Hey guys!
I'm kind of anxious about this chapter because I'm not quite sure if Vaughn seems too OOC here but on the other hand, it's my version of Vaughn and everything will make perfect sense when we get to know more about him :) I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think of it! :D
I had always loved my birthday. It had used to be the day when my mum would cook anything I wanted to eat and when all my friends would gather at the beach and we would have small parties and it had always been great fun. But when I had opened my eyes on my 23rd birthday, it hadn't felt like a real one. Because my nose wasn't already catching the smell of pancakes and hot chocolate and there was nobody but my alarm to wake me. Usually, my dad would close his shop for the day so he could do my chores at the farm and I could sleep in but that wasn't the case today either. I glanced at my alarm which said 6 o'clock and sighed before standing up slowly. I skipped breakfast and brushed my teeth before changing into my work clothes and went outside.
The summer had brought the sun back into the mornings and so I was greeted by a sunray shining into my face when I opened the front door. I tried to smile but I couldn't do so because I felt like something was missing. I shook my head before entering the coop where I took care of my chicken and collected four eggs. I expected my chicken to produce more and more eggs with the time but right then, I wasn't reliant on them and I was perfectly fine with one egg per chicken, especially because they had a really good size.
I entered the barn and milked Berta and stroke over her back. I thought she had already finished giving milk when I pulled away the bucket under her, but she simply continued so I hurried and put another bucket under her udder and she gave enough milk for another small bottle of it. I was grateful because I had feared lacking income due to of Paula's pregnancy but Berta had my back. I smiled while finishing my work in the barn and I decided to declare this birthday to a normal day like any other as well. If I couldn't be with my parents, then there was no point in trying to make this day special. I watered all my crops and had a long and luxurious bath in my tub. Well, maybe I would have made this day an especially good usual day.
After that, I took a casual blue dress out of my dresser and changed into it. My mum had gifted me this some years ago when we had been in the city together. It had been an unusual thing to do for the two of us but it had been her birthday wish to travel there in order to go shopping with me like mothers usually did with their daughters. When I heard my stomach growling, I left my house again and went to the diner since it was already lunchtime. There were only a few tourists in there and I was surprised that I didn't even see Denny who usually ate in the diner every day. I took place in a corner of the restaurant and watched Nick drawing closer to me. He greeted me, I greeted back and ordered Spaghetti Bolognese. His pasta really was delicious, if not as good as Mirabelle's had been back when I had been invited to their house. Vaughn had been there as well. Vaughn... I sighed. After my raging hormones of happiness had left my body, I had found myself lying in my bed and staring at the ceiling. I had kissed him. Just like that. I had run over to him and kissed him and he didn't do anything and then I had no idea what that could have meant. He hadn't pushed me away for sure but he hadn't even come near me after it as well. I didn't even know whether I should confront him or not because I had to figure out what to tell him first. I didn't even know how I felt about him myself, how could I know what he's supposed to feel towards me then? I wanted this to be rational but then I felt like a teenager again when he touched me and the fact that we had danced twice and even kissed didn't improve this situation. After I had paid the bill, I left and decided to visit Denny on the beach but he was nowhere to be seen. I sighed before entering West Island again where I tried to enter Mirabelle's shop but it was locked. Was there a festival I hadn't noticed taking place?
I stopped at Taro's where I put my animals' products and the crops I had harvested that day into the shipping bin and turned to face my farm. When I looked up, a bright smile spread all over my face. The Islanders. What had I done to deserve this? I ran towards a happy Julia who held a bundle of balloons in her hand and hugged her before she could congratulate me.
"You are here!", I said and she nodded excitedly. She let loose of me and pointed in the direction of my field where the other islanders had taken place at tables which were placed between my fields of tomatoes and corn and pumpkins. They had decorated everything with flowers and balloons and it was breathtaking to know how much they had cared to make everything look perfect. I felt tears rising in my eyes.
"Of course we are here. All of us. We thought that we shouldn't throw a party like on Saturday because we didn't want to exclude the older people and so Mum had this idea of setting everything up on your farm. I had the idea of surprising you.", she explained and I hugged her again before going over to the others. Felicia and Taro were already sitting but everybody else stood in a row and when I drew closer to them, they shouted aloud: "Happy Birthday!". That had been too much for me. Something inside me had dissolved into tears and I started sobbing right where I stood. I wiped away my tears because I didn't want to seem ungrateful but I couldn't suppress it. I felt arms around me, heard soothing word being said to me but I couldn't stop.
"Thank you.", I sobbed. "Thank you so much." I looked up and saw Julia looking down at me and smiling encouragingly before she took my hand and led me to the others. I had managed to gain my composure back and started smiling again. "I'm fine. Really, it's just that this is my first birthday away from home and I had felt so lonely all day long but when I saw you, I couldn't help but start crying because I'm so grateful to be here today.", I tried to reassure my guests and they responded with bright smiles and then Daniel drew closer to me and hugged me which kind of created a queue of people that wanted to hug me and wish me a happy birthday personally. It had taken quite some time until everybody sat and there was only one hug I had missed. But it had also been the one hug I wanted to receive most. Vaughn hadn't left his position next to the small buffet that had been set up. I tried not to show my disappointment and concentrated on the food. It looked delicious but the pasta in my stomach stopped me from starting to eat immediately.
"Don't worry about this. We told Nick to make an extra small portion for you so you'd be hungry in a short time again.", Julia said and I smiled.
