Author's Note: It's about time for some more drama, no? Enjoy, and have a Happy Holiday, whatever you celebrate!
0o0o0o0
It had been a sunny morning, but there was a thick cloud cover that afternoon as Claire dug her hands in her pockets and stepped lively toward the north end of town.
Maybe some more rain? The forecast didn't say so; she had already watered her crops. She looked up at the sky as she walked. It didn't look too foreboding; it was actually kind of a pretty color, a soft shade of gray…
She saw a flash of brown in front of her and stopped suddenly. Cliff was walking toward her, dreamily staring up at the sky as well, unaware that he was about to collide into her. The young woman remained silent as she bit back a laugh and playfully extended her arms in a halting gesture. She wanted to see if he would actually notice her or if he would keep walking. Apparently, he had something on his mind; the young man jumped when he softly bumped into her outstretched hands. Claire let out a giggle.
"Oh, w-wow… I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to do that, Claire!" Her friend apologized profusely, bowing and blushing. He shifted his bags on his shoulder and his eyes moved back to the sky. "I promise I-I'm not usually so clumsy. Sorry again."
The farmer let out a good-natured laugh. "It's okay; I almost ran into you myself," she admitted sheepishly. They had been bumping into each other a lot lately, Claire noticed, but now it was getting literal. A grin spread across her face as she saw where his gaze was focused and she found herself mirroring him, glancing back up at the clouds.
"Ann said it wasn't supposed to rain according to the weather forecast," His eyes were glued to the heavens, and Claire had the feeling he was hoping for some precipitation.
"Fishing?" She gave him a knowing smile. She remembered the glee and confidence in his expression the other night and felt a warm glow inside of her.
He responded with an emphatic nod. "I'm going to see if I can do a repeat performance. You know… y-you're more than welcome t-to j-join me if you'd like…" He absentmindedly adjusted the homemade spear strapped to his back.
Claire's heart pounded as she remembered her original intention for coming into town today. "Maybe some other time? I'm headed to the library right now. I'm going to get a book on caring for horses."
"Ah… I see…" The brunette nodded politely and his eyes fell to the cobblestones. Claire looked back up at the clouds as Cliff rubbed the back of his neck with a hopeful expression that his friend didn't see. "W-Well… the offer's still open if you have time afterwards…"
"I'm not sure what this afternoon will be like," Claire admitted with a blush. If all went well, she could be spending quite a bit of time at the library, or, if she played her cards right, the inn. Perhaps Gray would be willing to review the book with her. "I might see you in the early evening, though," she added quickly. She had a lot of fun with Cliff the other day and she wouldn't mind spending some more time with him up in the mountains. The farmer studied the brunette and his deep blue gaze had moved back up to the sky. She noticed she was playing with her hair and swiftly stopped herself.
"So… See you later, perhaps?" She gave him a friendly nod.
"A-Alright. I hope so. See you," He returned the gesture and headed to the south. Cliff nearly dropped a few of his bags as he sped up his walking pace; Claire noticed that he seemed a bit distracted. The young man must have fish on the brain. The farmer caught herself grinning.
0o0o0o0
Claire could hardly believe her luck as she opened the door to the library. To her surprise, Gray was sitting alone at his usual desk, buried in a book, and the librarian was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't have wished for a better setup; the blonde slowed down her breathing as she dragged her feet over to the young man.
"H-Hi…" She inwardly scolded herself for her voice coming out as a soft squeak.
The young man let out a soft grunt in acknowledgment of her existence and she saw his eyes fly across the words on the page. He swiftly closed the book and cleared his throat, looking up at her. "Sorry about that… just trying to finish a paragraph. Hello."
"Got to a good p-part, huh?" Claire let out a small giggle, but she was aware of how strained it sounded. She was not going to mess this up…
"Yeah… Mary always recommends the best books to read!" Gray's face lit up as he added the book in his hands to a small pile in front of him. "You should ask her to find a book that matches your tastes; I swear the woman's a genius," a satisfied grin spread across his lips as he admired the stack of books he was planning on bringing home that evening. "She can match anyone with a book; even someone boring like me…"
"Y-You're not boring at all!" Claire said a little too quickly. "A-And I was wondering if you could help me find a book today…" She made her move, biting her lip as she struggled to keep her hands casually down at her sides as opposed to wringing them nervously as she was wont to do.
