Timing is Everything
She was back at Konohana again. She was still debating whether she was surprised or not, but she was focused on the teen who was as tall as her. If she wore her boots that had a half-inch heel, she'd be taller. The young man looked thin, almost feminine, with round, brown eyes and smooth, pale skin.
Georgia couldn't help but think of one word: cute. As cute as Rahi, if not cuter... In his own way.
"Howdy, I'm Georgia." she said shyly, as Kana introduced her to said boy.
"Oh, hello," he replied. "My name is Hiro. I'm pleased to meet you."
"Yeah, Hiro works here." Kana told Georgia with a grin.
"I am studying to be a doctor under Dr. Ayame." Hiro agreed, nodding and giving her a smile.
He wore a white coat over his clothes, with a stethoscope around his neck.
"What brings you to Konohana?" he asked politely, as he sat down behind his desk, while sorting out a few files.
"Oh, Kana invited me here." Georgia answered.
"Is that so?" Hiro inquired, tilting his head, pressing the end of his pen to the corner of his pouting lips. "I wish Kana told me sooner..." He sighed, looking down at the big pile of papers in front of him. "Maybe I would've been prepared for a guest today."
Kana cut in, "Sorry about that, Hiro. I just brought her here to introduce you. If you're busy-"
"No, it's okay." Hiro smiled at him, "I need a small break anyway."
He put down the pen, put back the cap and set it down on his desk. Kana let out a laugh, "You got some ink there."
He swiped his thumb across Hiro's chin, only to make it worse and smudge the ink.
"K-Kana!" Hiro yelped, his face flushing in embarrassment. "Don't make it worse! I better clean up... Excuse me, Georgia."
Georgia simply nodded and watched the apprentice as he made his way to the back room. Kana chuckled to himself.
"He's such a kid."
Georgia eyed him for a second before turning away.
What... Just what was there relationship...?
Georgia tried to shake it off, feeling her face turn red already. Hiro returned with a damp cloth in hand, rubbing the ink off the corner of his mouth. He sent her a weak smile.
"I apologize about that."
"S'alright." Georgia replied.
"I trust I'll be seeing you around more often in Konohana. How do you like it so far?" Hiro began lightly, stepping towards the two.
"It's better than I expected, that's for sure." Georgia answered. "The first time I was here was... well-"
"Quite an adventure." Kana finished for her.
"Yeah."
"Wait a moment, you were here before?" Hiro questioned.
"Yes, I was. Didn't Kana tell you?" Georgia asked.
"Uh, well, no." The apprentice replied, then he faced Kana, who was awkwardly looking down at his shoes. Hiro went on, "So how's Bluebell? I haven't really been there before."
"It's very good. My horses are in top shape."
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "You raise horses, too? You're the cowgirl back at Bluebell?"
Georgia nodded confidently, placing her hand on her hips. "Why, yes, I am! Didn't Kana tell you that, too?"
Hiro paused, looking at Kana for a moment.
"Er- to be honest, no. I only know that because of the other villagers."
"I see." Georgia deadpanned.
Georgia tried not to make it obvious, but she felt a little embarrassed. Oh, if they knew about how much she spoke of Kana! She sometimes found herself ranting about how his horses were poorly raised compared to hers. Sure, it wasn't the best conversation about him, but it was still about him.
What's worse is if they don't even bring you up at all. Indifference was much more painful than hate. Georgia felt it like a kick in the stomach.
"In fact... Kana doesn't really tell me - well, anyone anything about y-"
Kana clapped a hand over the shorter teen's mouth, muffling what he was about to say. He nervously smiled at Georgia who was clenching her teeth and fuming.
"You've been going to the mountains lately on your days off, we barely see each other anymore!" Laney complained to Georgia.
Finally, after two and a half weeks, Georgia was spending her day off with Laney outside of the café.
"Are you seeing someone outside of Bluebell or what?"
