Hello! My apologies for how long this update took. I typed it up on the writer app on my phone and kept forgetting it needed sent to my computer to be edited. But here it is!

Hope you enjoy!

Annie awoke to strong arms wrapped around her. She opened her eyes and blinked, confused, until she looked up and saw his face. Raeger's handsome features were softened in his sleep, his mouth slightly open as he snored softly. His hair was messy, with several locks spread over his forehead. Annie realized that although he was a hardworking, confident man, he was very much alone. No family. Living by himself. She felt a pang of sympathy for him, and huddled closer. Raeger stirred slightly, and Annie heard the sound of polyester material rustling quietly, noticing that she fell asleep in his jacket. The events of the past night came back to her, and Annie flushed as she remembered him offering his jacket to her. Wrapping his arm around her. Getting into bed with her, his lips so close...

Annie realized how close her lips were to his now, at the same time she noticed his eyes were open. He blinked sleepily at her, pulling away.

"Morning," Annie murmured bashfully, now realizing the intimacy of their situation. Raeger looked at her, and she was taken aback at the lack of happiness in his eyes.

He swallowed, not meeting her gaze. "Uhm, you should go," he stated abruptly, unwrapping her from his arms.

Annie felt disappointment well up in her chest, and a prickling feeling behind her eyes as tears threatened to appear. She blinked them away quickly, and pulled herself out of his sheets. Standing, she felt him get up, too. She glared at the wall, willing herself not to cry, then took off his jacket and turned to hand it to him.

Raeger was already walking away toward the bathroom without another word to her. Feeling choked, Annie threw the jacket on his bed and walked downstairs and out the front door, into bright sunlight that only made her feel worse.

Walking quickly, she made her way back to her farm without looking back at the restaurant, though part of her wanted to. Her lips were quivering as she reached home. She must have imagined the connection between them. Or had she done something foolish last night in front of him, and now he wanted nothing to do with her?

Whipping open the bathroom door, Annie stripped herself, throwing her clothes to the floor. She lowered herself in the bathtub and turned on the water as hot as she could stand it, letting it wash away Raeger's scent from her skin.

Submerging all of herself in the steaming water, Annie let her disappointment overwhelm her. Homesickness stabbed her gut again, finally pushing her tears out with an ugly sounding sob. No. No, this is foolish, she thought. I will not get this worked up about a guy I just met. She felt a few tendrils of shame creep up on her. She'd spent the night in the bed of a man she hardly knew. It wasn't like her at all. She refused to be that person.

Wiping her tears away with new determination, Annie pulled the plug and got out of the tub. She dried herself quickly, then dressed in clothes suitable for farm work. No way was she going to keep letting Raeger do her chores for her. She could do this.

Annie started with watering her crops, which she had already gotten used to doing with her injured wrist. It took a bit longer than usual, and when she finished, she started caring for her animals. Upon entering the barn, Hanako greeted her happily. "Long time no see, eh?" She patted the cow on the shoulder. She had been brushed very thoroughly and was in great condition, Annie noted with a stab of annoyance. Raeger had been more thorough even than she usually was.

After feeding Hanako and the chickens, who also seemed happy to see her, she sat down on a stool next to Hanako to milk her. Her determination faltered a little bit at the thought of milking with one hand, but she attempted it anyway. A brrrruuup sounded beside her, and she looked over to see that Rusty had returned. He sat next to her, licking his lips. Annie smiled at the little cat, and poured a bit of milk into a second bucket, for lack of a smaller container. Rusty stood on his hind legs, staring at the frothy white liquid in the bucket. He reached a paw in and tentatively smacked it, then licked it from his paw. "You're a real weirdo, huh?" Annie ruffled the fur on his head affectionately as he smacked his paw into the milk again.

The last few spurts of milk filled the bucket to the halfway mark. Annie winced as she flexed her sore hand. That was all she could do today. She barely filled a jar and a half with it, then dumped the last few drops into Rusty's bucket. He licked his lips appreciatively.

Annie wiped beads of sweat from her forehead. The heat of the day was creeping up on the mountainside slowly but surely. Not to mention, she was starting her chores later in the morning than usual.

