Chapter Seven

The winter season had come to Mineral Town in a rush. White snow covered every inch of land; even Claire's mailbox was covered in inches of fluff! It was the first time Claire had ever been in the midst of so much snow and wanted to soak it up as much as she could-making snow angels. building snowmen, creating forts, walking around on the ice, and even just walking in circles to spell words with her footprints. Since she didn't have any crops to take care of her work time had been exclusively reserved for her animals, and all of the other time she spent playing around or visiting the Inn (as usual).

Trent was a lot busier than Claire had ever seen him. Apparently with the winter came all sorts of sicknesses. People were sniffling and coughing wherever she went. It was a bit of a downer, really. She had no people to hang out with, and plus, she could rarely even see Trent (no herbs were around either)!

Doug's Inn was now always bustling with the townspeople. Everyone wanted a warm place to stay and some hot food to eat. On the evenings she went, Claire had to wiggle her body in weird ways just to get past the people.

"Claire!" Doug exclaimed upon seeing her one below zero night. Claire smiled at him, working her way up to the counter while taking off her scarf, earmuffs, and mittens. "How're you feeling? Not sick like everyone else?"

She shook her head, unbuttoning her coat. "Nope! It's actually weird I'm not sick, I spend a lot of time outside."

"Maybe it's because you take such good care of yourself!" he said, winking his red lashes. "Would you like a hot chocolate?"

"Preferably a hot toddy. With a lemon wedge and cinnamon? Oh! And a slice of your chicken pot pie?" Claire's stomach was growling from ice fishing earlier. Doug wrote down her bill and slid it to her (with a much too generous discount) before disappearing into the kitchen.

Doug must've told Ann that Claire was there, because within minutes, the bustling redhead had plopped herself down in a barstool. She didn't look as if she'd recovered fully from the cold, but the playful look in her green eyes remained.

"It totally sucks," Ann whined in a scratchy voice. "I was going to make Cliff some cookies for Winter Thanksgiving tomorrow, but I can't bake when I'm like this!" She wiped her ruddy nose across her sleeve.

"Winter Thanksgiving?" Claire asked. Must've been another one of Mineral Town's holidays.

Ann relayed the dumbfounded look that always reappeared when Claire didn't know something about their festivals. "Really, Claire? It's just like in the spring, when someone gives the person they like cookies, but they usually do it with chocolate now. Cliff doesn't really like the chocolate they sell at the grocery store, so I wanted to make him cookies and-" she shook her head, stopping herself.

"So a guy that likes you will give you chocolate?" Claire began thinking about Trent.

"Yeah! And then in the spring, the girl gives cookies. I like to bake for both occasions, though. You know me! Always trying to get some meat on Cliff's bones-" Ann's words fell short as Doug came back from the kitchen with Claire's meal, as well as some soup for his daughter. She started sipping the hot toddy immediately.

Ann leaned forward, spinning her spoon in a salty chicken broth with a few noodles. "Do you think anyone will give you something this year, Claire? I mean, you were asked to the Full Moon Festival and everything, and Thanksgiving isn't really as big of a deal as that."

She didn't know. Was it necessary? Did Trent even like chocolate or cookies? He was always going on about health this and health that. Plus, Ann was right. It seemed like the Full Moon Festival was certainly more romantic than this little gift-exchange. It probably wouldn't matter much if he didn't give her anything…

"I'm not sure. I mean, Trent's really tied up at work, so who knows if he'd have the time to do that for me." When Claire realized what she had just said, it had been too late. It seemed as if the entire Inn had gone silent now that they'd heard her. Even Doug had stopped wiping glasses to eavesdrop.

Ann's mouth dropped to the floor. "A…are you serious? Y-you've been… it was… THE DOCTOR?"

"Ann, please!" Claire begged, slumping low in her chair.

"AND HE WAS THE ONE THAT ASKED YOU TO THE FULL MOON FESTIVAL, TOO WASN'T HE?! OH MY…" she screamed, fanning her face. Everyone else seemed to think this was quite the news too, a murmur going about them which resembled a thousand buzzing bees.

"Ann! I'm not joking. Be quiet!" This was awful! What if someone told Trent what had happened?

Claire started shoveling the pie into her mouth at a speedy pace with one hand, and with the other she was reaching into her wallet to pay for her food.

"Come on, Claire, this is huge! Huge! The Doctor never opens up to anyone! You hear what everyone says… nobody ever thought he'd be a romantic!"

She couldn't take it anymore, drinking down the rest of her hot toddy and casting an angry warning glance at Ann. "I'll see you later," she growled through a tight mouth. Making her way out of the Inn, everyone pretended as if they hadn't heard a thing.

