Koro was so pleased to see his friend visit that he nearly tripped him in the doorway. "Good morning." Cliff's cheery greeting turned into a laugh as the young dog brushed against his legs while he removed his shoes.

The puppy wasn't the only one who was excited to see him. "'Morning!" Claire chirped, carrying a couple of bowls of yogurt layered with fruit. Upon turning around, she caught a glimpse of his deep blue eyes watching her in that kind way they always did. There was a light behind them that made her heart race, and the slight smile playing at his lips made her stumble a bit. She let out a surprised squeak as she caught herself before she fell over.

"Are you alright?" He gave her a concerned look, helping her place the breakfast on the short table.

She poured a couple of glasses of water from her pitcher, annoyed at herself for behaving in such a foolish manner. "I'm fine. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to worry you." She quickly changed the subject. A mere smile from him had never caused her to act this way before. This was the man who had so tenderly kissed her hand a couple of nights ago… "Uh, I… I had a really great time hanging out with you the other night." She handed him a spoon and they took their seats.

He gave her happy nod, his own heart pounding with joy. "That might have been the most fun I've had a festival." He opened his pack, adding some wild blueberries he had picked that morning to share. The fruits went well together and Claire grinned with delight as she sprinkled some on top of her parfait.

"Thank you so much! This is a good combo!"

We're a good combo…

"You don't have to thank me. I told you I was going to share with you."

Cliff's eyes drifted to the ceiling. How could he even begin to thank Claire for her kindness and friendship? His gaze curiously moved to a clothesline strung up behind her. A couple of pairs of overalls hung on the line, among white cotton undershirts, flannel, socks… His cheeks burned as he attempted to tear his eyes away from the cutesy panties hanging on the line. Some were pastel, striped, or polka-dotted, and the back end on one had been embellished with a winking teddy bear's face. As much has he had tried to forget Claire's mentioning of her lucky undergarments, the image had popped in his head from time to time. He had no doubt in his mind that she had worn this so-called lucky pair the night of the festival. He promptly put a spoonful of yogurt in his mouth in an attempt to distract himself; there was no need to be so immature or embarrassed. Still, his fantasies now had a concrete reference. He wiped the goofy smile off of his mouth as he imagined a playful Claire dancing and shaking her hips in them.

"Not having to work there certainly didn't hurt things," Claire laughed, taking a drink of water. She observed the color in Cliff's face. He certainly looked happy, but a little out of it. Perhaps he was happily remembering their evening together? It was nice to think he treasured it as much as she did.

He tore his eyes from the clothes line and shyly met her gaze. This was no time to allow his thoughts to drift in that direction, especially when he was in her presence. "That's true." He thoughtfully took another bite of yogurt parfait, willing himself to calm down. "The peaches in this are really good. You're right. The blueberries are a good match."

"I'm glad you like it!" Claire squeaked out, finding generous chunk of peach in her own bowl. She was grateful she had decided to be a bit choosier at the grocery store; the gratitude on his face was well worth it.

"Thanks again for all of the food. I really enjoy getting to spend time with you like this. It's nice to start and end the day with you."

Did I really just say that so casually?

"I-I like it too," she sputtered, battling with the violent flock of butterflies residing in her stomach. "And I'm glad that we're able to help each other out with what we have."

He nodded. "I was checking out those… devices Rick set up."

"Tomato Tubes!" Claire corrected with the wave of a spoon.

A soft chuckle escaped him. "Right – the Tomato Tubes! I can tell that they're helping a lot! Rick really knew what he was doing when he put them together."

She gave a perky nod. "They'll be helpful during other seasons, too. I'll have a pretty… unique-looking farm, but I bet no one else has a Tomato Tube."

"I think you just like saying Tomato Tube."

She grinned. "I do! The Tomato Tube is going to let me expand my fields more regularly. Like I said before, I gotta winterize the house and get some repairs done. It'll be winter before we know it."

The color drained from his face and the smile that stretched across his lips looked hollow. "Yeah… it's… definitely creeping up on us. I gotta focus on fall first."

"Hunting season. I know you'll do great!" Her voice softened as she remembered the clanking of coins as a sour Won handed them over to Cliff during the festival. "You… have a comfortable cushion of money to sit on while the herd comes in."

His smile only became more strained. "Yeah… I have more time to do some tracking now that Kai doesn't need smoked fish."

"He doesn't want to take some for his next destination?"

Cliff shook his head. "He's tight on space, so I'm going to be using your shipping bin more often now."

