Claire eagerly led the way up the mountain trail as Karen struggled to keep up with her.
"Slow down! The blueberries aren't going anywhere!" The brunette laughed.
Their trips to Mother's Hill had become more common. After Claire finished watering in the mornings, she went up to the mountains to forage. She often met Karen at the Goddess Spring along the way and they'd spend hours gathering berries, wild fruits, and other edibles. The brunette had to admit that she was quite impressed at how her friend was able to find wild growing things and sell them for a profit. She was a bit surprised at how brave the city girl was about eating them, though; Karen lacked the courage to eat some of the sketchy-looking weeds Claire eagerly popped into her mouth without a second thought.
The friends made their way up the mountain and picked a bunch of summer blueberries. Karen ate more than she put in the farmer's bag. Her friend was much more businesslike about the gathering of wild things, but she was happy for the help either way. Claire looked up in the sky and saw a large bird with dark wings, a white chest, and speckled belly. She pointed it out to Karen.
"What kind of bird is that? Hawk or falcon?" Claire watched it slowly soar toward the lake.
Karen squinted as she shielded her eyes from the sun. "Ah, that's definitely a falcon. Hawks have larger bodies, and falcons have that wingspan. Rick and Popuri taught me that one." Her eyes followed the raptor as it headed west.
Claire stared up at the bird, absentmindedly popping a blueberry into her mouth. "Oh, I'd imagine they'd need to keep an eye out for them with the chickens." She realized she would need to do the same thing if she decided to have some hens of her own.
Karen nodded; Rick was often griping about potential threats to his flock. "Well, they put netting over their enclosures, but you can't be too careful… I've seen this guy before. He's been hanging out in the mountains since the middle of last winter. He sure is pretty…" She couldn't help but admire the creature.
"Yeah, I wonder if there's a nest nearby." The thought of chirping baby falcons made Claire's heart melt.
They followed the bird up the mountain trail and were greeted with the scent of a campfire. The farmer inhaled the air and exhaled with a smile; the smell of burning wood was one of her favorites. The two friends made their way down the path to the lake.
They quickly found the source of the campfire. Cliff was standing in the shallows of the lake like a statue, holding a sharpened piece of bamboo over the water in deep focus. He wasn't wearing his usual tunic and his pant legs were rolled up; he hadn't bothered with unnecessary clothing because of the intense heat. Claire had never seen such a look of concentration in his face. The farmer noticed that the falcon had perched in a tree not too far from the young man and the bird's eyes were locked onto Cliff.
"What's he doing?" Karen whispered.
For a moment, the farmer wondered if her friend was inquiring about the man or the bird, but she realized the brunette's eyes were focused on their mutual friend. "… Fishing…" Claire thought this much was obvious; the young man regularly walked along the edges of the river and lake carrying a sharpened stick, but she had never actually seen him in action.
He suddenly struck at the water. Both girls jumped. He pulled the stick out of the water, revealing a wriggling fish. Claire's eyes widened with amazement.
Karen whistled at him. "Wow, Cliff! That was so cool!"
Their friend jumped at her sudden noise. He turned a deep shade of red. "H-hey, y'all!"
They made their way over to him.
"Pretty impressive!" Karen applauded. She gave him a congratulatory slap on the back and immediately retracted her hand in disgust. "Ugh, you're covered in sweat!" She wiped her wet hand off on her shorts.
"What do you expect? It's hot out," Cliff shrugged and swiftly went to preparing the fish with his hunting knife; he was very hungry, but didn't want to seem rude. "F-Feel free to take a seat."
Claire was familiar with his shaking hands. She had been there several times herself; he was on the verge of keeling over. As the farmer watched her friend skewer the meat and prop it up skillfully over the fire, she noticed that he had tossed the remains of the fish in the direction of the falcon; it seemed Cliff was aware that the bird had been watching him. The young man went to wash his hands in the lake and cool off, and she pulled the wild berries out of her bag, eager to share them with her hungry friend. Karen went into munching mode again, and Cliff took a seat beside them.
