Knowing that I'm Canadian - well, it was coming.
"Aaaand, of course that did not work..." With her legs crossed on her couch, Claire in her everyday overalls stared at her laptop. "If you were an actual person, I would have shot you by now... or strangled you. Not you, laptop. This-This stupid-no-good-utterly-difficult file." She quickly exhaled a long breath as she stared at her screen. She was, yet again, trying her best to make some progress with the file from hell. So far, no luck.
She continued staring at her screen, hoping that maybe an idea would jump out or even better it simply would decrypt itself. A sudden knock on her door slapped her back to her surroundings. "Come!" she yelled as she waved one arm.
The door creaked open, allowing some of the cold air to touch the back of Claire's neck, then closed. This time as the blonde stared at her laptop, she paid more attention to the reflection than to the content. Not so surprising to her, she saw the ever infamous UMA hat. "What's up, Gray?" she immediately spoke.
"How did you know it was me without turning around?"
"Reflection, obviously. From two places," she quickly added the latter when she noticed briefly her mirror on the wall to her left.
"Right. Obviously." He took some steps around her couch in order for a more face to face conversation. Noticing the blonde focusing more on her laptop than him, he gently closed her laptop and moved it from her lap to the coffee table nearby.
"Hey! I was working on something," she exclaimed, bit startled at his action. Getting nowhere but still...
He outstretched his hand which puzzled her. What puzzled her more was the fact that she took it. "Let's go ice skating," he remarked as he helped her up from the sitting position.
"Skating?" the blonde raised an eyebrow or tried. She ended raising both eyebrows.
"Yeah," he gestured at his right shoulder. At that precise moment she noticed the two pairs of skates. She felt dumb overlooking the obvious detail. "You do know how, right?" he continued.
"Oh, yeah, sure," Claire quickly responded. She bit the inside of her cheek then continued, "just let me get my winter gear on..." Stepping around her couch, she headed towards her coat rack near the door. Gray followed her to the door.
"It's fairly mild out for a winter day," the blacksmith remarked. "A heavy coat should be enough."
"Right." Claire grabbed her coat. To make sure her hair was in place, she walked to her mirror and adjusted her hair accordingly. Kat would kill me if she knew I was wearing a coat like this with overalls... she mused as she finished last checks in the mirror. With that, she and Gray left her house.
It was a long-short walk to the frozen lake. Every fiber in her being was in a state of confusion for what possible reason the blacksmith had for even suggesting skating. Even more so, the blonde's conscious had no quips, and she had expected something. But absolutely nothing – radio silence. She was unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing nor did she know whether it was a sane thing to even contemplate. Though with confusion, there strangely was also excitement, or was that feeling nerves. Perhaps it was nerves. But that was silly, right? It wasn't as if being in the presence of Gray was a foreign concept. After all, there were times recently with Gray where her mind, just as now, raced.
The blonde was in a mess of thinking, rapidly working to overthinking. She started to wonder whether she herself should just woman up and tell him that maybe – no definitely she had feelings for him. What was the worst thing that could happen? That perhaps he would like her back? No, that would be impossible. As if on cue, her mind rapidly started to run through all the potential disasters if she did.
Warring with herself, she then felt the graze of the blacksmith's hand. Once, she thought nothing of it since the two were walking together. But twice? Thrice? Her thoughts abruptly stopped and focused more on the now. She glanced at her hand near him, trying not to be obvious, and noticed his hand moving closer to hers. Whether it was purposeful or accidental – she studied his face, again trying not to be obvious, but did not know the answer. Without too much thinking, she moved her gloved hand closer to his which allowed his bare one to eventually take hers. She determined to play it cool to herself, but deep down she was screaming like a school girl.
Yet despite all signs she had observed (which now included this one) and deciphered with her best friend Kat concerning the blacksmith, she still struggled in convincing herself that perhaps that feeling was mutual. It did not help matters when she kept remembering how confident she had been about another guy, but then it had turned out she was far from the mark: he had just been a relatively nice guy which was extraordinarily rare in the city. At least for her it was. The hesitation with Gray was very real. And just like that she returned back to her circular thinking. It was a mess. Her thinking was a mess, and the constant flashing back to when he had brushed off their so called initial kiss did not help matters.
