Maria's eyes fluttered open, being greeted by her dimly lit bedroom. Sticking her arm out towards the nightstand, she'd managed to find her phone despite the lack of light and flicked the screen. The numbers '5:52' flashed back at her, and she hummed. ' Managed to get up before my alarm, nice,' she sleepily thought.
She opened her phone momentarily to turn off the alarm so it wouldn't blare within a matter of minutes. Just as soon as she opened her messenger to see if she'd missed anything overnight, a shuffling sound was heard behind her as the bed shifted.
Suddenly, memories of the previous night flashed through her mind. The storm, her panicked state of mind, Elliott running to aid her, and the fact that he'd spent the night after cleaning up her mess. Her face flushed red, though she couldn't pinpoint if it was due to the embarrassment of her actions of the fact that she'd slept in the same bed as him.
She tilted her head back, only to see him still sound asleep. Though there wasn't much light, she could see that he was still sound asleep. His hair was splayed around his head like a halo, and he'd made himself very comfortable within the mass of blankets and pillows.
As carefully as she could, she slipped out from beneath the covers and quietly padded across the bedroom, grabbing some clothes out of her dresser before entering the bathroom. After quickly washing her face and brushing her teeth, she tied her hair up and changed into a flannel button up and denim shorts.
Exiting the bathroom, she folded the clothing she'd worn to bed and set them down, before finally leaving her bedroom and gently shutting the door behind her. Orion curled up on the love seat, fast asleep, which was normal for the feline at this time of morning.
She resumed her regular routine, turning on her coffee maker and letting the brew prepare itself as she flicked on the television to tune into the early morning news. A pair of bleary eyed local reporters spoke about various stories as the farmer bounced around her kitchen, making toast and two fried eggs.
Once her coffee was ready, she leaned against her counter and ate a makeshift breakfast sandwich, sipping on her caffeinated pick-me-up as the sun began to slowly rise outside the window. As she chewed away she made a mental checklist of all she'd have to do today; buy all her new crops from Pierre, de-weed the field she'd measured out for planting, pick up a pick-axe upgrade from Clint, and if she had the time she'd swing by Robin's to discuss whether or not the carpenter could visit the farm and examine the old cattle barn and see if it could be rebuilt (though she very much doubted she'd be able to fit in the last one).
Once she was done with her mini-meal, she chugged the last of her coffee before depositing her plate and mug in the sink and turning off the television before finally stepping outside to greet both a new day and season.
It was only when she stood on her porch, basking in the first rays of sunshine, that she realized the carnage that last night's freak storm had left behind.
A handful of trees had been knocked over due to the strong winds, leaves and grass were scattered across the ground as far as the eye could see, and there was a hole in the roof of the coop where some of the shingles had been knocked out of place.
"... shit," she muttered, biting down on her lip nervously.
The coop would have to be dealt with first, and she'd have to put in place some kind of makeshift solution until she could have Robin properly patch it up. After spending a few minutes digging through the shed besides the farmhouse, she found an old blue tarp that luckily wasn't tattered.
Grabbing a ladder, she trudged over to the side of the coop and set it up, climbing up on top of the roof and peaking inside. Luckily the damage within the coop itself was minimal, her biggest concern would likely be water damage to the wooden floorboards.
She then spread the tarp out, making sure it covered the exposed area before hammering it in. It wasn't the best job, she was by no means a builder in any way, but it would have to do for now.
Climbing back down the ladder, she stored it away in the shed once more before rolling up her sleeves and turning to face the field. It was grueling work, clearing all the land she'd spent so much time prepping the day before, chopping up the fallen trees, and pulling up the invading weeds.
Two hours passed before she was finally done, she was drenched in sweat and the sun had begun it's journey across the sky. 'At this rate I'm never going to get everything done,' she grumbled to herself as she glanced over at the coop, 'I haven't even checked on my girls yet.'
Trudging up the steps of her porch, she kicked off her muddy boots and wiped her brow with the back of her hand before stumbling into the house. She was greeted by cooling air conditioning and happily accepted it, and was also met by a meowing Orion pacing across the floor to brush against her legs.
"Hi, bud," she said with a smile, patting the top of his head before she made her way towards her bedroom.