The young man's pale blue eyes focused on the staircase. "I suppose I could be a stand-in librarian for the moment. Mary's busy finishing up a project upstairs… She told me to get her if anyone came, but let's not bother her, okay?" He gave the farmer a playful wink.
"Uh, s-sure!" Claire almost yelled and her face immediately reddened.
"Besides, I've done the entire checkout process myself on days when she's up there working on a story; she doesn't care once she goes into writing mode. She can get a little spacey sometimes," There was a grin on his face as he continued to gaze at the staircase with kind eyes; the expression almost reminded the farmer of Gray's demeanor around her horse, Tucker.
"Really?" Claire was surprised at hearing that the librarian wasn't perfect. Maybe she should come to the library more often in hopes that the apprentice would assist her instead.
Gray nodded, and the farmer noticed that his cheeks had a little bit of color to them. "Mary's so… passionate about her writing… I'd give anything to have that kind of dedication…" He let out a sigh as he pushed the stack of books across the desk and stood up in a businesslike manner. Claire realized he almost appeared to be a little bit jealous, and she found that she was as well, but for a different reason. "So, what kind of book are you looking for?"
"Something on caring for horses," Was the farmer's eager reply. She ran a few fingers through her blonde locks and stared at the wall of books. "I-I'm not really sure where to begin," She admitted.
"Ah, so you don't think that I'm going to be enough help?" Gray's expression was stoic as he looked down at her.
Claire felt the blood drain from her face, and she quickly went into damage control mode. "N-no! I-I mean-!"
The apprentice rolled his eyes and snorted. "I was just kidding. The more resources you have, the better." He muttered to himself as his calloused fingers expertly ran over the spines of the books and he swiftly tugged out a few for her. "Here, I read all of these when I first moved here. They're all good." He deposited them in Claire's arms.
"Uh… Th-thanks!" She chirped. The young woman was excited, yet slightly disappointed at his assistance; she had been hoping that the process would have taken longer.
The young man led the way to the librarian desk and pulled a pen out of the drawer. "Alright, you know the drill – sign your life away," He smiled as he pulled the sign out cards in the backs of the books.
Claire took the offered pen and neatly printed her name on the line. Her eyes were drawn to the name above it, Gray Iwata, written in sloppy all caps. So that was his last name…
Claire Iwata… It had a nice ring to it…
The young woman halted her hand; she had almost begun writing the desired last name as opposed to her given one. She handed him the cards, struggling to hide the embarrassment on her face at her near-fatal error.
The apprentice grabbed a rubber stamp and pressed it on the inside of the back cover. "Alright, Miss… Dumont," He looked down at the card with an overly serious face. "Four weeks or you're worm chow."
She couldn't have asked for today to go any better; he was actually joking around with her! Claire laughed a little more loudly than she meant to. Now was her chance…
The blonde twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "M-Maybe you can-"
She was interrupted by a loud cry that caught her by surprise.
"Hip, hip-!" The voice rang down the stairs.
"HUZZAH!" Gray responded, roaring with laughter.
What was he doing, yelling in a library?
Her face fell as she saw the instigator of his odd behavior.
The librarian bounced down the stairway with a notebook in both hands, carrying it above her head as if it were a holy relic. "Hip, hip-!"
"HUZZAH!" The young man repeated with a wide grin.
"Hip…" Mary's voice trailed off as her eyes landed on Claire. The young woman clutched her notebook to her chest and turned a violent shade of crimson. "H-Hello, Claire… Welcome to the l-library…" She fussed with her glasses. "S-Sorry about that…" She shook her head and her gaze fell to the floor in humiliation.
"That victory cry can mean only one thing… It's ready, huh?" Gray did a poor job of hiding his excitement.
"Yes!" Mary said a little too quickly as she immediately forgot her embarrassment. She eagerly tucked her pen behind her ear. "Claire, you're just in time. I-I think I finally have the first chapter ready for reviewing. How lucky for me that you're here!"
Claire forced a polite smile on her face. Lucky wasn't the word she would choose herself…
"Lucky for us, too! It's about time," Gray teased.
The young woman pouted. "The first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book! You have to pull the reader in, but you have to lay down the groundwork and add enough foreshadowing to give the readers a taste of what the story is about. It's the hardest chapter of the entire book to write!"
"Alright, alright. But you know you can always show me your rough ideas, too," the young man reminded her.
Claire watched the apprentice in amazement; she knew he liked to read, but she had never seen him get this excited over something, not even when he saw Tucker for the first time… Gray's eyes were glowing and were filled with eagerness for new reading material; Claire wasn't sure how she felt about it.
