Quick Info~
Guys. I'm super excited about this chapter. I'm always super excited about everything, but this chapter is quite something. Anyway, the plot is about to thicken! Also, I've noticed that you never cook anything with meat ingredients in Harvest Moon games. Probably because you raise animals? No matter what the reasoning, I've chosen to make Annie a vegetarian. Thank you to all of the lovely people reading/reviewing/favoriting/following! I will never cease to be amazed by the responses and love the Harvest Moon community has. This fandom is quite something! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope it doesn't make you TOO hungry. ;)
Annie panicked when she woke up. First and foremost because it was already seven in the morning and she slept an hour later than usual, but also because of Raeger. The few peaceful seconds that she had when she woke up ended abruptly the second she felt his warm body beside her.
"Raeger," Annie whispered, gingerly touching his shoulder and shaking it.
"Mmorffhnh," Raeger mumbled inaudibly, brushing her hand away.
She stared at him as she let her hand fall back onto the sheets. He looked so different when he was asleep. The determined fire that fueled his expression daily had dimmed to a low simmer. His hair was all over the place, but he hardly experienced the bedhead that Annie woke up to every morning.
"Hey, Raeger." She tried again to wake him, this time shaking a little more forcefully.
"Annie," he groaned, swatting his hand in the air, trying and failing to make some sort of contact with her skin.
"It's funny. I would've pegged you for a morning person," she said, grabbing his arm and pinning it back at his side.
"Looks like you are a morning person." He opened one eye to give her a sarcastic look before closing it and snuggling into the pillow again.
"Only because I know there's work to be done. Your crops should nearly be ready for the antique show." Annie climbed out of bed and walked towards the door. "I'm going to go get some eggs for breakfast."
Raeger responded, but it was so muffled by the pillow that Annie didn't catch it.
The fresh summer air was a welcomed sensation as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her entire body was a constant reminder of him, though. The faintest scent of his cologne on her sweatshirt, the remaining warmth of his skin against hers, the sound of his steady breathing ringing in her ears. She shook her entire body out in one jolt—praying that he wasn't watching her from the window—as she tried to rid him from her being. She had a job to do. He had a job to do, too. And falling into feelings that may or may not be permanent wasn't part of that job.
She collected eggs from the coop faster than usual, eager to get back to cook them. Normally, she sold all of the animal products and opted to eat cereal for breakfast. However, she was sure that Raeger would be expecting something a little bit classier than a dingy glass bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
When she opened the front door, she was surprised to see that Raeger was out of bed. And, not only that, but to her horror he was rifling through her kitchen cabinets.
"You've been more than generous letting me stay here while the storm passed," he said, his eyes sparkling with the passion that cooking produced within him. "So I took it upon myself to make a little something."
"How did you—?"
"You didn't have much, but you had enough fruit and some cream and honey to make a special parfait."
He held out a variety of berries with a creamy, honey drizzle on top in a glass cup. She stared at him in confused, slightly embarrassed awe.
"Thank you," she managed to say. "I brought some eggs. I was thinking of making a vegetarian omelet."
"Sounds great. I'll help."
With that, the pair began working together in the kitchen to cook breakfast. It was strange having Raeger right beside her. Annie was so used to cooking alone that she didn't even stop to consider the prospect of having someone to cook with. And now that she did, it felt…nice.
Soon, two berry parfaits and fluffy vegetarian omelets graced Annie's tiny dining table. They sat together and Annie practically inhaled her food once again.
"Do you even taste what you're eating?" Raeger asked, laughing as he watched her stuff three forkfuls in her mouth in the time he finished one.
"I'm usually too busy to fully enjoy meals," she admitted, swallowing.
"Well, I've got an idea. How about after work, you stop by the restaurant and I'll force you to savor a new dish?" Raeger asked, smiling at her like it was a suggestion he frequently made.
Annie felt her cheeks flush. He really didn't realize the repercussions of the things he asked.
"I guess I could try," she mumbled sheepishly, staring at her plate and pushing a stray green onion around with her fork.
"Then it's settled," Raeger said, standing up and placing his napkin on the table. "I'll help you clean, but then I've got to get to work."
Annie nodded and they cleaned in comfortable silence.
"Stupid Raeger. Stupid, nonchalant flirting. Stupid, weird girl brain."
Annie had been muttering to herself for a majority of the rest of the day. She was so frustrated with the way that she was feeling that even her animals were able to pick up on it. Woolly and Curly—her sheep—shied away when she tried to brush them as if they were afraid her stress-brushing would end up painfully shearing them. Even Hanako and Millie were wary when Annie made her way over towards them with the brush.
"You understand, don't you, Hanako?" she asked as she sat beside the cow with a bucket.
Hanako merely blinked at her with her large brown eyes. As Annie began to milk her, Hanako became entirely uninterested in the rest of the one-sided conversation.
"If I see Raeger tonight, it'll just make my feelings for him worse," Annie continued. "And I don't even want to think about what would happen if he liked me back. I guess I can't avoid him forever, though. I don't want to make things awkward if they don't need to be. Hanako, what would you do if you were in my place?"
No response.
