Remember when I said this story would be about 30 chapters long? Well, now it's gonna be about seven or eight chapters longer :')

I want to tell you: 'Don't leave me.'

And hear you say: 'I won't.'

But I know that will never happen

Bittersweet

"Here you go Holly, a bottle of fresh milk and a dozen eggs."

The cheery voice startled Holly out of her dazed reverie. Her gaze slowly lifted upwards, passing over the egg carton and glass bottle that sat on the pine countertop and finally settled on Hannah. The Brownie Ranch owner was smiling, in a way that asked, "Is something wrong?" – the same thing her mother often did. It made her own lips curve upwards, albeit in a weaker imitation, which she hoped was a sign of reassurance.

"Thanks." She placed the money on the counter and collected her groceries.

"Holly, before you run off…" Hannah began, just as she was about to turn away, "Are you heading into town soon?"

She wasn't, but the farmer found herself nodding anyway; she had the time to spare.

Hannah clasped her hands together, "Oh, good! Do you think you could do me a little favour then?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I have this order for Chiffon Tailoring, but no one to deliver it," She explained. "See, one of our cows is scheduled to give birth today and we'd all like to here for the big moment. You'd think we'd be tired of it by now, but our animals are like a part of our family."

The smile on Holly's face widened automatically, "I know how you feel. I'd be happy to help."

"Oh thank you so much! You're such a nice girl."

Hannah briefly abandoned her place at the front counter to fetch the aforementioned order from the storage room in the back. Holly was packing the eggs and milk into her rucksack when she returned holding a large box filled to the top with spools of wool, silk and flax yarn. "Don't worry. It looks heavier than it really is," She said.

Hannah was right, Holly discovered as she slipped her hands into the handle holes and hefted the box up off the counter. Or perhaps all the farming she'd been doing was finally taking effect? – she liked to think it was the latter.

Securing her grip on the box, Holly wished Hannah good luck with the calving and goodbye, and headed for the door.

Helping out like this took Holly back to her first months on Waffle Islands, when crop growing had been near impossible and the only way she could make some money was by doing odd jobs here and there. She'd come so far since then, but it wasn't without its ups and downs. Sometimes it felt like there had been more downs than anything.

Like now.

Earlier that morning, she had been curled up in bed with the sheets pulled over her head, wanting to do nothing but mope around and hide for the rest of the day – or the rest of the week, that sounded even more appealing. It was only due to Finn's encouragement – in other words, his frantic crying – that she managed to haul herself out of bed and actually get some work done.

Holly stopped on the first step of the porch and shook her head. "I'm not going to think about that anymore," She told herself defiantly, "I'm going to do my best and focus on my work. And I won't cry!"

"You lost the race and now you gotta pay up!"

The deep voice almost made Holly jump out of her skin. What if someone had overheard her personal pep talk? – she quickly glanced across the ranch to see where the voices had drifted over from. There were two figures outlined against the backdrop of the green field, heading towards the main road that led back to town. The larger one she recognised as Owen and the slender one trying to escape his presence was the waitress Kathy.

"Come on Kath, we had a bet," Owen was saying loudly.

Even from this distance Holly could tell the blonde was flustered. She kept her head low, her pace increasing with every step. Owen didn't feel the need to rush after her though; he continued to follow behind at a leisurely rate.

Halfway to the path, Kathy came to a sudden halt. Her eyes darted from side to side, and once she was sure no one was in close proximity – Holly stood a few inches out of her line of sight – she beckoned at the miner to come closer. "…Fine!" She muttered huffily.

The red headed man grinned victoriously as the blonde moved forward. With only a few inches separating them, Kathy stood up on the tip-toes of her pointy cowboy boots and allowed her eyes to fall closed. Their lips were so close to touching. Holly found herself holding her breath in anticipation.

But then Owen side-stepped. Instead of his lips, Kathy kissed the air and almost fell face first into the dirt when she lost her balance. The miner burst out laughing.

"Argh, you idiot…!" Her fist flew at his chest, striking him, but with little effect, "What if someone's watching?"

Owen just continued to snigger, aggravating her even further. Kathy went to punch him again. He caught her arm. She froze. His laughter had stopped, but the smile remained, mischievously affectionate. He lifted his hand and brushed her blonde bangs aside with his fingertips. Leaning in, he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Let them see," Owen murmured.