'I gotta switch shirts,' she thought to herself as she turned the doorknob, 'no way in Hell I can keep this thing on for the rest of today-'
Her train of thought stopped as she pushed the door open and was met by a rather interesting sight.
Elliott stood shirtless in the doorway of her bathroom, dressed only in his trousers as he towel-dried his long, auburn hair. His eyes flicked up and met her own, and a deep blush dusted his cheeks mimicking her own.
"M-morning," she stammered out, averting her eyes and finding sudden interest in the floor.
"Yes, good morning to you as well," Elliott from chuckled across the room, "apologies for my lack of dress, and I did borrow your shower so I hope that's not too much of a hassle."
"No, not at all!" she quickly shook her head, "after what you did last night you're more than welcome to help yourself to anything in my home. I um- I have a pot of coffee in the kitchen, should still be warm."
There was a rustling of fabric, and when Maria finally glanced up once more the writer had just finished buttoning up his shirt, "I'll be sure to help myself to it. I'm assuming you've been wide awake for quite some time doing farm work, yes?"
The farmer groaned and nodded her head, leaning against the wall as her shoulders sagged, "ugh, yes, I've been awake since six just cleaning up 'cause that storm made a mess of my land. I'm so behind, I still have to till the land and then go into town and buy seeds, I won't be done with any of that until sunset if I'm lucky, and then I'll still have to water everything I've planted, and that's not even mentioning I still have to go see Clint to pick up one of my tools that he's upgraded."
Elliott was quiet for a moment, before tapping his chin and speaking up, "if you'd like, I can see Pierre and purchase all your seeds for you while you prepare the land."
Maria's head shot up at this. "Really? You'd do that for me?"
The writer laughed softly, "of course I would."
"Yoba, that would be a massive help," she sighed with relief.
Dashing into the living room, she grabbed a notepad and scribbled down the names of various Fall seeds; pumpkin, eggplant, yam, bok choy, grape, cranberry, and amaranth. Each seed name had a number of packets besides it. Once she'd written everything down she grabbed her wallet and set aside a sizable amount of gold in a coin purse, before handing both the bag and piece of paper to Elliott.
"I know it's a lot, but Pierre's been expecting this order for weeks so don't worry. You can just give him the list and he'll be able to get everything ready for you to bring here," she explained with a smile, "and thank you so so much for doing this."
"You're very welcome," Elliott smiled, "I'll be sure to complete this task as quickly as humanly possible."
After exchanging goodbyes, the writer had set off, and Maria only allowed herself a few more minutes of downtime before heading back out to the field again. She meticulously re-tilled every single row that she'd planned out the day before, being sure to keep each row straight and even. She'd til two long rows for each seed type she was planning on planting, meaning fourteen rows in total.
Luck was on her side for once, and she'd manage to finish the very last row just as the writer returned to the farm with many bags in hand. She took off her thick gloves and pushed back the flyaway strands of hair that hung over her face as she sprinted over.
"Oh, this is lovely!" she beamed, looking through each of the bags and tallying up the seed totals, "perfect, I'll start planting these soon. First though, I've gotta check on the girls."
"The girls?" Elliott asked curiously.
The farmer giggled, "you've never met them have you? C'mon, follow me."
She led him around towards the coop and as soon as she pushed the door open they were greeted by loud chirping and squawking.
"Ohhhh.... The girls." Elliott chuckled as one of the chickens hopped up and ran to peck his shoes curiously.
"That one at your feet is Cygnus, she's quite the handful," Maria explained with a grin, "her sister Corvus is resting in her nest box over there. The new chicks are Aquila and Columba, they're eating at the food trough, and I've got two ducklings hidden around here somewhere, their names are Apus and Grus."
"A constellation naming convention?" the writer smiled softly, "how very you ."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" she asked in faux surprise, sticking her tongue out at him.
"I simply find it rather endearing. Your love of the night sky and the wonders of space is so endless that you'd even name your farm animals after the infinite amount of sparkling stars in the sky. It's rather cute," he explained, looking down at her with a grin.
She flushed, her cheeks suddenly feeling quite hot at this compliment, "oh hush. I'll meet you back at the farmhouse, I've got more chores for you. I just have to clean up here and put more feed in their trough."
He laughed sweetly before walking out of the coop, and Maria took a few minutes to scrub and sweep the floors, clean and refill the food trough, and clean the waterer thoroughly so that the chicks and ducklings could have clean water to drink.
