Author's Note: Chapter 50 already? And we're nowhere near the end of this story. Hope you enjoy!

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Ann grabbed a handful of pretzels and munched them noisily as she stood up and cracked her back. "Alright, so I'm enlisting three more players for the Ann games." She finished chewing and swallowed, washing down the snack with a gulp of soda. "Knowing those guys, I may need a little help convincing them. Karen, you're recruited." She gave her friend a wink as she brushed the pretzel crumbs off of her pajamas.

"Done!" The brunette took a large swig of wine straight from the bottle, and Claire wasn't sure if she was mentally preparing herself for dragging three more people into the room or if she just wanted another drink. Claire figured it was the second reason due to her friend's sigh of satisfaction and smacking of the lips. "We'll be back soon, girls." She got up and followed Ann out of the room.

The two remaining women sat together in silence for a moment. The blonde never spent much time with her companion, and she had never been solely in her company before.

"So, Claire… Kai's pretty cute, huh?" she fussed with the ruffles on her nightgown.

The farmer was suddenly aware of how far out of her element Popuri was at this party. It couldn't be more obvious that she wanted to gossip and talk about boys tonight, and Ann had dashed those hopes for her. She wondered if Popuri knew about Claire's crush on Gray, and, additionally, of his rejection of her affections. She really wasn't in the mood for talking about men in general tonight, as her thoughts immediately shifted toward her unrequited love, although she had to admit that the pain was lessening a bit each day. However, she felt bad for Popuri; she was trying her best to fit in at the party, and Claire wasn't a stranger to feeling like an outsider.

"Yeah, he is pretty cute," she indulged her. "He actually has really nice hair when he takes off that bandana." While her statements weren't lies by any means, but she braced herself for what was to come.

Popuri's eyes lit up and she opened her mouth to gush about the man, but her ears perked up with the jingling of the keys as Ann attempted to unlock the next door over. The young woman eagerly lifted the needle off of the record player and put her ear against the shared wall, motioning for Claire to join her. She was surprised at Popuri's behavior. While she knew that her friends were going in there to simply bring them over, listening in on them felt a little intrusive. Unsure of why she was obeying, the blonde sprung up and carefully held her head close to the wall.

They heard a couple of groans of protest as Claire could only assume the lights were flicked on and Kai let out a happy cheer.

"Wh-What the-?" Gray's voice grumbled. "Ann! Why can't you knock like a normal person?" Claire could hear the frustration in his voice and she wondered if the innkeeper's daughter barged into their living space on a regular basis. This was no stretch of the imagination by any means. While living with Ann could be a lot of fun, she also was aware of the possible downsides to the arrangement – lack of privacy being a big one.

The waitress giggled. "Oh, please! Like I've never seen you in your boxers before, you whiner! Come on, we're partying!" Her voice had a tone of stubborn finality to it and Claire doubted anyone in the room would try to resist. The blonde pressed her ear a little closer to the wall and she was startled by a sigh from her companion. She snapped back to reality.

"Dang, we should've volunteered to help, huh?" Popuri pouted, puffing out her cheeks and folding her arms across her chest, her face flushing with crimson. "We don't get to see any of the action!"

Claire raised her eyebrows in surprise and felt the heat coming to her own cheeks. While she knew that Popuri was interested in boys, she hadn't expected her curiosity to be so forthright. Perhaps Claire had just been assuming she was a child because she was the youngest in the room. It seemed now that her brother wasn't around, she was eager to experience all of the things that were denied to her on a regular basis. The blonde let out an innocent giggle, but felt a wave of guilt. She found she was a little interested to see what was going on next door as well, her heartbreak forgotten for the moment. She found that she was more interested in seeing the humor next door rather than the thought of Gray in his underwear and the notion confused her.

"I was waiting for you to invite us," Kai laughed. "I'm all ready to party, see? I know better than to go to a party of Ann's and not have snacks prepared," he laughed, and Claire could hear the shuffling of goods.

"Alright! Kai, you earned yourself some bonus points!" Ann giggled.

"Uh… Karen... Ann… n-nice to see you…" Claire could hear the blush in the brunette's voice. "I-I'll join y'all next door once I get decent, okay…?" he let out a nervous chuckle.

Claire could only imagine her best friend was hiding under the covers, ashamed of something she could not identify. She could only assume it was his attire. Perhaps he slept in his underwear as well – it was a hot summer night, after all. She felt bad that Ann and Karen had just barged in without knocking, especially since Cliff had agreed to participate in the party. Popuri giggled, and Claire was aware that she was the one being laughed at. Perhaps she was making a strange expression. She hoped Popuri couldn't tell what had been on her mind; her face was on fire as she was overcome with embarrassment. The blonde preferred not to attempt processing her thoughts at the moment. She felt as immature as Popuri. She was about to head back to the center of the room when Ann spoke up.

