Chapter 4: The Autumn Equinox

Cless stood on near the cliff overlooking the beach and ocean. Isabelle on one side of him and Sable on the other clutching his hand tightly. He was proud to see that the entire town had turned out for this great celebration. Sable was wearing the same dress that she wore on their island date only a few short weeks ago. She had a jacket on over it as the temperature was a chilled 40 degrees.

"It is my great honor to announce on this day, the Autumn Equinox that I declare the Airithan hot spring officially OPEN!" He shouted amid thunderous applause from everyone in the town. "I could not have done it without every one of you!" More cheers followed this statement. "I also want to give special thanks to one special person indeed. Without whom the opening of this latest addition to the town would never have happened today." He looked over at Sable and saw that she was blushing bright red. "Without the lovely Sable here, we would not have been able to enjoy this beautiful hot spring on this chilly day! Now everyone please enjoy the festivities, enjoy the hot spring, and enjoy just being together!" The crowd erupted in cheers one final time as Cless stepped down from his small podium with Sable in tow and Isabelle behind them. Everyone was eager to shake his hand and thank him for being such a great mayor of the town.

Sable looked through the crowd and spotted her two sisters. She leaned into Cless, planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to talk to my sisters about something."

Cless just nodded and watched as she walked away. The three Able sisters stood in a little circle whispering about something. Mable and Labelle were nodding excitedly. Whitney was already in the hot spring with Chief. Chief had moved to Airithan 2 weeks ago and Whitney wasted no time in claiming him. They were the talk of the town now, which was good for Cless, as no one was really focused on Sable and himself anymore.

People were starting to make their way over to the town square where a buffet of food and drink was laid out for everyone to enjoy. It was still early morning, and the party would last all day and late in to the night. Cless was hoping that by sometime late tonight, Sable and he would be able to have the hot tub to themselves. As though Sable had read his thoughts, she came walking back over and wrapped her arms around him. "You must be freezing," she said.

Cless nodded. He had not watched the weather last night, and therefor had not put on a jacket this morning. His thin polo shirt offered no protection from the cold or wind. He escaped the crowd with Sable and made his way back to his house with her for a jacket and maybe a cup of coffee. They normally went to The Roost every morning, but everything was closed today. Sable sat on the sofa while Cless ran upstairs for a basic black fleece wind breaker. He came back down and put on a pot of coffee before joining Sable on the sofa. She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. A minute later he heard a knock on the front door. "Come on in," he said loud enough for whoever it was to hear.

The door swung open and Mable and Labelle walked in. They both looked a little red faced. The wind must be picking up. Labelle sat down on the love seat and Mable pulled up a chair. "It is getting crazy out there," Labelle said shaking her head. "Half of the people are splashing around the hot spring like it is a swimming pool, and Isabelle is leading the other half in an insane food fight. She nailed me with a tomato in the side of my head."

Sable seemed to find this very amusing, she was trying very hard to cover up her laughter and failing miserably at it. Labelle scowled at her. Mable shrugged and said, "Well I nailed her right back with one. You should see the state of her coat."

Sable was doubled over with laughter now, and Cless smiled at her. "Go Mable," he said. The coffee pot finished making and Cless stood up to go pour them each a cup. Mable jumped up and walked to the kitchen with him. She had a knowing grin on her face. He wondered if it had anything to do with the hushed conversation that she shared with her sisters earlier. Something was up, but he knew better than to even ask. Mable would never tell. They each carried two cups of coffee back to the living room, and Mable grabbed cream and sugar for Labelle. She was the only one of them who did not take their coffee black.

They made small talk while sipping their coffees and enjoying the warm house. The three sisters kept sharing glances with each other. When the coffee was
finished, Cless took the mugs and deposited them in the dish washer. He would turn it on later. Slipping into his jacket, they decided to venture back outside to see if any of the food had survived. He was not hopeful. At the town square, he saw what he had feared. All the food was gone, either eaten or thrown at someone. "This is going to be one hell of a cleanup party later," Cless said shaking his head. Everyone in the town always pitched in to help with cleaning the cleaning. They were usually so exhausted after that, that they just all went home to unwind.

Mable pointed to a far off tree that had not been picked clean of fruit. "Food," she simply said. They made their way over to the apple tree, Sable clutching tight to Cless' hand.