Once she'd checked on each of the girls and collected the two eggs left by Cygnus and Corvus, she was heading back towards the farmhouse.
Eliott sat on the porch steps, sipping a glass of ice water and aimlessly watching the few clouds in the sky drift by. Just as soon as Maria set her foot on the bottom step, however, a loud growling erupted from the pit of her stomach.
She blushed and laughed, a tad embarrassed, "guess that's a good cue to get started on some lunch, even if it is a bit late. How does crab cakes sound?"
Elliott's green eyes lit up at his, "it sounds absolutely delicious."
The pair walked back into the house, basking in the air conditioning before Maria ducked into the kitchen to search for ingredients. She pulled out some wrapped crab meat which she'd caught and stored away just a few days ago, a bag of wheat flour, some eggs, oil, and various seasonings.
"Do you require any assistance? I'd be more than happy to help, though I must admit it's been some time since I've cooked in a proper kitchen," Elliott offered with a smile leaning against the counter as she set up everything she'd need.
The farmer grinned at him, "you can help me mix together a seasoning as the crab meat defrosts, and while you do that I'll get the breading ready."
The two began to work together rather flawlessly. Elliott mixed together a seasoning which consisted of salt, pepper, various herbs and parsley, while Maria broke bits of toasted bread and mixed in lemon juice and dijon mustard to make sure the breading would stick to the crab meat.
Once the meat was ready Maria cut it into smaller pieces, then she and the writer would take turns putting together the meat, breading, and seasonings and molding them into small cakes that would fit on a baking tray. Then, the farmer brushed the cakes in melted butter before finally popping the tray into the oven with a satisfied smile.
"Those should take about 15 minutes, in the meantime I can prep something else for us? Roasted potatoes, a salad, corn on the cob- your choice," she offered.
"A salad sounds lovely," Elliott replied with a soft look, "would you like me to-"
"Ohhh, no no no, you've helped plenty," Maria interrupted, shaking her head, "you're my guest now, go get comfy in the living room and I'll bring you a plate once the food's ready."
He opened his mouth to protest but the farmer pressed her finger to his lips and raised an eyebrow, stopping him in his tracks.
A blush dusted his cheeks but he finally nodded his head and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Maria to finish up the last of the meal preparation. She put together a makeshift salad with various greens, some cheese she'd bought from Marnie, oil, and cut-up toasted bread to serve as homemade croutons.
She plated both the salads and let the crab cakes finish baking before pulling out the tray and shutting off the oven. "What do you want to drink?" she asked aloud as the cakes began to cool, "I've got plenty different juices, lemonade, water, and even wine, though it may be too early for that last one."
"Lemonade sounds lovely," he replied, and Maria nodded as she pulled a mason jar from the fridge of lemonade she'd squeezed the previous week.
She poured two glasses before finally taking the crab cakes and putting them on the plates besides the salads. Then, with the skills she'd retained from her few months working as a waitress in high school, she carried both plates and both glasses of lemonade out to the living room.
"Here you go," she said with a smile, handing Elliott his drink and food, " buen provecho ."
"I'm assuming that's Spanish?" he asked curiously, setting his glass down on the coffee table.
"Yup!" she replied with a cheeky smile, sitting down on the love seat besides him, "it's sort of like the phrase bon appetit in French, but there's no real direct translation to English. I'm pretty much just saying 'enjoy your meal'."
"And how would one typically reply in Spanish to being told this?" the writer inquired.
" Equal , which is spelt the same as equal and it essentially saying 'same'," she explained as she sipped her lemonade.
"Well then, e -qual" Elliott said with confidence, making Maria giggle.
"Nice effort, but you stressed the e too much. Spanish is all about letting the syllables flow, whenever I speak it I sort of have a rhythm to everything I say, it helps me pace my sentences. My family speaks it much faster than I tend to, it's very rapid fire and if you're not fluent you will never understand what they're saying," she sighed, "but, the attempt was cute."
"I suppose it is still a positive that you found it cute," the writer chuckled, lifting one of the crab cakes to his mouth to finally get a taste. He bit into it and his eyes went wide, a satisfied hum spilled out of him as he ate, "Maria this is delicious- Yoba, where is this recipe from?