Now, Claire had two things that kept her up all night: whether or not anyone would tell Trent what had happened, and whether or not if Trent was going to bring her something on Winter Thanksgiving.

"It's for all of the hard work. You know, sometimes, we need to succumb to a bit of unhealthy food. Every once in a while, it's fine."

Claire couldn't believe the sight in front of her. There she was, riding her horse around her farm in the sunny afternoon when Trent had strolled in holding a box of fine chocolates, looking nervous with a blush that was either from the chilly wind or from the embarrassment. She hadn't been able to say anything when he arrived, and she still couldn't speak now that he had tried to explain himself. But she knew exactly why he was here-he totally, definitely, positively, unquestionably, doubtlessly, absolutely LIKED HER!

She couldn't remember being happier… well, besides the Full Moon Festival, but even then she wasn't completely sure of his feelings. Now they were certain! Claire sat on her horse, staring down at him with the chocolate in his hands. She finally managed to bring out her voice, unable to control her ear-to-ear grin. "Would you like to come inside for some tea?"

Trent seemed to have de-tensed a little, returning the smile. "Well, that sounds nice. Sure! I've got the day off."

He walked alongside her as she put Lennon back in his stable, then as they walked into her house. Claire started a fire and put a pot of water on the stove to boil, all while her mouth was curved upwards. She was sure at this rate, she'd never get her beaming mouth to stop, not that she cared. She was now the happiest woman on Earth! No unrequited love, no, not for Claire. She was totally head-over-heels for someone, and he totally felt the same way. Maybe not with the same intensity and maybe not so surely-but he felt something!

Claire poured them some lemongrass tea into her cast-iron cups, passing him the herbal drink and sitting across the table from Trent. He seemed to be avoiding her lingering eyes, staring at his white knuckles and sipping quietly.

"I'm really happy that you're here," she blurted, not able to help it. "Really. I'm so happy."

Trent slowly gazed up into her blue eyes with his dark ones, giving her a shy closed-mouth smile. He blushed a little again, understandably of course. While he didn't say anything, Claire knew that he was happy to be there.

They drank tea in silence (Claire was grinning too much to speak, and Trent was too shy to start a conversation). After they were done, Claire jumped up to clean the cups and then saw Trent out.

"Well… I'll be seeing you," Trent said seriously as he put on his coat. "Take good care of yourself."

"Okay," she beamed. He gave a quick nod and turned to leave, but Claire stepped in front of him and gave him a hug.

It was wonderful. He was quite a bit taller than her, so her arms were wrapped around his upper waist (at her shoulder height) and her head rested warmly against his chest. His heart was beating furiously against her face. At first, he hesitated, not touching her at all in a bit of a shock. Then he slid his strong, long arms around her shoulders and pulled her in close. They stayed like this for a while, Claire feeling free to close her eyes and listen to his heartbeat and Trent squeezing her closer to him on every exhale, but he peeled away after a few perfect moments, said goodbye, and finally left.

Claire's smile was plastered to her face for the next week…quite literally.

Dear Claire,

I'm sorry that I've been so tied up at the clinic these last few weeks, and it really is a shame that we can't go watch the sunrise due to the chilly weather. Anyway, I was curious if you'd be interesting in having a party for the Starry Night Festival this evening. I usually spend this day with Carter from work since we both don't live with our families, and it would be nice to have him along as well. If you wouldn't mind could we have it at your place since you own the biggest house? Anyway, if this is alright with you, could you run to the clinic at 6:00 and help me bring some of the food over? Hope to hear your reply soon.

Trent

Claire stared down at the letter in her hands, then back up at the Mayor who had delivered it to her in the early hour of 6:00. "What's the Starry Night Festival?"

"Oh, just a tradition we have every year!" the Mayor replied excitedly. "So, what will you be replying?

She was still confused, but it didn't really seem to be that big of a deal. Plus, the Mayor looked so enthusiastic about the whole ordeal as he stood in her open doorway. "Um, yes, I suppose."

"Fantastic!" he clapped his plump hands together excitedly. He began to fold the letter back up.

Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes, hiding behind her door (only wearing her tank-top and shorts and not wanting to give off a bad impression. "It's a long walk back into town. Would you like some tea or coffee?"

He chuckled heartily, as if Claire was the most generous person to ever come to his beautiful town. "Oh, no, that's not necessary. Thank you so much, anyway. Enjoy your night."

For once, Claire didn't have Ann here to explain to her about this certain festival, so she didn't know what to expect. It didn't seem to be one of those extremely romantic rendezvouses that her redhead friend was always going on about, since he was inviting Carter. It was still going to be held at her place, though, so after tending her animals, she spent most of the day cleaning her house.

