The snow had finally cleared up by Saturday and the farmhouse was running very low on groceries. Since winter began, and especially now that it had frosted and snowed, the farm wasn't producing any crops or products to eat. Even though it was still a bit nippy out, you and Shane needed to brave the cold and head down to Pierre's.
You tossed on your favorite fair isle knit sweater with a thick weatherproof jacket along with a beanie as Shane helped you lace up your winter boots. Once the two of you were finished getting ready, you headed out toward town through the ice and wind.
This would have been a generally miserable experience if it wasn't for the fact that Shane's arm was wrapped tightly around your waist the whole time, keeping you warm and hopeful as you tracked along the dirt path. It was taking most of your focus to attempt to avoid any icy patches on the road. You were occasionally clumsy - let's be honest - always clumsy, and you didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your fiancé, though you knew he would just find it adorable. It didn't take much longer than normal to get to Pierre's General Store and you were more than excited to return to some warmth.
"Ah, Pelican Town's favorite newly engaged couple! How nice to see you both on such a chilly morning!" Pierre welcomed you into the shop with his signature jolly manner, eagerly waving you over to the counter. "Can I offer you both a complimentary cup of coffee? What are you looking for today? We just received a shipment of fine imported cheeses, if you're interested!"
"Coffee sounds wonderful! And you've peaked my attention with the imported cheese." You grinned as you and Shane each took a cup full. "We're just looking for the usual groceries. It's weird not depending on the farm."
"Yes, winters here do take some getting used to. My poor Caroline grew up in a much warmer climate, it took her years to adjust to the Valley's annual frost." He topped off each of your drinks. "I hope you'll adjust quickly - or better yet - you can spend plenty of time inside! I must say, the shop has been surprisingly busy despite the cold this morning!"
He was right, you could hear the buzz of customers mulling over items on shelves all around you. Your conversation quickly wrapped up and you refocused on the task at hand. Given the cold, Shane had called Marnie to see if he could pick up her weekly shopping so she could stay warm at home with Jas. She didn't hesitate to give him quite a lengthy list of groceries.
Shane handed you a comparatively short list and kept the long one for himself. "You get started with our groceries while I work on Marnie's. I'm not quite sure what she needs NINE pineapples for." He shook his head.
You just chuckled and grabbed a small basket to hold the goods. There was something oddly blissful about shopping here. It was so perfect and quaint, exactly what you had imagined farm life would be like. It was completely different from the JojaMart superstores you had grown up shopping in back home in Zuzu City. The fruits and vegetables here were somehow miraculously fresh whenever you stopped by and the warm baked goods filled the shop with a delicious scent as it mixed in the air with the wafting, robust, freshly brewed coffee smell. This, quite possibly, could be heaven.
Or hell. You turned down the wine aisle when you saw Elliott standing at the end. You tried to quickly back away before he could see you, but it was to no avail. "Oh, my dearest (Y/N), how are you this brisk morn?"
"Good." You replied, trying to slink back towards the main aisle, but Elliott matched your pace. "Just nonchalantly getting some groceries."
"I am, as well." He gestured to the array of luscious produce in his basket. "I try to eat as healthy as possible, it takes a lot of effort to keep up an attractive physique when I spend most of my day at my desk writing or deep in thought. Pierre's is the finest when looking for proper nutritional foods. I'm sure you know that already, though."
"Babe!" You were relieved to feel Shane put a hand on your back and hear his voice. "They make frozen pepper poppers! Do you know how much this is gonna change my life? We can have them at home now!" He excitedly placed a large package of his favorite food in your already full basket, not realizing what was happening.
You gestured to Elliott, who had stopped talking to keenly witness your conversation. "Ah, hello again, Shane." His face was sealed in a sinister smirk. "I was just speaking with your girlfriend about-"
"Fiancée." Your future husband corrected.
"Huh?" Elliott's eyes went wide as he tried to understand what Shane had just said. "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you." He chuckled. "It sounded like you said 'Fiancée.'"
"I did. Didn't she tell you?" He gestured to the opalescent Mermaid's Pendant dangling around your neck. "(Y/N) and I are engaged, Elliott."
"ENGAGED?" Elliott roared, bringing the store to a startled silence. It seemed that the eloquent author was at a true loss for words. His mouth kept moving, but no sound was coming out. "Engaged! To him? (Y/N), how could you?" He finally managed to sputter out. "You- you can't be engaged! Not to this drunkard!"