She reached her hand across the table and gave his a squeeze. "Hey, I believe in you."

He gulped, the tension leaving his chest a bit. "Thanks. That means a lot."

They exchanged warm smiles and ate in silence for a couple of minutes.

Claire finished her bowl and stood up, her mind turning to business. "Rick and Popuri are going to be stopping by within the next few days to harvest the corn, and it'll be the end of this season's harvest, so-"

"Let me help."

She blinked at him, cocking her head. "I know you have hunting to prepare for."

"I do, but it would mean a lot to me if I could join, even if just for one day. I want to help harvest the corn."

"I can't ask you do to that without paying-"

"No payment—I'm volunteering, just like I did when I helped water those seedlings. I want to see at least some of them until the end. We made it through summer together, Claire."

She saw the relief on his face and felt her lips curl upward. "You're right. We did."

Cliff stood up and walked over to his friend, throwing his arms around her in a deep hug.

Claire felt her knees go weak as she returned the unexpected but very welcome embrace, enjoying the warm comfort of his body against hers. Yes, something about this just felt right. All too soon he let go, giving her a playful smile. "Alright, we both have jobs to do! No slacking now, Claire!"

She gave a pout when he let go of her and pretended it was in response to his words. "I never slack! Just you see these fields when you come back for dinner tonight!"

He gave her a salute and laughed. "Yes, ma'am!" His eyes once again flicked to the cutesy teddy bear winking at him and his cheeks burned as he quickly turned on his heel and hurried to put on his shoes. "I'll try to catch some extra fish for us today!" he promised, giving her a quick grin before grabbing his things and hurrying outside.

Claire's gaze turned toward where Cliff had been looking and her face caught on fire as she noticed her panties hanging on the line. She couldn't believe she had forgotten to take the laundry down. Cursing under her breath, she took the clothing down and folded it, stuffing it into her cardboard boxes. Did he think she was attempting to seduce him, leaving her undergarments on display like that? She pulled down her pair of lucky panties from the line and laughed at the absurdity of the idea. He was likely laughing as well, she realized with embarrassment; the pair of underwear was rather silly-looking. Still, the thought of him knowing what the underwear looked like caused a jolt of electricity to run through her. It was as if he was in on a secret.

She took her time washing the bowls in the basin she left by the refrigerator. She wanted Cliff to know her secrets, and she longed to hear his. They had shared so much with each other recently, she realized. Their relationship was flourishing at a rapid pace. She wondered if it made his stomach feel giddy as well.

"It's uncomfortable, but I'm not in extreme pain or anything," Cliff insisted.

His friend pulled the floor cushions beside each other and gestured him to take a seat as she retrieved her first aid kit. She knelt beside him with a kind smile, taking his hand in hers.

"Either way, something needs to be done about it. It doesn't look too big, but it's in there pretty deep," Claire observed after turning his palm over in her hand. She opened the latch on her first aid kit and retrieved a pair of tweezers, handing them over. "And it's starting to get inflamed."

He fussed with the tool in his right hand, frowning after a minute or two of attempting to remove the splinter. "Ugh, it just doesn't want to come out."

Claire dabbed a bit of salve on his hand and shot him a kind smile. "There. Drawing salve will help work it out. Gimme the tweezers. I had a lot of practice the other day when I was building that pen for my chickens. I think I need to buy a thicker pair of gloves for that kind of work." He handed them over, a little grateful to be given a break from trying to do it himself. She gently cupped her other hand to hold the one she was working on and he fought back his blush. "I can't believe you let this stay in your hand all day."

Cliff gave her a small shrug. "It's really not that bad. It's just a splinter. I guess need to smooth down my spear handles. Plus, I probably should've had my gloves on." He let out a small sigh; the weather had been so hot that he removed them for a short while. He was regretting it now. He caught her staring, and he hoped it wasn't a sign of her feeling guilty about his mild injury. "Besides, I'm practically ambidextrous, remember?"

A sly smile spread across her lips. "Practically, but not quite. You favor your left hand, after all."

His face warmed at the fact that she had noticed this small detail about him. "I'm… surprised you could figure that out."

She felt a small wave of embarrassment; would he think it was strange she had been watching him closely enough throughout the past few months to notice something like that? She had admittedly struggled taking her eyes off of him since the Fireworks Festival… He had caught her staring a few times but never said anything about it. A small smile played at Claire's lips; Cliff was far too polite to call attention to something like that. "Got it!" Claire cried triumphantly, removing the small shard of wood. "How does it feel?" She lightly ran a finger over his palm.