At six in the afternoon, she arrived at the clinic with one of her baskets, wearing some black pants and a red wool sweater. When she saw Trent, she was immediately disappointed in not dressing nicer. He had on a black suit and his dark hair was slicked back. In fact, he looked so dashing Claire thought for a moment that he was a figment of her imagination. She stood in her clumpy sweater, trying to think of what to say about her appearance.

"Hello! You look well. It's nice to see you since the last time we've spoken," he said, grabbing a blue scarf and tossing it around his neck. "I've been so busy…but that's alright! Holidays are always a bit of fresh air, don't you think?" Trent led her to his room in the upstairs of the Clinic. It was a simple place-all mostly one room containing his bed, a table and a chair, a large bookshelf, a small kitchen, and a love seat that looked as if it had never been used. There was also a closet-like room in the corner which she assumed to be his bathroom. She felt herself go hot imagining Trent taking a shower.

"That's nice you brought your basket. I didn't think of that myself. Here-" he began placing some of the lighter food items in her basket, such as the bread and salad. Then, he took the rest of the food and drinks into a plastic crate and told her they could leave. She went first and he locked up, then they walked back to her place together in the dark night. Looking up as they walked silently, she saw that the stars were in a great abundance, dotting the navy blue sky with a sparkling beauty.

"Did you look at the stars?" Claire asked, turning her head to the young doctor to see he had already been gazing at her. He didn't try to hide this at all, just beamed.

"Stunning, just like always."

Something in the back of her mind told her he wasn't talking about the stars.

When they finally got back to her house, Carter was already waiting outside. He, too, was wearing a black suit, making Claire feel even worse. She welcomed them inside, put on a fire, and helped Trent prepare everything while the priest sat patiently at the table.

"So, Claire, how do you like Mineral Town so far?" he asked politely.

Trent was busy with the food, so Claire went to lay down all of the dishes. "I love it here! It's definitely the best town I've ever been to. I'm so glad that I moved here, too." Upon saying this, her insides felt a little funny. She would have never felt that way if it wasn't for Trent and the way she'd fallen in love with him. She wouldn't even be the same person.

Trent had finally finished with everything, bringing along the bread, salad, and their main dish, prime rib steak with some potatoes and greens. Then, he poured them each a bit of wine (Claire's glass definitely had much less than both his and Carter's) and they started eating.

"I believe the people here are what make Mineral Town a gem. It's such a blessing to have known everyone. They're all so kind and outgoing, not a bad soul around. Don't you agree, Trent?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course. I could never be happier to serve these people." As he reached for a piece of bread, he grazed Claire's stretched hand with his. She could've sworn sparks flew from their bare skin, they just weren't visible to the human eye.

The night went on just fine. They ate the delicious food and drank a bit more than they intended to (but Claire still felt sober). Carter and Trent kept telling Claire funny stories about Mineral Town: like when a sheep had escaped during one of their proud Sheep Festivals and all of the villagers stayed up until two in the morning chasing the fluffy animal, or when a Cooking Festival had gone awry and caused Gourmet to stay at the Clinic for three whole days. It was nice to see Trent behaving like that, laughing and open. She'd only ever seen him act around her that way, and knew that his spoken insecurities of being too awkward around people were all just in his head. Strangely enough, it actually made her really happy when he was like that, too. He wasn't worried about anything, he was just letting his thoughts go along with the food and the wine and the conversation they held. He was so caught up with his worrisome work that he never allowed himself to relax and smile… except, maybe, when he was around her.

"…and then horse just kept going! It had already beat all of the others, but didn't seem to care, just running out of Town's Square all of the way to Mother's Hill. It was quite the scene!" Carter cracked up. They had finished with Trent's banana cream pie, and it was now nearly midnight. The priest seemed to notice this after he and Trent had stopped laughing, wiping his eyes. "Dear me, I'm tired. I think I'll be heading home now. Thank you for the feast, Trent, it was truly delicious as always. And Claire, thank you for letting us use your house for tonight. I hope I'm speaking on behalf of all of us when I say I had fun."

Claire and Trent stood up, seeing him out. Trent offered to walk him home, but Carter told him it was fine and left her ranch silently, smiling a bit more than normal. The two went back to the table, quietly drinking the last of the wine in their glasses. Every time she looked up, Trent was staring her in that way he had before. Claire didn't realize it earlier, but it was almost.. sexy. His eyes were narrow and inviting, lips held loosely. He'd look away nonchalantly as if he wasn't looking at her at all, now a bit slower than usual with the effect of the alcohol. She started feeling sweaty and awkward, wanting nothing more than to just get out of her hot sweater and lay in bed. It wasn't normal for him to be casting flirty glances like this and she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

"Why don't we clean up?" she suggested, grabbing a few plates and stacking them on top of each other. He followed her with the remainder of the dishes.