The sisters sat down under the tree and Cless climbed up, picking a few crispy apples for each of them as he made his way up. Dropping down with an arm full of apples, he landed with a dull thud. He set the apples in a small pile and everyone dug in. Sable was sitting in Cless' lap leaning up against his chest. The day was passing by in a blur. The sun would be setting soon and it would be time for the cleanup and the fireworks display. Tom Nook supposedly had managed to get his hands on a tremendous amount of fireworks for tonight. For Cless it would be the best display since he had arrived in Airithan. He finally had someone special to watch with.

A loud bell tolled signaling the start of the fireworks display. The Able sisters and Cless decided to watch from just where they were sitting. Looking up into the sky, they say the first explosion. It was a brilliant red heart. Sable smiled and snuggled closer into Cless' chest. More explosions followed the first. It was a beautiful display. It didn't last long; only 30 minutes or so before the finale. One final firework that took everyone's breath away. The flag of Airithan exploded in the sky. Cless could very clearly see the green wave about to crash over an intricately designed letter A.

It was over. Cless and the Able sisters all stood up and looked towards the town square. The cleanup had already started, and was coming along well. It would take no time at all. They all rushed over to the square to join in. Sable held a giant bag while Cless started tossing things in it. Before long the square looked as good as new. Not one piece of trash to be seen.

Most everyone was heading home. Whitney and Chief were off for a moonlit walk on the beach. The important part though, was that the hot spring was empty, Cless noticed. He looked at Sable and motioned towards the spring. "Would you care for a soak with me?" He asked, trying and failing not to blush.

Mable and Labelle just smiled and walked towards their house. "See you later," Labelle called over her shoulder.

Sable took him by the hand and led them over towards the spring. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. This is it, she thought. It was time. They arrived at the spring, and Cless grabbed a couple of towels. He stepped into the changing room and a moment later came out by the steps leading into the spring; a towel wrapped securely around his mid-section. Sable was waiting patiently for him, a towel wrapped around her body. The stepped in allowing their bodies adjust to the scalding hot water. Cless sat down first allowing the water to wash up over his chest. Sable joined him, snuggled up as close as she could get. He wrapped his arms around her.

They sat there in silence for what seemed to be hours, Sable showering Cless with quick kisses. He had never been more at peace than he was now. It was the happiest that he had ever been in his life. He knew now that he had to tell her. "Sable," he said, his heart racing as fast as it ever had. "There is something that I need to tell you baby."

Sable looked at him, and planted a light kiss on his lips. "And there is something that I need to tell you too baby."

He pulled her into his lab, "By all means, you first," he said smiling.

Sable blushed, this was it. She leaned into his chest, burying her face into his neck. "I…I lo…" She was having a hard time getting the words out. Sable had never said this to anyone before, that was not family. "I love you Cless," she whispered, her face turning bright red.

Cless rest his head on top of hers and sighed. He had nothing to worry about now. She felt the exact same. He whispered back to her, "And I love you too my beautiful Sable."

She looked up and smiled, "You do?"

"Of course I do baby." He kissed her over and over. "How could I not be in love with you? You are kind, sweet, compassionate, caring, loving." He took a breath and went on, "You are everything that I could ever want out of someone, and I never want us to be apart."

Sable let out a little whimper and buried her face in his neck. She was speechless. It was the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to her. And she felt the exact same. They would never be apart. They sat there for what felt like hours while the hot water turned their skin red. Finally Sable spoke again, "Can I stay with you tonight?" She asked still hiding her face.

Cless could not say anything, so he just nodded. Sable stood up and took Cless by the hand, pulling him up. She led him out of the spring, and over to his house. He opened the door and they walked in together. He led her up the stairs and to the master bedroom. Sable looked around for a moment before climbing into the bed and slipping under the blanket. She beckoned him over, and he crawled into bed with her. He pulled the blanket over himself and felt Sable roll over on top of him. She kissed him as she never had before. It was a feeling beyond explanation. A feeling of pure love and bliss. He knew that she was his future; that they would never be apart. "I love you," he whispered.

Sable smiled and said, "I love you too." She kissed him again, "And I want you, I want to be with you."

Cless rolled over on top of her and whispered. "Then we shall have each other, and we shall never be apart." He kissed along her neck, and heard Sable let out a soft moan. He never wanted this moment to end. Sable and himself, coming together as one.

They lay on their back, Sable snuggled up against him. Neither of them could say anything. It was the most amazing moment of either of their lives. Words did not matter now, nothing needed to be said. They would remember this for as long as they both lived. This feeling of pure bliss, of indescribable happiness. Nothing could ruin this moment, nothing ever would. Cless looked over at Sable and noticed the slow deep breaths coming from her. She had slipped off into a blissful sleep. He snuggled up closer and closed his eyes. This was the beginning of the rest of his life.