"Ah, much better. I reckon it'll feel like new tomorrow. Thanks." He closed his fingers over hers and gave them a playful squeeze.

"Uh-huh…"

She found that she didn't want the moment to end. Her breath caught in her throat as she wondered whether he was going to move her hand back to his lips the way he did the night before. Their eyes locked and she felt a flutter in her heart. This felt so familiar and new at the same time. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he let her hand go, standing back up a bit regretfully.

"Alright, I promise to put on gloves now. Sorry about all that." Despite his friendly expression, it was still apologetic.

"Do you have to go again so soon?" The voice that escaped Claire's voice was dangerously close to a whine.

Cliff sat back down so quickly she thought for a brief moment that he had fallen onto the seat cushion beside her. "There are some projects I still need to finish…" His protest sounded rather weak as his lips shyly turned upward.

Claire leaned forward and gave him a light shove on the shoulder. "It's probably best to give that hand a bit of a rest before you go fishing again anyway."

"I could just use my other hand, you know."

And yet, he remained unwilling to get up.

"I think some food and rest will help. The fish aren't going anywhere, and we promised each other we'd look out for each other, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"You look tired," she interjected.

He gave her a rueful look. "You do, too. Your precious Tomato Tube isn't an excuse to push yourself beyond your limits. It's like you said – we're partners. We look after each other."

She blinked and was aware of the fatigue and heaviness of her eyelids. She reflected on his words and she spoke a little louder than she meant to. "Yeah! P-partners! I think I remember agreeing to something like that!" What if he was her partner all the time, and not just for work? What if they could walk together like they had the night before, arms linked, smiling and laughing? They could share an evening of happiness together, musing about their dreams and their futures as they watch the sun sink behind the horizon on the farm. As the fireflies would rise into the night, they could find a comfortable spot alongside the river on her property and they could sit together again. If it got chilly, she could move a bit closer to him. A marvelous, bubbly feeling rose in her stomach and traveled up to her heart, and she struggled over whether or not to quell it.

What if he becomes my dream? Is this feeling okay? He's my best friend, after all…

Had he not been smiling as well the night before?

"I think we deserve a proper snack break!" she announced importantly. "I put some tomatoes in the watering hole to cool. I thought we could eat them outside by the river." At the realization that she was attempting to somewhat recreate her fantasy, she felt her cheeks get hot. There were no dreamy fireflies involved or a clear sky of stars above them, but she was willing to settle for what was available now.

"I'm sorry. You're probably more than sick of tomatoes by now," Claire apologized glumly as they stepped outside under the partially cloudy sky. When they started had working together, she had made the same offering every afternoon and she was glad but a bit surprised he didn't seem fazed by the lack of variety.

"They're cold and juicy. I'm not about to complain," Cliff replied, kneeling down by the watering hole to remove the net of rich, ripe tomatoes. He passed one along to her and took one for himself, biting into it like an apple.

"Well, it looks like we have a bit of relief from the weather for right now." Claire took the net bag of fruits in her hand and led the way to the river. "It's cooled down quite a bit with that rain yesterday, and it's supposed to rain again later this week and stay cooler for a while."

She looked over and noticed that there was a pensive look on Cliff's face.

Claire wiped the tomato juice from her lips. "Thinking about hunting again?"

He nodded, his mouth full. After a few more chews, he swallowed, letting out a small sigh of satisfaction. "At this point, it's impossible not to. I make most of my money by mid-fall. Last year, Cain and I got a real big haul. That's how I was able to move in here," he explained with a smile.

The sun broke through the clouds and Claire immediately felt the change in temperature. The bright rays sparkled across the ripples in the water like glitter; she had to squint. "Did you know you wanted to move here in particular?"

"Uh-huh." Cliff took another hungry bite from his tomato.

"What drew you here? Did you want to move here all along since moving out of your parents'?"

"I honestly had no idea where I wanted to go when I left home. When I traveled to the outskirts of Mineral Town, I was drawn to it. I can't really explain it." He hesitated, his eyes staring at the water with a wistful expression. "Well… Mother's Hill looks an awful lot like Akiyama. It was… kind of shocking."

He could still remember the tears uncontrollably streaming down his face as he discovered this area that gave off an aura of home.

I guess shocking is an understatement. It was more like…

Ah, but if Claire really know the mess I left back home, she might not even want to talk to me anymore. I… can't. At least… no.

