The past few days proved to be less hectic than our initial days on the island. After Noe had left Chelsea and I hurried over to Taro's where everyone was luckily gathered so we could tell them about what we had just witnessed. I was a little reluctant to tell them myself since I didn't know how the whole "Holy crap we just saw a small magic guy who appeared out of nowhere and told us he knows the Goddess" thing would go down so I let Chelsea do most of the talking. She explained the whole story to them, or at least as much as we knew, and even though they were a bit skeptical that we really saw some pint sized man they seemed to welcome the idea of naming this place Sunny Island.
I'm sure they think we're absolutely nuts.
Anyhow, after that and our standard dinner of fish Chelsea and I returned back to her house and decided to call it a night. At least I wanted to get to bed as soon as possible to avoid any more possible surprises. Yesterday we were greeted in the morning our brand new alarm clock and quite frankly I was glad to see that it worked. If we ever want to sleep in we can just ignore it and not have the fear of getting struck on the head with something wooden and hard. After taking care of our crops we got roped into helping Chen and Charlie set up shop by Taro since he was busy teaching Elliot and a very reluctant Natalie how to keep track of shipments for the bin.
Chen's initial supply contained some pretty basic stuff such as a few seeds, simple cooking ingredients, and a few other 'necessities' similar what he gave us the other day but he also brought with him food.
Yes, FOOD!
He was kind enough to give Chelsea and me a few bags full of rice balls, bread loaves, and cold soup. Sure it isn't the best food in the world but hey, it's better than fish every night. We had to deliver some over to Taro's house as well and once that was done we returned back to the house to organize our food before sampling it and heading to bed.
Today seems like it might be a little more… interesting however.
I woke up around ten in the morning according to our clock to find that it was another stormy day. Damn that Taro for not warning any of us this time. Granted it wasn't as bad as the previous storms but it still seemed like enough to keep us inside for the time being. Surprisingly, Chelsea had managed to sleep through the alarm going off and I had at least then decided to let her sleep. She just looked so cute while she's asleep with her hair all messed up as it sprawls out all over her pillow.
Oh my Goddess… these thoughts. I knew that they were true but am I really crushing this hard on her already? I mean it's practically only been a week since we met and I can't seriously have called her cute this many times right? I mean she is but… Damn it, I have to stop thinking like this.
That's when I had a thought, if I woke her up I'd have a distraction. I mean sure, it was her but we could talk about something and I could get my mind off of at least her appearance.
I hopped off my makeshift seat on the table and tiptoed over to the bed.
"Hey Chelsea..." I begin quietly as I approach the bedside.
Suddenly a roar of thunder crashed through the sky and shook the room. I could only assume it registered better than our alarm a few feet away from the bed as it was enough to cause Chelsea to shoot up from her spot on the mattress. The surprise of that was enough to make me fall back.
So much for my peaceful approach it seemed.
"What was that?" She nervously asked as she looked up and around at the ceiling.
"Thunder…" I answered from the floor as I rubbed my back. It still managed to hurt from when Chelsea fell on top of me the other day actually.
She leaned over the bed and looked down at me. "Oh, I'm sorry Mark, did I scare you?"
"N-No." I told her nervously as I quickly stood up and tried to recompose myself. "You didn't scare me, not at all."
"Then why were you on the floor then? Hm?" She asked playfully.
"Oh, well I was just… well, er…" I stuttered.
"Oh I'm just kidding Mark." She laughed as she got out of bed. "It's alright, I know I startled you."
Great, now she thinks she can scare you… way to go Mark.
"So it's raining pretty hard out there huh?" She asked as she walked over to the window and took a peek outside.
"Yeah, looks like we're stuck in here again… together…" I replied nervously. Yup, this is definitely better than when I was thinking about her while she slept.
"Aw, are you still not used to living with me yet?" She asked in her playful, bubbly voice as she approached me.
I swear I wanted to smack that cute little face of hers or something so that maybe she'll hate me and stop talking to me and just leave me alone. But how could I do that to someone so… cute…
"Well?" She asked.
I wish I had a mirror or something then so I could see just how red my face probably was. "Well… I… err."
She flashed a smile. "Oh it's alright Mark, I understand. I mean, I think its a little weird too you know, living with a stranger. But I guess it's refreshing living with someone so kind… for once." She practically whispered that last part.
"Kind?" I asked.