Fortunately for her, the two arrived at the frozen lake. They broke up their hand holding, neither one of them outwardly making a big deal out of it, and laced their skates. Gray was the first one to finish lacing and immediately went on the ice, taking a lap. When he finished, Claire was ready to go on the ice herself. She glanced around somewhat hesitant.
"Come on, Claire!" Gray said as he skated another lap. Once returning back to where Claire was standing, he stopped abruptly in front, snow flying from the ice as a result. "You do know how, right?" he repeated the same phrase from earlier this time with a hint of playfulness.
"Yeah," Claire remarked defiantly, "it's just I'm used to the rinks with boards and everything."
"It's the same concept, Claire," he responded as he skated backwards.
"I know that. But when you haven't skated in a very long time..."
He skated back in front of her. "Let me help then," he offered his hand.
The farmer took it but was unsure whether it was a good idea. "You're not going to fall," he added practically reading her concerns, "I won't allow it. You'll be fine."
That made her even more unsure.
She started slowly, using the blacksmith for stability like she would have had there been boards around the ice like there were at rinks on the mainland. To her surprise her muscle memory came back at a fast pace. Recognizing this, Gray gradually released his hand from hers. He skated another lap around the lake then returned to skating beside Claire who was picking up speed.
She looked at him sensing he wanted to declare something. "Don't say it," she gave him a half glare.
He chuckled, "Wasn't going to say it. Your face says it all."
The two of them continued peacefully skating, both taking in the surroundings of the never-ending blanket of snow which surrounded the lake and decorated the barren trees. It was Gray who started to change that calm pace. He turned around, skating backwards and facing Claire. "What's up?" he cheerfully asked.
The blonde again tried raising just one eyebrow but again ended raising both. "At the moment? Wondering what's with the showy display?"
Shrugging his shoulders, he flashed a small smile then returned to skating beside her.
She released a small chuckle. "Is it safe to assume that you enjoy skating?"
"Very much so. I go at least once per winter."
"Interesting. So skating the way you do, I take it you've been known to watch some hockey then," Claire remarked, bit eager in his response.
Gray adjusted his hat on his head. "I know of it, but it's something I never got into," Gray responded. Claire's jaw slacked slightly open. "Now football? Yeah. Hockey's got nothing on football."
Claire halted skating, still with her jaw slacked slightly open. "Football? You've got to be serious. Of all the possible sports – football!?"
Gray too stopped realizing Claire was not skating and faced her. "It is only the greatest sport to ever exist. The strategy implemented has often been compared to a chess match. I would think you of all people would like that."
"You wouldn't catch me dead watching a game," the blonde scoffed. "No, no, give me hockey any day of the week. The skill, the speed, the grit – how many sports have players who get their teeth kicked in yet brush it off and play on? Or die, be resuscitated, then request into being put back into the game? I could go on. Hockey players are just a different breed of athlete."
The blacksmith skated closer to her. "Hockey, huh. Never expected a girl like you to be into that kind of sport, let along sports in general."
"I'm a girl of many mysteries, Gray," Claire crossed her arms.
"But hockey?"
"Why not? 'It is only the greatest sport to ever exist,' she mocked him, uncrossing her arms to hold up her index finger. Her eyes closed like a scholar stating an obvious fact.
Gray cupped her hand, encouraging her index finger to retract, then held that hand. "Alright," he grabbed her other hand, "Let's settle this." The blonde glanced down at her hands, heat creeping to her face. Intrigued, however, she remained calm as he continued, "With a race, around the lake three times. If I win, you have to not only admit out loud that football is the greatest sport to ever exist but also have to watch one game with me."
Claire's heart may have been beating faster than normal, but she was of a clear and determined mind at that moment. She retracted her hands from his, unsure if the warmth on her cheeks could still be seen if it was seen at all. "Fair enough. But if I win, you will have to admit hockey is the best and also watch a hockey game with me," she countered with one hand on her hip.