She giggled sweetly, "my grandmother taught it to me when I was younger, I use this seasoning on crab or lobster I eat, it's the family secret," she replied, biting into her own crab cake.
"You've... taught me your family's recipe?" he asked sincerely.
Maria nodded, blushing slightly, "well, yeah... I'd like to think we're pretty... close?"
When she glanced back over at Elliott, she was surprised to see him looking back at her intently. Their eyes met and she felt her cheeks flush once more. Her gaze flicked down to his lips momentarily, and she could've sworn that he did the same to her. Before either could say any more, however, the sound of a ringing phone cut through the tension.
She shut her eyes and cursed beneath her breath, "shit... sorry, let me go see who that is."
Quickly setting her plate down, she scrambled off of the couch to save herself from any more embarrassment and dashed into her bedroom to find her phone. It was on her nightstand, where she'd left it that morning, and her sister's name flashed on the screen repeatedly.
Maria pursed her lips. She hadn't quite forgiven Camila for the comments she'd made on the farmer's birthday. She felt guilty ignoring her family at times, but every single time they tried to insert themselves in her life now that she was away it never ended well for her.
She stared at the phone a few seconds more, letting it ring once, then twice, and then it was quiet. The notification of a 'missed call' was now on her screen, and she simply shut the phone off and walked back into the living room, avoiding the mess that would be family confrontation for now.
"Telemarketer," Maria sighed with a weak laugh once she sat down beside Elliott once more, mostly wanting to avoid any questioning, "Anyways once we're done here, I'm gonna have to start planting all those seeds."
The writer, who at this point was halfway done with his plate, glanced over at her curiously, "would you be requiring any help with that as well?"
"I know I said I had chores for you earlier, but I'd hate to keep making you work more," the farmer replied.
"Nonsense!" Elliott quickly retorted, "you know for a fact I'm more than happy to spend time with you and aid in your farming endeavors. Besides, if you're not putting me to use here on your farm, I'd likely be spending the rest of my day reading aimlessly within the confines of the museum."
Maria blushed, flattered by his persistence as she hid her face to take a sip of lemonade, "alright fine... I guess I do need help watering once all the rows are planted."
He nodded, "excellent, it shall be my repayment for this wonderful lunch."
"Elliott you don't have to repay me for any-"
"You've done plenty for me in the past, dearest. Allow me this one courtesy? Please?" he insisted, looking over at her with the sincerest gaze she'd ever seen.
There it was again- the nickname dearest. She had to admit, hearing it had quite a positive effect on her. 'It's almost like... butterflies in my stomach, but gah I sound like some lovesick middle schooler thinking that,' she mused in her mind, well aware of the deep blush tinting her cheeks, 'this man is going to be the death of me.'
...
Hours had passed, and the sun was beginning it's descent into the horizon line. With Elliott's help the farmer had gotten all her new seeds planted and watered properly, as well as the corn stalks (which had luckily survived the storm).
Maria had set aside the task of retrieving her pick-axe until the next day, knowing full well Clint would've closed the blacksmith shop by now. She could use the opportunity of her leaving the farm to see Robin as well, though, and talk to the carpenter about fixing the coop and renovations for the barn.
The setting of the sun allowed some of the cooler night air to settle into the valley. Autumn would be in full swing soon, and the farm was excitedly anticipating the crisp air and colorful trees which would be arriving eventually.
She'd found a pair of lawn chairs from the shed, likely the ones her grandparents would use to leisure, and set them up on the porch so she and Elliott could relax after a day of hard work. Maria had popped into the bathroom for a quick shower, scrubbing off all the grime and dirt and mud that'd built up during the day.
Once she was out, the writer would be doing the same (he'd severely underestimated the amount of strength and muscle needed to lug around a metal watering can filled to the brim). While he was there, Maria decided to dig around in her kitchen and grab a bottle of wine and the two nicest glasses she owned. They weren't matching, but they'd do for now.
Walking outside, she set the wine and glasses down on a small garden table besides the chairs, and scrolled through her phone to find some ambient music she could play. It didn't take too long for Elliott to find her on the porch, notably with his hair tied up in a loose bun.
"What's all this?" he asked with a small grin.
