I paced up and down the main excavation site floor, thinking hard to myself. It was a sunny day. Although I loved mining and excavating, I wished I could go outside and soak up the sun for once. Like a farmer would. Like Joey would. Joey… I sighed, and despite the fact that no one else was there, I blushed. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about him, but he made my legs shake and my heart beat faster…

I heard a tiny echo in the tiny cave, an echo of my own voice. I must've been talking to myself again. I had to stop doing that. I was bound to start freaking people out, and that wasn't good. I especially didn't want to freak Joey out.

"Why can't I just find a good way to associate with men?" I mumbled to myself.

"If only I could tell Joey how I feel… but what if he doesn't feel the same way?" I found myself blushing again. I continued to pace and mutter to myself.

"I just don't understand. How do some couples turn out so well? Do they just say 'I like you. Let's go out,'? Or does it just happen naturally? And how do I know if Joey is the right guy for me. I've heard the townsfolk gossiping. They don't talk about him much. They think there must be something going on between me and him, Carter, just because we live in the same tent. Carter's OK, but he's a little too dull for my taste, but Joey always has something to say… do I love him? Is it just a crush? What would life be like with him at my side?" I said. I knew my voice so low that it just sounded like a jumble of unintelligible words, and that comforted me. I wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the shadow near the door that seemed to have more depth; its own lurking presence. Yet, it wasn't a sinister presence; it was more of a warm, curious presence.

I thought about Joey some more. His warm brown eyes, his shaggy brown hair that always fell in his face and framed those dreamy eyes… It would be nice to live with him. We could go out in the sunlight on the farm, waking up when the rooster crowed. We'd get to know the farm animals, and each other as well. We'd chat while we worked, and the day would be enjoyable, despite the hot sun, and the work that was once dull would become fun. And then, maybe we'd have a child or two to raise with us on the farm, our children. Ours, I liked that word. The two of us together forever … I found myself bright red again. Snap out of it, I told myself, shaking my head back and forth to clear my mind. I decided to investigate that shadow to distract myself. I snapped my head around.

Joey! The shadow was Joey! My legs quaked, and I could hear my heart beating erratically. My face was a fiery red, and I was more embarrassed and flustered than I could remember ever being.

"Joey! W-what the heck are y-you doing here!" I spluttered. Had he heard my little talk? Oh, you idiot. You knew talking to yourself was never a good idea, I scolded myself internally. If he'd deciphered my jumbled words and figured out what I was saying about him, I would DIE.

"Huh? Sorry! I just came in…" Joey said quickly, his eyes showing surprise and concern.

I quickly calmed down. He would think I was crazy!

"Oops, sorry. I've just been kind of, um, paranoid, lately," I said, embarrassed at my outbust.

"OK, then, well, take care. I'll come back later. I've got work to do," he said, pausing for a moment.

I took one hesitant step forward. How I longed to reach out and touch him, to kiss him! I slowly reached out one trembling hand, but I did so just as he turned around and left, going back into his beautiful sunlight. I was too late; I had missed my chance to be alone with him and tell him how I felt. I sighed miserably.

"There's no denying it anymore, Joey. You're more than a friend to me. I think I'm in love with you. I wish I knew how to tell you," I whispered after his quickly retreating back. He was too far away to hear.

When he was out of my range of vision, I sighed deeply and reached into my backpack. I pulled out a few of my excavating tools.

Well, back to work. I had a long day ahead of me.