The last night of that Summer was as bubbly as ever. The entire town was gathered at the docks to watch the jellies float on by. Everyone was happy, which made me even happier.

Currently, everyone was talking excitedly among themselves, waiting for the mayor to send the candle out to coax the jellies over. I was sitting in my usual spot, and to my delight, Sam sat right beside me.

I was happy, don't get me wrong… but there was one little matter that weighed on my heart a little bit, despite the fact there wasn't much I could do about it. I looked over at where Sebastian and Abigail used to sit. This year… it was just Abigail. I couldn't read her expression, but I could tell that she was just sitting and staring out at the water. Maybe, if I could work up the courage, I'd get her perspective on the whole issue. Right now, though, that courage was far out of my reach.

What weighed on me a little more was that I hadn't seen Sebastian whatsoever. I was going to be so sad if I found out he was holed up in his room while the beautiful Jellies were coming to visit.

"Have you seen Sebastian tonight?" I even asked Sam.

Sam's face took on a slightly somber look as he replied "He said he wasn't coming. Didn't feel up to it."

"Oh," I replied. Unfortunately, it seemed my fear had come true.

"…I'm thinking we should bring him something, though," Sam continued. His somber look was replaced with a mischievous one. "Hey, should I grab one of the Jellies out of the water?"

"Nah, that might not be a good idea," I laughed. "I like where your brain is, though."

"Yeah, you're right," he laughed.

"…Maybe a seashell?" I asked.

I looked around… and just so happened to see the most beautiful blue shell on the shore over by the beach river.

"I see an awesome one," I said, standing up. "I'm going to go get it."

When I returned with the shell in my hands, Sam said "What if he's asleep?"

"…Oof, yeah," I said. "Banging on the door may not be the best idea."

"…Let's leave it by his motorcycle," Sam suggested. "Or by the garage door."

"Ooh, that's a good idea!" I agreed. "With… maybe a note that we missed him or something like that?"

"Maybe," said Sam. "But it would be funny if we just left the shell. He'd be so confused."

"…You know what, you're right," I agreed, not finding myself able to argue with that.

"Come on," Sam said, standing up. "We've still got some time before the Jellies arrive."

"O-Oh, yeah," I said, standing up as well, albeit not having planned to do this now. It was probably the best thing, though; everyone else was here, if we wanted to be sneaky about this.

So he and I went over to Sebastian's house. I went through town in the dead of night all the time, but this time felt… different, for a few different reasons.

Firstly, it was darker than usual. There were barely any lights on anywhere, probably to take the light pollution down to a minimum for the Jellies.

Secondly, everyone was at the beach. That felt a little different than knowing everyone was in their homes, with the occasional house even still having their lights on.

Thirdly… the rest of Stardew Valley was currently my and Sam's oyster. Come on. I was venturing through a dark and empty town on a summer night with my crush. I even had to brush a couple of, er, spicier thoughts away as we got closer to the mountain.

All that aside, though, we approached Sebastian's house. The garage was actually open, and Sebastian's motorcycle sat there, practically posed to impress. The moonlight even reflected off it to where Sebastian HAD to have polished it recently.

I went ahead and placed the seashell on the seat. Sebastian definitely wouldn't miss it that way.

"Awesome," Sam whispered. "…Where'd you even find that? It's rad looking."

"It was just kinda on the shore over by the river," I replied. "…Maybe this was meant to be."

"Yeah…" said Sam.

There was a pause, lasting a good few seconds. We found ourselves just kinda standing there. There existed just about nothing but the crickets, the frogs, the stars, the moon, and Sam.

I wondered if he felt that way, too. I will say, his gaze was aimed my way that whole time. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, though.

The thought of the Jellies returning, I said "We should get back before the Jellies arrive."

"Yeah…" Sam agreed.

Of course, it wasn't until we'd left the mountain that I realized the romantic tension that pause had had. I could've made a move, seen for myself at long last how Sam felt about me. I'd been totally blind to an opportunity. Fuck.

Then again… maybe Sebastian's garage wouldn't have been the best place for shit to happen, either. Knowing me, I totally would've fumbled any kind of move, too, which would maybe even fucked up our friendship. I didn't have no degree in flirting.

We got back to the beach, and people were still bustling with the same level of conversation. Seemed like we hadn't missed anything.

As we stepped back onto the dock, I asked "How's the band coming along?"

"Well, um… Abigail left," said Sam. "For a bit, Sebastian and I were at a complete loss. But around the middle of the season, we… sort of got our inspiration back. So we've just been figuring out what to do."

We got back to our spot and sat down.

"I could insert some drum loops into a song myself," he continued. "But… it just doesn't have the same authentic feel. And how would we perform live?"

"Hmm…" I pondered. "The live-show issue is kinda rough… and this isn't a complete solution, but… maybe you could do some songs without drums."

"Hm?" asked Sam.

"I imagine a keyboard and a guitar would be great for some songs all on their own," I said. "And maybe you could put in some minimal drums, but minimal enough to where it doesn't matter how authentic they feel. I-I mean… you probably know more about music than I do, but it's a thought."

"No, that's actually… That's a great thought," said Sam. "Thanks. I'll discuss it with Sebastian."

I noticed that the crowd had quieted down to a whisper. I then saw that the candle had been sent out, and the Jellies were already starting to head our way.

Sam and I both just kinda watched them happily. I found myself stealing glances at his relaxed and smiling face every ten seconds or so. I couldn't help but think about how special this whole thing was, even though it happened every year.

Little things changed in the background. We all got a little older. Our friends had been a couple last year, but it was now just one of them sitting at the end of a pier alone. The wood of the dock got just a little more worn and torn.

But every Dance of the Moonlight Jellies still felt like my first.

One of those glances I made at Sam, our eyes ended up meeting. I quickly looked back at the Jellies, hoping I hadn't just weirded him out.