How sweet! Holly had wondered about their relationship before: they got along like any other pair of friends, always playfully teasing each other, but a person didn't have to be perceptive to see that their connection ran even deeper than that. Their secrecy was strange though, and a little saddening. Worrying only wasted energy which would be better spent having fun and making the most of their time together.

"Listen to me, I'm already starting to sound like an old lady," Holly said to herself with a sad giggle.

At the sound, both heads snapped in her direction.

"Holly!" Kathy squeaked, "H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, not that long…" She replied, unable to help her knowing smile.

Owen cleared his throat, "I… guess I'd better be on my way then." He winked at Holly, before turning back to the blonde girl by his side, "I'll see you later at the bar, okay Kathy?"

"Yeah, yeah, like I don't see your ugly mug there enough."

Owen dramatically stumbled backwards with a hand clutched to his heart, "Your cold words wound me so deeply!"

Growing flustered again, Kathy stomped her foot, "Get out of here already!"

Loud laughter echoed down the path as the miner left the Gelato Meadow. When he had disappeared from sight completely, Kathy faced Holly. She brought herself up tall, trying to appear nonchalant but also confident; so far she was failing, the apples of her cheeks seeming to have taken on a permanent crimson hue.

"I don't know how much you saw, but um… we were just playing around back there," The blonde said quickly, "We do that. We've known each other for practically our entire lives."

"That must be nice," Holly commented, "To be so close to someone."

Kathy's eyes softened, "It is. I don't have any siblings, so when we were growing up, Owen was like my big brother, you know?" Her hand found its way into her hair, twisting the end of her long ponytail around her fingers, "I mean, that's why it's kinda weird now…"

Holly considered this. "It's only weird if you think it is…" Then she suddenly laughed, eyebrows coming together in an apologetic frown, "But what do I know? Sorry, I'm being nosey."

"No harm done. Being nosey is the favourite past-time of half the town, me included," Kathy assured her, grinning wryly. "Anyway, so what brings you down this way? Doing some shopping?"

The farmer nodded, "This isn't mine though, Hannah asked me to take this delivery to the Tailor's."

Kathy giggled, "I figured you wouldn't need that much yarn."

"Have you been out riding?" Holly asked.

"Yeah, I usually go with Renee, but Owen comes out here on his days off too." The mention of his name brought back the red tinge in her cheeks, except this time she managed to keep her cool, "Actually, do you ride? Your sister said something about your grandparents keeping horses."

"They had a farm. That's what inspired me to move here actually," Holly explained, "But it's been a very long time."

"Never too late to get back on the horse!" Kathy said with a wink, "Say, why don't you join us tomorrow after you finish your farm chores?"

"T-Tomorrow?"

Something cold plunged into Holly's stomach. She wasn't supposed to think about that today, didn't want to remember the painful ache in her heart and the tears that seemed never-ending.

Realisation struck Kathy and she covered her mouth with her hand, "Oh, I'm so dumb, I completely forgot about…"

The forced smile returned to her lips, "It's okay, really. I would love to join you sometime though."

"Listen, if you feel up to it, come out here tomorrow anyway. We can make it a girls' afternoon out!" Kathy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Ice cream lunch included."

"I'd like that," Holly replied softly. She meant it.

Kathy walked with her the rest of the way, chatting constantly about anything that came to mind, until Holly had to take a detour home to drop off the eggs and milk. In that short amount of time, it felt like they had really connected. They'd never spoken much before outside of the Sundae Inn – even then, their conversations revolved around which food and drink Holly was ordering – but Kathy was so easy to talk to, a true big sister type, full of advice and understanding.

Making a new friend gave Holly's mood a significant boost, so she hurried along to the Chiffon Tailors and delivered the order without any hitches. Desperate for another distraction, she offered her time to Shelly. Holly spent the rest of the afternoon lending a hand wherever she was needed: she tidied up around the store (cleaning out the storage closet brought back some more memories), adjusted the mannequins in the front windows, unwittingly gave Luna another marketing idea – "You know Holly," She had said, "Even though you smell like the inside of a barn, you have a great figure! You could be like a before and after shot!" – and even learnt a little knitting from Candace.