"N-no!" Mary held her notebook protectively to her chest. "It has to get m-my stamp of approval first before anyone can see the rough draft!"
The words that came out of the farmer's mouth didn't feel like her own. "I know what you mean. You want to offer up your best," Claire nodded, and she was surprised that she was met with a very kind and warm smile from the librarian.
The apprentice didn't appear to have the same sentiment. "Well, I don't get it. Are you afraid of what I might see? Are you worried that I'd be reading the ramblings of a lunatic?" Gray laughed.
Mary swatted him with her notebook. "I must be a lunatic if I'm friends with you," she rolled her eyes, but her face was flushed. "A-And I guess you're just a glutton for insanity, because you come here e-every day we're open."
"Ah, I suppose you're right…" Gray admitted, tugging on his cap.
Claire's heart sunk. The only farm visits she received from the apprentice were strictly for business. She decided she didn't like the look in his eyes.
Mary glanced down at the book in her hands and nervously curled up the edges. "S-So… Would you b-both be willing to give it a read?" She shyly shuffled her feet.
Claire's tongue was made of lead; she stood silently. However, neither of the other two had noticed, because Gray let out a gruff laugh.
"Don't play stupid; that's the whole reason I came here today, Mary. Of course we'll read it," the apprentice didn't bother looking over at the blonde for approval.
"Well, if you're both going to review it, I-I don't want to be in the s-same room when you're doing it," the young woman stammered, playing with the cuffs of her sleeves.
Claire was surprised when she heard a chuckle from the apprentice. "Yes, please leave," Gray grinned. "I have a hard time reading when you're standing over me." Claire felt a slight jump in her heart; Gray wanted to be alone in a room with her and not Mary…
"I-I know… I'm s-sorry…" The librarian's gaze moved to the floor and her face was flushed. "I don't really try to be that way…" She held out her notebook to her male friend with shaking hands.
The young man's expressions softened as he saw her distraught face. "Mary…" His voice was gentle as he reached out his hands to the take the journal. He placed his hands over hers and looked up at her. "I was teasing; I would hope you know that by now. You know that you can let me read anything you write without fear of judgment, no matter how much or how little polishing you've done on it… After all, what kind of friend would that make me? You gave me an honest critique of that bracelet I made last week." He gave her a friendly smile.
"Y-Yes… Th-that's all I want – honesty." The librarian's voice quavered.
The apprentice looked down at their clasped hands and they both immediately turned red.
Claire found herself rather unable to do anything but stare. She had never heard Gray speak so much, and in such a kind manner. She stared at the covers of her horse care books in vain; Gray's line about Mary critiquing a piece of jewelry made by his own hands had cut her deeply. The apprentice had told the farmer that all he could make was ingots…
"So, what's the synopsis?" Gray asked, leafing through the notebook.
"W-Well… It's almost more of a character study at the moment. The story is going to revolve around a woman who is teaching a group of students how to distill herbal essences… I-It's more interesting than it sounds – I promise!" She added defensively.
"Herbs, huh?" Gray gave her a knowing smile as he flipped through the pages absentmindedly.
"Well, it's best to write about what you know," the young woman responded with a nervous laugh. She turned toward Claire. "My father is a botanist, so naturally, I know a lot more about plants than I'll ever need to," Mary explained with a giggle.
The blonde immediately thought of her outing in the mountains the other day with her friend. "Cliff showed me that there's a lot of wild rosemary growing out on Mother's Hill." She wanted to participate in the conversation; she was tired of being a spectator.
The librarian's face lit up as she nodded. "Rosemary's a good one. My dad takes a little bit of extract regularly. It's good for calming the nerves, and it smells delicious."
"Yeah, I put a fresh sprig in my pillowcase again last night." She had tucked some in her clothing as well last night in order to freshen it up in lieu of washing it, but decided this fact was best left unshared.
"So that's why you smell so nice," Mary gave her a shy smile.
"Oh, you can smell it?" The farmer giggled, and she felt herself relax a bit.
"Rosemary and lavender," Mary nodded. "They go well together."
Claire blushed as she remembered that she had reapplied her lavender oil in her anticipation of talking to Gray. She wore it regularly to ease her anxiety, but she added a bit more as a perfume when she went calling on the young man; she was very fond of the smell.
