"I'll have Rick bring the feed by later. I'm much obliged."

Claire's heart was pounding. "A-Are you sure you're okay with this?" She stopped herself with a nervous laugh. "Ah, I mean... well, I will do my very best! They'll be in good hands! I promise!"

She hoped she wasn't yelling in her excitement.

Barley's chuckle in response was reedy as he patted her shoulder. "I know you'll do just fine."

When he had come over to see Claire that morning, the last thing she expected was to receive a request to house some of his sheep while some major repairs were being done on his barn.

"I heard Saibara was hiring you to help with gathering materials in the mine, so I wanted to catch you before you and Gray took off."

She had been surprised and gobsmacked at Barley's proposition.

"I don't want to keep them too crowded in the smaller barn, but I'd feel good knowing they're nearby." The old man paused. "Claire, I want to apologize for not following through with those promises of more shearing lessons..."

She had been able to hear May and Zack's laughter all the way from her own farm the day they were sharing. "It's alright. I understand."

"Then it's settled. We'll bring them by later tonight. I'll make sure that they have everything they need, and we'll talk payment."

Claire shook her head. "I couldn't possibly-"

The old man cut her off. "You are doing me a great service, and I am paying for that. A farm doesn't run on generosity and well wishes alone."

Frown fading from her lips, Claire gave a nod. "Thank you."

She was headed into the barn when she saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall.

"Claire, a word?"

She met Rick's eyes hesitantly, her hands resting on the soft fleece of the sheep in front of her. She could already feel herself biting her lip.

He kept his distance, giving her a sad smile. "I'm... I'm sorry about how pushy I was the other day. I swear this isn't about Karen."

She was surprised at how defensive he was being. She gently pet the sheep, instinctively attempting to ease the mood.

"I just wanted to say... I'm happy for you. I'm glad Barley's giving you this opportunity. Kar- er, I mean, I heard that you've been interested in keeping sheep for a while. I... heard that you were a little nervous about it. I've been working with Barley my whole life." He fussed with his glasses, wiping them on his apron despite them not being dirty. "I don't mind if you... wanna holler over the fence like we used to... Or like how you and Popuri still do." His voice cracked and he silently cursed himself, avoiding his gaze. "I mean, I can help if any questions come to mind."

A slight smile played at her lips. "I'd like that." She watched him return his glasses to his face, nudging them up the bridge of his nose. "I don't think you're a bad person, Rick." Claire's voice was soothing. "I... suppose I never really did."

It just hurt to see Karen unhappy.

She held her tongue.

"I'm sorry you ended up getting caught up in all of it." He found that he was absentmindedly petting a sheep himself. "Anyway, I hope you enjoy this opportunity. Despite the stereotypes, sheep can have a lot of character, and they're fun to keep."

Claire found a grin returning to her face. "I'll have to keep little Marshmallow company for May."

He let out a soft chuckle, and she was delighted to hear that it sounded genuine. "That's true! I'm sure you'll do great!"

Her expressions softened. "Thanks, Rick."

Claire wasn't sure if she was grateful or anxious that Gray said nothing about his intrusion on her and Cliff the day before. As the two walked to the mine together, she hoped he would assume the blush in her cheeks was from the cold, and not embarrassment.

She was pretty sure he hadn't been there the whole time, but the couple had been lying each other's arms, lips joined… They were still sprawled across Gray's bed in the same position they initially tumbled onto it together, starving for kisses and physical touch, when she first noticed his presence.

Maybe Gray's not bringing it up with me because he's already talked to Cliff about it...

Is he mad? How... much did he see?

Her face felt hotter; she wondered if the scarf was even necessary at this point.

"I'm not blind, y'know."

Claire choked back a surprised squeak at Gray's words. Gulping, she looked up at him.

He was looking ahead, shifting his pack on his back. "The bag of bread rolls Ann left on my nightstand this morning... that thermos of tea Gramps left on the table with my name literally written on it..." He let a sigh out into the sky above, his breath escaping him in a puff before vanishing. "My birthday's not until next week."