"I am not having this conversation with you again." You spat harshly, turning around and starting to lead Shane toward the checkout.
"Yes, you are!" Elliott grabbed your wrist, then your waist, and spun you to face him. You were shocked and livid. "You are NOT going to marry that hopeless inebriate!"
That was it. You had put up with his tantrums long enough. In a single, fluid motion, you drew back your hand and slapped him across the face before kneeing him directly in the groin. He toppled to the floor helplessly, whining in pain. "Get the fuck away from us."
In an instant, Pierre was on the scene. You figured you were going to get kicked out of your favorite delicatessen, but rather, Pierre merely drug Elliott outside and closed the door tightly. "Sorry about that, folks." He turned towards you and Shane as he dusted off his hands symbolically. "I know he has been a real pain to you, and I truly hope it gets better. No couple deserves to go through that." He sighed deeply. "This might not be the same, but Caroline's brother was not fond of me at the beginning of our relationship and I wish I had taken action against it sooner."
"Thanks." Shane smiled, and Pierre shook his hand before returning back to his place behind the counter. Shane looked down at you and gently grabbed your wrist, trying to make sure you were okay. "It's pretty red. Does it hurt to touch?"
You nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think it's anything serious. Maybe it will bruise a bit."
"I'm so sorry, sweetie." He wrapped his arms tightly around you and held you close to his body, resting with his lips pressed against the top of your head. "I'm sure it will be over now."
"I really hope so." You sighed. "But now we need to get back to shopping. It's only supposed to get colder and wetter, we don't want to be taking groceries down to Marnie in a blizzard." You joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"That's a good point." Shane laughed, picking his basket back up and returning to the list at hand. You decided to walk with him, especially since you already had almost everything you needed off of your list.
"Marnie needs a lot of groceries, huh?" You looked over the multi-page document.
Shane nodded. "I don't know what she could possibly do with this much stuff. I guess she must can and pickle a lot of these veggies for winter."
That was sound logic. "Yeah. I'm also sorry that I had to slap Elliott back there. I feel really bad about it." You sighed, explaining your remorse. "I feel so bad turning to physical violence, I just didn't know what to do. I was so ragingly mad at him and I wanted him to get his hands off of me more than anything.
"Are you kidding?" You have nothing to apologize for!" Shane looked at you baffled. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that! And honestly, the way you handled that was plain badass, (Y/N)." He chuckled to himself, a dirty grin crossing his lips. " I wouldn't mind if you slapped me too in the future." He winked, trying to make a joke to lighten the mood.
"Shane!" You laughed and playfully hit his arm. You appreciated this, potentially more than anything, about Shane. He could take serious things that would potentially bring you anxiety or stress for weeks and turn them into nothing but a mere funny anecdote in just a tiny amount of time with very minimal effort. It made life so much easier and was the perfect compliment to your overanalyzing mind. Despite what Elliott might say, you were so happy and Shane was the perfect partner for you, mentally, emotionally, physically, and in your lifestyles. You didn't want it any other way, and you were thrilled at the fact you would never have anything other than this.
✏️ A/N: I hope you all are prepared for my longest Author's Note yet, but as you know I have some explaining to do. First off, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a good one to return on, I think. Secondly, I am so sorry that I have been offline for the past month. It isn't fair to you all that I left you without notice for such a long period of time. To be completely honest, I wasn't planning to take a break, it just ended up happening. As many of you know I'm a university student who also works a full-time internship, so life can be a little busy. The past few weeks I've found myself having to buckle down more than usual on my schoolwork to get everything completed on time. It's been difficult, but I've mostly missed writing this story. I kept wanting to post an announcement, but I wasn't sure when I would have time to start writing again and I wasn't sure what to say, honestly. I want to thank you all for sticking with me, as well as I would specifically love to thank everyone who left a comment or sent me a message on Discord, Instagram, or Wattpad. I saw each and every one of them and they meant so much to me. As my semester wraps up, I am excited to keep writing and continuing this story for you all. I'm so thankful you stayed with me and if I ever feel like I need a break again, I will be more direct and intentional about communicating that with you! Thank you all so much! xoxo Kira
Next week: Chapter 50: A Date to Re-Remember, will be posted next Sunday, November 13, 2022.