"Then it looks like we have a wager," he smirked. He quickly turned around, dug his skates into the ice, and sprung himself forward.
"That's called cheating!" Claire yelled as she quickly started her skating in an attempt to catch him. Even though his face was not easily seen from that distance, she just knew he smirked at that moment.
As he sprinted with his long legs with relative ease, she quickened her pace with her short ones. She amazed herself how fast she managed to skate. Catching up to Gray, Claire pushed herself harder in quickening her pace which encouraged Gray to do the same. Suddenly, Gray skated one slight misstep sending him side first into some snow around the lake. Claire skated pass the mishap then circled back to check on him. She swiftly stopped in front at the edge of the ice, dusting the blacksmith's pants with the snow flying from the stop. "What's that saying?" she tried stifling her laughs, "'Karma's a bitch'?"
"Don't start, woman," the blacksmith groaned as he rolled more onto his back. He caught a glimpse of the farmer still trying to control herself from breaking down in laughter.
"You alright?" she managed to say once she composed herself more.
"I'll live," he answered, looking more at her.
"Pride bruised but other than that?"
"Yeah," he sat up somewhat squinting, "something like that."
Claire offered her hand in assistance. He accepted it then, unexpected to her, pulled her down towards him causing her to let out a tiny squeal. The force of her fall bumped him back flat on the ground, he letting out an 'oof.' Sitting more at his side, the blonde propped herself with her hand on his chest. Some of her hair rested on her shoulders, tumbling down in front of her. Gray by now had propped himself with his arms into a sitting position again. The two of them looked at each other both giving each other small smiles. Gray nonchalantly started playing with the bottom of her hair closest to him. "Can I ask you something?"
"I mean, technically you did already," Claire bit somewhat her lower lip.
"Right," Gray chuckled then adjusted his hat. "I mean, do you think you will live in Mineral Town forever?"
"Well, I did move here for a reason," the blonde replied somewhat confused.
"Not what I was asking, Claire."
"Okay. I suppose – yeah, I don't see living anywhere else." Of course, minus the happenings up north. Who knows what that will bring ultimately... she added to herself in her mind. "Why ask this?" she turned a question on him with a hint of a smile crawling on her face.
"No particular reason though I am glad to hear," he replied as he returned to running his hand through the bottom of her hair. She lightly pushed his hand away from her hair and rested her hand on his. He peered at her from underneath his hat, giving her a small smile as he moved a little forward.
Claire playfully pushed him back which resulted in him back again lying on the ground. She quickly sprung up from her sitting position and sprinted back on the ice. "I'm gonna win this wager, Gray," she hollered in her stride.
Snapping out of a bit of confusion, Gray shot up himself and gave chase. His strides were effortless and picked up more speed each time.
Claire was far ahead and knew it. She still surprised herself on how fast she actually was skating or for that matter how fast she could actually skate. Concern on how this time she would stop crept on her but quickly subsided as soon as she automatically stopped when she knew she was past the three laps. Just like riding a bike. She briefly watched Gray finish his lap, marvelling to herself how fast he was going. For somebody who claims he can't stand hockey, he certainly has the speed of a player.
Her thoughts, while waiting, then jolted to the mini-conversation she had with the blacksmith. The conversation itself gave her much to start overthinking-er think. It was, however, not what flashed in her head. She was not completely sure on this particular detail and wondered if whether she had imagined it. But nevertheless, her mind deemed it an important detail to take notice; and if she were right, it meant changes.
Before she had any chance to further ponder, Gray abruptly stopped in front of her which caused a spray of snow from the ice to nearly cover her from her shoulders down. She glared at him as she watched him snicker to himself. "Guys," she muttered to herself as she brushed off the snow from her coat and what she could from her legs.
"So," Gray spoke gaining more control over his snickers, "I guess you win."
"Indeed. But I'm not looking for those words from ya just yet."
"Okay...?"