She tried to pick up both jars, but her right hand was just too restricted from the brace. Sighing, she pinched one jar between her side and right arm, then scooped up the other with her good hand. Triumph stabbed through her. She'd completed her chores, all without the help of Raeger. Opening her door, she glanced at the clock. 10:45. It appeared Raeger wasn't intending on coming, anyway. Annie swallowed her disappointment and told herself to be relieved.

She awkwardly placed the milk jars on a shelf in her fridge, then felt her stomach growl. She grabbed a couple of eggs, cheese, and a tomato. She began wondering how Raeger made his omelettes, but shoved the thought away almost as soon as it entered her mind. She poured oil in a pan and began cooking herself breakfast.

Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. Her heart seemed to stop. Was it Raeger? She quickly slid the frying pan onto a cool burner, then went to the door. She took a deep breath, then swung it open.

It was Fritz. Annie felt conflicting relief and disappointment.

"Hey! Raeger's sick, but he said you had some chores you needed help with." Fritz was beaming at her, energetically rocking from his heels to the balls of his feet, like he had too much energy to stand still.

"He's sick?" What a lame excuse.

Fritz nodded, a little too quickly to be casual. Then he laughed loudly. "Yeah, he's not too good at holding down alcohol!"

Oh. He was hungover. That could explain why he had rushed to the bathroom this morning...

Fritz was still chattering. "Unlike me of course, I know how to handle my alcohol."

Annie didn't bother stifling her laughter. "You? You passed out!"

Fritz shot her a sidelong glance, looking bashful. "Hey! Yesterday was a long day, I was pooped. Nothing to do with alcohol!" He exclaimed defensively.

"Oh sure, sure." Annie smiled. She suddenly felt lighter, knowing her suspicions about Raeger may have been false. She wouldn't admit that to herself, though.

"So anyway. Chores! What do you need done?" Fritz looked so excited, like chores were the most fun one could have.

"I did them myself, actually. I thought Raeger wasn't coming." But at least he sent Fritz, Annie thought to herself. He still thought of her.

"Oh." Fritz looked crestfallen.

"Want an omelette?" Annie asked.

Fritz' smile returned. "Yeah!"

She led him inside and resumed cooking, encouraging Fritz to have a seat at the table. He seemed not to hear her, and insisted on hovering over her shoulder in the kitchen. Annie bumped into him more than once, after which he'd mutter "sorry" and continue to be in the way.

Eventually breakfast was served. They sat together at the table, eating what Annie thought were her best omelettes yet. She didn't have much experience cooking for herself, but she was improving already.

"So what are you doing today?" Fritz mumbled through his food.

Annie finished her mouthful of omelette before speaking, unlike Fritz. "Haven't actually given it much thought, past getting my chores done. You?"

"Thought I'd go down to the river and scavenge today," Fritz said, spitting a bit of egg out while speaking.

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Like, you dive in?"

His eyes seemingly sparkled. "Heck yeah! I found a pearl the other day."

"Oh, I've never really thought of doing something like that. I fish sometimes," Annie replied, then finished her last bite of food.

"Wanna come with?" Fritz was already standing, his food demolished.

Annie nodded. "Sure, I'll get my swimsuit." She stacked the dishes in the sink, then went to the bathroom to put her bathing suit on under her outfit.

Meanwhile, Fritz waited outside, tapping his foot energetically on the wooden porch. When Annie finally emerged from the house, Fritz grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the path toward the river on Eda's property.

They waved cheerfully to Eda, who was rearranging her flowerpots. Annie had a soft spot for the sweet old lady, and had been to her farm several times to help out in the short time she was living on the land next to her.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Annie pulled her shirt off, revealing her cute blue bikini top underneath. As her shirt sleeve caught on her wrist brace, she paused. Could she get this wet? She heard a rustle as Fritz, hidden behind bushes, tossed his shirt on the riverbank. Then his shorts. Then boxers. Annie's eyes widened.

"Uh, Fritz-" She shielded her eyes as Fritz practically pounced from the bushes into the river water. "Fritz! Are you naked?!"

He grinned at her. "Yup."

"No WAY am I going in there! The water's clear! You're a guy. Fritz! Quit it!" Annie babbled, flustered.

Fritz howled in laughter, taking in Annie's facial expression. "I'm not actually naked, calm down! I had trunks on me. Was gonna jump in the river after I did your chores."

"Oh," Annie replied, a little embarrassed from her overreaction.