"Oh!" He wasn't talking about her at all. She was thoroughly embarrassed she had never learned this fact about him and made a mental note to get him something for his birthday.

Claire figured he must've seen the look on her face because he dismissed her reaction with the wave of a hand. "Birthdays are too much trouble. I don't need anything from anyone."

Claire was careful with her words. "Well, Ann and Saibara... it sounds like they're just looking out for you."

Gray said nothing as he picked up his pace, shuffling his knapsack. She could hear the crinkling of the bag of snacks inside.

"No need."

Claire took the cue that no further conversation was wanted for the moment, so the pair trudged across the ice in silence. She couldn't help but notice that despite his gruff demeanor, he slowed his steps for her so that she didn't have to struggle to keep up.

It wasn't long until they had entered the cave and settled into their work. She had brought a covering for her mouth and nose to keep the particles out of her lungs. Gray was intent on her staying close to him – the lanterns were dim at best and the rock wasn't exactly stable.

Claire listened to his tool slamming into the rock and attempted to work in the same rhythm. He had an easy pace to his work, but she was sure that he had slowed down for her. They said nothing for a long time, listening to metal clanking on stone.

She was a little winded by the time they were picking up the loose rocks and sifting through them, and she couldn't help but notice that Gray didn't seem affected at all. Still, she felt a small well of pride rise within her; there was no way she would have been able to keep up at this pace earlier in the year, and definitely not last winter.

"So, are Karen and Rick taking a break or what?"

He didn't seem the type to be interested in other peoples' relationships; his words caught Claire by surprise. The rock she had attempted to throw into a bucket bounced off of the lip and tumbled onto the uneven ground below.

"She broke up with him," Claire explained, hoping he wouldn't ask her to go into detail.

He seemed satisfied with her answer, and Claire added a few more rocks to the bucket. Gray was silent as he swung his pickaxe a few more times in his usual rhythm. He stopped suddenly, panting as he rested the tool on his shoulder, his fatigue suddenly apparent. "So, the two things have different meanings? Taking a break and breaking up?"

Claire tossed a few loose rocks into a container, dusting off her gloved hands. "I always thought that 'taking a break' meant that both people were mutually breaking things off with the possibility of getting together again."

"Oh... I thought they meant the same thing..." Gray's voice came out as a deep sigh. He set down his pickaxe and leaned against the rock wall behind him, squatting down and flinching at the pain in his knee.

"Gray..." Claire's voice was soft, but she could still hear it echoing around them. "What happened? Is... everything okay?"

He hoisted himself up, his face warming with embarrassment. Her words had reminded him to Cliff's quiet plea the other morning, asking him to open up about what was bothering him. Gray swiftly decided to treat Claire the same way. "Everything's fine. Just taking a breather."

And much like her partner, Claire looked unconvinced. She frowned under her mouth covering, turning back to the rocks and continuing to chip away at the walls.

Clank... Clank...

Each time metal hit rock, Gray could feel the knot in his stomach tightening. He joined her once more, their rhythm slightly off as he picked up his pace.

Clank-clank-clank-clank!

It wasn't long until Claire realized he was working at a frenzied pace. "Gray..."

Her words fell on deaf ears. Gray continued to hack away at the crumbling rock with a burning drive. His breathing became labored, his grunts starting to sound like pained groans and moans...

Almost like sobbing.

Still, Claire knew it was unwise to approach him directly – she didn't want to risk making him any more emotional than he already was while wielding the pickaxe. Gray's pace continued until he hit a soft spot in the rock. The stone crumbled, revealing a small vein of ore. Panting, he set down the pickaxe and knelt down, shuffling through the loose stones in the dim light. His eyes landed on a piece of pale, slightly-translucent rock. He held it up to his lantern and watched the colors dance off of the iridescent sheen.

"Moonstone."

Gray let out another heavy sigh and closed his eyes, brought back to earlier that week.

He had been focusing on the polished moonstone that sat on Mary's desk. He had given it to her when he asked her to attend the Midsummer Dance at the Inn with her earlier that year. It was accompanied by other knickknacks and keepsakes—a framed piece of embroidery featuring a praying mantis, a floral swag no doubt collected on one of her trips with her father to Mother's Hill, a snail's shell from Mineral Beach...