Georgia's cheeks burned as she burst out, "Not like that! Not at all!"
"Alright," the blonde sighed, "but I saw you go to the mountains so many times before."
Georgia reasoned, "You always see Philip and Lillian crossing over to Konohana, don't you?"
"Well, you're right about that, but it's because they aren't aware of the feud going on between the two towns," her friend countered.
"They're fully aware of it!"
"But they're the newest villagers so I don't think anyone minds."
"That's not fair," Georgia frowned.
Laney shrugged slightly. She asked gently, "Since when did you care so much?"
"No..." she choked out, then sighed, "Fine, I've been going to Konohana to pick up rice... You know how their crops are."
Her heart felt heavy already as she continued to lie to her best friend. How she wished she could do anything she wanted like Lillian, because Lillian and her brother Philip were friends with both towns, and looked passed the feud.
But no, Georgia grew up with it. She was taught to hate the other town. So why would she suddenly be the opposite? Of course people would suspect that something was up.
"That doesn't mean Konohana's the better town though!" Georgia added quickly, "They don't have fine quality animals and products like us! And have you seen their horses?" The cowgirl tried her best not to bring up the other horse rancher's name. "Why, I've raised a finer horse when I was just a small girl!"
Laney gave a small smile in relief. That was the Georgia she knew. Strong, confident, a bit too loud... How come when she brought up Konohana that image suddenly shattered? Especially when she questioned Georgia about seeing someone. Suddenly she was quiet, almost nervous.
"Just be careful," Laney reminded her, "because if more of Bluebell catches you over at Konohana again, they might spread rumours."
"Giddy up," the cowgirl said to her horse, and began to head towards the top of the mountain.
Dakota galloped faster, causing Georgia to lean in and arch her back a little. Her heart began to race. Her jaw tightened as the cold, autumn wind caressed her face.
"What's wrong with me?" she wondered, biting her lip.
"Oh, h-hey! Georgia!" Kana called out, laughing to himself, "You actually made it! Nice to see you again."
"I don't break my word." Georgia replied, then hesitated. "Actually, forget I said that."
Georgia looked over at Kana, narrowing her gold eyes.
"Where's your horse?" she asked.
"Didn't bring her."
"Why not?"
"I thought you said you'd only hang out just to see my horses!" Kana grinned.
Georgia rolled her eyes. "Exactly, so where is she?"
He threw his thumb over his shoulder. "Back in Konohana."
The cowgirl thought for a moment then fumed in embarrassment, as she mumbled a, "Get on, idiot".
Kana smiled slightly at her, before hopping on Dakota. He was about to slip his arms around her waist for support -
"Hands off or I'm pushing you and you're walking."
- but quickly pulled away and kept his hands at his sides.
"Says the girl who touched my face." Kana teased.
When she dried his face back at the lake? She had her sleeve between her hand and his skin, so she wouldn't consider it "touching".
"That was almost three weeks ago," Georgia snapped back, "Always thinking about it, huh?"
There was an awkward pause. Kana questioned, "So... how do you expect me to stay on Dakota?"
Georgia sighed, then muttered, "Fine, hold on to my shoulders."
"That's so awkward." he joked, and placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder.
"Alright?" Georgia asked, hiding her flushed face.
His warm hands cupped her shoulders perfectly. She felt like moving up, away from him. When was the last time they were this close before?
"Yeah." He answered.
"Alright."
Before Georgia changed her mind about anything, they were already heading to Konohana.
"When the weather's nice like this, I feel like singing!" Kana suddenly exclaimed, his grip on her shoulders tightening.
She asked, trying to ignore his hands, "You sing?"
"Sure I do!"
Awkward silence. Then he leaned in closer to her, almost causing her to yelp, or even fall of the horse in surprise.
He grinned, "Wanna sing with me?"
"Now I'm really going to push you off."