He shook it from his mind. It felt like a half-lie, avoiding telling her these details, but whenever he thought about it too hard, his heart began to race and he broke into a cold sweat. After that, his emotions would quickly spiral downward as he shut out the rest of the world. Dwelling on it did no good for anyone, he decided for now. "What about you? You said you found an advertisement for the farm and just went for it, huh? Did you check out other farms first?"

Claire shook her head in embarrassment, watching a stick aimlessly bob along the water. "I probably should've. It's just, whenever I saw the ad, I lost all my sense of reason. I had this uncontrollable urge to be here. To do something different." She remembered the letter she had written the night before. "My parents weren't exactly thrilled with my decision, but I went for it anyway."

Cliff let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. "I know what that feels like for sure." He paused, rinsing the tomato juice off of his hands in the river. Shaking his hands dry and wiping the excess water off on his handkerchief, he sat back down and stared at Claire, stone-faced.

The smile vanished from her lips and she set down her tomato. "Cliff?"

He struggled to stop furrowing his eyebrows, but the worried expression remained glued on his face. While he wasn't ready to share how he had left things with his family, he didn't want Claire to make the same mistake. "Whether your parents are supportive of your decision or not…" He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and seized her hands, his face going pale. "D-don't… Don't shut them out of your life. You never know when you might lose your chance to make up with them."

These words from anyone else would've put her in a defensive state. At seeing the pain in his eyes, Claire knew not to ask the details on his own situation at this time. She was learning little by little as time went by, and she got the feeling he rarely shared any of this with anyone. She looked down and squeezed his fingers, stroking their undersides with her thumb. "I actually wrote them a letter last night. I think they just wanted me to be happy." After ruminating on it the night before, it had become clearer to her. "I know they wanted me to continue working as an accountant because I would make more money. It still kind of makes me mad, because I feel like they wouldn't listen. I wanted something new." She paused, letting go of his fingers with a blush; her hand had lingered for far too long. "Most of my letters to my parents in the past were more like progress reports, really." She paused, wondering if he would judge her for the lack of emotion she displayed for her parents. "But it's not like I'm like a mindless robot or anything," she insisted with a weak laugh.

"You didn't want them to worry," he replied logically, his voice soft. He supposed he could have done the same…

A smile adorned her face once more. "Exactly. But last night, I also wrote all about my friends and the festivals and birthday parties I've been to." Upon seeing his facial features soften, her eyes shyly moved to his and quickly flicked to the ground. "I-I hope you can meet my parents someday. I think… they would really like you."

His chuckle came out far more bitter than he was intending on. "I made a similar mistake to you when leaving my own home. I did not leave on good terms." Despite his desire to keep every detail surrounding this incident hidden, he found he was voluntarily giving out information. "Maybe they would think that I would be a bad influence on you for that reason."

The words came naturally. "But you make me happy."

Cliff's heart jumped into his throat.

We're good friends… that's a normal thing to say.

And one I needed to hear, too.

"Then I would be honored to meet them. Especially if it made you happy, too."

Her breath hitched at his sincere blue eyes and she disguised the sound as a happy giggle. She attempted to stabilize her breath as she moved in a little closer, as if an unseen force was drawing them together. Leaning against his arm, she rested her head on his shoulder, watching the sunbeams dance across the water to a song none of them could hear.

"It would."

It was all so new – the closeness, the bubbling emotions, the fondness reflecting in her eyes.

Cliff's my best friend. Is it really right for me to feel this way? I used to look at Gray like this.

She bit her lip.

No, she wouldn't let it turn into the same disaster; it already felt so different. This sweet, kind, and gentle man was everything she didn't realize she was craving and her heart pounded at this realization.

It's okay… I'm allowing myself to be happy.

The emptied tomato plants didn't sway in the gentle breeze, but their leaves flapped like the infinite butterflies that were occupying Claire's stomach. They were in broad daylight, no less, and she was behaving like this. Anyone who walked through her property could see what they were doing. They might get the idea that she was goofing off and flirting with a cute boy instead of working. She buried her face into his shoulder with a soft sigh. She didn't care about those things at the moment. It was after the festival and he still seemed comfortable being this close to her.

If he didn't like it, he'd put some distance between us, right? But what if he's just being polite?

The shy hand moving around her waist scared away her doubts. Her tongue felt heavy as they shared a shy smile, looking out at the flowing river together. Claire wasn't imagining the feelings she had toward Cliff anymore – she was fond of him, she realized, swallowing the lump in her throat, and she was beginning to look at him with tenderness. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing.