"Well, what do you think, Karen? Boxers or briefs?" she heckled. "Cliff doesn't let me do his laundry – he does it all himself."

It seemed her thoughts weren't too far off. The farmer could hardly hear anything over the throbbing in her ears. Popuri shot her a threatening look, daring her to remove her ear from the wall.

Claire could hear the shuffling of blankets and she was surprised how thin the walls were in this building. It was likely that the two guest rooms had once been one large one and the partition between the two rooms did a poor job of muffling noise. "I said I'd come… I-I'll join you after you go back to the other room…" his voice was laced with shame and desperation.

A snort came from Gray's side of the room. "Goddess, you're embarrassed now? Why couldn't you have been this modest during Beach Day?"

The room fell silent. Popuri and Claire looked at each other curiously. They had no idea what they were talking about, but there seemed to be a silent argument going on next door. The farmer wasn't all that surprised; she knew that they had their disagreements before, but she was a little uncomfortable with the tension in the other room.

Ann seemed to be the perfect diffuser. Her voice was gentle. "C'mon, Cliff. We're just having a little fun. Get dressed and we'll see you next door, okay? We're going to play some games. I'll make you a free breakfast tomorrow in exchange. You've been looking skinny!"

So Claire wasn't the only one that seemed to notice he was losing weight. The farmer felt a wave of gratitude toward Ann. It was good to know that she wasn't the only one that was becoming concerned about her friend; Cliff had someone watching out for him at the inn. "A-Alright…" she could tell from his tone of voice that he had forced a smile on his face.

"Hey! You said nothing about free food!" Gray grumbled, and Claire could hear Popuri sniggering.

"Men and food, am I right?" she whispered with a giggle.

The farmer remembered early in their friendship luring Cliff into a conversation with the promise of a chocolate bar. He had been a little reluctant to approach her, but at the sight of food he eagerly took a seat. Back on the day that they met, she had offered him an apple, and while he ate politely, his speed had suggested he hadn't eaten anything all day. She had gobbled down her own apple in her famished state, and she was surprised to see that he had matched her pace. Claire was reminded once again that her friend didn't have a steady job and her heart gave an anxious pang. He was a little stubborn about receiving any produce she offered him – it had to come from her rejected and blemished bin that she ate from herself, and even then he insisted that he didn't need anything. Sometimes she snuck packets of food into his pack while he wasn't looking. He never said anything about these little gifts, and she suddenly wondered if she was embarrassing him by doing this.

Popuri was looking at her curiously, and Claire tried to remember if she had asked her a question. The farmer had trouble focusing her thoughts recently and she wracked her brain. She was interrupted from her ponderings when she heard Ann's loud voice.

"Fine! Everyone gets free breakfast tomorrow; just don't tell Dad!" Ann sighed, and Claire was sure that her father had been able to hear everything she was saying downstairs in the bar. "Yeesh, you'd think I was torturing you all!"

"Because you are…" Gray grumbled.

The unmistakable dull thud of a feather pillow could be heard as he was silenced and Popuri stifled a giggle. "You guys have three minutes. Remember, I have the keys to this room," Claire could hear Ann jingling the keys tauntingly.

She could hear the sound of a door being closed and footsteps coming their way down the hall. The farmer removed her ear from the wall and she exchanged a guilty smile with her companion. Claire definitely wouldn't have listened in on them if she had been alone, and she felt a wave of guilty pleasure for being naughty, much like a child who had stolen a piece of candy from the pantry.

"I would get in so much trouble with Rick if he found out about this…" Popuri's face was pink. "You won't say anything, will you?"

Claire wondered if she was asking about their listening in on the men's quarters or the fact that this was turning into a coed party. The farmer stared at the young woman incredulously; either way, she had no intention of being a snitch. "O-Of course not!"

She looked relieved. "Thanks… It's just… Rick never lets me do anything fun. What happens in this room stays in this room, alright?" Color bloomed in her cheeks until they were burgundy. Neither of them had any idea what "Ann games" were, but they were both eager to find out. Popuri hurried to her bag and applied a thin coat of lip balm. With the addition of three handsome men as guests, she wanted to make sure she looked her best, especially for Kai.