It seemed the grocer's daughter wasn't aware of their mutual friend's trembling. "Please help yourself," Claire offered, wishing Karen would eat more slowly.
"Thank you." He gave her a grateful smile as he popped a few berries in his mouth and rested his eyes for a moment.
"So, are we interrupting you from your work?" Claire asked, offering him her handkerchief to wipe off his face; he had splashed water over it while he was cooling off in the lake.
"Oh, no, you're fine," Cliff stammered, accepting the handkerchief with a kind nod and a hint of blush. "I was just looking for some lunch, and my food stash is running low." He explained as he shuffled the skewers over the flames with shaking hands.
Karen almost asked why he didn't just buy some food at the inn, but she held her tongue; she knew he was unemployed. She watched Claire pull some sort of wild plant out of her bag and share it with him and felt a flash of embarrassment; she never realized how creative her friends had to be to make ends meet. Karen only really knew that berries, flowers, and bamboo shoots grew up here. She had no use for them herself, so she never really explored the area thoroughly. All of the food she ate was available at the grocery store; she never gave much thought to having to find food. Berries were the only thing she ate up here, and she only really ate them when she hung out with Claire.
Karen silently watched Claire give Cliff a couple of bundles of herbs and berries; the farmer seemed awfully generous with the things she had worked so hard to gather herself. The young woman watched the blonde tuck extra things in her friend's satchel while his back was turned and smiled. The farmer really was sweet. The grocer's daughter found herself sighing. She really wished she could be more like Claire.
The fish was ready. The young man offered Karen a skewer, but she felt guilty taking it. She agreed to taste it, and was surprised at how good it was. It wasn't seasoned the way Doug grilled his fish at the inn, but it had a nice, delicate flavor. She looked over at Claire, who was sharing in a skewer and laughing with Cliff about something. The farmer had mentioned her foraging trip with their mutual friend nearly a month ago. The grocer's daughter realized that they had probably been meeting regularly in the mountains without her. Karen wondered if Cliff always foraged without a shirt on and caught herself smirking at the two. Claire laughed again and beamed at the young man, and Karen felt a twinge of jealousy, realizing she didn't have the farmer completely to herself.
"What's wrong, Karen?" Cliff noticed the look on his friend's face.
Karen felt embarrassed and petty. She forced a small smile on her face, "Nothing."
"I know it's not Chocolate Curry dip, but I thought the fish was pretty good," Claire giggled, adding her empty skewer to the pile as she thanked her friend for sharing.
Karen saw a bit of color come into Cliff's cheeks and she smiled. "I was just lost in thought for a moment," She admitted. She suddenly remembered something, and she was slightly annoyed that the young man hadn't brought it up himself. "Hey, Cliff! Wasn't your birthday yesterday? I think that's when Ann said it was."
"Oh, it's today," He corrected her with a soft chuckle as he poked the flames with a long stick. "I'm… twenty-four today." He looked like he had to do the math in his head for a moment.
"Well, why didn't you say anything?" Karen teased him. "Were you planning on spending the day alone? Do you want us to feel like jerks for not getting you anything?"
Cliff reddened. "I d-didn't think of that at all. I didn't think it was a big deal… I haven't celebrated my birthday for several years now," His expression turned grim as his eyes focused on the campfire.
The blonde scooted a little closer to her friend and stared at the burning embers. "I'll be twenty-three at the end of fall," Claire looked at him with a smile and her friend's face immediately relaxed.
"Well, we should do something special today, then," Karen stated with authority. Both friends looked at her, waiting for her direction. "Well, obviously we are going to the bar," She laughed. "Come on, I'll buy you both a big dinner and drinks tonight; it'll be great." She was eager to do something special for the two of them.
"Thank you, that's very kind of you," Both of her friends stumbled over their words.
Karen smiled. They were so overly polite and easy to please.