The two were greeted at the door by a soft meow, and a few barks. The animals rushed to Kana's feet, and he smiled at them and petted them.
"Thanks for the warm welcome." He laughed as he closed the door behind him.
"This is your house?" Georgia muttered.
"Yeah, pretty cozy, isn't it?"
Georgia nodded slightly. "Yes."
She crouched down to scratch under the cat's chin.
"Howdy, you're a cutie." She cooed at the cat, as it purred.
Kana pointed out, "You're good with animals."
"I always play with the animals on my days off. All my animals are as fit as a fiddle, and they're all so sweet. Do you give your animals plenty of attention?"
"Of course," he replied, petting the big dog in his arms, "but I don't name them. I usually just whistle, or call them, 'bud'. Something they won't get used to."
Georgia agreed, "I hate to see them go, but if a customer sees one they like, I can't refuse... They're not really mine anyway."
"Yeah, I totally feel the same way!" Kana smiled.
"Want to hear something neat?" Georgia asked, continuing to stroke the cat's fluffy fur.
"Sure?"
"If you get close to your cat, it will help herd your chickens." She stated, looking at him, and almost looked away after noticing the interested glint in his eyes.
"I-It's true." She added, feeling nervous with his eyes on her.
"I never knew that. We barely have any livestock here, to be honest." He shrugged. "So anyway, I'll show you to the barn."
They both stood up and headed outside, but before they could leave, Georgia noticed a horse carved out of wood sitting in the corner of the house. Being the cowgirl she is, she walked over to it and examined it, amazed by the detail and the fact that it was a horse.
"Did you do this?" She questioned him, still peering closely at it.
"Ah, my dad made that, actually. Cool, huh? As a kid, I used to climb on that statue and pretend to ride. He'd get pretty mad." Kana scratched the back of his neck, laughing at the memory.
"I can see why." Georgia smirked at him. "You were such a crazy kid. I'd be madder than an old, wet hen... The amount of effort he put into it really shows."
"Yeah, my dad loves horses, and so does yours, so you can kind of imagine how he'd react." Kana joked, then went on, "My dad travels all over the world to find good horses. It's actually been a long time since I've heard from him..."
Georgia turned to face him, golden eyes searching for the emotion behind the brown ones. It was like Kana was in a trance.
He said softly, his eyes falling to the floor, "Knowing my dad, I'm sure he's doing just fine, but sometimes I can't help but worry."
She paused for a moment, thinking. Georgia always had her father by her side, so she didn't really know what he was going through. She spoke up, stepping towards him. "I'm sure he's more than fine, Kana. Don't worry." She tried her best to give him an encouraging smile.
His eyes went to her and he instantly smiled back, "Yeah, you're right! And he'll come home with the best horse in the world someday soon."
Georgia couldn't help but keep the smile on her face, listening to his words.
"Anyway, getting all worried about stuff isn't my style."
"You have style?" Georgia scoffed.
They laughed, then Kana added with fake seriousness in his voice, "Hey, you're in my town, don't screw up."
He reached for the door, both of them chuckling. Opening the door sent a shiver down both of their spines as the strong wind hit them, silencing them. The leaves were a bright red and yellow, swirling and dancing with the wind.
"Let's hurry, it's a bit cold." Kana said, walking out.
"I was thinking the same," she replied, hugging herself, and hopped over the fence towards the barn.
She looked like she needed more warmth. Kana watched her, then clenched his hands into a fist, remembering how it felt like when he touched her. He shook it off then followed her inside the barn.
"I could look at them forever." Georgia commented, as they returned to Kana's house. "I don't know, but being in the barn with the horses is so relaxing. They're all so sweet."
"Yeah, it gets me so stoked when I see a horse looking healthy and strong." Kana added. "I think Hayate likes you."
"She looked quite tired." Georgia commented.
"Yeah, her legs aren't as strong anymore."
