The Flower Dance was taking place over in the forest.
Some part of me felt like I belonged there. I couldn't really think of any logical reason for me to be there; this was probably just that little part of me that would have killed to get closer to Sam. That ruthless desire I had to suppress for the sake of my mental health.
It was just enough for me to heave some heavy sighs a few times throughout my day.
I started by finally clearing out some of my farm and laying some paths down. I felt like I was finally making something of this place, like the guilt of my grandfather's pride and joy being a mess could finally be gone.
As I laid down the last of what I had the refined quartz to create, I looked out over the farm and realized… it was probably much bigger than I thought because trees were blocking my view of a lot of it. I momentarily felt this weight of defeat in my heart.
Still… what I had accomplished was honest work. I had never embodied the "It ain't much, but it's honest work" meme so perfectly in all my life. Over time, this honest work would build, and this farm would be beautiful. I just had to believe in myself.
But one look at my watch told me that believing in myself anymore would have to wait until tomorrow. It would be sundown by the time I even got to the mines to get more quartz.
So I headed to the beach, as one does.
When I got there, the sun was already reaching for the horizon, as if the sea was the sun's bedsheets that it was so desperately reaching for after a long day. If the sun could get tired, I imagine it totally would.
The way the light fell on only half of anything made it so that I didn't notice something very particular until I was five steps from stepping on it. Him, I should say.
When I rounded the corner of Willy's shop, there very precariously lied Sam, on his back, playing a handheld game, on the pier where we usually sat. His head was pointed in my direction.
…How long had he been there? There was no way in hell he could have been waiting for me, right?
He must have gotten here moments prior. That had to be it. But… even then…
Before my mind could sink into unfortunately familiar territory, I distracted it by saying "Well, hey. That doesn't look safe."
Sam moved his head to look at me (at my feet, but still), then said "Nah, probably not."
He kicked up into a sitting position, then put the handheld into his jacket pocket.
I figured it was okay to ask "How long have you been here?"
"Maybe…" Sam replied, trying to find the right words. "…Anywhere from an hour to a few hours?"
What.
"Well, I'm, uh… sorry to keep you waiting," was all I could think to say as I sat down beside him.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," he smiled. "The Flower Dance was fun and all, but… it can get stuffy pretty quick."
"What actually happens?" I asked, dropping my line down in the water in front of me. "From what I've heard, you pick a partner, and do this pre-choreographed dance. I even heard there's no physical contact involved."
"Bingo," said Sam. "You just kinda… stare at each other."
"Really?" I asked.
"The flowers are real pretty, though," said Sam.
"Heh, so it really is a Flower Dance, isn't it?" I laughed.
"Yeah, but… it's just dancing around a bunch of flowers," said Sam. "A pre-choreographed dance within a… proximity of some flowers."
I snickered. The guilt of not going was gone in a flash.
"I take it you're… not really into that stuff?" asked Sam.
"I was never really into dances," I answered, feeling a tug on my line. "I think I only went to them in the past because…"
I hesitated because the second part of this sentence was going to be sappy as all hell, and I debated even saying it.
"Because?" asked Sam.
Well, I'd really put my foot in my mouth now. Fuck it.
"I was a lonely kid," I sighed, reeling in a halibut. "I'm still a lonely adult, but… kid me was pathetic. Felt like she would die if she didn't ever get a boyfriend. That kind of thing. I went to dances thinking some kind of teen movie scenario would play out, where some guy would see me all alone and fall in love with me from across the room or some shit." I cringed. "I, uh… Well, even after I moved on from that phase, dances just… never worked for me. Maybe I just wasn't going with the right people, I dunno. But… when it comes to dances, I always end up a wallflower." I cast my line again. "Not to mention, I suck at dancing, anyway."
"I get that," Sam responded, looking down at the water. "Part of me has always thought dances were lame… but another part of me was always like 'You'll get to dance with a girl,' I guess."
I almost jokingly called him a fuckboy for that last remark, but decided against it.
Another few moments of silence, before I piped up with some news.
"Hey, so… I got to witness something recently," I smiled smugly.
"Oh?" asked Sam. "What's that?"
"I was coming back from the mines," I said. "And… I heard Sebastian and Abigail talking, and… he asked her if she wanted to ride with him on his motorcycle sometime."
"What?!" Sam reacted, so suddenly I almost dropped my fishing pole.
"Dead serious," I said.
He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. After a few seconds, he decided to say something else.
"I wish I coulda been there to see that," he huffed.
"I wish you could've seen it, too," I laughed. "I walked away wondering how much you would've paid to see that."
"Ten bucks, at least," Sam answered.
I snickered as something tugged on my line. Didn't have to go to that dumb dance after all.
Author's note: So I was listening to a playlist I made on Spotify while proofreading this. The playlist ended, and Spotify started playing recommended things… and the first thing it played is a song from Stardew Valley. It knew.