"Of course…" Claire's heart began to pound. She wasn't sure what to expect, but didn't remember sleepover parties being as scandalous as the young woman was implying. Her eyes traveled to Popuri. It had been a few months since Claire mostly stopped wearing makeup regularly, although she would wear a bit to the inn for her evening visits. The blonde ran her fingers through her hair and stopped herself in surprise. Her instinct was to attempt to look cute, but she suddenly realized she didn't have anyone to impress like Popuri did. The thought made her heart drop a bit, but she quickly pushed the thought away. This was a birthday party for Ann, not a singles mixer. Still, she had to fight the urge to primp herself at the knowledge that Gray was coming into the room. Claire swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no need to try to woo him anymore; he wasn't interested.

The door creaked open with a trio of grinning faces. Claire looked over at Popuri and she sat in one of the chairs with her hands demurely folded in her lap. She couldn't have looked guiltier of wrongdoing if she tried. Kai let out a playful laugh as he saw her. He set a sack of snacks on the table and gave the girls a friendly grin.

Karen and Ann followed him through the doorway and dug through the bag Kai had set down. "The two losers will be here shortly," Ann explained, slipping her keys in her pocket and pulling a batch of cookies out of the bag. "Kai's the only guy here who has any sense of adventure. We had to bribe the others with food." She popped the entire sugar cookie into her mouth and chewed, her cheeks bulging out comically as she did so.

Claire and Popuri helped Kai unload all of the snacks. Cookies, popcorn, riceballs, and sandwiches covered the table, along with a cake. Claire almost commented on the sheer amount of food, but with so many people plus Ann, it would probably all be eaten; the farmer had watched in surprise as Ann ate nearly half of her birthday cake earlier. "I made extras at work today. If Ann didn't come over and invite me, I was going to come over myself," he confessed with a grin.

Karen's eyes lit up at the large sack of popcorn and she pounced on it. As Claire knew, it was one of her favorite guilty pleasure snacks. "Mine!"

Kai laughed. "I've got two more in there. It's all yours if you want. But don't touch the cake – that's my gift for Ann."

The redhead unwrapped the sweet garnished generously with chocolate shavings. "I was wondering if I was going to get anything from you this year. The guys all gave me their gifts at breakfast. Thanks! We can all share!" She cut herself a slice and shoved it into her mouth with such fluidity that Claire was surprised she was still astounded by her friend's large appetite.

"So, I can't help but notice you're not in your pajamas," Popuri stared at the young man, playing with the ruffles on her nightgown. Her eyes were drawn to his unruly dark hair; Kai wasn't wearing his usual bandana tonight. She shot Claire a smirk; surely she was remembering a few minutes ago when the farmer mentioned he had nice hair.

Kai shrugged. "That's because I had intentions on crashing the party," he thought his much was obvious. "I never bothered to change."

"It's true. He was lying in bed fully clothed with that bag of snacks waiting at his bedside, ready to come and party with us," Karen giggled. "He was even still wearing his shoes!"

Popuri was tickled that he was so eager to spend time with them. She knew there was a strong likelihood he was excited to see her and get to spend time with her without Rick's supervision. "Your roommates do the same?" the young woman asked innocently.

Ann shook her head, snagging a few kernels of popcorn from the bag Karen had torn into. "Gray got all mad because we walked in on him in his boxer shorts. He acts like it doesn't happen every month or so. Honestly, I don't know why he's still embarrassed," she snorted, unhinging her jaw to fit an entire handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"So… what about the other roommate? Boxers or briefs?" Popuri pressed, giving Kai a playful wink as she casually cocked her head toward the rapidly reddening farmer.

Claire was surprised that she was asking such questions, especially in front of the man she was so interested in. The blonde shoved this logic off to the side as she found she was keenly listening for Kai's answer. Her cheeks burned as she decided to unpack more snacks. What her best friend wore underneath his clothing was really none of her business, and she was ashamed at the tiny part of her that wanted to know the answer. Claire silently punished herself. How would she feel if Kai asked what style of panties she wore? The young woman felt a wave of guilt as she sorted through the snacks and opened them noisily, her blonde hair falling into her flushed face. She wished Popuri would stop being so rude, and she was surprised to see that neither Ann nor Karen had reprimanded her for her intrusive question; rather they both looked at Kai, curious for his reply.

The cook let out a good-natured laugh and shook his head, taking note of Claire's obvious discomfort. "You're too inquisitive for your own good, Poppy. Two words – old school. Very old school," Kai roared with laughter.

She was counting on her fingers. "That was five words, Kai."