They still didn't speak, even as they got to washing. She was scrubbing furiously at the plates and silverware, feeling his eyes burning on her as she did so. Every time she handed him the clean dishes to dry, she'd snatch her hand back as quickly as possible. Claire was positive if her skin accidentally rubbed his again, she'd explode. Her heart was going fast enough for that, surely.

"Um, well, would you like me to walk you home… or…?" Claire started to say, avoiding his stare and focusing on his purple-red stained lips.

"No, it's okay," he said sluggishly. She squinted her eyes at him. Maybe he was a little bit more drunk than she'd anticipated. "I can walk home on my own."

Claire glanced around nervously. "W…well… I guess I could return all of the stuff tomorrow, or you could pick them up if you don't want to carry them-"

That's when it happened. When Trent came forward, pushed her back up against the sink, grabbed her face and kissed her. And it wasn't just like any kiss. It was the best kiss Claire had ever had in her entire life, and the best kiss she was sure she'd ever have. Everything on his face was warm: his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, his lips… Oh, wow, his lips. She could only faintly remember their kiss last time, but this was one she'd never forget. Although they had just finished eating steak and salad and drinking wine and eating that banana cream pie, his lips somehow tasted like just like cinnamon. They were so soft up against hers, with just the right amount of wetness. They were so plush, like two, cinnamon-tasting, wet pillows… Claire knew at this moment that all she wanted to do for the rest of her life was stand here like this. Stand here kissing him and never escaping this beautiful moment.

She stood on her toes, leaning into his kiss better and grabbing at the back of his head. Trent moved his hands from her face to her back, gently letting them slide down to her hips. His tongue was prodding her pursed lips, so she opened her mouth a little. Claire felt her entire body start to tingle, inside and out, when his tongue pressed through her lips and softly stroked hers. That's when her knees went weak, but he didn't seem to notice much, holding his body so hard against hers that she managed to stay in the upright position. They kissed for quite a while, Claire's thoughts seeming to come in and out of focus, until she felt him moving away. It didn't even occur to her that Trent had stopped kissing her; her eyes were still closed and arms still around him. Pulling herself out of the miracle that had seemed to have happened, she found him staring dimly at her, face pink and hair ruffled. His mouth was moving, but she couldn't really seem to process his words.

"Huh?" she mumbled, trying to push his head back closer to hers.

"I said, I'm so tired. I've had a lot to drink tonight," he yawned, his body swaying a little on the spot.

Claire couldn't say she wasn't disappointed. This must have been how he felt when they had kissed last time. The only times they had ever been intimate were under the influence of some heavy alcohol intake, and considering they'd been seeing each other for quite a while, it was really sucky. To add on top of this, they had just spent the most amazing, breath-taking moments making-out and now he was saying he was tired? She hung her head a little, removing her arms from his shoulders and folding them across her chest. "That's alright. Have a safe walk home."

He didn't move, besides his body rocking back and forth with his heavy breathing. She looked up again. "What?"

"Can I sleep here?"

Suddenly Claire couldn't care less about the fact that he was drunk anymore. The thought she'd revisited many times since she'd met him of snuggling up with him under the sheets had popped back in her head again, making a smile spread on her face. She didn't say anything, interlacing their fingers and pulling them to her bedroom. He took off his jacket, tie, and shirt, revealing a white undershirt. Then, with what seemed like a bit of difficulty, he removed his pants and crawled in to her bed with his blue boxer-shorts. Claire had shake her head a few times to get herself to look away. She grabbed one of her long nightgowns, dashed in and out of the room to change, then climbed in to bed with him. He already seemed to be asleep, so she took upon the opportunity to look on his gorgeous face.

He looked so peaceful and calm, just like he always did. This time was different, though. There was no moment of thought-processing or concentration flashing through his eyes, no. This time it was nothing except for a lovely dream, not a worry in the world to make his eyes flicker. Reaching out, she let her fingers trace his strong jawline. He was always working so hard, so it was weird to see him sleeping. He'd been extra busy, so maybe he needed these dreams more than he had before…

Claire made a quick promise to herself to try to think of ways to help him relax and take better care of himself, then nestled her head against his trimmed chest and draped her arms around his lower waist, just like she'd always imagined she would if they ever got the chance to lay together like this. It seemed to be a bit of an impulse, but Trent's arms came to hug her closer to his body in a lazy way. She swooned, listening to his heartbeat going slowly, his chest rising and falling, and her love growing and growing more as the seconds passed…

***Author's Note***

Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry how late this chapter is; I'd had most of it written for quite a while now, but I recently moved in to my university so I didn't have the chance to quite finish it. Anyway, here's the latest chapter, and I hope I can write the rest very soon! Love you all!