She smiled, but it wasn't like the one she just had on. It was… uneasy.
"Yeah, kind." She replied.
I shook my head. "No, I meant that last part… for once?"
Her eyes widened for a moment as if she was embarrassed by something. "Oh, did I just…? Oh no, no, no, no, no, it's nothing. Nothing at all."
I soon found that uneasy looking smile on my own face. Something didn't seem right.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Mark! There's. nothing. wrong. okay?" She snapped at me, pausing in-between each word to place emphasis on each one.
I was a bit taken aback by her sudden anger and backed off, both literally and figuratively. Her eyes narrowed at me as she began to clench her teeth. It felt like we stared at each other for forever before she finally became less tense.
Sighing, she slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge before hunching over and fixing her view on the rain outside the window.
"Sorry…" Was all she uttered.
I stayed quiet and just stared at her.
She sighed again and adjusted her view towards her feet. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that Mark. I'm sorry."
I wasn't honestly sure how to respond. Should I accept her apology and move on? Should I comfort her? Try to figure out what's wrong?
"It's just… you're right…" She began for me. "This is… kind of the first time… for once."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"It's… it's just that I've never lived with someone like you before…" She answered quietly.
I was confused, I mean what was that supposed to mean?
I noticed as my posture became less tense and I started to stand up straight again. "What do you mean?"
She took a deep breath before replying. "It's just… it seems like nobody really likes me…"
I almost wanted to call her a liar for saying such a thing. I couldn't believe something like that was true.
"What?" I asked. It was the only thing I could really think of saying.
"It's just, I don't know… I guess you could say my family wasn't really… supportive…" She answered.
My mind started to go to a whole bunch of dark scenarios to try and figure out what she meant. I didn't approve, let alone like, any of them.
I slowly approached her. "You… you don't mean they…?"
Her body began to shake as she raised up her hand and pinched the air to signify the idea of 'a little.' Her eyes still remained fixated on the wooden floor at her feet.
A whirlwind of emotions overcame me. I stepped back briefly in shock before looking down and clenching my fists in anger. I was mad, upset, and sad all at the same time. I didn't even know her parents but I already knew I despised them with just that one bit of information. Looking back at her I noticed as she continued to shake, practically on the verge of tears. I had to do something.
So I hugged her.
I didn't care if it felt a little strange or maybe even inappropriate, especially given my unspoken possible feelings for her. She needed it.
"I… I thought I'd be able to get away from it once I moved out when I was old enough." She began to choke out. Whether or not she planned on acknowledging or even noticing my gesture didn't matter to me. "I decided to rent a space with a friend from school but he ended up being a real jerk too."
I gave no reply and simply continued to hold her.
"I… I guess he really only wanted to room with me because I was a girl…" She continued to essentially cry. "He didn't care about me… No… All he cared about was…"
My body shook again at the very thought of where she could have been heading.
"Chelsea, he didn't?" I asked, that sense of anger beginning to fill me again.
She rested her head on my shoulder and shook her head. "N-no… he… might have tried but…"
It was at that moment that she started to really cry.
"We fought Mark. I told him no and we fought… All the screaming and yelling… I wanted to get away…"
I pulled her closer to me to try and tell her that it was okay.
"He hit me and told me that he was going to kick me out but I told him I was going to move out anyway and I did…" She resumed, sounding just a tad calmer than before. "I stayed in a small one room place down in the city for a few months and told myself I had to get away."
"So you bought that boat ticket and wound up here." I finished for her.
She nodded her head before keeping it on my shoulder as she continued to softly cry.
I had no idea what to do, I really didn't. I could tell that the hug alone was providing her the comfort she so desperately needed at the moment but I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't doing enough. I guess she really got to me
After a moment I started to gently rub her back. "It's uh, okay Chelsea. It's alright. You're away from all of that now."
She sniffled before looking up at me, her eyes red and tear stained. "Y-y-yeah… You're right."
She tried her hardest to smile at me.
"I… would have never guessed that… well… I mean you always seem so happy." I told her. I was being honest at least. I would have never expected such a past from her.
The smile vanished from her face as she looked away, almost as if she was ashamed with herself. "I know… I try my hardest to look happy so I can try and forget about all of that stuff… but sometimes… I just slip up, you know?"
"It's alright." I told her. "I understand."
She wiped the remaining tears in her eyes and gave me a weak smile.