Fritz was grinning at her from the water, laughter still in his eyes. "C'mon in, scaredy cat!"

Annie immediately pulled off her shorts and tossed them aside, then leaped into the water. Breaking the surface, she took a deep, relaxing breath and sank back into the water. It was surprisingly warm! She looked around, not seeing Fritz.

Suddenly he burst from the surface, water flicking off his hair. He held his hand out. In his palm laid a small pearl. It shimmered pink in the sunlight, and was absolutely beautiful. "Found another one!" Fritz beamed at her. "You try!"

Annie took in a breath, then plunged under the surface, feeling along the muddy riverbed. Her hand hit something solid and she grabbed it, then pushed off the bottom and broke the surface. In her hand laid a crunched pop can.

"Oooh, tough luck. There's lots of cooler stuff down there. But at least we can clean up the river, right? Let's swim further downstream." Fritz spoke too quickly for her to answer everything he said, so Annie simply nodded and swam after him down the river.

They searched the river for the rest of the afternoon, scavenging things from the riverbed. Annie had found mostly branches and rocks, but also a small green gem that looked to be a peridot. Fritz told her that they could be sold for SOOO much money.

As the sun started to dip low, they swam together back up the river. Annie was in a surprisingly good mood, having temporarily forgotten the events of that morning. They climbed out of the river, got dressed, and Fritz offered to walk Annie to her door.

As they walked up the path, Annie felt his hand brush hers. She moved away slightly, then felt his hand brush hers again. She looked toward him, and he avoided her gaze. What was he doing? She decided to ignore it as they reached her house.

"I uh," Fritz began. "I had a g-good time today."

"Me too!" Annie replied with a smile.

Fritz turned to face her. He leaned in slightly, avoiding eye contact with her.

Staring at her lips.

"I like Raeger!" She blurted before he could come closer.

Fritz recoiled. "O-oh.. That's good. I mean good for you. He's my best friend, so I know he's a good guy..."

Annie winced at the pain in his voice. "Yeah, he is."

Fritz nodded, looking away, and Annie hugged him. He returned it, to her relief. When they pulled away, they said their goodbyes, although an awkward air still surrounded the two. Annie went inside, her mind focusing on Fritz, and Raeger, and farm work (But mostly Raeger, despite her having just been in Fritz' presence).

She started to close the front door, but felt soft fur graze her leg as something ran through the doorway. "Rusty!"

Rusty let out a mreeeowr, nuzzling her leg. She smiled at the feline's return, then fed him the last of the cut up fish pieces. Maybe he was getting more comfortable staying in her house.

After eating, the cat curled up on her bed, licking his lips. Annie threw on pajamas and joined him, diving under the covers. She felt vibrating purrs on her leg as the little cat curled up in the crook of her bent knee. Annie smiled, feeling her loneliness lift a bit from the feline's company.

A slight chill clung to her from swimming in the river, and the warmth of Rusty and her blankets lulled her to sleep quickly. Her last thoughts before sleep were of the night before, pressed against Raeger in his bed, warm.

She was pulled from her sleep hours later by the sound of knocking. Her tired eyes barely registered the time on her clock - 11:57 - as she got up, and stumbled to the door. Who was here at this hour?

She opened the door.

Annie was met by apologetic eyes and the gleam of a tinfoil food container. Raeger was handsome as always, and Annie's heart betrayed her again, skipping a beat before quickening as her eyes met his.

"Hey. Sorry, did I wake you?" His voice was gentle.

Annie smiled. "Yeah, but it's fine."

He handed her the container. "I wanted to say sorry for rushing you out this morning, and not coming to help you out today. I would've brought this over earlier, but I just finished cleaning up at the restaurant, and it's better when it's fresh. It's apple pie," he finished.

Annie took the tinfoil dish while he spoke, feeling static in her veins when her hand brushed his.

"Thank you," Annie said, not knowing what else to say.

"You're very welcome." Raeger stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She nearly dropped the container she was holding in surprise, but wrapped her braced wrist around him in return. She cursed the object in her other hand for being between them, and keeping her from pressing her body to his, and feeling his warm, firm chest against her. Her heart was still fluttering as they pulled away, and he said goodnight to her.

Annie stood in the doorway to watch him go, completely warm now, her homesickness of that morning forgotten.