The stars were twinkling on the sky above and the moon was full, generously illuminating the valley almost as if it was still daytime. There was no snow falling tonight, as the season prepares its swift change to Spring.

Wrapped in a red wool blanket, Estella, the local jack-of-all-trades, was spending the night gazing at the celestial bodies above her that named both herself and the valley she proudly called her home on a small pier by the sea, her legs bent towards herself.

To pass the time and break the eerie silence of the Winter night, she was humming the lyrics to the latest song by some popular band in the city she never bothered to learn the name of, when she was startled by the creaking of the wooden planks behind her.

"Estella? What are you doing up at this time of night?" A grave voice asked from a few feet behind.

The brunette boy calling for her was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a sweater with the stamp of his favourite sports team. The farmer remembers when it arrived on the mail, how happy he was for being able to purchase such memorabilia that actually fit on his large figure.

"Can't sleep." She shrugged as a response, shifting her attention back to the heavenly display above them. "Why are you up, Alex?"

The boy sat next to her on the pier, letting his legs tangle above the water.

"Can't sleep either." He responded with ease. "Doctor Harvey prescribed new medication to my grandparents, and now they sleep like very, very noisy rocks. I don't know how I'll be able to sleep from now on."

Estella laughed softly at the implications.

A comfortable silence settled in between the two of them. A thin smile slipped on the young man's lips as she put her head on his chest. Alex took the opportunity to close the distance between them, grabbing her ankles to pull her until her legs were draped over his own.

She gasped as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck, smelling the fragrance of chocolate and chamomile similar to the scent of the tiny county kitchen he had at his home.

The girl smiled and brought one hand up to the back of his head, gently brushing her fingers on the nape of his neck. Alex resisted the temptation to kiss her perfect jaw, not wanting to rush anything. He did not want her to step away from him, he liked to be close to her. It was not unusual to see the two teenagers in this position even though they never crossed the line between friendship and love.

"Are you falling asleep on me, Alex?" She whispered, a teasing smile on her delicate lips.

"You are more comfortable than my pillow." He hummed against her throat.

"Do you want to go back to your house?" Estella asked him, shifting her head to look at the boy's face.

Alex pouted and shook his head before pressing his forehead against her collarbone.

"No. I just want to stay with you." He whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against her skin that made her shiver.

She slid her calloused hand onto the side of his neck, thumb stroking the lining of his jaw. He squeezed her hips, pulling her even closer. Her heart was hammering in her chest at the idea of what was coming.

Estella never gave herself permission to fall for Alex, knowing very well his reputation with the female population and that annoyingly narcissistic personality of his. To be fair, neither did he ever believe that she would dare initiate something more than friendly with him, even though he had teased her many times about it.

His intense gaze drifted down to her enticing lips and up again to her beautiful, kind eyes.

Alex froze when her plump lips brushed against his own. A wave of relief took hold of her when he locked her lips on his. One of her hands slipped back in the hair at the back of his head while the other laid on his chest.

He tilted his head, intensifying the kiss as their lips worked in perfectly synchronized motions. One of his large hands left her hips and cupped the back of her neck, applying gentle pressure to deepen the kiss further.

They felt like they were riding a high, not like the one they always got when drinking at the saloon, so very different than the heavy sensation on the limbs through the relaxation of alcohol. No, kissing someone you loved that much was something indescribable.

Throughout the years since Estella moved to Stardew Valley, they had many opportunities, drunken and sober alike, where they could have shared kisses or even go further than the first base, but they had always resisted. To Alex, their friendship was too precious, and she was too scared of rejection.

So, she had tried to keep herself from doing it, knowing it would change something between them, but tonight he just looked so irresistible she had to seize the opportunity and she was willing to lose their friendship in a gamble for his heart.

His tongue swiped against her bottom lip and instantly felt her grip on his neck tighten. She allowed his tongue to slip into his mouth while his hand left her neck to lay on her lower back.

Alex pulled her forward until his chest was pressing against hers together and she was straddling his lap. Her teeth nipped at his bottom lip, stealing a low groan from him. Her lips left his, trailing kisses down his sharp jaw and onto his neck that smelled like heaven to her. His fingers gripped her hips as a moan left his lips when she sucked a dark purple mark at the base of his neck.

Yoba, had Alex dreamt about her marking him as hers many times at night. How much he waited and wished for something like that to happen, and how happy he is that she finally made the first move. That he would be able to show her the extent of his desire.

His hands wandered under the oversized shirt she wore while she left open mouth kisses along his throat.

Out of breath, he cupped her face in his hands, anchoring his gaze in hers. His thumbs grazed her reddened cheeks as she smiled shyly.

"What's wrong, honey?" he whispered, their faces so close she could feel his warm breath against her face.

"Nothing, just... I-I don't want to go too fast, it's all." She said, playing with the hem of his shirt. "I don't want to mess this up."

His face softened. Alex brought her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles while keeping eye contact with her.

"Believe me, Estella, I want to take this slow too." He responded with a beaming smile. "I'm not messing this up after dreaming about it for so long."

While they did not go that slow that night, they did not mess anything up. Life went onwards, and they remained together for many more stargazing sessions to come.