I let go of her and got up from my spot on the bed. "How about some food, I bet that will cheer you up." I asked as I headed towards the fridge.
"A-alright, what do we have?" She asked. A hint of sadness still lingered in her voice.
I open the fridge and looked at our admittedly disappointing food supply. "Well we have bread, rice balls, and soup. Not sure if you'll want any of the soup though since we don't have any bowls around here, let alone a stove to heat it with."
"I guess I'll just have a rice ball." She answered quietly.
I grabbed two of them off one of the shelves shut the fridge door with my foot as I turned back to face Chelsea. I tossed her one of the rice balls and she reached out to grab it but I guess I forgot how delicate these things are and it instantly broke into a bunch of individual rice grains on impact. I nervously stared at her since I was unsure of how she'd handle the situation but as soon as I heard her start to laugh I loosened up.
"Heh, isn't that funny?" She asked.
"I totally didn't expect that." I replied as I walked over to her and held out my rice ball. "Here, have mine."
She smiled and took it from my hands and began to eat while I walked back to the fridge and got another one. I took at seat beside her once more as we both began to eat our 'meal.'
"You were right Mark, I do feel better." She told me once she finished.
I just looked at her and smiled since I was still finishing up my own.
She laughed again. "I can already tell Mark, even if we've only know each other a week. We're gonna be great friends… I know it…"
I gobbled down my last bits of rice before responding. "Yeah, I know it too."
She gave me another smile. "So… what do you want to do now then?"
"I don't know." I answered crawled over to my side of the bed and laid down. "I think I might go try to take a nap and sleep away this back pain of mine."
"Your back still hurts?" She asked.
"Well yeah, I mean you did fall on top of me the other day." I reminded her.
"Oh, so are you calling me fat or something?" She asked me jokingly while placing her hands on her hips to try and act all pouty.
"No, not at all." I told her as I leaned up a bit and held my hands up in front of me. "It just hurt that's all."
"I know, I probably shouldn't have waited so long to help you." She said with a laugh.
"Eh, it's alright." I said as I fully sat back up. "You still have ways to go in hurting me until we're even."
"Even for what?" She asked.
"For dragging you off the boat and starting this whole thing." I answered.
"I thought I told you that that was alright." She remarked.
"I know but I still feel guilty about it." I admitted. I mean I really did.
"You really shouldn't feel so bad about it Mark. If it wasn't for me you would've probably died remember?" She asked. "You hit your head really hard on the boat as we fell and I managed to make sure you didn't drown."
"Hm, so I guess I owe you my life then huh?" I asked, trying my best to make it sound rhetorical. I wouldn't expect her to be the kind of person to take advantage of such a statement so I guess it was just a force of habit or something.
She laughed. "I guess you could say that."
I laughed as well but stopped when she began to crawl up to me.
"Let me check that bump of yours." She said.
"W-What?" I asked nervously as I backed into the headboard, only for her to come closer.
"The bump on your head, from the accident." She explained as she delicately removed my hat and set it aside. "I want to see if it's healed or not."
My cheeks began to heat up and probably turned a bright red as I felt her hand begin to slowly brush through my hair. Surprisingly, at least initially, it seemed as though her focus was indeed on finding that bump but then it turned into something more. Her ocean blue eyes slowly panned down to mine as her hand glided down from the top of my head to my cheek.
A nervous smile formed on her face. "Heh, guess it's all healed up."
I couldn't even utter out a yeah or something. My entire mind was focused on this beautiful girl before me. I couldn't tell how long had passed until it finally happened. Without a word I felt as Chelsea's hand on my burning red cheek began to pull me towards her as she leaned in closer. Giving into the moment, I saw as she began to shut her eyes as I did the same and once they closed our lips closed together. In that moment all the thoughts I had about whether it was wrong for me to have feelings for her vanished as I accepted what was happening and embraced it. I embraced her too.
Eventually, without so much as a care of how much time has passed she pulled away from me and stared at me. A smile was painted across her face.
I still really couldn't believe it. Did we just… kiss? I think I liked it.
It took a booming rumble of thunder to snap us out of our trance and just like that the reality of what had just occurred seemed to dawn on us both. Her cheeks turned as red as her bandana.
"M-M-Mark…" She stuttered. "D-did we j-just…?"
I didn't know what to say but my body just decided to blurt it out anyway.
"Yeah…"