"I guess I wouldn't expect you to answer." Annie laughed, shaking her head at her own bizarre behavior. "I'll just go down there tonight, eat the dish and leave. Keep things light and friendly. No flirting. Just a regular, uneventful taste test."
She knocked on the door to the restaurant after everyone else left. When Raeger appeared, Annie immediately held her breath and pushed away any feelings that were attempting to surface.
"It's already ready," he said proudly, holding the door open for her to step inside.
"Someone was a little eager," she said, sitting at the bar and looking at the bowl in front of her.
Now it was Raeger's turn to blush.
"Sorry," he said, running one hand through his hair—an obvious nervous habit. "You've just got such a neat, honest perspective. I couldn't wait to hear what you thought."
Annie remembered when he asked her to taste test his strawberry lemonade cake. She was honest with him then. And, despite her little crush, she was sure she could be honest now.
She took the spoon and sunk it into what looked to be some sort of chocolate mousse with chunks of brownie dusted with powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream. She took the first bite slowly, remembering Raeger's suggestion to savor it.
"This is really good," Annie said, completely unashamed of the fact that she was quite boisterously talking with her mouth open.
Raeger laughed, loudly and fully. Annie rarely heard him laugh like that and it shook her to her core with happiness. He then leaned forward, his arms stretching across the polished wood on the tabletop. He was only a few inches away from her face when he finally stopped and she could feel his hot breath against her cheeks. Spearmint and cinnamon, an interesting yet utterly intoxicating combination.
Annie quickly swallowed and her throat ached as the partially chewed mush tried to squeeze its way down. She couldn't help but hold her breath as she watched his eyes search her own.
Then, after a painstakingly long beat, he said, "You've got whipped cream on your upper lip."
Annie nodded, closing her eyes as he spoke. Once she registered what he actually said, her eyes snapped back open and she began to splutter. "Oh, umm, thank you, I'll just take care of that right—"
She reached for a napkin but Raeger grabbed her hand.
"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice a delicate, low murmur.
Before Annie had time to realize what was happening, a pair of warm, soft lips gently collided with her own. As she fumbled awkwardly against him, he moved almost effortlessly in suit, capturing her movements in a way that made them entirely more graceful.
She closed her eyes and sighed into his lips, eventually finding the ability to kiss him back. It was like all of her senses channeled in on Raeger and then exploded with a vibrantly intense burn. His cologne and the faint aroma of cocoa powder engulfed her like a giant, warm bubble. The spearmint and cinnamon in his breath threatened to intoxicate her with every kiss. His hands, worn and coated in powdered sugar from the homemade brownie bites, brushed against her cheeks, leaving trails of white dust as his fingertips grazed her skin.
Annie brought her hands from their resting place on his chest back onto the table. The clang that followed startled them both out of the kiss and returned them to a hazy reality. Her spoon had been launched from the table to the floor when she put her hand down, and it was rocking against the tile, a lingering ringing sound emitting from it.
Sheepishly, she looked back up at him. He was smiling, his eyes practically glowing, and his cheeks a shade pinker. She was positively burning, her skin set alight with fire where his fingertips and lips had touched.
"You've got powdered sugar on your cheeks," Raeger said, wiping his hands on his apron and then reaching out to brush it off.
His fingers were surprisingly warm despite the fact that her skin felt like it was hot enough to fry an egg. She found her eyes wanting to flutter shut, to bask in the calm and gentleness that was Raeger, but she resisted.
It was just a kiss. It wasn't like he asked her out.
"It's funny," he said, almost too quietly, like he was talking to himself.
"Hmm?" Annie asked, blinking a few times to try and rid herself of the kiss-induced daze.
"I've known you for three years and I can't believe I never tried this sooner," he said.
Annie smiled slyly. "Well it could be because you used to shoo me out of your restaurant when I first moved here."
Raeger's eyes widened and his lips contorted into a small, sad frown. "You're kidding…."
Annie shook her head. "But I get it. The town wasn't nearly as lively as it is now and you wanted to honor your grandfather's memory by bringing in more business. A chatty-Kathy farm girl wasn't part of that agenda."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm definitely going to be mentally kicking myself for this."
She giggled and squeezed his hand. "Seriously, don't worry about it."
Raeger looked at the clock and it was almost like she could see the romantic light in his eyes draining. Draining back to the hardened, organized Raeger that owned and singlehandedly ran the only restaurant in town.
"It's late," he said.
Annie nodded, feeling the haze leave her brain like someone had just poured cold water on her head. "I should probably get going."
She slowly stood up from her seat, like she was wishfully hoping that he would kiss her goodbye. Like this wasn't the first and only time it was going to happen.
"Thank you," Raeger said as she stood in the doorframe.
"There's nothing to thank me for," Annie said, smiling at him.
He shook his head. "You're pretty smart, Annie," he said. "But sometimes I don't think you realize things that you should pick up on."
"Guess you'll just have to tell me then."
"I guess I will."
They shared eye contact and a smile until the door shut behind her. She felt ridiculous standing out in the middle of the night with a giant grin on her face, but it couldn't be helped. The chemistry between them was like someone had lit a fire in the deepest, darkest parts of her.
She had to talk to someone about it. It was late and she would probably get a royal beat down for even attempted to wake up the princess, but Elise was her best friend and she needed someone to screw her head back on straight.