0o0o0o0
Claire tore through her shelf and bag at her home. She was very embarrassed; she hadn't known when her own friend's birthday was. Even worse, she had no idea what to give him. She had spent all of her money on seeds and was waiting for it to come back to her, so she didn't have the option of buying him anything. The farmer was so broke that even a bar of chocolate was a luxury she couldn't afford. She didn't have anything on hand that could qualify as a gift, either. Her bag was nearly empty as it was; she had snuck extra food into Cliff's pack when he wasn't looking. The farmer noticed how hungry he seemed today and how slim he looked; she was concerned about him.
Not knowing what else to give him and being pressed for time, Claire took the basket that Carter had given her back in spring and filled it with some bamboo shoots she had been keeping for herself. It was simple, but it would have to do. Deep down, she knew that he wasn't expecting anything from her and would be flattered at anything, but all the same, she wanted to give him something to let him know she cared about him. Claire walked to her bedside and brushed her hair until it shined.
It was an awkward walk to the inn. Claire began to remember how oddly shaped the basket was, and she was kind of grateful to be rid of it. She was thankful that she didn't need to bring her usual rucksack with her as well; the basket was plenty.
Both of her friends were already there by the time the farmer showed up. Karen had a few empty beer steins around her, but Cliff was sticking to juice. Claire hoisted the basket onto the table.
"Happy birthday!" She grinned, hoping that her offering would bring a smile to his face.
It was obvious he hadn't been expecting anything from her. "Thank you very much!" he beamed and gave her a hug, nodding with approval at the sensible, thoughtful gift.
Claire took a seat between her friends and her heart felt light.
Ann stopped by the table to take their order, studying the heaping basket of bamboo shoots. "Wow, did Claire get those for you, Cliff?"
He nodded and his cheeks turned rosy.
"I got you something, too! Happy birthday!" She handed him a small package she had been keeping in the pocket of her apron.
The young man opened the parcel and his face lit up. Claire didn't get a good look at it. "A knife sharpener? Wow, thanks, Ann! I will get a lot of use out of this!"
Ann ruffled his hair. "No prob!"
Claire felt a flash of jealousy that she hadn't given him something practical like that. If only she had known his birthday was coming up, she would have saved up some money to get him a proper gift…
Karen watched the farmer's expression with mild amusement. "And now for my gift!" The grocer's daughter announced with a grin. "Order whatever you want, guys."
The waitress took the pencil that she had tucked behind her ear and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "So what'll it be?" Ann asked, pulling a small notepad out of her apron pocket.
"Do you serve Chocolate Curry dip?" Karen asked teasingly. Claire's mention of their strange creation earlier today had caused a slight craving.
"No," Ann laughed, playfully shoving Karen's shoulder. She knew how proud the grocer's daughter was of the dish, but there was no way they would serve it at the inn.
The brunette shrugged with a sigh. "You know me; I'll have the pizza. And another beer. Keep 'em coming!"
Claire couldn't remember the last time she had pizza. She looked at the menu and saw that they had the savory pancakes and decided to give them a try. Cliff ordered curry rice without even looking at the menu first.
"Alright! It will take a few minutes, but I'll be right back with the drinks!" Ann ruffled Cliff's hair again and he rolled his eyes.
"So, Cliff… You and Ann," Karen teased, taking a swig of beer.
Cliff shot her an unamused look and the grocer's daughter laughed heartily at his expression. Her friend was too uptight; she'd make sure that was taken care of before the evening was over…
Claire was wondering if she had spent too much time in the heat today; her face suddenly felt warm. She shrank down in her chair and sipped at her water, contemplating the strange tightening in her stomach.
"This seat taken?" The blacksmith sat down before anyone could answer.
The farmer's stomach went to tightening a bit to doing a somersault. "H-Hi Gray," Claire breathed, her heart pounding loudly in her ears.
"Hey," He nodded to her and tugged on the bill of his cap. "Happy birthday, Cliff."
"Thanks." His roommate gave him a small smile.
"So you're spending your birthday surrounded by women? Not bad," He grinned, folding his arms across his chest with a gruff laugh that reminded everyone at the table of the old blacksmith.