Maria shrugged her shoulders innocently, taking a seat in one of the chairs, "you worked hard today, I thought it'd be nice to just chill for a bit. I've got wine that Robin gifted me on my birthday, never had a good opportunity to crack it open til now."
Elliott chuckled, sitting in the chair besides hers, "Wine, music, and a beautiful sunset. Dare I say, it feels rather romantic, does it not?"
Her eyes widened upon hearing this. She hadn't realized, but now that he'd pointed it out it made far too much sense. Nervously, she cleared her throat and laughed as she popped the bottle open, "hah, oh, I didn't even realize. Makes it a little awkward huh?"
"It by no means needs to be," Elliott replied as she poured the rosy pink drink, "it can simply be a platonic drinking session between friends."
"Yeah... friends," she murmured, the word tasting bitter on her tongue. She shook the thought from her mind though, "you did really good today though. I know I've told you before, but if you ever gave up the writing gig I could use a farmhand. I'd even pay for Robin to build a separate cabin just for you."
The writer hummed, lifting the wineglass to his lips, "I'll admit, the first time I heard that proposition I did put some serious thought into it. Now with a book deal in the works, I will have to decline once more. Farm life does have quite the charm to it however, but I'm afraid I'll need a much more compelling reason to dedicate myself to it, rather than just the prospect of fulfilling work."
Maria gazed up at him curiously, "what would you consider a compelling reason?"
She watched as he pursed his lips, taking a sip of his wine before setting the glass down, "well, this could be varying things, both on the negative and positive ends of the spectrum. In a negative sense, situations such as the threat of poverty or even damage to my own home could be what pushes me to accept your offer, though I'd prefer not to think about either of these occurring for my own sake. In a positive sense, though, I suppose... no, it's silly."
The farmer's interest was piqued, and she leaned over the arm of her chair, "nooo, c'mon tell me, you can't leave me hanging like this."
Elliott shook his head gently, and she noticed a faint blush tinging his face, "it's a ridiculous scenario, I've no clue why I even thought it up in the first place."
"Elliott pleaseeeeee," she begged, "you know I'm way too curious, I'm just gonna keep buggin' you about it."
He chuckled softly open hearing this and sighed, swirling his finger around the rim of the wineglass, "alright, fine, but this is only so you won't pester me from here on out. The main reason for me moving onto land such as this... would be if I were to engage in a relationship with the owner of said land."
Maria sat back upon hearing this, "you mean... like you'd have to be dating the farmer?"
He turned away, looking towards the fading sun in the distance, "I suppose so yes. Dating, marriage, elopement, other situations along those lines."
"Ah," she murmured, putting the glass up to her lips, "y'know, if a relatively attractive author were to stumble into my life, I'd have no qualms about entering into a theoretical relationship with them."
Elliott choked on his wine, making the farmer giggle. He quickly cleared his throat, "I- I am not a published author yet."
"It was a hypothetical scenario, you only assumed I was talking about you," Maria retorted, giving him a sly look over the rim of her wine glass.
"... touché,' the writer said under his breath, glancing over at her, "and I do suppose that if a rather attractive, kind, charming farmer were to wander into my own life, I too would have no qualms in courting them. In fact, it would bring me utmost pleasure to sweep this hypothetical farmer off their feet and be graced with their companionship even if only to see their lovely smile everyday."
Maria blushed listening to his explanation, "ah... hypothetically speaking yes?"
"Yes," Elliott confirmed, tipping his glass in her direction momentarily, "though the wonderful thing about hypothetical scenarios is that if one were to put the work in they could live out those thought-up situations in real life."
"Meaning I could date this hypothetical published author?" she murmured softly.
"And I could court this hypothetical farmer," he replied in turn.
Their gaze met. The farmer lifted the glass to her lips once more and nursed it shyly, never wanting to look away from his green eyes. He stared back as well, and she couldn't help notice the way he ghosted his lips against the rim of the wineglass in a way which was oh-so enticing to that little voice in the back of her mind.
However, just out of the corner of her eye, a twinkling light momentarily distracted her.
Confused, she turned to look towards the source- the night sky. The sun had bid it's goodbye and indigo painted the heavens. However, very faintly, streaks of white were fading in and out, dashing across the cloudless sky.