The young man ruffled her cotton candy hair. She was rather bold when Rick wasn't around, and he couldn't say that he disliked it. However, he wasn't going to let the subject continue; he didn't want anyone to feel unwelcome, and Claire looked embarrassed and confused. "You silly thing – are you going to ask me what I wear next?" He laughed it off, knowing she wouldn't press further, but his cheeks reddened regardless.

Ann and Karen began to laugh, and she was aware at how bold she was being. "N-no…" Popuri moved her gaze to the floor.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Uh, hello…"

"Open the damn door already."

Ann rolled her eyes and complied.

"Yo." Gray dragged his feet into the room wearing some blue cotton pajama pants and a white tee shirt and, surprisingly enough, he wasn't wearing his baseball cap. Claire found herself studying him and thought he looked pretty cute with this change in attire, but her eyes didn't linger; part of her didn't want to see at him at all. "There had better be some good drinks and snacks here. If I'm not going to get to sleep, I might as well enjoy it." There was a grouchy yet playful tone to his voice that Claire rarely got to hear.

She took a seat on the oaken floorboards on the other end of the room, hoping that she wasn't making it painfully obvious that she suddenly felt very alone. She smoothed out her nightgown and found her gaze was immediately drawn to him once again. She silently cursed herself for her behavior and wondered how she was going to survive the evening.

Karen took another swig from her wine bottle and handed it to Gray who, to Claire's surprise, drank deeply. The farmer's eyes drifted to the floor; she wasn't sure how she felt about spending time with the apprentice just yet. She knew that she should act like a mature adult and tolerate his company, but her heart still ached when she looked at him. She wished Gray would have stayed next door, but he was Ann's friend – Claire knew she was being selfish.

"H-Hey, y'all…" Cliff gave the group a shy wave as he stepped in the doorway and the yellow tabby cat was rubbing her face on his bare ankles, purring loudly and letting out sharp, needy meows. He looked over at Ann. "You want Tabs in or out?"

"She can come in," his friend replied with a grin and a wink, "so long as she doesn't tell Dad."

"You got that, girl?" the young man looked down at the cat with an overly serious face. The feline flopped on the floor in response, stretching her paws up at him playfully. Cliff smirked at her as he pulled the door closed behind him. His hair was pulled back loosely and he had a groggy look to his eyes. He looked a little tired, but cozy – his lightweight pants were rolled up to the middle of his calves and he wore his simple brown sleeveless undershirt. With the lighter layers of clothing, Claire was reminded that he was indeed losing weight. He gave her a friendly smile and took a seat beside her on the floor. The cat gave him an indignant meow for ignoring her and she began washing her face. The young woman noticed he smelled like fresh rosemary and clean laundry. He had no doubt been lying on a pillow stuffed with the herb; he smelled of comfort. Claire's uneasiness about Gray's presence in the room melted away as she instinctively scooted a little closer to her friend. "I hope Doug doesn't find out about us being in here and get mad," he let out a nervous chuckle.

Ann shot him a stern look. "No one's telling anyone about tonight. We're just going to have fun, okay? We needed some more players for our games; don't be a spoilsport!"

"Games?" Kai raised his eyebrows in curiosity. He personally had attended many parties where Spin the Bottle or other various kissing games were played, but Ann didn't strike him as the type to be into this sort of thing. "Did you have some kind of agenda in mind?"

"Of course I do!" she replied, biting into a cookie. "Believe it or not, I've always wanted to invite boys to my party, but I didn't want to tell Dad; he'd make it weird. So I'm doing it now!" she stated with authority. "Consider this the official opening ceremony for the twenty-third annual Ann Games!" Ann reached into the cooler and produced several bottles of soda, which she passed around. Claire was rather pleased to receive a melon flavored bottle as she handed an orange soda to Cliff.

Gray cocked an eyebrow as he eyed his root beer suspiciously. "Twenty-third annual? I've lived here for years and we've never had-"

Ann swiftly smacked him with a pillow, knocking a few down feathers out of it. She continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "Yep, twenty-three years of tradition and sportsmanship! So who is ready for the opening ceremony?"

"Alright, let's toast!" Karen had already popped open her cola and thrust it into the air, oblivious to the brown liquid that splashed onto her arm. Claire realized her girl friend already had a few drinks in her. The farmer clattered her bottle against her friends' and wondered with loads of excitement and a twinge of fear what she had gotten herself into this evening.

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Author's Note: So not a lot of actual action in this chapter, but the Ann games will be featured next chapter. I wanted to focus on a lot of the conflicts going through Claire's mind and subconscious. I hope I was able to get a few chuckles out of you guys. Hope you liked the fanservice, haha!