~Vaughn~
When I wake up in my house, I check the calendar before I do anything else. I've actually been looking forward to this, although I really didn't want to admit it.
It's Winter Harmony day…which means I'll get chocolate. Or something close to it, considering Chelsea's not really all that great at cooking.
Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but since it's coming from Chelsea it means a lot to me. We've been together for maybe half a season now, but for some reason I still can't get used to the fact that we're actually TOGETHER.
Every time I'm with her, I turn red even though I should be used to it by now.
I've also promised her that next week, I'll go to Mineral Town with her so she can see her parents again. I think she's afraid that if she goes alone, they'll try to stop her from leaving. It doesn't surprise me, seeing as it seemed like that was exactly what they wanted to do when we were getting ready to leave the first time.
While I get dressed, there's a knock on my door. I ignore it, knowing who it is and turn my back to the door as it swings open.
"Hey Vaughn!" Cheryl sings, bouncing into my house and shutting the door behind her like it's no big deal. "I brought you chocolate! Happy Winter Harmony Day!"
I give a sigh of annoyance and turn around to glare at her.
"Cheryl. How many times do I have to tell you-I HAVE a girlfriend. I HAVE someone I like. Besides, how do you keep getting in here anyways, I've changed the key and lock at least twice now and you still manage to get in."
She giggles, and waves a finger in front of my face.
"Now, Vaughn, don't be like that. It's my little secret too, by the way, how I get in here and I don't plan on giving that up anytime soon!"
I roll my eyes and head for the door, getting ready to leave.
"Stop it Cheryl. Stop coming here."
"Not a chance, cowboy. I don't believe you for one bit when you say you have someone else, so until you prove it to me I can do whatever I want!"
As I slam the door behind me, I sigh and wish that she wasn't so forceful. She's exactly the same way she was when her brother was courting his wife; she kept following him around, insisting that until he proved it, it wasn't real.
Then he got married and she shut up and started bothering me instead.
The only problem is that Chelsea can't leave her farm right now; she just got a few sheep and she wants to nurture them personally. Besides that, she can only take day trips, and coming to Bluebell would mean staying the night.
She's not willing to leave her farm just yet, so I'll have to deal with this nuisance for a few more weeks before I can finally bring her here and get rid of Cheryl once and for all.
xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXxxxxx
As the island comes into sight, I huff impatiently, wishing the boat was already there.
I never realized how agonizing it was to wait to be with someone until now. Then again, I don't have to wait long.
She's sitting on the dock, and as soon as she sees the boat come in she stands up with a big grin on her face. I frown though, noting that she doesn't seem to be wearing a scarf.
When I step off the boat, I'm tackled by her. She wraps her arms around my neck and hangs from it, talking up at me about how glad she is to see me while I say, "yeah, yeah," and grab her by the waist to set her down.
"Hey, what are you doing?" she complains as I start bundling her up in my scarf.
"Shut up and hold still."
"Noooooo!"
The two of us fight with the scarf, me trying to wrap her in it and her trying to wriggle out of it.
"Just…hold…still…dammit Chelsea," I grunt, as she steps on my foot and then runs away.
"I HATE scarves!" she calls back at me, and I glare at her before chasing her down.
xxxXXxxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxx
Mark laughs on the couch while Pierre hands both me and Chelsea mugs of hot chocolate.
"You tried to put her in a scarf?" Mark says in disbelief, clutching at his sides. "Chelsea can't stand scarves!"
"Or bats," I say, sipping at my mug and earning a glare from her, where she sits squished in between me and Mark.
"It's feels like being choked," she mutters sullenly into her cup, and I curse at myself as I realize that her dislike for scarves isn't just another weird thing of hers.
She has a legitimate enough reason for it, although by the looks of things Mark doesn't know that, as he continues to jibe at her and tell her that scarves are made for the cold weather.
Finally she stands up and drags me outside, clearly unable to deal with the fact that Mark won't leave her alone.
I don't mind though, and I allow her to pull me along as we walk towards her farm.
xxxXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXXXxxxXXXXxxxx
When we get to her farm, she tosses a bag at me and mumbles something about Winter Harmony Day. I watch as she grumbles about how I better not complain about the taste, and then I smile and open the package, looking down at it.
There are cookies in the bag. There are a few that look a bit burnt, but other than that them seem surprisingly okay.
While I stare at them, she frowns and then looks away.
"Stop staring at them…they're not bombs or anything…"
"I'm just surprised that they retained shape," I tease, but when I see her face fall I laugh softly and put my hand on her chin, bringing her face up so that she's looking me straight in the eye.
"Thanks," I murmur, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, which causes her to blush.
It's good to know that she likes me so much that she can still blush so easily for me, despite the fact that we've been like this for nearly half a season now, and despite the fact that even before that we were pretty close.
As we sit down in the snow, I see her shiver and I frown at it. Slowly, I drop my scarf on her, and then my vest.
"Vaughn! You're going to catch a cold!" she frets, but I just shake my head and put my arm around her, drawing her closer.
"It's better if I catch one than you. You've got animals to take care of; I can just call in sick if I have to. Besides, I have a something to tell you."