The farmer took a deep breath, preparing to continue and knowing where her question could lead. "Why did you ask whether I would stay here in town forever? And don't repeat the same words you did cause you and I both know you had a reason." And damn it it's bothering me even more now, she thought to herself. "I want to know..." she further added, looking straight at him as if she were peering into his soul.
"I was curious," he answered somewhat avoiding eye contact. Claire was about to respond to somehow pry a better response from him; but to her surprise, he added more, "There are people, you know, who like to move around a lot."
"Like Kai?"
"He's one. And there others who just move away and never come back. Like my father."
Claire blinked. "Your father?"
"Long story," when he saw that the blonde in front of him was about to further inquire he quickly added, "for another time."
Before either of them had any chance to continue rather a riveting conversation, they soon heard voices coming closer. Claire, without much thinking, grabbed the blacksmith's hand and dragged him with her behind some nearby snow-covered bushes close to some leafless trees. "Care to explain the urgency to hide behind some bushes?" Gray was first to speak, bit confused.
"Obviously to see who is coming."
"Right. But-"
"And to spy on them."
"There it is. I swear Ann's influenced you too much."
"Or you just don't know me as well as you thought."
Gray shrugged his shoulders, "Perhaps. B-"
"Shush. There be guests," she interrupted, lightly nudging him.
Claire and the reluctant Gray watched through the branches and snow as a man with red messy hair with his infamous white headband and a woman wearing a fashionable coat with a splash of purple accent approached the frozen lake. The figures were none other than Rick and Karen. Claire strained to hear what they were saying even though the majority of what they discussed was rather boring to her. Yet she refused to reveal to Gray in any capacity that perhaps it was not a grand idea like she had thought.
"Well, this is boring," Gray declared in a low voice.
Even though he voiced what she was thinking, Claire remained silent still trying to pretend Rick and Karen's conversation was interesting.
"You know, I wasn't entirely finished with what I was saying," Gray continued in the same voice. Claire listened closely while her eyes still focused in the direction of the figures. "How should I put this..." the blacksmith mumbled to himself, "All I wanted to say is I'd miss you if you moved away. I don't have too many friends and... I like you. I mean, as a friend." The blacksmith pulled down his cap.
The blonde turned her head to the blacksmith, her eyes searching for his underneath his hat. She was touched but at the same time wondered why he quickly added 'as a friend.' Perhaps I'm thinking too much over it, she tried rationalizing to herself. However, it bothered her to where she knew intensive dissection of the phrase would happen later that night. Realizing she still hadn't responded like she probably should have, she spoke up in a soft voice, "Well, likewise, Gray." She mentally cursed herself for what she deemed a lackluster response.
Gray pushed his hat a bit to see the blonde better. For a brief moment, their eyes met each other; that is, until the spied conversation started to turn somewhat interesting to the blonde. She quickly tapped the blacksmith on the arm then pointed to the figures in question with her thumb in her attempt to bring the attention back to the matter at hand. He rolled his eyes, knowing what Karen and Rick were arguing about while Claire glued her attention to the conversation. She strained in hearing.
"Rick, come on. Just stop."
"I'm telling you it exists!"
"Every time you see some sort of scratch... can't you just see the frozen lake like a normal person? That those scratches were made by skates and just skates? Why do you always have to bring it up?"
"Cause I've seen it! It's not my fault that some scratches reminds me of it."
"You've been going on about it for how many years now? And nobody has seen it except you. And do you want to know why? Cause giant chickens do not exist!"
Claire could almost hear the exasperation from Karen. It was a peculiar conversation from what she was able to piece together. The two bickered back and forth then soon apologized to one another, walking away as if the ordeal had not occurred. Claire blinked, confusion very much settling within her. "That was... different," she managed to say to Gray.
Gray stood up with purpose, relieved to not be sitting down on the cold snow. "That's Rick," he affirmed. He held out a hand to Claire to help her stand.
She took it, joining him in standing. "He may not be wrong on it though. He probably saw something, perhaps his memory distorting some of the details, but I don't doubt he saw something."
"The north?"