By the time Holly arrived home, she was exhausted – in a good way. She had no energy to spare to be sad. Finn greeted her happily as she stepped through the front door; she smiled in reply and made an immediate beeline for the sofa, where she sunk down onto the worn cushions, glad to finally be off her feet.

Finn fluttered across the room, landing on her shoulder. "Are you better now Holly?" He asked in a low voice.

She exhaled softly and craned her neck to look at him, "I am."

"Really?"

Holly tried to ignore the question. She closed her eyes and let her head flop against the back of the couch. Her thoughts began to drift off to no where in particular, becoming lost in a pleasant daze.

But then a sharp stab of pain jolted through her temple. "Ow!"

"Don't lie to me, Holly!" The Sprite chastised. His eyes shone too brightly, "You said you wouldn't lie anymore!"

"I'm sorry," She whispered. Shifting herself upright, she cupped both of her hands around Finn's small body and lifted him up to her eye level. Even when everything else around her seemed to be spinning out of her control, his presence was the constant in her life, someone to keep her anchored. "It still hurts a lot… but it'll get easier soon. Just having you here with me makes me feel better already."

Finn bounced up and down. "Really? Really, really?"

"Really," Holly laughed, "Now come on, let's make some dinner. I'm starving!"

Granted, it wasn't exactly the whole truth, but cooking would keep her busy and give her the chance to spend some more time with her Harvest Sprite partner. After ten minutes, she'd managed to make some eggs, salad and ham, which she slowly picked at as she listened to Finn talk about what he did while she was out – today, on his way to the Goddess Pond, he accidentally bumped into the bear that lived on the outskirts of the forest. The Sprite gesticulated wildly as he recounted his exciting tale, "He got real angry and started chasing me! I had to fly as fast as my wings could carry me!"

A knock suddenly cut Finn's story short. They both glanced at the door.

Her heart stopped. Only one person would visit her at this hour. If it ended this way, it wouldn't be as bad. She was already becoming accustomed to not having him around. But if they were to see each other, now, the night before he was supposed to leave, then...

The knocking grew louder.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Finn questioned.

She felt frozen in place but torn in two. A part of her longed to welcome him in again, to her house, to her arms, to her heart.

"Holly… Holly, please open the door," His muffled voice pleaded.

Finn gave her a look of understanding before he fluttered off towards the windowsill and settled down in the shade of his sunflower. For a few minutes, Holly stayed seated. Slowly, she got to her feet and headed for the door. She reached out, resting her hand on the doorknob. Her fingers curled around it.

Her heart had won over.

Calvin was just about to knock, hand held up in mid-air, when the door swung open. His eyes widened then grew soft, as his lips curved into a sad smile, "Hey."

Tears threatened to cloud her vision. Blinking furiously, Holly made herself meet his gaze – a gasp rushed through her lips. There was a dark bruise beneath his left eye and it looked recent.

"Calvin, what happened?" Holly breathed, moving forward. Her fingertips gently brushed over the injury, "Did you get in another mining accident?"

He chuckled uneasily and lowered her hand, "Uh, no… I was involved in a little altercation, that's all."

"An altercation? With who? And why?"

"Let's not talk about that right now," He said instead, leaving the 'You'll find out about it soon enough,' an unspoken given.

Holly moved aside to let him in. Calvin took a few steps but then stopped, lingering near the entranceway. Even in a house he had grown to know so well he seemed lost and unsure. Their friendship, their relationship, had been altered yet again and it was unlikely that it would ever be the same, the damage too irreparable.

He spotted her unfinished dinner, "Sorry, I interrupted you."

"I wasn't very hungry anyway," She said, shrugging slightly.

Calvin eventually settled on the sofa, although his eyes struggled to find a point to focus on.

She sunk into the space next to him. They felt each others' warmth, familiar and comforting, but even though they sat so closely, they couldn't have been any further apart.

Silence filled the room.

"Why did you come here?"

"I have something I need to ask you, but I'm trying to think of a way to be subtle about it." Calvin attempted to smile; it came out more like a grimace.

Holly's voice quivered as she spoke, "It's not like you to be subtle."

He gave a weak chuckle, "No… I guess it's not."

Another uncomfortable beat passed.

With a sigh, Calvin heaved himself to his feet. He started to pace back and forth, thumb and forefinger kneading the bridge of his nose, as he tried to work up the courage to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

Finally, he paused and took a long breath to steady himself. "I've never... I've never had a long term relationship before," He began.