Cliff wasn't used to all of the teasing. He reddened, and Claire could feel herself getting embarrassed as well; Gray was going to get the wrong idea.
"We're all giving him a rough time tonight," Karen laughed, giving the harassed brunette a ruffle of the hair.
"Hey, I got you something," He handed his roommate a small box. "Made 'em myself." The apprentice nervously held out the box, trying not to look too proud of his own creation.
His friend opened the box and his eyes gleamed with gratitude. "Ah, metal spearheads. This will make fishing much easier. Thank you," He smiled at Gray.
"No problem." The apprentice cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair with a polite nod.
The grocer's daughter was eager to brag about their friend. She played with a long strand of her brown hair and rested her elbows on the table. "We saw him take out a fish with a sharpened piece of bamboo earlier today," Karen finished her mug and slammed it down loudly. "It was pretty darn impressive. Tell me, how do you learn to do stuff like that?" She turned toward Cliff with an inquisitive look.
Claire's ears perked up as her eyes flew toward the young man. She wanted to know, too.
"My uncle showed me; I've done it for years." He didn't go into further detail as he took a quiet sip of juice. He was uncomfortable with all of the attention, even among friends; the young man's cheeks turned pink.
Ann returned to the table with the drinks. She went to get a glass of wine for Gray. Claire's heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest. Was Gray going to be spending the evening with them as well? She couldn't think of anything to say to him and found herself panicking.
"Speaking of impressive," Karen continued as she started on her next drink, "Did you get a good look at Claire's fields?" The young woman cocked an eyebrow as she swirled the wine in her glass.
Gray's face lit up. "Yeah, I saw all the signs in the ground labeled 'Corn'." He shot the farmer a grin and took a sip of his wine.
Claire blushed and noticed Cliff looked relieved to be out of the spotlight for the moment. She nervously twisted her cloth napkin around her fingers.
"You're going to get so rich this summer," Karen let out a carefree laugh as she finished off her wine and started on the other Ann had left behind for her.
"I sure hope so." She had invested all of her money, after all, and was living off of foraged food and her get well gifts until her crops came up.
"Hey, you should be proud of yourself," Gray said. "Taking care of that much property isn't easy, I'm sure, and it's good to see you're back in the swing of things after getting sick."
The blonde's heart stopped for a moment; she hadn't expected the apprentice's heartwarming words. "Th-thanks."
"We're all glad," Karen added, and Cliff nodded.
Claire smiled. There were kind friends surrounding her and the young woman's heart felt full. "Thank you, everyone." Karen squeezed her and kissed the top of her head. Gray rolled his eyes and snorted.
The redheaded waitress bounced back over to the table, expertly balancing dishes and bowls. "Food's ready!" Ann had to make a few trips to bring all of the plates.
Karen was a fast eater; she dug right into her pizza. Claire looked down at her plate and cut a bite of savory pancake.
"Oh, you got the okonomiyaki," Cliff's face lit up. "That's one of my favorites." He nodded with approval at his friend's selection.
The young woman grinned. "I've never had it before, but I figured I'd try it since you recommended it."
He was surprised that she had remembered. "I'll trade you a bite of yours for a bite of mine," he offered.
"Sure," Claire cut off a piece and held out the fork to her friend the way Ann had done for him before. Color rushed to his face as he took the offered bite of food, and his face turned redder as he shyly held out a spoon to her.
"That was good, but… H-Here, give this a try." He gave the young woman a kind smile.
Claire leaned in to take the bite and was immediately reminded of her childhood. Sweet cooked carrots, soft onions, and tender potato in a sweet, spicy, savory sauce. A grin spread across her face. "Doug makes a great curry," She commented with a giggle, unaware of the stares the two were getting from Karen and Gray. "I think I could drink the sauce."
"It reminds me of home," He admitted with a nostalgic expression. "My mother's was a bit spicier, though." The young man looked down at his plate, staring at the meal as if it were too precious to eat.
Ann came back around to refill the drinks. It wasn't long until Claire felt like she couldn't eat any more.