"Akira, Zeus, and Zoey confirm that they do. Do you know what Rick claims he saw exactly?"
"Not particularly cause I frankly don't give a damn. I tune out what doesn't interest me."
"There's so much I could say to that."
"I'm sure you could, Claire," Gray said as he hopped back onto the ice to skate some more.
Claire soon joined him on the ice after wiping down the excess snow from her coat and pants. She then quickly caught up to his skating, "Hey, you still owe me a sentence, you know."
"Do you I have to?" Gray grimaced, his facial expression twisted in some annoyance. He had hoped the blonde would forget.
"Them the rules," she paused then quickly continued, "but you have to say with passion and meaning." The farmer smirked as the two of them continued to skate.
"No. There was no agreement on that. It's going to be said like this," he cleared his throat, "hockey is the best sport ever..." He stopped, thinking he fulfilled his contract. Claire nudged him though as if to say 'you know there's more.' He took a deep breath and reluctantly continued, muttering as he did, "Hockey is better than football."
"Especially!" Claire emphasized, pointing her index finger in the air. "You forgot that."
"If you think I'm repeating it with that emphasis, think again." The blonde stifled a laugh.
"It is bad enough I have to endure watching a game..." he trailed, continuing with his tirade. Claire giggled some more, this time failing miserably in stifling those giggles. "You're taking an adverse amount of enjoyment out of this, aren't you."
"Of course! Well, maybe a little. But all the same, you still like me," she slapped him on the arm lightly.
"Yeah I guess. I guess that's one positive or something..." he somewhat muttered as he stuck his hands in his pockets, causing the blonde to chuckle.
As the mild cold afternoon came to a close, so did the recreational skating. The two of them started heading back to Claire's farm. Even though it was slightly darker than before, the snow blanketing the barren trees and bushes, and ground shone as if it were defying the upcoming darkness. The snow was very much still undisturbed which provoked thought in the blonde on whether there were much wildlife during the winter.
Her pondering halted when both she and Gray were greeted by her dogs the minute they stepped on her farm. In recent times, Claire had noticed that Zeus in particular had taken quite the liking to Gray. That was especially evident as she watched Zeus nearly knock over the blacksmith. She giggled as the blacksmith calmed the hyper dog.
The two approached her farmhouse. However, the farmer continued heading to the northern exit of her farm earning a confused look from the blacksmith. She then grabbed his arm and pulled him in the same direction, explaining that she was planning on visiting the Inn later anyways. Of course, that was the half truth: part of her also wanted to spend a bit more time with Gray, but she conveniently omitted that particular detail, deeming it too forward. Gray grunted in response regaining his independence as Claire released her grip on him once he had joined her.
Just like the walk from the frozen lake to her farm was a quiet one, this trek was also quiet. Instead of Claire noting her surroundings, she instead allowed her mind to wonder more on the subject who was walking beside her. She smiled to herself. "What are you smiling about?" Gray inquired, noticing her demeanour and interrupting her thinking.
"Nothing in particular," she cheerfully declared as she squeezed his arm while briefly resting her head on his shoulder. At that moment, Gray pulled his hat more over his face.
The two approached the Inn, neither knowing what laid ahead. "Surprise, Gray!" Ann declared while holding a cake as Gray and Claire entered the Inn. The ginger quickly scrunched her face in confusion when she saw Claire but immediately decided to go with it.
Claire slowly ungloved her hands and stuck the gloves in her coat pocket. Gray quickly set the skates near the door then glowered at the eager ginger. "Ann, you know I don't like surprise birthday parties..."
"This isn't a party, you grump. This is a cake. Big difference." Ann stared right at Gray with determination as if she were staring down a bear.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, it's your birthday? Today?" Claire interjected the stare-off as she rubbed her hands together a few times, "How come you didn't say anything?"
"Cause it isn't a big deal," Gray softened his tone as he replied to Claire. "Even so, parties are a no from me."
"It's a damn cake, you idiot," Ann piped up, narrowing her eyes at the blacksmith. "You're acting as if I got you a mariachi band to serenade you or something."