"It's understandable," Mary was saying. Her dark eyes were warm, but he could still see the hurt in them. "You've been through a lot the past couple of days. Your best friend collapsed outside and isn't speaking to anyone, your workload at the smithy has only gotten harder, and your all of your grandfather's concern about him certainly isn't helping-"

Gray wrenched his hand away from her.

Mary's hands and eyes both moved to her lap and he hated himself for causing the sad expression on her face.

"I forgot about our date. I'm a shitty boyfriend." Gray felt his heart sink. "We only have a short time together before your parents get back home."

She shook her head.

"I know your mom doesn't like you coming to my room at the inn... and we finally got a night alone with both of them being out of the house."

Mary's cheeks flushed to a deep pink as her eyes traveled toward the headboard of the bed they were seated on. "It... has been a while..."

They both knew there was not enough time to do all of the activities they had planned in privacy.

Gray could feel his eyebrows furrowing. "It was supposed to be a stress-free night. To stop worrying about all the stupid little rules your parents make you live by. To forget about what is 'proper'. We're grown-ass adults. I just wanted us to be..." he gulped, his cheeks flaming... "Two people enjoying each other, y'know?"

Mary let out a sad sigh, and Gray found his voice returning to him once more.

"And why do we have to jump through so many hurdles to do that? Why is the inn so forbidden? Hell, you could come over and we can play cards or I can review your writing where we don't have your parents' eyes watching every little thing we do. Why does it have to feel like we're sneaking around doing something bad?"

"This was supposed to be about you supporting Cliff," she returned. "I know you're going through a lot right now and you want to help him in any way you can. It's okay that our date got shortened. I know that it's because you are such a caring person, and I understand that you-"

"Dammit, Mary!" Gray's voice grew louder. "You're turning the conversation around, just like she always does! You're not talking about what's really on your mind. I thought you wanted us to be open with each other!" He clenched his jaw and tugged down on the bill of his cap in a silent huff.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as they both reflected on their words.

"I've been trying to speak more honestly with Mother." Mary's voice came out as a squeak. "People don't change overnight."

Gray let out an irritated sigh. "Ain't that the truth? Ann comes into my room all the time. Does that bother Mother?" His words were bitter in his mouth and he hated it. "And I spent the other evening with Popuri after making a delivery to Lillia's." He wasn't sure why he had left out the reason for their meeting – Rick had gone with Lillia to Barley's and Popuri was putting away some extra leftovers from that night's dinner, offering him some food and friendly company as a thank you.

Mary's eyes narrowed. "Why are you trying to hurt me? I thought... you cared about me."

"Goddess, Mary, of course I do! Why do you even have to question that?"

"Because you're being pretty dishonest about your feelings."

"What are you even talking about?"

Mary shook her head. "I know you don't care about those other girls. Besides, what about your feelings for Cliff? Why is it so hard for you to admit you care for someone?"

Gray's cheeks blazed. "You don't get it! I-I... it's always been you, Mary. I haven't had a crush on him in ages!" he insisted, his voice cracking. "It's not like that!"

Her eyebrows rose at his confession.

He rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. "This... distraction – whatever you want to call it – it's not because I still have those kinds of feelings for him."

"There are many kinds of love," she murmured, looking into his eyes. "I know he's still very special to you."

"No, no he's not!" Gray insisted, frustrated.

He could feel her pulling away slightly. "You're not listening to me, Gray." She shook her head.

He hated how steady her voice was.

"How can you possibly say that?!" His voice caught in his throat.

Just say it already...

"I was trying to tell you earlier. I... I love you, Mary!"

She gave him a sad smile, a couple of tears tumbling down her cheeks. "I love you, too... I'm sorry... I pressured you into saying that during an argument. I'm so sorry..." She looked down at her lap and he could see her long eyelashes fluttering as a couple more tears fell.

He pulled his arms around her. She was wearing that rose perfume that drove him mad. "S'okay... I've been wanting to tell you."

