Thank you for all the feedback I've gotten on the last two chapters! You guys make me want to be a better writer.

Quite a few of you were right- For me, I always envisioned Lillian being the daughter of Karen and Jack. (Even though in the game she has purple eyes, I always write her as having green/hazel to fit my own cannon.) I always envisioned Karen raising her daughter to not take any crap and maybe hold her own when it comes to drinking (which is a little hint for later chapters, hehe.) Anyways, enjoy!

"You've been spending an awful lot of time with that new farmer."

Laney had caught him staring absentmindedly out the café window, his eyes snapping guiltily away from Lillian as she checked the request board. He pressed his thumbs against the condensation on his mug of hot milk, trying to fight the red that was creeping up his neck. "Who, Lillian?"

"As if we've had another new farmer in the last decade." He could see the side of her mouth turn up slightly as she took a seat across from him, her hands creeping up to rearrange a wayward pin in her hair. "You know, people have been talking about you two."

He took a sip of milk, using the extra few seconds to attempt to filter through the swirl of thoughts bouncing around inside his head. "…Is that so?"

He felt a twinge of annoyance as she leant across the table, her index finger dipping below the rim of his cup and scooping a dollop of foam from the top of his beverage. "It is so. And I have to admit I'm a bit curious as well." She sent him a look that reminded him so much of his mother that he had to remind himself that he was no longer a kid caught in a wrong doing. "… You know before she came here people used to talk about us that way."

He couldn't think of anything constructive to say and settled on reaching for the menu, his eyes not focusing on the specials he knew all too well. He didn't know what Laney wanted of him, nor could he stop the flare of annoyance that burst through him as she bit her lip across from him. "You know Laney, I should probably get back soon. Mom will be closing the shop soon, she might need help."

He could tell she had more to say on the subject but was relieved when she dropped it, rising from her seat. "At least let me give you a late lunch before you go. I know how your mom is; it'll be eight o'clock before you eat."

"No, really…"

"It's not a problem; I actually made a bit too much stew today for Dad. You're actually saving him the trouble of having it again for dinner." He could see her dishing it up behind the counter and had to admit the rumbling in his stomach was much more persuasive than his eagerness to avoid her and her apparent dislike of Lillian.

"Thanks a lot, Laney." He inhaled the savory scent as the dish slid in from of him, his eyes falling on a small white daisy bud decorating the rim of his plate. He fingered the petals between his gloved fingers, chuckling as she sat across from him. "Bit of an odd garnish, isn't it?"

She sent him a slightly confused smile, unraveling a set of cutlery from a napkin and beginning to pick at his food. "Well of course. Today is Flower Day."

He felt his stomach clench uncomfortably and he moved to grab a fork, the daisy suddenly feeling very small beneath his fingers. "Ah, so it is."

"You probably forgot, didn't you?" He watched her fork pierce a chunk of potato he had wanted to grab. "You forget every year Ash, I swear. I don't know why Jessica and Cheryl put up with you…" He shrugged at her teasing and resolved scoop a large chunk of vegetable into his mouth to avoid speaking, allowing her to press on. "Then I guess you didn't get flowers for anyone then? Not even Lillian?"

He swallowed roughly. "What's your problem with her anyway? Last time I checked you two didn't have anything to do with each other."

She went a little red about the ears. "Well last time I checked neither did you. A few weeks ago you two hated each other, now I'm hearing from Cam that you two are going on dates?"

"Dates?" He nearly choked on a poorly cut piece of turnip. "I'm not dating Lillian. She stops by my farm on her way into town and she helped me herd Snow the other day. How is that dating?"

"I didn't say you were dating. I just said that people seem to think you two are going on dates." She pointed her fork at him from across the table, the prongs so close to him that he was worried he would be punctured. "All I'm saying is you need to be careful."

He chuckled, beginning to rouse himself to tease her back. "Of what? Are you jealous or something?"

"I'm not jealous!" She hissed angrily at him, her violently red ears betraying her. "If anything, you need to be careful of your mother." He let out a sigh and she leant even further across the table, poking him roughly in the chest. "Listen, I know how things work around here just as well as you do. You start giving people the wrong idea about you and Lillian, people will start wondering what other improper things are going on."

He gave the stew up as a bad job, standing to leave. "You're being over dramatic, Laney."

"Am I?" She had gotten to her feet as well. She had always been tall for a girl, the top of her head level with his eyes. "You tell me right now that you honestly think that if you two were caught doing… something, your mother wouldn't be forced to marry the girl. Tell me Ash."

"Yeah, except there is no 'something.' We're friends; barely friends, some days." He pushed past her, trying to ignore her low hiss of words as he left the cafe.

"I see the way you look at her. Even if there isn't 'something' now, there will be soon."

What did Laney know, anyway? She had always been like this, even when they were kids. Always blowing things out of proportion, making a bigger deal that necessary… Besides, she wasn't in charge of him. Not now, not ever. The whole thing reminded him eerily of the old days, when Georgia had just moved to town... Back then, he had thought she was being possessive. Afraid of losing him as a friend. What a ridiculous idea.

"Ash!"

He jumped slightly, not realizing that he was already halfway home. Lillian was standing a few feet in from of him, her cheeks an uncharacteristic shade of bright red.

"Hey, Lillian." He could feel Laney's eyes on his back from the window of the café, and resolved to do his best to not let what she had said bother him. "What's up? You look a little red."

Her cheeks blushed even more, her eyes fixed firmly on a point somewhere over his left shoulder. "It's nothing really. I mean... Oh, this is ridiculous." She took a moment to smooth her small white dress down, her cheeks still blazing as she began to dig through her bag. "Right. Well... Yeah." She shoved a single yellow rose into his hands in an unceremonious manner. "It's Flower Day."

He felt his neck turn a deep shade of red, his embarrassment no dobt not going unnoticed back at the café. He couldn't quite think of what to say, Laney's words still buzzing about his head and making him very aware of the fact that more than a few faces, including the mayor's, seemed to be turning in their direction.

Lillian, however, seemed to be unable to stop talking. "Cam told me when I bought it that it meant friendship... And maybe joy, or something. Not that I put a lot of thought into it. I mean, I'm getting one for everyone. Well, not the exact same flower, but, you know..." She finished rather lamely.

He felt speechless, such a flurry of emotions coursing through him that he couldn't quite decide which one to feel. On the one hand, he felt incredibly pleased that Lillian had even trouble herself to bother learning the meaning of the flower, a fact that was sending his stomach into a series of acrobatics... On the other, he felt like strangely peeved, not only for his previous conversation with Laney, but for asking Cam if Lillian was getting him something so he could reciprocate. All this, while desperately wishing Rutger would remove the astonished expression from his face.

He could barely process the blush fading from Lillian's cheeks, her smile turning into a slight frown as he met her gift with silence. "Well... I'd better go. I have a lot of flowers to deliver." She cleared her throat and punched him gruffly in the shoulder, trying to make up for her embarrassment. "Bye."

He continued on with the rose in his hands, not remembering until much later that he had left Laney's daisy back at the café.

Sigh. Just when you think everything is starting to fall into place... Read and Review please!