Gray ignored more of Ann as he focused more on Claire who was still wearing a fairly puzzled face. "I will say this, " he took both of the blonde's hand in his much to not only her surprise but also Ann's. The ginger tilted her head, her ponytail braid swinging with the motion, and intensely focused on the blacksmith and farmer's conversation. "I'm glad you allowed me to take you skating this afternoon. It has been awhile since I had that much fun."
"Well, I – I had fun too..." Claire stumbled on her words, becoming more unsure of herself as the seconds ticked. A tinge of blush swept onto her face until it blossomed into a more evident blush.
Gray gave her a small smile. "I'm glad," he lightly massaged her hands with his then released them, "See you around, Claire." He smiled at her again then headed towards the stairs, giving a side glare at Ann as he passed her.
Claire released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She glanced towards her side and noticed that her brother had joined standing beside Ann. The ginger waitress stood on her tiptoes and waited till Gray was completely upstairs. She then shoved the cake she was holding to Andrew who awkwardly took it but not before a good portion of the cake smeared his overalls. "My gosh, Ann. What the hell?" He set the cake down on a nearby table.
While Andrew was wondering how he would clean his overalls, Ann quickly grabbed Claire's arm and dragged her more towards the counters at the far end of the Inn. "Okay, so what was that?" the ginger pried as she released her grip on the blonde's arm. "Something is definitely going on between the two of you, and I need to know."
"What I need to know is why he never mentioned today was his birthday..." Claire started drifting in her thoughts as she sat down on the nearest bar stool. She took off her coat then placed it to her right on the counter.
"Out of everything he said, that is what you are focusing on!? Oh my... Claire, priorities!" Ann slapped the back of her hand on her opposite palm a few times.
The blonde snapped back to her surroundings, determined in what she wanted to do. "Yeah, whatever, Ann. Question: do you have a pen or pencil and some paper?"
Ann stared at Claire with an extreme blank face plastered on her face, her jaw gaped somewhat open. She then breathed out a very exasperated sigh, "Let me check behind the counter." Ann ransacked the surroundings behind and near the counter, somewhat muttering as she did. Grabbing two items, she continued, "All I found was a pen and some napkins."
"That'll do!" Claire snatched the items and proceeded to scribble on one of the napkins.
If Gray was going to simply not tell her about his birthday, then she was going to improvise. Her idea was a simple one albeit with a certain amount of cheese to it. She avoided thinking about what had occurred since she knew it would lead her down a rabbit hold which she was not willing to go down just yet. Instead, she laser focused on her task not entirely aware whether Ann was trying to talk to her.
And Ann indeed was trying to grab the blonde's attention but ultimately abandoned that quest. She huffed occasionally as she wiped the counter down for invisible stains. The waitress also glanced now and then at the farmer trying to understand what was going on in her head. Even what the farmer scribbled Ann wondered. "Andrew," Ann spoke as she saw the chocolate haired man approach the counter with the dishevelled looking cake, "what is your sister drawing?"
The man near her plopped the cake down on the counter, giving her a not so thrilled look. He then looked at his preoccupied sister. "How am I suppose to know?"
"She is your sister."
"Look, Ann, I've only seen her like this once. And even then I had no idea what she was doing. Now, I know what I'm about to say to you won't be easy to hear but sometimes, you gotta just let her... be. If you are worried, I can assure there are no signs to indicate she is not alright."
"I'm not worried. Just want answers," the ginger sighed. She then grabbed a nearby cloth and started wiping the stain still on Andrew's overalls. "I'm sorry that I shoved cake on you," she somewhat changed the subject.
Andrew chuckled. As if on some cue, Claire slammed the pen down then sprung into running towards the stairs, passing by the two lovebirds. "Be right back," she mumbled.
Ann moved slightly in an attempt to follow to which Andrew lightly grabbed her hand. "Just let her be." Reluctantly, Ann yielded.