"Mary's got a nose like a bloodhound when it comes to herbs," Gray teased, but Claire noticed he looked a bit proud of the librarian.
The farmer caught herself nodding in approval, but quickly stiffened. Why was she letting herself get impressed with her rival?
"You and Cliff should just take your sickle and go up to the mountain; the rosemary's growing pretty rampant up by the peak," Mary giggled, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Claire considered this and found herself wondering how much she would need to gather before considering making extracts. Surely she needed equipment of some sort as well… How did the process work, anyway?
She was startled from her thoughts by Gray.
"S-Sickle…?! Dammit!" The apprentice's eyes were wide with dread.
The librarian looked at her friend in concern. "What's wrong, Gray?"
He shoved the notebook into a startled Mary's arms. "I was supposed to deliver Pete's sickle after work today! Shit, I completely forgot!" The young man gathered up his large stack of books, muttering and cursing under his breath. "Gramps threatened to throw my hat in the furnace if I forgot again!"
"Would you care to hide your hat here while you make your delivery?" Mary offered politely, but Claire noticed a playful smile creeping across the librarian's lips.
"And walk all the way to the Valley naked? I don't think so!" He glared at his friend but his expression quickly softened. "Hey… I'm sorry to bail like this, Mary…"
"Oh, it's fine," the young woman laughed; she was used to Gray's outbursts. Color crept into her cheeks. "Just come over to my place tonight to read it. My red pen and I will be waiting," She laughed innocently, giving his shoulder a pat.
"A-Alright!" The apprentice turned bright pink as he gave the women a polite nod in farewell and hurried out the door.
Claire forgot to say goodbye. She bit her lip. Why was she constantly messing up when it came to Gray?
The two women stood in silence for a few moments when the farmer was startled by a soft chuckle.
"That man really is something else… He could have just taken the books with him later tonight. Now he has to drop them off at the inn before going to the Valley…"
Claire briefly wondered if Mary was gloating over the fact that she'd be the one with Gray tonight. Her eyes moved toward her rival, but Mary was playing with the wire binding on her notebook.
"Herbs really do have some amazing qualities," The librarian continued as if the young man had never been there. "Even plants that most people refer to as weeds can do some pretty amazing things."
"I ate a bunch of dandelions yesterday," Claire smiled. They weren't what she considered tasty, but it definitely was better than eating her primary source of income.
"Mom sometimes sprinkles them in her salads…"
"I chowed down on an entire bouquet," Claire giggled and caught the boastful tone in her own voice. She felt her face get warm as she realized how loud she was being in a library.
"Oh, have you ever tried chicory? Dad's especially fond of it," the librarian's voice was warm and encouraging.
Claire shook her head. "I don't know; it doesn't sound familiar. What is it like?" She tried her best to recall the wild plants she had foraged in the mountain, but she didn't think she had ever heard the word chicory uttered while she was out there.
"Well, it's bitter, but some people really like it. It's good for cuts and bruises, colds and digestion. They grow all over the mountain. They've got a woody stem and pale blue flowers…"
Claire immediately recognized the plant from the physical description. "Ah, Cliff calls those cornflowers. Yeah, I tasted those. Bitter!" She giggled.
Mary beamed. "Gray's always going on about the odd bundles of foraged goods his roommate brings back to the inn. He refuses to try most of it," the young woman giggled, playing with the frayed edges of the notebook. "But I'd like to go there sometime to see what Cliff brings back with him; it kind of reminds me of my outings with Dad." She had a nostalgic smile on her face.
So Mary didn't go to the inn regularly the way Claire did… The farmer relished in this tiny victory.
"W-Well, anyway… Cl-Claire?"
"Huh?" The young woman was startled from her reverie.
She held out the notebook to the blonde. "I still have my story here… W-Would you be willing to l-look over it for me?"
"Alright." She shifted in her chair to get more comfortable. Her eyes widened in surprise. At what point had they sat down beside each other at the desk?
Mary placed a red pen on the notebook and slid it to her with a conspiratorial grin. "Don't go easy on me. I want to see the pages red with the ink of my critics!" Her eyes lit up; she was much more comfortable now that Claire had given verbal agreement to read the story. "I'll be over there, cleaning up some books. Just let me know when you're done, okay?"
"Okay." Claire removed the cap of her pen and opened the notebook. She looked up when she heard Mary's sharp intake of breath.
"R-Right. I'll… let you do it," she let out a nervous giggle and hurried to the other side of the room, wringing her hands.
