Travis stood there for a moment, stunned completely. Rose? His Rose? The Rose he wanted to marry and loved with all his heart? How could this be true? He swayed slightly as Fawna helped him to a seat. He had stood up part-way through her explanation. After a few seconds of blank staring, he managed to choke out a sentence. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly. "You could have misunderstood or made a mistake..." he told her, desperately wanting to deny the truth. Fawna shook her head.
"No, Travis. Rose has a drinking problem. She begged me not to tell you back in the summer because she promised that she would. I told her I'd stay quiet as long as she told you but she hasn't and you deserve to know the truth," she whispered. Travis began shaking his head numbly. It wasn't true... it couldn't be...
"No," he muttered. "You had to have made a mistake. I know you wouldn't lie to me but I know Rose isn't like that. You just were misinformed or jumped to a conclusion or something," he insisted.
"Travis..." Fawna began but he cut her off.
"I have to go... think for a while..." he told her quietly, walking out of the chicken coop into the crisp early winter air. Putting her head between her knees, Fawna let out a small sob. Her best friend didn't believe her. Rose was going to be furious when she found out that Fawna had told him and she had no one to turn to for support... well, no one in Serenity Falls, anyway.
Standing up and drying her cheeks with her farmer's gloves, Fawna quickly finished up her chores and walked to Mineral Town in the snow. She reached the Poultry Farm and knocked. Popuri answered and let her inside. "Hey Fawna!" she said brightly. "Did you come to hang out with me?" she asked. The two women had similar personalities and therefore got along quite well. However, today Fawna shook her head.
"Uh actually Popuri, I came to see your brother. Is he home?" she asked quietly, her eyes still bright from crying. Popuri looked a little disappointed at not being the centre of attention, but nodded and pointed upstairs.
"He stays inside in bad weather," she told her. "He's upstairs," she told her before walking away to help her mom reach a box of animal medicine on the shelf. Fawna thanked her and hurried upstairs to see Rick. She needed someone to talk to right now.
Rick's face lit up when he saw her, but soon fell to concern when he saw the look on Fawna's face and hurried over to her. "Fawna? What's wrong?" he asked, taking her hand and leading her to sit down on his bed. She shook her head, trying to keep the tears at bay but they slipped out from her eyelids just the same. Rick tentatively hugged her, not sure if he was overstepping his boundaries, but when Fawna didn't object, rubbed her back comfortingly. "Hey, don't cry now. Just tell me what's going on," he told her softly and Fawna hiccoughed and nodded, feeling embarrassed that he had seen her like this.
"I told Travis something he didn't want to hear and he didn't believe me... now because of what I told him, a friend of mine is going to be really angry with me..." she whispered. She didn't tell him who that friend was or what she had told Travis. That was between them and it was better if they worked it out between themselves. Rick nodded understandingly and dried her tears.
"Do you think it was the right thing to do? Telling Travis?" he asked her and Fawna nodded.
"I know it was," she told him. "This was something that he needed to know and it would have been cruel of me to keep it from him any longer," she told him. Rick smiled and brushed a strand of raven-coloured hair out of her eyes.
"Then I wouldn't worry about it," he told her softly. "Travis and your other friend might be upset right now, but in the end, they'll realize that you did a good thing," he told her wisely. Fawna smiled, feeling that upsurge of affection for the man consoling her right now and this time, Greg's ghost in her mind didn't scar that emotion. She leaned closer and impulsively kissed him lightly, but broke away quickly, biting her lip.
"Thank you," she whispered uncertainly. That had been a little rash. Had she come on too strong? Rick touched his lips with a stunned expression, but cleared his throat.
"... Remember back in the summer when I told you that I would wait for you as long as you needed?" he asked quietly, and Fawna nodded, her heart hammering painfully against her ribcage. "I'll still wait for you, you know. You don't have to push yourself because I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. Fawna shook her head quickly and put a finger to his lips to silence him.
"Neither am I. You don't have to wait anymore, Rick," she whispered back with a slight smile. Rick beamed, looking like he had just seen heaven for the first time and ran a hand through her long sleek hair.
"I'm glad," he told her. "I would have waited forever but this is much nicer," he said as he leaned in to kiss her, which Fawna was all too happy to accept and return. She felt as though after trying desperately to piece together two jagged halves that wouldn't fit, she had finally found a piece that was the perfect mould to hers and she wasn't about to let that perfect piece go. It certainly showed in the way they were holding each other as their lips met.
"Awwwwwww! That is soooooo sweet!" came a delighted squeal as Fawna and Rick broke apart, startled. Popuri was practically dancing up and down on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands together excitedly. "MOM!" she shouted, running down the stairs as she hiked up her skirts to keep from falling.
"Popuri..." Rick sighed in exasperation as Fawna laughed and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes in contentment.
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