Flambéed Love (Story of Seasons / Harvest Moon Fanfiction)

Chapter 17: Stars

Minori let out a long, deep sigh as she finally returned home and closed her front door. She was working extra hard today, finishing up her work earlier than usual to make room for an event she has been anticipating tonight. She dropped her sling bag down on the wooden floor, took off her bandana, and began undressing herself. A hard day at work had covered her body in sweat, especially now that winter is almost coming to an end; and besides, she wanted to make herself look more presentable for her plans tonight - for various reasons. She looked at the time - 4:37pm - which means she still has about a little more than a  hour before she needs to be ready. 'Plenty of time!' Minori smiled to herself, and slowly entered the bathroom for a warm relaxing shower.

...

Minori lazily turned off the running taps as she finished washing off the last remaining soap of her body, and swiftly exited the shower to grab her bath towel. The warm water started dripping down her locks and down her body, and so she quickly dry herself with the said fabric, making sure she was warm enough before she stepped out of the bathroom.

Wrapped just in her white towel, she began making her way down the corridor to the other end of her house, into her small walk-in wardrobe. It was strangely not placed just beside the bathroom, which was something that Minori had always wondered, but never minded anyway. She began with her undergarments, before she started browsing through her wardrobe for the right outfit to wear. But before she could decide on anything, three firm knocks could suddenly be heard from her front door.

'Uhh who could it be?' Minori looked towards the front door with worry. It's only 5pm, and she still has an hour left before the agreed time, so no one should be here yet...

But with no answer from Minori, three more firm knocks could be heard again, coming from the same location.

'Uhhh what do I do..  I'm not dressed yet.' Minori panicked.

"Minori??" A familiar subtle voice was suddenly heard. "Are you there? Are you okay??" 

"Rae.. Raeger?" Minori's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly put on a night gown to cover herself as she ran to the door and opened it, without too much thought.

"Raeger! You're here early," she looked into his eyes "is everything okay?" Minori exclaimed and panted upon seeing the chef.

The chef, upon seeing Minori, suddenly looked stunned. His pupils grew large, his cheeks grew rosy, and his heart rate went up. The sight of his sweetheart draped in a thin night gown that covers little of her almost drove him wild. He did come to her place before at night - on her birthday to be exact - but she was wearing something warmer, something less revealing. He tried so hard not to stare, but he couldn't help it - and so he kept his gaze fixed onto her.

"Raeger?" Minori called his name, growing concerned since he didn't say anything in return, but  her voice quickly brought him back to his senses.

Very suddenly, he stepped closer towards Minori, making sure that his larger build would cover her smaller body. He looked around, looked behind him, and then gently dragged Minori inside the house, quickly closing the front door - much to Minori's astonishment.

"Rae..Raeger? What's wrong" Minori asked once again.

"Minori!! What are you doing stepping out of the house like that? What if someone else sees you??"