A lump formed in his throat when their eyes met. Mary wasn't smiling. "You were afraid to because of Mother, weren't you?"

Gray gritted his teeth. "Don't put words in my mouth!"

Still, they sat in silence for a moment as he felt a wave of guilt – her words weren't completely untrue.

"I think... there are some things we both need to work on." Mary's voice was quiet as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt. She adjusted the frames of her glasses, but she didn't look up at him. "And... I think we need to devote some time to that."

Gray nodded, unsure of what she was getting at. "Yeah, I guess."

"And it's because I love you. I need to learn to stand up to her on my own. I don't want to have to rely on you."

Her words stung. "You... don't want to rely on me?"

Mary's gaze at the floor was determined. "I think... I need some time. You need some time."

Gray blinked as he attempted to follow her words. "I... need time?"

"You need to come to terms with everything your best friend has been through. You need to sort out your feelings."

"Sort out my feelings?" he asked incredulously. "I just told you I love you! How much clearer can I be?"

"You said yourself that he had passed out from stress. Don't you want to be there for him?"

Gray shook his head. "Not if it means I can't be with you! He isn't nearly as important! He is nothing!"

Mary fussed with the braid resting on her shoulder. "This is... exactly what I'm talking about, Gray." Her voice was quavering. "Let's just... take some time."

Gray sat numbly as his heart hammered in his ears.

"I think we need to take a break."

Gray's heart sunk. "You're dumping me because I care about you more than that idiot I share a room with?"

Mary shook her head, her features hardening. "That's not what I said. I... I have my own issues I need to work on, too, so that I can be fair to both of-"

"I don't care if you're not perfect!" Gray sputtered. "Hell, I'm as messed up as they come!"

She bit her lip. "Gray-"

"You're afraid I can't commit! You think I'm just going to walk away when you need me most and leave you hanging there all alone with no one to rely on! Just like..."

Dad... did to me and Mom.

The sound of the front door opening caused them both to fall silent.

"Oh, Mary, Darling~!" Anna's melodious voice echoed up the stairs. "We brought you back an extra slice of pie from Doug's!"

A pair of dark mocha eyes looked at him, widened in fear. "They're back early." She frantically fastened the top buttons of her shirt and he felt himself letting out a frustrated sigh – little more than her collarbone had been exposed. "J-Just a moment!" she called through the closed door.

Gray stood up to leave and his heart gave a jolt when he felt her dainty hands wrap around his forearm. Their eyes met and he could feel the heat radiating off of both of them.

"Walk out together?" he breathed.

Worry lines were deeply etched in her forehead as she opened her bedroom window. "Out the back."

Gray blinked in surprise. "Both of us?"

Her eyes swam with tears, her eyes flicking toward the bedroom door. "I... I can't do this right now. You know how people talk... m-my mother..."

Despite his heart sinking, the young man drew himself to his full height. "... I see. It's really over, then."

"Gr-Gray, I-"

But he never heard what she was trying to tell him, because he was cursing under his breath as he leapt out the second story window. He landed on his bad leg and bit back a cry of pain. Everything in his heart wanted to yell, to scream at the top of his lungs.

Everything about this feels so wrong. Why do I have to run like a damn coward?

He took a shortcut on the way back to the inn, watching the snow fall from the trees as the wind picked up. The moon shone brightly above, and he couldn't help but think of the gift he had given Mary when he asked her out. He had been so nervous giving her that moonstone...

He could still see her trinkets lining the desk – leather bound books, snail shells, the praying mantis...

Her wide eyes filled with tears...

He pulled his cap on with a grunt and swore under his breath.

"She chewed me up and spit me right back out."

It was nearly impossible to make his way back into the inn without making a sound – the loud creaking of the door made sure of that. Ann and Doug remained behind the bar, taking a break with some snacks and hot cocoa.

"Y'know... I think he was thinking about his family – Claire was mentioning his sister..." Ann explained through sips of her drink. "Cliff was wandering-"

Gray blocked out the rest as he shuffled into the bar, making his way to the stairs.