Claire opened the book and studied the librarian's hurried scrawl. Who was this woman, and why did she seem so keen on hearing what Claire had to say about her story? The farmer pushed these thoughts out of her head and began to read.
The blonde ignored the ticking of the clock as she sat, spellbound, learning of the quirky yet polite teacher known as Viola Remmington. Claire closed the notebook with a sigh; she almost felt as if she knew the fictional character, and the chapter left her with wanting more. It was very enjoyable. Perfect. One more read…
Her eyes scanned the page. No, it wasn't perfect. The farmer jotted down a missing word in a sentence… Maybe that phrase should be reworded, and Mary had a fondness for the word 'polite' and used it far too often; she needed to consult a thesaurus… When Claire finished her second reading, she stared down at the book in horror. The pages were littered with her critical remarks – arrows, slashes, suggestions… Surely Mary would take offense to this… Claire's face turned as red as the ink she had used to blemish Mary's story. She swiftly closed the cover and the librarian took notice.
"Ah… Y-You are finished?" She asked a little too eagerly.
Claire was terrified to show the writer the remarks she had written in the margins. "Um… Pl-please d-don't take it personally…"
Mary played with her braid and her eyes fell to the floor. "Ah… Y-You didn't c-care for it m-much, huh? I… I was afraid i-it was t-too boring…" Her voice quavered.
"N-No! Not at all!" Claire nearly yelled. "I… I just got a little… too happy with the red pen…" She bowed her head and offered her companion the notebook abashedly.
She felt the book leave her hands and heard the pages turn. Claire felt paralyzed with anxiousness.
She heard a slight gasp from the librarian. "Cl-Claire…"
The blonde was too afraid to look up at Mary. Surely she took the critical remarks on her story as a declaration of war over the apprentice blacksmith. "Y-Yes…?"
"I can tell you really took your time with this. Thank you." She sounded sincere enough.
The farmer stole a glance at Mary's face. She had a grin plastered across her face, but her eyes looked misty. The blonde felt a pang of guilt in her heart. "I-I'm sorry if any of my comments in there hurt your feelings," Claire sputtered.
The librarian shook her ebony hair. "I'll take a closer look later, but really… These kinds of notes really help. If I'm going to get any better, I need to know how to improve." She gave Claire a kind smile. "Thanks again for taking the time to look over my story. Your honesty really means a lot to me."
Honesty… She had used that word with Gray as well…
Claire stood up and stretched.
"Pl-Please come by any time. I'd be really happy to see you again."
The farmer found herself nodding. "Okay." She gathered up her books. "Oh… Gray helped me check out these books; he said that you wouldn't mind." She bit back a smirk and inwardly scolded herself for her confusing behavior; Claire herself wasn't sure what she meant by it.
To Claire's surprise, Mary didn't seem fazed by this, and the farmer realized that she had secretly been hoping to catch a hint of envy on the librarian's face. "Ah… I must've been up there writing. Well, enjoy the books, Claire, and I'll see you before too long."
"Thanks."
Claire pulled the library door closed behind her as she stepped outside and found that her body was trembling. What was she? Angry? Jealous? Victorious? The young woman furrowed her brow; her heart was a mess of emotions that made no sense to her. This whole rivalry thing was new to the young woman, and she didn't know what to think.
The farmer's throat tightened as her feet carried her to the supermarket. Karen seemed like an experienced woman; maybe she could help make sense of what was going on in Claire's head. She pushed open the oaken door and a bell signaled her entrance to the shop.
"Hey, Claire. How are you?" Jeff gave her a polite nod as he idly pushed his broom across the shop's floor. He looked particularly bored today; he normally wasn't one for making conversation.
The young woman didn't answer his question. Now that she was in the presence of others, the confusion in her heart made her want to cry. "Is Karen in?" She wanted nothing more than a laugh or hug from her friend.
Jeff shook his head. "She had the day off and went over to Rick's." He swept the non-existent dust into an invisible pile.
"Oh…" Claire tried to hide the disappointment on her face. The young woman didn't feel right going into the shop without making a purchase, and chocolate was the next best thing to a hug or sympathetic ear. She paid for the sweets and walked out of the store feeling hollow inside.