By now, Claire was in front of the door of no return, frozen. She was starting to have second thoughts about what she wanted to do, even to the point of questioning why she ran up the stairs with such vigour and speed. No, no, no. We have a purpose, Claire, she mentally coached herself, It's a good purpose, regardless. She took a deep breath, her one hand clinging more onto the napkin, and knocked on the door.
The force of the door opening somewhat startled the blonde. "Ann, how many times I have to-" Gray stopped mid-sentence once he realized it was, in fact, not the ginger. He relaxed his posture and somewhat leaned one of his shoulders on the door frame. "Claire. I did not expect to see you." His tone was significantly softer than his initial one.
"Well, here I am..." the blonde awkwardly laughed, trying her best not to act like fool.
Gray raised his eyebrows and gave her a confused expression.
"Look, I do still wish you had told me today is your birthday. And before you say anything," she quickly said as she suspected he wanted to reply, "I know you feel your birthday is not a big deal, but I'm of the opinion that birthdays should be a big deal and celebrated in some fashion. That usually includes some sort of a gift. So, um, here." She handed him the napkin she had been holding.
"Uh, Claire don't take this the wrong way, but-"
"I know it's not a legitimate item," she interrupted. "It's actually one reason why I wished I had known. I then would have had time to make it. For now, here's the schematic." She paused then quickly realized she hadn't explained what it even was, "It's of a device I thought of. Basic idea is scan a rock, and it would tell you what is in it – like what ore or gemstone. Of course, it is only an idea. Lots of research and experiments would have to be done and possibly some collaboration. May take a long while as well... But yeah. I just thought something like that you would like on some level. Sooo, happy birthday." Claire meekly smiled, not entirely sure what else to add. She tapped the floor with her the tip of her right foot as she drew her arms behind her back, her hands touching.
After a small pause and to her surprise, Gray hugged her and with some purpose. It was now her turn to awkwardly not know where to put her arms. However in her case, she soon embraced him back. She rested her head on his chest while he rested his near the top of her head. Closing her eyes, she sunk more into his chest. Both were just content in their embraces, with Claire wanting it to last for a bit more longer or at the very least time to just outright stop. If only... she thought to herself.
The two of them soon pulled away from each other, but much slower than Claire had expected. She rested her arms on his chest with her eyes meeting his. He relaxed his arms and hands about the top of her waist still clinging to the napkin with one hand. Neither desired to avert their eyes from each other any time soon. Then something which Claire had noted earlier in the day to which she initially was unsure about showed signs of returning.
It was at that moment when her heart picked up in beats and her breathing started to get deeper. She witnessed the same slow movement forward from Gray like she did before, but this time she matched the action. She was slowly getting closer. He was slowly getting closer. Logically, there was nothing to stop them.
However, a extremely familiar female voice echoed from the staircase which indicated the female was hollering down the stairs while ascending up the stairs. It disrupted the pair causing them to abruptly peel away from each other, both blushing and refusing to take their eyes off of each other. "Uhhhh, did I disturb someth... were you two... huh."
Claire glanced towards the stairs and noticed the ginger waitress tilting her head with her arms crossed over her chest. Ann slyly smirked. At that moment, she knew Ann definitely would require an explicit explanation and sooner rather than later. The blonde bit the inside of her bottom lip.
Ann quickly wiped the slight smirk off her face. "For another time," the ginger causally said for no reason but to illicit a reaction from mainly Claire. When she failed to see a visible one, she continued "Now, Gray. I have a bone to pick with you."
Gray turned his attention more to the waitress, "We've been over-"
"No shush!" she took a few steps and waved once her index finger in front of him. "Because of you, I smashed that beautifully crafted cake – which by the way I laboured on for hours in the kitchen, you asshole – onto my boyfriend and now his overalls are made out of cake! Cake on overalls! Do you know how freaking annoying that is!?"