She hadn't seen this side of him since that day he first dared to kiss her. The only time he had ever seemed nervous. Holly frowned, half amused, half concerned, "I've never been in one either."

"Well, you're young."

"You are too."

"I'm almost thirty."

"That's still young."

"Not everyone would agree with you," He countered.

"It's young to me and I'm the only one who matters," Holly quipped, hoping he'd relax.

He didn't.

Calvin rubbed the back of his neck as he continued, his gaze never leaving the floor, "Work always made it difficult to get into anything serious, you know? I never know where I'm going next, or how long I'll be there… I don't think I've ever stayed in one place for more than five years. I mean, I don't even have my own place to go home to because I'm on the road so often."

Holly wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know what to do – if there was anything she could do. "Calvin, why are you telling me all this?"

He knelt down in front of her. His sincere blue eyes stared deeply into hers, as he took her hands into his and interlinked their fingers. "Holly… I don't want this to end…"

The words seemed to echo loudly in her ears before it properly sunk in. Her breath hitched. "Don't say that."

"Please... come with me. I'll show you the world," Calvin whispered.

So many emotions vied for dominance, it felt as if her heart was being pulled in a million different directions. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes and she stared down at their overlapping hands; it was that image that helped her find her voice. "Moving away from my home was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Waffle Town is my home now, and I… I don't think I could ever do it again…"

"Then I'll stay."

Holly's head shot up, "I'm not going to let you turn your life upside-down for me!"

"It's just a job," Calvin argued.

She untangled one of her hands and gently cupped the side of his jaw, savouring the feel of his smooth skin – another habit he'd started just for her. "But it's a job you love and worked so hard at."

"I… I do love my job, but… not as much as I…" His grip tightened, "We can make this work somehow, can't we?"

"It will always be like this." Holly broke off, lapsing into silence as the tears began to slip down her cheeks. She forced herself to breathe, "The... the goodbyes, going months without seeing each other, without speaking… we'll have to go through this every time, until one of us makes a sacrifice we're not prepared to make. It wouldn't be fair to put ourselves – and each other – through so much pain..."

Calvin bowed his head.

"I-I'm so sorry, Calvin…" Holly whimpered.

He looked up, fighting to keep his smile from faltering. "Don't be. We both knew from the beginning that it would end like this."

The tears came down faster. Calvin leant forward. She felt his breath on her cheek.

He kissed her. Everything stopped at that moment and it was as if nothing wrong had ever happened.

But she couldn't let herself be fooled. Holly pulled away.

Calvin's arms stopped her, and held her close again, his warmth encircling her as she buried her face into the fabric of his shirt. She never wanted to forget his scent. Woody and earthy; so real. He drew back slightly, trying to entice her to look at him. When she wouldn't, he gently lifted her chin.

His lips fluttered over her skin, kissing the tears from her cheek. The sensation made Holly shiver. She ran her hands up his chest, behind his neck, linking them together. In one swift motion Calvin gathered her up in his arms, letting her legs wrap around his hips and carried her off to the bedroom.

It became a fumble to remove clothing, a desperation to be closer, to be connected skin against skin.

Just one last time.

Hours later, when the sky had darkened into night and the only light in the bedroom came from the moonlight streaming through the gap in the curtains, they were still laying in each other's arms, tangled beneath the white sheets. Sunrise seemed so far away but they both knew morning would come too quickly, and soon they would have to say goodbye.

"It's getting late…" Holly murmured, curling into herself, knees to stomach.

But Calvin only wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.

"You should go–"

"I want to stay."

Nothing would change his mind.

Sleep eventually came, as did the morning. The sunlight pierced through the darkness, signalling the beginning of another day.

Lost between dreamland and reality, Holly began to stir. Her senses slowly awakened: sight adjusted to her dim surroundings, nerves became aware of the arm draped across her stomach, ears heard the soft snores coming from the man beside her. She slowly eased herself into a sitting position and gazed down at Calvin's sleeping face.

Their time together had been so short, and it hurt more than ever knowing that in just a few hours he'd be gone forever.

But for once Holly didn't feel like crying. Instead, her heart overflowed with gratitude for everything he had given her – the support, friendship, and most of all, love.

She reached over, gently stroking his golden brown hair, "I won't ever forget you, Calvin."