while he stared. "I… Yeah. My mom is Jessica, and Cheryl is my sister. How did you know? Do you ever come to the store? I haven't seen you before, but I'm usually in the back, tending the livestock. Oh man, I'm sorry, that sounds really rude doesn't it? I should have s-"

Reina could help but smile and pause a moment, to put a finger on his lips. "Ash. Calm down. No, I haven't gone to your store before. I've only been in Bluebell four times before, each because of Cam."

Wait. Cam? Why was she going to see Cam? Was she his girlfriend? He hadn't mentioned a girlfriend before, much less a cute one from the other village… Then again, he always leave the village on his days off. The ginger always thought he just went off to the spring, but maybe he went to Konohana? That jerk! How dare he not tell his best friend all about thi- "Buisness. I go there on business. I'm a botanist." At his blank look, she giggled, and started walking again, "I study flowers and plants. Do those smaller words make more sense?"

Her mockery brought a flush to his cheeks, "H-hey! Don't make fun of me! Animals are my thing, not plants! How was I supposed to know that?"

"I never said you were supposed to know that. You are far from the only person who doesn't know the term, so there's no need to get simmered. I'm sorry, okay?" But even as she said it, that little smile was on her lips, and he knew that she was having fun with the whole thing. He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

"Right…" he murmured, unsure of how exactly to respond, "But… So if you've only been to Bluebell a few times, how do you know so much about me?"

"I hear things. When I'm there, I get a story or two from Cam, and the merchant brothers seem to love gossip. There's also Dirk –he's far too outgoing for his own good. You stop for a hello, and you'll be chatting for a half hour." But of the people listed, the person whom he most wanted to hear of wasn't even hinted towards. Did Lillian really care so little, that she never spoke of him? So much for having been best friends for however many years… "Is something wrong?"

Ash hadn't even realized how long he was drawing out his silence. His thoughts were occupied with Lillian and Dirk, even more so, now that Reina had brought him up. "I… Yeah, sort of. Don't worry about it."

By now, the duo was at the peak of the mountain, the mid-section of the two villages. Reina's face dropped slightly, and it was painfully obvious she wanted to attempt to comfort him. As a stranger, though, what was she to do? There were people in the world who would give someone they knew for a quart of an hour a hug, but the botanist didn't much strike him as the type. As such, he turned and walked the few steps to the wooden balcony, staring out at the setting sun.

"It's pretty," the woman commented in a soft voice, already leaning against the wood beside him. She glanced up to catch him staring, and with the shadow of a smile, she gave his hand a squeeze. "Cheer up. Everyone has a bad day now and again. You don't need to be lying to yourself, and faking smiles all day, if it just pains you."

"I… You… Is it really that obvious?"

"Is that really a question?"

With a huff of a laugh, he shook his head and removed his cap. He took his hand from hers, and wrap his fingers through his hair. "I really am a bad liar, I guess. But it's late. Both of us should probably head home." Awkwardly, he stuck out his hand to shake hers, having not a clue what else to do in the current situation. When she took it gingerly and gave a light shake, though, Ash wasn't exactly sure what came over him –one way or another, though, he found himself giving her a hug, which she tentatively returned. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

When it clicked in that he was doing such a thing with the lady, whom he knew for less than a day, he sharply let go and stepped back, his face becoming slightly flushed. "Uh. Well. Right then. I'll see you around then. Bye." Too embarrassed to really look her in the eye, he turned on his heel, and started down the path which would lead him to Bluebell.

Hardly ten seconds passed before he heard his name called. "Ash! I'll… I'll go talk to her. I'll see what happened. So don't you give up on her! Not yet!"

And with that, he watched his new friend disappear down the other side of the mountain.

A/n : Ah ha ha… ha… Gdi, I'm horrible with updating times ; w; I'm sorry! I'll try to wrap this up in a few chapters, though! I think I got my grasp back on how I want it to go, so it just depends on how long it takes to get to the point c: And yeah. I'll try my best to update a few more times this summer, but no promises, as I have company staying at my home until about mid-August ; w; Also! So sorry for not replying to reviews last chapter! I'll be sure to do that soon, even though the replies will be, you know, four months late :'D I hope everyone is enjoying their summer 3