"I did not force you to shove that cake onto-"
"I said shush! My gosh, no wonder why your grandfather gets annoyed at you!" Claire cringed as soon as Ann mentioned his grandfather while Gray merely glared at Ann. The tirade continued as the ginger stuck her one hand on her hip: "Sure. I probably could have been careful in passing that damn cake to Andrew, avoiding plastering a new design on his overalls. But listen here, blacksmith. None of that would have happened if you had just accepted the cake! Cause godess knows I finally gave up in trying to coerce you into actually socializing more on your birthday. So I figured 'just a cake should be fine.' Should have known you'd still whine."
Ann then flailed her arms about. "Do you even know why I do the things I do on your birthday? Why I try my best to try to get a smile out of you on your day of birth?" She paused to get some of her bearings. "Look. We've clashed many times in the past and probably always will. Due to reasons. That being said..." she trailed as she crossed her arms over her chest again, "I sort of, kind of, maybe – and this isn't exactly easy to admit directly to you but dammit it needs to be said – you're sort of like a brother to me."
Gray's expression softened when Ann finished her last sentence. The ginger was known to get on his nerves more often than not. She was, in his eyes, 'the Ginger Menace.' So he was unsure what to think let alone what to respond. To pile more onto his plate, he never considered the possible sibling relationship he and Ann possibility had. It definitely explained a lot.
Ann, not liking the lack of response she was receiving, causally walked over to bemused blonde and tugged her at the insides of her elbow. "Yeah," the ginger broke the uncomfortable silence, "don't think I'm going to make this a habit of saying. And if you weaponize it, there will be hell fire."
Gray blinked, still bewildered, then tipped his hat.
Ann continued to lightly drag the confused blonde towards the stairs who offered no resistance. "We need to talk, Claire." The blonde nodded signalling to the ginger to release her grip.
As the two of them started to head down the stairs, Claire looked back at Gray and found him still watching. Their eyes met yet again causing both to smile at each other which instantly sent shivers down Claire's back. They soon averted their eyes away from each as they went their separate ways for the night, both experiencing dream-like feelings.
Before Gray fully entered his room, he heard a holler from the stairs, "Happy birthday, you son of a bitch!"
He chuckled to himself. "Thanks, you ginger-haired freak!" he responded as he closed his door.
Ann, at the bottom of the stares, flashed to herself a quick smile then focused onto a matter which demanded her attention. "Claire."
But Claire was in a trance-like state. The blonde took a seat on a nearby bar stool. She thought back to the earlier scene before Ann interrupted with her heavy footsteps. She just knew – knew what would have happened had Ann not appeared. If there were any doubts in her mind on where Gray stood with her, they disappeared into oblivion. What happened in that room up north? Irrelevant to the blonde at the moment.
"Sis!" Her brother's voice somewhat brought her back to her current surroundings. She blinked a few times in response. "I see someone has her head up in the clouds," he chuckled to himself.
"You should have seen what I think I almost walked in on," Ann remarked. "Which, Claire, you have some explaining to do."
"Yes, you do, Ann," Andrew flipped the statement onto the ginger.
"Me?"
"Yes, you," he said as he lightly pinched the ginger's side. She swatted his hand away. "I go into the back no longer than, what, a minute, and boom. You do what I explicitly told you not to do."
"You should know me well enough, pumpkin, that when I want to know, I know."
"I – I think I have to go," Claire interrupted Ann and Andrew's little exchange. The farmer knew she had much to dissect but at the same time also wanted to try her hand at her laptop again. There was much to do. She grabbed her coat and wrapped it on her accordingly. "I'll see you two later." With that, she quickly walked to the exit.
"Hey, we still need to talk!" Ann saw the blonde leave the Inn as she uttered her last word.
"I guess you won't know tonight," Andrew slightly teased. To Ann, that was a challenge. When he noticed her ready to pursuit his sister, he quickly added, "Ann, let her be. At least for tonight."
"Fine," Ann huffed. An idea popped into her mind. "Want to bet on what was going on between the jerk of a blacksmith and you beloved sister?"
"Not particularly," Andrew responded as he grabbed a cloth. He slung it over his shoulder.
"Why?"
"Cause I suspect we both would guess the same thing."
Always with that late night post, haha. Writing this is such a good release, I must admit. Till next post!