It's my fault Cliff was off being stupid in the first place...

Goddess, I hate him so much...

Why did I have to say anything about him to Mary? Now she's going to think...

He let out a heavy sigh.

Eh, why does it matter anymore, anyway?

"... ay... Gray!" Doug's voice pierced Gray's ears.

He turned toward the man, face emotionless.

"I was asking what happened. You're covered and snow and hobbling. Where's your coat, son?"

Son..

Gray shot him a poisonous look as he heaved himself up the first step. His bad knee throbbed and he bit his tongue.

"Gray?" Doug's voice lost its bite as he looked at him in a concerned manner.

He simply shook his head as he continued up the stairs.

"Gray?" Claire's voice was much higher than Doug's, but it still contained a similar gentleness to it, much like comforting an injured animal.

He snapped back to the present to see Claire sitting beside him, their tools propped against the wall. He wasn't sure at what point he had stopped swinging his pickaxe to take a break, but he looked down at his hand to see that he was still clutching the rough moonstone.

He looked down at it, the colors reflecting off the faint light of the lantern.

"I've been trying really hard to think about what she said," Gray murmured.

Claire remained silent, waiting for him to explain.

"I think we were both so eager to help each other because it made us forget about our own deeper problems." Gray let out a bitter laugh. "That probably sounds strange to you, huh? Me wanting to help someone else?"

"Not at all. You're really caring towards your friends." She paused, not looking up at him, partly out of fear of what his expression would be. "And... I know you and your grandfather don't always see eye-to-eye, but I can tell you both love each other very much."

I have to be. He's practically the only family I have left.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Gray pulled the bill of his cap further over his head. "Mary... she said she wanted to take a break, and I basically said 'good riddance'." He let his head fall back and let out an annoyed groan. "But it wasn't just me..."

He could still see Mary's guilty frown as she shooed him out the back window.

"She was being selfish. She knew how I felt and she didn't care. She was so worried about turning the conversation to be about my problems..." He took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair, looking up at her with a wry smile. "This is probably making no sense to you, is it?"

"I'm starting to get an idea," she admitted. "Mary... she asked to take a break."

He gave a nod, his eyes moving back toward the ground. Hearing someone else say the words aloud hurt more than he was expecting – there was such a finality to it...

"And... you took it as a permanent breakup... and..." Claire hesitated, furrowing her brow. She knew she had to choose her words carefully. "M-Maybe you both said some things you regret?"

"I think I burned the whole damn bridge," he lamented.

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Well... maybe with a little bit of time... you can both...?"

"Take a little time."

Time, time, time!

Gray furrowed his brow. "Claire, what's your relationship like with your mom?" he interjected.

Claire was thrown off her guard.

Do I even know the answer to that?

"M-Mum is... well..." She bit her lip, feeling her body tense up. "She's got blonde hair like me, but she always has it pulled back in a tight bun. She is always put together, and she's... driven. She worked hard to take care of me and my siblings, and she's still putting in extra hours to raise my two younger brothers." She thought of the short letter she had received from her parents earlier that year. "It keeps her really busy. It's pretty impressive she can manage it all."

"Sounds like she's got a lot on her plate, but you didn't answer my question. What is your relationship like with her?"

Claire let out a humorless chuckle. "I... I... well, every child wants to make their parents proud, right? That's always been the main driving force of my life... especially s-since I moved away." Claire frowned. "But... I still want her to think I make good decisions. They think I can be proud of the farm someday if I work hard enough. Both of my parents – they worry. Cliff says I already deserve to be proud of everything I've done at Mystic Acres. Before I met him, I never really thought about the concept of living for myself. I wanted to make Mum and Dad proud, but they rarely write back, and when they do, I can't help but feel like they still see it as a mistake that I left the city."

She was surprised to see that Gray was listening very intently. "Well, do you see it as a mistake?"

Claire shook her head. "Before I moved to Mineral Town, I was running in place. Sometimes I think… that's all my parents have been doing for all these years, too." She paused at her realization of this. There were permanent bags under her parents' eyes from fatigue. "Mum and Dad, they're both... tired. But that's what they want. Like… it's a badge of honor—grinding yourself into the ground. Sure, I make mistakes here. But I'm trying. That's got to count for something, right?"

