Chapter 10

A word of warning: I absolutely have no idea about what I'm going to write right now. I'm just going to type whatever comes to mind. I was playing Harvest Moon for an hour before starting this, so that my mind is completely set on Harvest Moon at least.

I just realised that Vaughn didn't actually have a purpose… I know, I'll make one right now.

As promised, Gray returned my fixed hammer to me that night, but didn't stay for a chat- not that either of us knew what to say. And another thing, Gray still doesn't know that I broke up with Vaughn, but why should he care anyway? There was no point in telling him and making a big deal out of it.

"Claire! Watch what you're doing!" Gotz shouted at me, breaking my train of thought.

I blinked up at him. "What?"

"Your axe," he pointed.

Gotz had given me the duty of collecting more lumber, and I was going around the farm, axing all the stumps I could find. I hadn't realised it, but I almost cut my hand just then.

"O-Oh… I'm sorry," I mumbled, removing my hand sheepishly.

"Claire, let me show you how to do it," a pair of gentle hands removed the axe from mine.

I looked up to see Vaughn.

"V-Vaughn?"

The axe was snatched away by Gray, who just arrived at my farm.

"I'll show her how to do it," he said.

"Huh? Gray?"

Both boys ignored me.

"Well… look who showed up," Vaughn smiled- it didn't look friendly to me.

Gray was glaring under his cap. "I've been helping Claire with her farm before you showed up."

"And then you stopped," Vaughn said as a matter-of-factly. "That's why I came to help the damsel in distress."

"U-Um… I don't really need help from either of you…" I tried, but they didn't hear me again.

"Well, I'm back now, so you can just go back to your Island… even if you are her boyfriend."

Vaughn glanced at me, confused. Then he understood that I hadn't told Gray.

"Looks like there's something Claire hasn't told you," he smiled.

Gray glanced at me too. "And what would that be?"

"Nothing!" I said quickly. "It's nothing, alright?"

Both of them stared at me. Vaughn with a strangely smug expression, and Gray with an angry and suspicious expression.

"F-Fine. You both can help Gotz on the farm then!" I said to escape further questions.

They reluctantly agreed and got to work. I went up to Vaughn.

"You came…?" I asked quietly.

He grinned at me. "We're still friends, right?"

I smiled back. "Really?"

"Really."

"So… you're not mad at me?"

"Nope."

"Vaughn… you're so cool… I'm sorry about that. Really."

"Don't worry about it. I knew you didn't have any feelings for me anyway. I'm just glad you decided to end it before we got more serious."

I frowned. "We weren't serious?"

"Not even close. Dating you was like babysitting a child."

I pouted. "How mean."

He laughed. "You're so childish, it's impossible to date you."

"For you, maybe."

He got serious. "You think Gray has a chance?"

I blushed. "I told you, it's not like that!"

"Come on, Claire. It's obvious you both have mutual feelings for each other."

"We do not!"

"You like him don't you?"

I flinched, unable to answer. He took it as a yes.

"And he likes you too."

I ducked my head. "No, he doesn't."

"Yes, he does. Do you think I'd be telling you this if he didn't?"

I stared into Vaughn's earnest eyes and believed his words for a second. Then I shook my head, refusing to accept it.

"He doesn't have any feelings for me. He doesn't like me," I insisted.

"Claire—"

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked, walking up to us.

"None of your business," Vaughn replied.

"It might be."

"It isn't."

"How would you know?"

"Because it isn't."

They continued to glare at each other. I sighed. What is their problem? If only they could get past their stubbornness, they'd see how alike they are.

I hadn't been listening to the course of conversation, so I was surprised when Vaughn suddenly grabbed me in a hug.

"This will prove if he likes you or not," he whispered in my ear so low that Gray didn't have a hope of hearing. Before I could ask what he meant by that, Gray had ripped me out of Vaughn's arms and pulled me behind him in a protective manner.

"Claire is mine!" he shouted angrily.

I stared at Gray, shocked. "What?"

Vaughn sighed. "You're such an idiot, Gray."

"Like you could talk."

"The girl you love is right in front of you and you can't even get her."

I was the topic of their discussion, but they were ignoring me completely.

Gray grounded his teeth, but didn't deny any part of Vaughn's sentence. I was going out of my mind with the suspense.

GRAY LOVED ME? (A/N: - how naïve -_-)

"You… love me?" the words sounded strange. It felt like the words were mixed around. It didn't make sense.

Gray suddenly remembered that I was there… or that I could understand their words. He spun around to face me, and his face was looking very troubled. He did not reply.

"That can't be true, right?"

Gray dropped his eyes to the ground. "I don't love Claire."

I flinched away from Gray as his words pierced my broken heart. How could he ever love me? Why did I say it out loud? It made me look like a fool.

My eyes started to get watery as I realised how hopeless my love was, and without thinking, I turned around and bolted out of the farm. I needed to get away from everyone.

Everyone was wrong. It wasn't a mutual love, it was a one-sided love.That day, I learnt one thing that I should've known all along.

Love can be excruciatingly painful.

End of Chapter 10

And once again, I have completely messed it up. Maybe I should've just made them confess right there and then.

Oh, but just so you know, Gray still thinks that Claire likes Vaughn, not him, and he thinks that he misheard Claire's confession in the mine.

After this scene, Vaughn throws a punch at Gray and yells at him to go after Claire.

Gray spits back, "Why don't you go? You're her boyfriend!"

Angered, Vaughn grabs Gray by the collar. "Claire broke up with me, you idiot!"

"She what?"

"She broke up with me!"

"W-why?"

"Because she doesn't have any feelings for me! Because she likes you."

Gray finds it hard to believe. "Claire doesn't have any feelings for me. All I've done is make her cry time and time again."

"I don't know what she likes in a guy like you either, okay? But all I know is that Claire sees you as her perfect guy and she won't love anyone else…. So go after her already!"

Gray takes his advice… but he runs in to Mary on the way. :D

See what happens next because I still have one more misunderstanding and complication before they can find their happiness.