"Well, every trail has a few puddles in it. I've seen worse horses, so your Hayate is aging perfectly fine." She explained, then quickly added, "But all the horses I raise are as healthy as can be!"
Kana rolled his eyes as they made their way into the house and took a seat.
Kana offered, "Anything to drink, Georgia?"
He opened the cupboards, and out of all drinks, Georgia happened to notice the bottle of wine he had.
"You some alcoholic or something?" She demanded.
"Huh?" He gasped, "No way! I only drink it on special occasions, and stuff!"
"Sure." She teased him, looking smug.
"What do you even know about drinking? You're still an amateur." He retorted.
Georgia narrowed her eyes, then jutted her chin out towards the wine. "Pour me a glass."
"Wha-?! Are you serious?" He questioned.
She nodded. She remembered back at Cam's party, she was teased for being a lightweight. Kana sighed, and brought the whole bottle and a glass. He placed it on the table, then poured her half a glass.
She eyed it. "What is this?"
"Regular wine." He answered.
"Okay." She shrugged.
The last time she drank, she could only handle honey wine, and that was because Howard made it extra sweet, rather than the dry taste it had. And she remembered sipping from her father's glass, filled with a dark violet-red liquid. The smell itself made her dizzy.
She took a timid sip, letting a few drops hit her tongue. She swallowed, smacking her lips at the aftertaste it left in her mouth. She cringed and felt her stomach churn.
"Well, while you drink that, I'll just have some tea..." Kana mumbled. "You good?"
"I'm not a child." She replied defensively, then forced herself to finish the glass.
Georgia's vision began to swirl a few moments later and she felt slightly light-headed.
She suddenly felt so bubbly, so happy! She didn't care if Kana was staring at her weirdly... Right, the guy with the pony-tail...
"Georgia, I'll just return the bottle, okay?" Kana told her nervously, grabbing the wine bottle quickly and storing it away.
She smiled, even though it wasn't the most flattering, with her face flushed like a tomato and her smile showing every inch of her teeth. Her words came out slurred, like she had something in her mouth, "Aha! Alrighty!"
"Seriously, are you okay?" He asked her, and walked up to her.
"I'm mighty fine, thank you."
"Georgia, I think you're drunk."
"I am not! Idiot!" She snapped, grabbing his hair and yanking it down - hard!
"Ow!" Kana exclaimed, and instinctively pushed her away. "You're a total lightweight, ya know that?"
Georgia looked up at him in surprise, her golden eyes misty.
She whispered, "Hey, you're always pushing me away, Kana. Always leaving me and I never know where you are... or where you're going." She said, running a hand through her fiery red hair, "Like when we were kids, you'd run off. It made me sad... You were gone for so long..."
She sat down again, and began to laugh to herself, covering her face and swinging her legs around like a child. Kana's jaw dropped. He couldn't bring her back to Bluebell... To Grady... like, like this!
Georgia pursed her lips. "Mm... I feel dizzy... and tired!" She whined like a child, too.
Kana sighed, and grabbed her arm. "C'mon, Georgia, we're going."
"Where? And for once I'm coming with you! Then after why don't we talk s'more for a spell?" She smiled.
Kana furrowed his eyebrows. What did she mean? Why was she always bringing up about him leaving her? She was so talkative. And her accent was a bit cute.
Kana mentally punched himself. Now wasn't the time to think about anything else. He needed her sober - now. They quickly went through the village, heading to the doctor's office.
"I'm coming with you!"
What did she mean?
"You're always pushing me away, Kana. Always leaving me."
I don't remember...
A/N: Hello readers, I'm back after a slight hiatus. I'm sorry about my absence! Nothing seemed to sound right when I was writing this. Out of all fanfictions, for some reason I find this one the hardest to do, and exams this week kept me busy.
Anyone see the Flower Event happening there? There will be more... ;) Please leave a review to tell me how I'm doing. Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be out in about a week or so to make up for my bad updating. ^_^ I promise!