She could still see her younger self beaming as her parents congratulated her on her report card, ruffling her hair and giving her additional textbooks and a macaron from the bakery down the street as a reward.

"I know that they were trying their best to make sure I had a good future, but… I'm starting to see that I'm allowed to choose for myself what 'a good future' even is." Regardless, she felt a lump form in her throat. After the talks with Simone and her friends, she couldn't help but feel there were still many things that were unresolved. "Still, I can't help but want them to approve what I'm doing out here."

"I think you all worry too damn much about what your parents think." Gray's voice wasn't necessarily angry – he sounded more disappointed than anything else.

His comment struck a nerve. Claire's posture stiffened. "How can you even say that? Do you not care what your own parents think?"

Gray scoffed. "I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, it's better if Dad doesn't approve."

She thought of the way the young man was constantly seeking Saibara's respect. "I think you care a lot more than you let on."

A pair of pale blue eyes hardened at her. "My father is a sack of shit. You wouldn't understand."

Claire shuffled in her seat. He hadn't raised her voice at her, but she decided not to push the issue further.

"I suppose I don't. Sorry for prying."

Gray looked away. "S'okay."

They both sat quietly, dwelling on their thoughts. When Gray spoke again, his voice was a softer tone than he had ever used with her.

"I have no business telling you what to think – how to feel. I'm... sorry. I just think that... a lot of people want to find happiness, but they don't know where to begin looking for that." He uncomfortably cleared his throat, fingering the shard of moonstone in his gloved hands. "So they look for someone else to tell them what to do so they can get their approval. I'd be lying if I said I didn't do the same exact thing with Gramps... But, I'd much rather get his respect than Dad's."

Claire's eyebrows rose with interest. He was speaking more bluntly to her and she was used to, but at least his words were honest. It was clear to see that something had been eating away at him and it was likely he wasn't eager to tell Cliff about it in the present moment to avoid putting additional strain on him.

Claire's eyes were drawn to the flickering flame in the oil lamp beside them. "Would it help to talk about your parents?" Her voice lowered. "Your father?"

A sad smile curled at Gray's lips as he shook his head. "I can't believe you're trying to help, even after what I said. I told you before, I'm always putting my foot in my mouth. It's something I'm trying to work on, but it seems the harder I try the more I fail...Just like a lot of things in my life."

"Sticking with things is how you get better at them," Claire pointed out. "At the very least, you're trying."

"That's not good enough," Gray mumbled, pulling on the bill of his cap. "Sometimes you can try and try and try... and it will never be good enough."

"Good enough for who?"

Gray pondered for a moment, staring up at the rocky ceiling. "...Myself. Friends. Gramps and what Mom would've approved of. Basically any one that matters... Anna and Basil..."

Claire looked at him, her eyes softening. "Mary… you're worried her parents don't approve of you."

"I know that they don't. I'm no Harris, that's for sure." The young man let out a defeated sigh. "He's everything any parent could dream for in a child. Polite, responsible… I bet he'd never even seen the inside of her bedroom."

Among other things…

"Mary said that when he dumped her years ago, she was really depressed…" Gray frowned.

Claire thought of her own conversations with Mary on the subject. She had brought up the subject of her mother consoling her after Harris had left her.

"Poor woman, consoling a twenty-two-year-old nightly for longer than the relationship had lasted... I think she might always see me as that crying, heartbroken girl."

"It could be that Anna just doesn't want her daughter to get hurt again."

Gray threw his gloves on the ground and ruffled through his pack, breaking out the thermos and bread rolls. He thrust the bag out to her, and she felt a little afraid to refuse one.

"She hurt me." Gray's voice cracked.

"I'm sorry," the words slipped out. She waited for him to speak, and she followed his lead as he took a bite from his own bread roll.

"Curry bread..." Gray mumbled between chews. "Must've used the leftovers from last night."

Claire munched into the bread, eager to taste the filling.

