The Reason
Chapter 4

Manna beamed. "Thank you so much for helping out you two!"

"It was no problem," Claire told her, returning the smile. Cliff nodded.

"Things have changed a lot since Aja left," Duke told them. "I've had to do everything alone."

"We're glad we could help," Cliff said quietly.

"Actually," Duke began, "I was kind of wondering, Cliff…"

"Y-yes?"

"Would you like a permanent job here at the winery?"

Cliff's eyes widened and he turned to Claire, whose expression mirrored his own. "A-Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief. Manna was smiling as Duke nodded. "I-I…" He grinned. "Yeah! Thank you!"

Claire smiled. "Does that mean that you won't have to go?" she asked him.

"I guess so," he replied happily.

"Well, this calls for a celebration!" Manna pulled some wine and cheese out of the refrigerator and set it on the table. "Eat up, everyone!"

The food was unusually tasty to Claire, not only because it was after a hard day's work, but also because Cliff was now a permanent resident of Mineral Town.

-

After the two said good night to the couple, Claire smiled at Cliff and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow too." As she turned towards her farm, Cliff grabbed hold of her wrist. "Hey!"

"Wait," he said quietly. "It's dangerous to walk alone at night."

Claire narrowed her eyes. "Uh, I'm a far–" she began, but the look in Cliff's eyes silenced her. She glanced to the side, rubbing the back of her neck. "Y-you wanna…" She blushed, embarrassed. "W-will you walk with me then?"

Cliff smiled shyly. "Yeah…"

They walked together in silence until they passed Saibara's shop. Cliff glanced at her and asked, "Hey, Claire?"

"Mm?"

"I meant to ask you yesterday," he began. "Um…why were you crying?" Claire stopped in her tracks and lowered her head. Cliff looked at her, concerned. "Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said guiltily. "Sorry…"

She shook her head. "No," she said slowly. "I…It's kind of embarrassing, really." She smiled sadly and turned her head away from him. Cliff watched her quietly for a moment. He moved next to her and put an awkward arm around her shoulders.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he asked her, smiling gently. "We're friends, aren't we? That's what I'm here for."

She looked at him, surprised. Then her face broke into a smile. "Yeah?" She giggled. "You're right. And you'll be here forever, now, won't you?"

Cliff laughed as he nodded. "If you want me to," he said.

She sighed. "Well, I…" She blushed. "I like someone."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"But…" she continued, "I don't know how that person feels about me. I thought…I thought he liked me too." She crossed her arms and looked down at her feet.

"Wh-who is it?"

Claire blushed even harder. "Ah, it's-it's…" Her gaze shifted shyly at him. "D-Doctor Trent…"

Cliff bit his lip to keep from expressing his surprise rudely. "R-really…?"

"I knew it!" she exclaimed accusingly. "You think I'm weird now, don't you?"

"N-no I don't!" he protested. After a beat, he asked, "What happened?"

"Well…I invited him to the Wine Harvest."

Cliff inhaled sharply. "And…?" he asked, although he had a vague idea what may have happened.

"And…he sent me away." She smiled sadly at her feet. He watched her quietly as she hung her head. "Why?" she asked herself. "He couldn't take his eyes off of his work for two seconds…"

Her shoulders shook, and it was then when Cliff saw the tears. "Oh, Claire…" He bit his lip and (very awkwardly) wrapped his arms around her. "I-I'm sorry…"

Rick was returning home from Doug's Inn when he noticed the two of them tightly embracing. He blushed and hurried home, mumbling inaudible apologies for interrupting.

Cliff noticed Rick walking by and released Claire immediately, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

She shook her head. "Ah, no," she told him, "I'm sorry. I feel so silly crying in front of you again…" She laughed as she rubbed her eyes.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Let's get you home now."

He walked her all the way to the front of her house. As he was about to turn away, she suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Cliff…"

He looked at her, totally caught off guard. "Y-yes…?"

"Um," she began, blushing, "th-thanks for listening to me."

"Ah…" He blushed as well. "It-it was no big deal…"

"Do you think–" she began, but she stopped. "Never mind…"

"What is it?"

"Um…do you think I should go see him tomorrow?" He stared at her. "Y-you know…just to clear things up…"

He could see it in her face–it was plain what she wanted to hear. But for some reason, he didn't want to say it. The things she told him tonight–he wished now that he never heard a thing. There was something about hearing how she felt for someone else that left him feeling somewhat broken.

"Uh, Cliff?"

Her voice snapped him back to reality. "Y-yeah," he said quietly. "You should go." He turned away as her face looked hopeful. "Good night."

A/N: This is getting complicated. It was not exactly my intention to make it a love triangle, but it seems like it's taking that direction…Thanks for reading anyway.