Ch.1
"Toby, you'll melt if you get any more relaxed." Molly said teasingly, giving Toby a playful shove. He chuckled, trying his hardest to seem composed. Molly was just…the most perfect little thing he'd ever seen. Of course she had her flaws, but as he came to like her, Toby easily overlooked them. Her airheaded-ness, overconfidence, and her habit to get herself caught in dangerous situations, were all swept under the carpet. She was always the go-go-go type, full throttle all the time. However, he did notice she had her "off" days, where she walked with less bounce in her step, giving only halfhearted waves to people. It worried him beyond all belief.
Molly waved a hand in front of his face, trying to figure out if he was asleep or in another one of those deep trances he had so often. She knocked on his forehead, which made him jump and smile, embarrassed. The farmer had never been one to be unfocused on the job at hand. However, she was more often catching herself gazing into nothingness. She would slap herself on the face a few times and continue to work. Every day, she went to buy some fish to make herself a simple and cheap meal with the money she made. She knew she could afford much better food, but… Someone there had caught her attention. A young man, who she mistook for an elderly gentleman, was actually a boy who looked about her age.
Of course she had realized that this island was very conveniently filled with handsome boys and lovely girls, as if it was some sort of breeding ground for attractive people. She was jealous, of course. Toby, on the other hand, seemed to be oblivious to such a matchmaking place. Love, romance, and things like that. He had no idea what to do with the strange emotions he felt when he saw Molly's face, when she smiled and waved to him as happy-go-lucky as usual.
At this point, both of them were staring at the ocean blankly, both thinking about the same thing, little to each other's knowledge.
"You need to learn how to slow down then, Molly. You've got to take in the scenery sometimes, y'know?" His voice was calm and quiet, almost inaudible most of the time. Toby leaned back. "You're always rushing around, being reckless, it makes me wor-" He stopped himself with a sad excuse for a cough, and straightened up.
"Did you say something, Toby?" Molly asked, looking curiously at him. His heart skipped one, two, three beats. She really needed to stop being so curious about him, it made his heart do backflips and throat tighten.
"No, n-nothing." Darn. He had never stuttered before he met her. All of his words came out slowly, cool, calm, and collected. Now, his words had decided to stumble and trip every time he talked to Molly. "It's getting late, you should be getting home, shouldn't you?" He mentally He punched himself in the face. That came out all wrong. Toby didn't mean to sound as harsh as he did.
Molly shrugged and smiled. "Make sure you don't stare into space when you're walking, or you'll hurt yourself. Maybe fall into the ocean without noticing. As she turned away, Molly felt her face grow hot, wondering if her concern seemed too overbearing, as if she was a mother hen. She shook her head violently, thinking, "I came here to farm, not for love. Farming and ranching. That's why I'm here."