"No extra spice for once... thank Goddess..."

Claire bit into the mild curry center. "You don't care for spicy foods?"

Gray shook his head. "Don't need my mouth burning all day. Ann... she toned this down on purpose for me." His expression softened. The young man looked at the bread roll, examining it as if he were contemplating a work of art.

"It's her way of showing she's looking out for you," Claire murmured.

The young woman respectfully averted her eyes as she watched his become misty. He quickly blinked away the moisture. "Yeah..." He let out a heavy sigh. He stopped eating, and it was apparent their conversation had caused him to lose his appetite. "Claire...?"

She looked up at him questioningly, her mouth full.

"... Thanks for taking care of Cliff. He was the happiest I've ever seen him last night. I'd be stupid if I didn't give you credit for that."

Claire nearly choked on her food, her cheeks staining pink. "I, uh... I mean... I'm sorry we were on your bed..." Her voice died in her throat.

She could see his face was flushed as well as he dismissed this with a shake of the head. A very red-faced Cliff had firmly insisted that things hadn't gotten too heated (something about promising Elli and Trent he'd keep his heart rate low, Gray remembered with a smirk). "He told me... that he asked you to come with him to see his family."

Claire's expression relaxed. "Yeah. It means a lot to him to get to see them again."

"I'm glad he finally found someone to open up to about that." Gray paused, recalling the couple cradled in each other's arms. In the brief moment before they noticed his presence, he saw the stars in Cliff's eyes. Gray had caught them in Mary's a couple of times while he looked down at her, her dark hair loose and spilled across her pillow, her glasses askew. She was absolutely gorgeous in the dim lighting of her bedroom.

He found his voice. "He... he's really lucky. You both are."

Claire was closing her fingers around the pendant around her neck, her eyes sliding shut. "I know we are."

"I don't think you really get it." The abruptness of his words caused her eyes to flick open. "Do you have any idea how much freedom the both of you have?" He bit his lip, looking away. "You have your own place, and your parents aren't here to breathe down your neck. You're not forbidden to visit the inn upstairs..."

He paused when he saw Claire taken aback; he was unaware how harsh his voice had become. Her fingers were still around her stone pendant, and she was looking at him with a repentant, guilty look.

"You two... can be as open as you want to be about it," Gray's voice trailed off. "And still... both of you are so..."

I dunno if Doug even knows, let alone Duke or Manna. Why so secretive? If Mary and I had been free, hell, we'd...

What... would we do?

He gritted his teeth, but Claire's voice pulled him from dwelling further.

"It's true, we do have a lot of freedom. And we're moving at a pace that works for us." She frowned. "I don't have to explain myself to you, and neither does Cliff." Her words came out sharper than she meant for them to.

He let out a huffy sigh. "It must be nice." Gray's tone was bitter.

She didn't look up at him. "It's better than nice. And I'm really grateful for it." She took a big bite of the curry bun, determined not to let herself be pushed around. She finished chewing. "So, who is it you're really mad at? Me? Cliff? Anna?"

He was taken aback at the frankness of her words and his eyes widened in surprise as he fumbled to keep from dropping his food on the ground.

He could still see her furrowed eyebrows, her lack of hesitation as she threw open her bedroom window.

"Out the back."

She had ordered him out the same way he had heard Barley shoo his livestock out of the barn.

"M-Mary..." Gray gulped, shaking his head. He let out a deep sigh, looking up at the stone ceiling of the cave. "She's the one I'm really mad at when I think about it."

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your patience on this one! I've been so eager to get into Gray's mind and open up about his burdens and family and frustrations. A lot of the back and forth between Gray reminded me a lot of when Gray confessed that he didn't have feelings for her. It was relieving to write out his feelings, and at the same time, it was satisfying to not let Claire be a doormat for him. I really enjoy writing these two together, and I hope that the beginnings of their friendship are believable, albeit a little shaky, haha. It was SO hard emotionally to write Mary's lines, but in the end, I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out. I really appreciate everyone's support and kind words. I hope y'all have a very safe and happy holiday season! :)