Two days later...
Rowan looked around the beach, smiling when she saw Alex tossing his gridball. "Hey, Alex!"
Alex turned and smiled. "Oh, hi."
"What's going on?"
"I'm just enjoying this great weather." He looked at her. "Hmmm."
Rowan looked at him. "What?"
Alex grinned. "Hey, go long!" He tossed her the ball, catching her off guard.
"Wait, what?" Rowan backed up, trying to catch the ball. She almost caught it, but it slipped through her fingers and landed in the sand behind her.
Alex laughed. "Nice try!"
Rowan picked up the gridball and handed it to him. "Not fair, surprising me like that." She stuck her tongue out playfully.
He smiled and took it. "I'm going to be the first professional gridball player from Stardew Valley... There's no doubt in my mind."
Rowan smiled. "Well, you sure are confident."
Alex shrugged. "I already led my school's team to the regional playoffs... Now I'm just training and getting stronger so I can claim my spot on the roster of the Zuzu City Tunnelers. You just wait!"
Rowan smiled. "It's a worthy goal. I believe in you!"
Alex blushed a bit and smiled. "Thanks, Rowan. I'll remember that."
Later that day, Haley had gone to find Alex for a very special reason.
"Come on, Alex, hurry!"
"Haley, quit pulling!"
Haley pulled him to the saloon, then pushed him through the door.
"Happy birthday!"
Alex looked around, surprised. "What's this?"
"A surprise party for your birthday, silly." She said with a smile. "Rowan got us all together for today."
Alex looked to where Rowan stood, smiling in her lilac and mint sundress. "All this for me?"
Rowan smiled. "Come on, Alex. Everyone's been waiting!"
Rowan stood off to the side, watching everyone enjoying themselves.
"You remembered my birthday?"
She looked up as Alex joined her. "Of course I did!" She smiled. "Do you like?"
Alex smiled and nodded. "I'm impressed. Thanks, Rowan."
Rowan's smile grew. "Your welcome. Here, this one's from me."
Alex took the small package and opened it, finding hazelnut cookies inside with a painting of the Zuzu City Tunnelers logo. "Did you paint this?"
Rowan nodded. "It's been awhile since I've painted, but I thought I'd get back into it. I hope it's alright?"
Alex nodded. "It's great."
Rowan couldn't help but smile, no longer caring if she blushed around him. "Good, I'm glad." She looked over as someone called Alex back over for presents. "You better hurry before they get antsy."
Alex nodded. "Come join us?"
Rowan smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Setting the rest on his bed, Alex turned to Rowan. "Thanks for helping carry everything."
Rowan smiled. "Of course. Your grandma has her hands full with your grandpa, and you did get a lot of stuff from the others."
Alex rubbed his neck and chuckled. "I wasn't expecting this. Let alone a surprise party just for my birthday."
Rowan smiled. "Well, that's what friends do. I'm just glad you enjoyed it."
Alex looked at her, a smile growing.
Rowan noticed him staring for a moment and she blushed. "What, is there something on my face?"
Alex blushed and shook his head. "No, sorry. I didn't mean to stare."
Rowan giggled. "It's alright, Alex. I doubt the world would stop spinning if you did."
Alex's blush deepened a bit as a thought crossed his mind, but he looked up as Rowan stretched and grabbed her bag.
"I should head home."
"Let me walk you to the door."
Rowan walked with Alex to his front door and she opened it. "I'm glad you had fun today."
Alex smiled at that and leaned against the door frame. "Thanks for the party."
Rowan's smile grew, as did her blushing. "Your welcome."
They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, before Rowan cleared her throat. "I should, um... I should go. See you around?"
Alex nodded. "See you around."
Rowan smiled, making her way down the road. She stopped and turned, seeing Alex still in the doorway. "Happy birthday, Alex."
Alex smiled. "Thanks, Rowan. Have a good night."
Rowan waved. "You too." She smiled and turned away, heading across the town square and down the road home.
Alex watched until she faded into the night and smiled, closing the door behind him. Kissing his grandma's cheek good night, he made his way to his bedroom and lay back. 'She remembered my birthday and did all that for me...' His smile grew as he thought about the farm girl who had come into his life not too long ago.
The next day, Rowan worked in her fields until midday when Alex and a few others from town decided to stop by.
"Rowan!"
Rowan looked up and smiled, waving to her friends as they came up to her fields. "Hey guys, what's up?"
"We're going to Marnie's lake for a swim." Sam said. "Shane's going to join us when we get there. Want to come with us?"
Rowan looked around at her work. "Sure, let me just change real quick." She pulled off her gloves and started up her steps. "Why don't you guys come in while you wait?"
Alex, Sam, Sebastian, Maru, Abigail, and Haley followed her inside and stood, waiting in the living room while Rowan hurried to change.
Rowan changed into her swimsuit, the same teal bikini with black stripes as she had worn at the luau- and the only swimsuit she owed- then pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top before slipping into her sandals and hurrying back to the living room. "Ready."
"Let's go then!"
They walked through the farmland along the path Rowan had set up and down the road that led to Marnie's. The boys raced to the lake while the girls walked behind them, laughing as they shoved each other into the water. Just as they got to the dock, Shane was joining them from the road that led into town- having just got off of work.
"Come on, ladies! Hop in!"
Haley stripped off her clothes rather provocatively, Maru and Abigail just threw theirs off and ran down the dock before cannonballing into the lake, and Rowan stood by the nearest tree and set everyone's stuff together and out of the way. She pulled off her clothes, setting them on top of her sandals before heading to the dock. When she got closer, the others called her in but Alex came up behind her and scooped her up into his arms.
"Alex, what're you-"
*splash*
Rowan resurfaced after Alex threw her into the lake and she glared at him. "Not cool!"
Alex laughed with everyone else and knelt down, smirking at her as she swam up to the dock. "What're you going to do about it?"
Rowan grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. "This!" She leaned back and pushed against the dock with her feet, pulling Alex into the water with the rest of them. When they resurfaced, Alex still had an arm around her waist from when he had grabbed onto her to try and keep his balance.
Rowan blushed as much as he did when they realized how close they were, but she stuck her tongue out and splashed him. "That should teach you not to pull crap like that."
Sam nudged Sebastian. "I don't know, he seemed to really get a kick out of that."
Alex and Rowan's flustered cheeks grew redder and they pushed away from each other.
"Well, now that we're all here, let's play chicken!" Sam said, grinning.
Sam and Haley waved as they took the road east from Marnie's to get home while the others headed back north to take the road from Rowan's home.
Abigail and Maru went a ways ahead of Alex as he stopped and looked back at Rowan.
"See you around, Rowan."
Rowan smiled. "See you around, Alex. You and the girls be safe getting home, OK?"
Alex nodded, returning her smile before he hurried to join up with the others.
Rowan watched until they disappeared around the bend. She smiled, looking up at the stars. "Thanks for this, Grandpa. Moving to Stardew Valley, taking over your farm... it was the best thing that could have happened to me."