The farmer heard shuffling feet behind her and saw Gray scoff and roll his eyes.
"Good evening, Cliff. Happy birthday," Saibara put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Thank you," His eyes widened in surprise; he was shocked that the old man knew.
The blacksmith handed his young friend a jar. "I've been pickling the burdock you send me. Thank you for always thinking of an old man like myself. I brought some to share."
Cliff was touched by this gesture; Saibara hardly struck him as the gift-giving type. "Th-thank you," The young man gave the elderly man a strained smile as his roommate glowered at them.
"Have a good night, but don't have too much fun," He let out a loud, gravelly laugh has he slapped the brunette on the back and made his way to the bar.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Karen could sense that Gray was ready to burst. "It's been a great evening, huh, Cliff?" She asked a little too loudly and polished off her wine, eagerly starting on another beer.
"Yes. Thank you, everyone," Cliff stammered, afraid to meet his roommate's gaze. He nervously wrung his hands underneath the table.
"But hey, it's just getting started!" Karen sputtered, giving her friend a piercing gaze, "You're making it sound like it's time for us all to go home… Ann!" The young woman snapped her fingers and laughed heartily.
"Reporting for duty!" The waitress saluted her best customer and giggled.
"A round of wine for the table, please. The usual."
The waitress grinned; the brunette was in the most fun stage of drunkenness. "Of course, Milady!" Ann mock curtseyed.
"Are you sneaking drinks tonight or what, girl?" Karen cocked an eyebrow.
Ann stuck out her tongue at the brunette and laughed, heading back to the bar. She was obviously having a blast tonight, and she was dying to sit with them.
Karen snuck a look at the blacksmith's apprentice; he seemed to have calmed down, at least a little, anyway. She let out a sigh. Claire, too, was aware of the tension at the table. She tried to think of something to say to Gray. Asking him how things were going at the smithy didn't seem like the best idea at the moment. She could ask him if he'd read any good books lately, but then he'd inevitably talk about Mary…
It turned out she didn't need to find anything to say, as Ann quickly returned with the drinks, along with something else.
"Happy birthday, Cliff," Ann smiled sweetly as she pulled a wooden spoon out of her side apron pocket, brandishing it like a katana. "Twenty-four, right?" She slapped the utensil on her open palm with a loud clap.
The apprentice's eyes widened; any residual anger at his roommate had dissolved instantly. "Run." He gave the young man a rough shove.
Cliff almost fell out of his chair. "What are you talking about?" The brunette laughed, looking curiously between the waitress and Gray. He chuckled at the apprentice's overly serious facial expressions.
An impish grin spread across Karen's lips as she understood. "Is it time for birthday spanks, Ann?"
She gave a single nod. "Eight from each of us girls," The redhead didn't remove her narrowed eyes from her friend. She twirled the wooden spoon in her fingers as menacingly as one could. "Who do you want first? Me, Karen, or Claire?"
The young man turned a bright shade of red but didn't say anything.
"Oh, we might go easy on you if you ask us nicely," Karen winked at her male friend and then looked back at Ann. Both girls collapsed in fits of giggles that sounded rather sadistic to Cliff.
The young man moved his eyes to the farmer and her face felt hot; she wasn't sure why she was embarrassed. She gave her friend a tiny shake of the head and a slight smile, indicating that she had no intentions of harming him. Cliff must have read her body language incorrectly; he turned from red to burgundy.
"I told you to run, man…" Gray reclined in his seat and rested his hands on the back of his head with a sigh. There was no saving the poor soul now… The apprentice had endured the grueling rite of passage for living at Doug's Inn for three years now; he always had trouble sitting the day after his birthday.
"Well?" Ann smirked; she was waiting for an answer.
Cliff looked up at her; that smug smile looked so much like his sister's that it almost hurt. He decided to handle her the same way he would his sibling. "Alright Ann, if that's what you want to do tonight, I won't stop you. Just remember that your birthday isn't too far off…" He cocked an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.