It captured the attention of both her and the writer, the pair stared until the farmer suddenly gasped, "a meteor shower- oh my Yoba! I didn't even know-"
She set her glass down and stepped inside of the farmhouse momentarily, flicking the switch which controlled the porch lights. The outdoor lights were shut off, making it so the exterior of the farmhouse was bathed in darkness.
Walking back outside, she shut the door gently before looking back over to Elliott, "sorry about the lights, it's just easier to see up there without the light down here," she apologized gently.
The writer smiled, "no need to worry dearest, you'll hear no complaints from me."
There it was again. Dearest . ' He's going to drive me insane with that,' she thought with a mutter, stepping onto the porch steps to get a better look.
Without the distraction of artificial lighting, it was far easier to see the glittering night. Twinkling stars decorated the sky, some brighter and some dimmer, forming various shapes and constellations. Every few seconds there'd be a streak of light- a shooting star dashing across the sky, soon to be joined by dozens of others.
She felt the floorboards shift beneath, and didn't have to look over to realize Elliott had also stood up and moved to stand beside her to watch the falling stars as well.
"It's gorgeous isn't it?" she asked in a quiet voice, never tearing her eyes away from the light show.
"Yes... you are," he replied, just as quiet.
This shocked the farmer momentarily, and she laughed a bit, "p-pardon?"
Out of the corner of her eye she could see him fluster, he hadn't even realized his slip of the tongue. "I- I mean yes, they are, q-quite gorgeous indeed."
Maria giggled, glancing over at him for just a moment to catch him staring back. She cleared her throat nervously, her face warming up which was now an all too familiar feeling. She forced herself to gaze back up at the sky, pointing at the newest shooting star to flicker into view, "they're not even stars, y'know. I can't tell you how upset I was as a kid when I learned it wasn't actually stars falling from the sky and landing on Earth. They're meteoroids, chunks of space rock entering the atmosphere and burning up as they do," she explained with a smile, "there's a few meteor showers that we should see annually but a random one like this... well this is rare."
"It must be a rather special night then," he sighed beside her, and she could feel the way his hand ghosted past her's, their fingers just barely touching.
"Very special, yea," she whispered, moving her hand ever so slightly. She felt her pinky finger dance across his own, and she bit down on her lip somewhat nervously, wondering if he'd notice the subtle advancement.
Her heart was hammering in her chest. She didn't even know what she was doing at this point- she'd essentially been flirting with him all day, they'd even shared a bed together, but just the thought of their hands touching was what made her heart race now. 'I should quit while I'm ahead, I doubt he's even interested, he's just been kind to me all day and I'm probably reading the signs all wrong-'
Her train of thought halted as soon as she felt his fingers interlock with her own. Her heart skipped a beat, and she gingerly flexed her fingers so that she held his hand in her own.
Ever so slowly, she turned her head to the side to finally look at him. She couldn't focus, she was torn between staring into his eyes, gazing longingly at his lips, or looking to the ground shyly.
She could barely stop the gasp that spilled past her own lips when she felt his other hand beneath her chin, gently tilting her head closer to his own. "Do stop me if I make you uncomfortable in anyw-" he began, only to be interrupted.
"Yoba, Elliott, please just kiss me," she begged, her voice wavering.
He leaned down, and in turn she leaned up, narrowing the gap between them. Her free hand gripped onto his shirt in a desperate manner, similar to the way it had done the night before. But the context for grasp now was different, far more positive, far more... comforting.
The space between them lessened more and more, until their lips were just barely touching, softly brushing against one another. She hesitated, and he sensed it, moving his hand beneath her chin so that his fingers trailed along her jaw line, tracing further and further until he gently held the back of her neck.
Maria had goosebumps, shivering as she got used to the feeling of his hand on her. Gingerly, she stood up on her tiptoes, sealing the gap entirely and pressing her lips to his. It was soft, neither wanting to overstep a boundary with the other, but she could feel the nerves beneath her skin shooting off like fireworks.
It lasted only a few moments, and the farmer hadn't even realized that she'd let her eyes flutter shut until she opened them once more to look up at him.
Neither said a word, but they understood completely. It was a matter of seconds before they were lip-locked yet again, the farmer's arms snaking up to wrap around his neck as he gently settled his other hand on her waist.
For once in her life Maria found someone who could distract her from even the stars.
...
Comments are always appreciated :3