"You had planned my visit to the diner?", I asked and she nodded proudly.
"We figured you wouldn't sit in the farm all day on your birthday and we kind of hoped you'd simply go there so we could carry everything up here and we were lucky enough that you stayed on the East Island longer than we had thought you would in the first place.", she explained and I shook my head because I couldn't quite believe what they had done in order to celebrate my birthday. Taro stood up and came close to me and patted my shoulder lightly.
"Of course this here is only taking place because you won yesterday.", he said and I laughed because I thought that he had made a joke. When he didn't even smile in return, I wondered if this was true. I watched him going back to his chair.
"Chels, you look amazing today.", Denny said when he stood next to me and I blushed because I knew that I had to look horrible after my short breakdown but I thanked him anyway. "You can go and see your presents, of course. They are waiting for you inside.", he added and pointed at my house. "You even brought presents?", I asked and he nodded.
"Of course, we have. They're nothing special, really, but it's better than nothing, I guess.", he stated and I hugged him again.
"If they are from you islanders, they are wonderful.", I replied because it was the truth. I glanced at Vaughn behind him but he didn't look at me. He was here, after all, so he couldn't be too disgusted by me. Maybe Mirabelle had forced him to come. Maybe Julia had to help her get him here. I felt my smile fading and I noticed Denny's gaze on me.
"Is everything okay?", he asked and I nodded slowly, not wanting to have to explain anything to him. Then I saw Lanna appearing behind him and I pointed at her.
"I'm fine, really. You should go and talk to Lanna before she's getting bored or something.", I said and pushed him into her direction. He hesitated first but left me by myself again. Julia had accompanied Elliot at their table and just when I asked myself where Natalie was, said person touched my shoulder from behind and I smiled at her as brightly as I could right then.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring Shea but I didn't know where he lived and Mum wouldn't let me and Elliot visit the jungle without a guide.", she told me apologising and I waved off.
"It would have been nice to see him again but I don't think birthdays are this important to him anyway. You like him, don't you?", I asked and she blushed.
"He's a savage!", she said and tried to look away but she didn't move.
"He's sweet, I know.", I said and she blushed even harder. "He's not a savage, he just grew up in the jungle but I'm sure it wouldn't take him long to learn several things about the way we live. Well, if you wanted him to.", I told her and she shook her head slowly.
"How could I even meet him when I'm not allowed to go where he lives?", she asked and I lay a hand on her shoulder.
"Well, I will be your guide then.", I said and she looked up again, something flashing in her eyes.
"You would do that?", she asked and I nodded. Then I noticed a shadow hovering over me and I swallowed quite a lot of saliva before turning around slowly. I looked at a black button-up and I let my eyes follow the row of buttons up to Vaughn's throat where I had to clear my throat once again. I stepped back in order to look into his face and I saw the shadow that was thrown over his face by his hat. I wasn't sure where to put his expression. Was he angry? Was he annoyed? What was going on with him? Then he sighed and grabbed my arm before turning around and passing my fields of corn that had grown quite a bit. He didn't let loose until we reached my barn where he opened the door and pushed me inside. I didn't know what was going on when he finally started talking.
"I didn't know it would be your birthday today and to be honest, I don't really care much about birthdays in general but I assumed you would be happy if I had something for you but I don't have anything. So I'll guarantee that every time you have any kind of emergency on your farm or anywhere going on, I'm coming and help you without being annoyed or anything. At least, I'll make sure not to let you notice.", when I wanted to express, how grateful I was for this offer, he continued talking. "And I don't know why but you are not as annoying as others and after yesterday, I have no fucking clue what you would expect me to do but there's only one thing I have to tell you.", he said and stepped closer to me. I looked up and I felt my heart beating fast when his gaze met mine. Usually, I would have had hundreds of questions to ask him but he had switched off my brain again when had I smelled his aftershave. He grabbed my waist and lowered his head so we were even closer before he traced a finger around the area where the hickey was slowly but surely fading.
"Don't you fucking dare to ever kiss another man again when I'm here.", he stated and I almost choked on my own saliva and felt my face heating up heavily but I had no time to think any further because his lips had already crashed down onto mine. It wasn't a gentle kiss and it wasn't anything like the way one would usually read it in those romantic novels. It was possessive and harsh but it transferred every single emotion that Vaughn felt then. It was exactly how I had imagined him kissing. He wasn't good at expressing his feelings with words and so he had to do it physically and at that moment I felt... adored. He had pushed me on the wooden wall behind me and I sighed into our kiss. I let my hand slip under his hat and the black Stetson fell to the floor. He didn't care at all. We were interrupted by a loud 'moo' that lonely Paula had made. I pushed Vaughn away hastily and saw his immensely increased pupils that made me shiver all over my body. He bent down and picked his hat from the floor. I tried to straighten my hair and noticed Vaughn's gaze on me. When he opened the barn's gate, I stopped him.
"I'm flattered. I really am. And right now, I'm not able to understand everything that has happened. But there's one thing I need to tell you.", I told him the way he had said it before. He looked up and cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "Don't you dare to ever act like I belonged to you again as long as we haven't even gone on a date.", I stated and I saw a smirk forming on his face. He pulled down his hat and nodded before leaving the barn. When the door had shut again, I felt my legs getting weak and I let myself slip down on the wall he had pushed me against just seconds before. Everything would have been so much easier if I have had my hormones under control.