The smile faded from Ann's face; no one had ever even hinted at retaliation before and she wasn't sure how to react. She did a horrible job of hiding her blush as she tucked the spoon back into her apron pocket.
"What kind of cake do you want?"
Gray stared between the waitress and his roommate several times in utter confusion. The apprentice had always accepted his yearly punishment begrudgingly; he never realized that there had always been another choice.
0o0o0o0
Three hours later, a rather cheery Gray was rambling to Cliff and Claire about the last time he got to go to the horse races between sips of scotch. The farmer was surprised at how friendly and open the young man was after having a few drinks. A tipsy Karen had taken her seat at the bar hours ago, giggling into Rick's shoulder as Ann poured the pair drinks with a flourish.
"Hey, tonight was fun," Gray grinned at his roommate, relaxing in his chair.
The brunette looked at him in surprise; he was relieved that the apprentice had forgotten about his gift of pickled burdock and the complicated emotions that revolved around it. "Yeah, it was…" He finished off his glass of wine.
"Well, I had better head back home," The blonde yawned, looking at the clock. It was well past midnight, and she had chores to do first thing in the morning.
"Claire," The apprentice gazed up at her with glowing eyes.
"Y-Yeah?" Her hands immediately got sweaty and her throat closed up. He had never looked at her that way before.
"I'm gonna show you lunging sometime soon. I'll come to your farm to teach you." His eyes blazed with excitement.
"Lunging? What's that?" Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't care what it was; Gray was coming to her farm to do something with her!
"Vocal commands practice," Gray finished off his scotch and slammed his glass down on the tabletop harder than he meant to. "You need to get used to being around Tucker and vice-versa. We'll make a date for it later, okay?"
Date?! Either it was the two fall breezes she drank or it sounded like Gray wanted to spend some extra time with her.
"O-Okay!" She stammered as she stood up, her chair screeching across the floor. Now if only he would offer to take her home…
The blushing young woman looked down at him expectantly and was met with a confused look.
"I'd be happy to walk you home, Claire," The brunette offered, pushing in his own chair.
The farmer noticed that Cliff always saw to it that Claire never had to back to Mystic Acres alone. She was grateful for her friend's kindness. He always walked her home when she visited the inn; it had become a ritual at this point. It had started to hurt a little less that the clueless apprentice never understood what she was getting at.
It was a cool evening. Lilac clouds swam across the pink and orange streaked sky. The pair stood in silence for a moment, marveling in the colors.
"Thanks for the great evening," Cliff was beaming as he looked out at the sunset. "I haven't celebrated my birthday with friends since Akiyama…"
"Akiyama?" Claire repeated the foreign name with a curious tilt to the head.
They started on the path to Mystic Acres, admiring the soft light the sunset cast on the entire village. Trees, buildings, even the unlit lamp posts all looked a little magical under the warm glow of the sun's farewell. "My home village… It's been a long time…" The joy slowly faded from his smile as his forehead wrinkled. His lips remained curled into a grin, but he didn't look happy.
"H-How did you celebrate back home?" Claire asked, eager to hear a little bit more about his mysterious past.
He said nothing as they walked down the cobblestone street. She wasn't sure if he was thinking of how to word his answer or if his silence was his chosen response.
The farmer realized that she never talked much about home, either. "Mum would bring home a cake from the bakery and we'd pig out on it," The young woman giggled. "I always asked for walnut cake with butter cream frosting. And the best part was that the birthday child got to lick the frosting off of the candles after they were blown out," A nostalgic smile spread across her face. She could almost taste the glorious, thick frosting; it was almost too sweet… "Of course, it usually wasn't on our exact birthday."
"Huh? Why not?" The brunette stared at her as if he couldn't wrap his head around the concept.
They turned the corner on the path and headed south; Claire noticed that the first stars of the evening were starting to show through the watercolor sky. "Well, Dad was away on business a lot, and Mum was stuck with us five kids all to herself, plus she worked double time at least. We'd have what we kids called pretend birthdays. Close enough," She shrugged and gave him a grin.