She wandered up the mountain trail, unwrapping the candy bar as she went. She didn't bother with breaking off pieces of the chocolate – she bit right in. The candy helped a little; she didn't feel like crying anymore, anyway. Why wasn't Mary angry that Claire and Gray had spent some time alone together in the library while she was off in dreamland upstairs? If she had garnered some jealousy from the librarian, she would at least be feeling a sense of accomplishment… Or would she? Suddenly, that felt kind of mean…
She walked over to the lake. Seeing a cheerful Cliff may raise her spirits a bit; now that she had seen a glimpse of his genuine smile, she wanted to see more. Claire looked all around the lake and saw no trace of the young man. She followed the river and didn't see any sign of her friend. The young woman felt her throat tighten unexpectedly as she realized how lonely she felt. She sat cross-legged in the grass and stared up at the clouds; the sky was such as sad, moody color; a drab shade of gray…
"The fish weren't very active today; you didn't miss much," Cliff's sudden voice startled her. He plopped down with a sigh. "I just… couldn't focus… on something like that today…" He removed a single heavy leather gauntlet from his hand and tucked it into his bag.
Claire noticed that this particular satchel jingled when he shuffled through it, but she wasn't in the mood for questions right now; her mind was still trying to sort through her feelings about Mary. She took a bite from her bar and realized with embarrassment how rude she was being. She swiftly broke off the part she bit from and placed it in a handkerchief in her lap, breaking off a fresh piece for her friend. "Ah, I'm sorry, Cliff. You want some?"
His eyes widened at the treat but he shook his head, looking down at his hands sheepishly. "Ah, n-no… thanks… I shouldn't be handling food right now," he tried to hide his hands, but Claire caught the slightly dried blood in the crevices of his knuckles and between the fingers of the hand that had not been gloved. He quickly jumped up and scrubbed off his hands in the lake with a nervous laugh. "S-sorry about that…"
"Oh, Goddess! Did you hurt yourself?" She nearly dropped the candy as she stared up at him in horror.
He shook his head and turned very red, showing her his clean hands. "Not hurt, just hunting…" He took a seat back beside her, but Claire couldn't help but notice that he sat quite a ways further from her than he originally did.
The farmer scooted closer to him while he was focused on his hands and she snatched them, depositing a piece of chocolate in them. "Here... Nothing to be sorry for." She didn't understand why he was being so awkward about it. "So what did you catch?"
"A r-rabbit…" His soft voice, coupled with his body language, almost seemed to suggest that he had been doing something shameful.
"Huh… I don't think I've ever eaten rabbit before," Claire stared out at the lake pensively.
The young man relaxed as he realized he wasn't going to be scolded for ending the life of a cute, fluffy animal. "I sometimes cook them over a spit on the campfire, but they're really good in stew, too." He popped the piece of chocolate in his mouth and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the flavor. "Thank you for the chocolate. Between you and Ann, I am completely spoiled," he let out a soft chuckle.
"I'd hardly call receiving a single square of chocolate grounds for making you spoiled," Claire responded, eagerly shoving another piece of candy in his hands.
He happily accepted. "I hadn't eaten anything other than what I found on the trail for so long. So for me, this is a luxury." He smiled at his friend and looked down at the second piece of candy with wide eyes.
The farmer had never given much thought to the waitress that lived at the inn. She seemed to share a close bond with Cliff, but Claire had never spent much time with the redhead herself. "S-So… What does Ann do for you?" She cocked an eyebrow.
Cliff popped the second piece of chocolate in mouth and looked over the lake. "I've become her guinea pig with her cooking experiments, so I get a free meal every so often." A warm smile tugged at his lips. "Ann is a very caring person, and so is her dad; they've always tried to make me feel welcome here."
Claire set another square of chocolate on her friend's knee. He looked down at it and grinned. "I'm not finished with the one I've got, silly…" Color crept into his cheeks.
She liked it when he smiled. The farmer responded by setting a second piece of chocolate on his knee, her cheeks feeling unnaturally warm. Today was a strange, confusing day… "E-Eat it faster, then," She gave him a playful giggle.
"I'd rather savor it," His eyes met hers and quickly moved to the ground. "Y-You d-don't get sw-sweet treats every d-day, after all…" His face was nearly burgundy.
Claire's stress diffused. It was nice to spend time with someone who had a simple appreciation for simple things on a day that had revolved around confusion and complex emotions.
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: I hope I struck a chord with some fellow writers out there with Mary and her creative process. I get pretty protective of my rough drafts, and I have to leave the room when my husband is editing. I hope no one takes this chapter as a passive-aggressive attempt at more reviews, but if you'd like to leave one, I definitely won't complain! :)