A kiss in the future sounded lovely, she mused as her face caught on fire. She lifted her head and their eyes met. He gave her a friendly smile and she gulped as her eyes focused on his lips. Would they be soft? Would he run his fingers through her hair as their lips were joined? Would he whisper sweet words in her ear and beg for another kiss? Would she be coy or grab him by the shoulders in response? She was reminded vividly of her romantic dream not long ago…

Ah, too much right now. Nope, no attempts at kissing now… Let me just process this all first…

She was so lost in her emotions that she didn't notice the sneaky Koro behind them proudly trotting off with her half-eaten tomato in his mouth, carrying it to the shade of the apple tree to devour.

"I… enjoyed sitting with you the other night," the young man murmured quietly. "The sky was beautiful, even after the fireworks."

She nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Uh, w-we can stargaze sometime! I bet it would be a lot of fun!"

Cliff's face turned burgundy. "You mean… j-just you and m-me?"

Claire's eyes widened, and she realized she must have looked as terrified as he did. "Ah, Ann's been wanting to stay the night here at the farm! She can come, and Karen, too! A slumber party!" Realizing what she had said excluded him in this, she bit her lip in frustration. It was more about what others would say – she didn't mind Cliff staying at her house, but people like Anna would talk if they knew what was going on. "Ah, I mean, the girls can stay over after we all watch the stars! Ann's been wanting to stay the night out here."

"You already said that," he pointed out gently. "If you want to do something with the girls, I don't mind."

"No!" she yelled a little too loudly. She briefly clamped her hands over her mouth. "Ah, I mean… I w-want to do something with you, too! We could have one last hurrah before summer's over, y'know? I can invite Kai too, before he leaves."

Cliff gave her a sad smile and shook his head. "Yesterday, he started going into what he calls 'Move-Out Mode'. He's extending his hours to get rid of his remaining food that he can't travel with and he's organizing and packing up his stuff. He wouldn't even go downstairs for a beer with Gray."

"Well, let's go to his place for dinner tonight! I'll save the beef curry for another night!"

Cliff's eyes widened and Claire almost laughed aloud; he was practically drooling. "Ah, Ma used to cook it with red meat sometimes… I haven't had it like that forever…"

"Well, now you're making me feel bad for putting it off," Claire giggled.

"Ah, it's fine." He gave her a grin. His eyes traveled to the apple tree where Koro was snacking on a tomato and he noticed the seeds and juice spurted on the ground beside Claire. "Looks like our friend didn't want to wait for special dinner plans." He cocked his head toward the young dog.

Claire let out a laugh and stood up, feigning a stern look in Koro's direction. "Trent said you could have tomatoes as long as they're ripe, but that's no excuse for stealing!" She jogged over to her pet and Koro looked up at her, giving her a bark in greeting. "My treat, we're having curry tomorrow night!" She gave Cliff a friendly wink before chasing after the dog.

He gave her a happy nod. "I don't mind waiting," he replied, standing up and gathering his fishing gear. His heart pounded as he bit his tongue and watched her. The blonde had scooped up the dog and tucked him in her arm, giving him a wave. He waved back, his mind wandering to the festival. Her contagious laugh, those smiling eyes that reflected on him throughout the evening, her quick wit as she effortlessly joked with him about the turtles, the warmth he felt in his heart as she rested her head on his shoulder, the delight he had experienced that she felt so comfortable around him…

He wanted that every day. He wanted to wake up to those gorgeous sapphire eyes and fall asleep to the warmth of her body innocently curled up beside him.

Maybe someday…

No, he didn't mind waiting.

Claire gestured him over with a giggle and the beckoning of her finger. His feet moved automatically as he was drawn toward her.

There was something definitely special about this town, Cliff decided as he listened to the grass brush against his shoes. It wasn't solely a something, but rather, a someone as well. He remembered the promise he had made as they walked along the beach in their geta. He would try his best this hunting season. He couldn't think of a better reason to, he reminded himself with a smile.

Author's Note: Thank you for your patience as I have spent some time trying to recollect myself. I couldn't resist posting a chapter tonight as a birthday present to myself. Writing this story makes me really happy, and I really do enjoy sharing it with all of you out there. Whether you're an avid follower who has been reading along since the beginning, or a newcomer yourself, I am grateful for your time and support for this labor of love.