Her friend found it strange that anyone would sing "Happy Birthday" when it wasn't someone's actual birthday. "Ma was a stickler for dates; she'd make sure Papa remembered," Cliff laughed, kicking a small stone along the path. "He forgot about my twelfth birthday while he was off on a hunting trip. Ma got so mad that she dragged both of us kids out to the woods to find him. My sister and I thought it was pretty fun, but Ma was not happy…" A glow returned to his face as his eyes lit back up. "That was my favorite birthday…"
"The one your father forgot about?" Claire shook her head, laughing as she kicked his stone farther ahead.
"W-Well… I was allowed to actually go out in the deep woods…" He looked up at the purple clouds with a pensive gaze, forgetting to kick the rock along, leaving it abandoned behind them. "It was the last birthday I spent with my father, too, so it will always be special to me…" His eyes widened without warning. "That was half a lifetime ago…"
The young woman was suddenly aware how deafening the cicadas were this year as they neared the farm property. "Huh…" Claire thought of her life at eleven. Half of her lifetime ago she was still a little girl. Claire remembered a point in her life when a year would pass by and she was embarrassed of the person she was the year before – ashamed at her immature thoughts or behaviors, the embarrassing fads, the shallow people she befriended and yearned to be like… The young woman realized that she was entering a new chapter of her life; her emotions were stabilizing and her personality traits were less easily swayed by others. "I wonder if an eleven-year-old me would have been friends with a twelve-year-old you…" She mused aloud.
"Probably not," The young man blushed with a soft chuckle. "I was reckless, loud, and obnoxious." He looked down at his hands and played with his fingers bashfully.
She stared at him in surprise. Those words hardly described him at all now, and she couldn't picture him in her mind. The young woman stared up at the colorful sky and imagined a rowdy young boy with muddy cheeks, scruffy brown hair hastily tied back, and twinkling deep blue eyes. She wasn't blind to the way Cliff acted around Ann this evening; he definitely had a playful side to him, and he had a latent confidence that was rarely seen. Cliff laughed and joked with Claire a bit when they were together, but it was more reserved than the young boy she imagined he was. "I bet you were really cute and endearing," A warm smile spread across the farmer's face.
She was given a hearty laugh in response, but her companion had turned a deep shade of red. "I don't even know how to respond to that," He admitted with a snort.
"Y-You don't have to deflect it, if that's what you're thinking," The young woman responded honestly. "Besides, it's not like you're an old man now that you're… twenty-four years old," She pretended to gasp at the number.
"I-I know that! I-I've just… changed a lot since I was a kid…" Cliff's eyes had a faraway look to them as he stared out at his friend's fields of tomatoes and corn. The seeds were growing at a rapid rate. Claire's farm no longer looked like a large plot of tilled dirt; it was growing and transforming into something new.
The young woman twisted a piece of her long blonde hair in her fingers. "We all change a lot when we grow up, but deep down you are still the same person…"
His gaze didn't move from the corn; Claire saw him blink a few times and swallow. "Th-Thanks."
They stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in the beautiful scenery.
"Well, I guess I'd better head back to the inn," The brunette gave her a playful smile. "S-See you later, Claire." He gave her hands a friendly squeeze and headed back to town.
The farmer's heart and face both felt warm as she watched his ponytail sway in the summer breeze; he had an extra spring in his step that he didn't have on their way here. Despite what he thought, there still was something very endearing about the gentle young man.
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: You may notice that this story has a crazy amount of foraging in it; this is because I forage in my own backyard. I live in a woodsy area and it is extremely satisfying to find food just growing out there.
The end of this scene ended up very different than I originally intended. I chose to give Cliff a good memory of his past instead of dwelling in it again as he is wont to do.
Hey, Ann fans! I started a new fanfiction that takes place during this story. It's called "It Wasn't Just Chance". Sorry for the shameless plug, haha!
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated as I am striving to improve my writing. Feel free to take a look at my profile to check out my other works!