Like It Was Nothing at All

Chapter 2: Chelsea POV

Three years have I been on these islands. The debris on my field has been cleared, replaced with crops and a pasture for my animals. My house is fully upgraded. My chores are now all finished by 9 am (8am on a good day). All the islands have risen. I've become friends with almost everyone.

But why am I inexplicably lonely?

Okay, so maybe a part of me knows, deep down inside. The grumbling feeling seeing Julia and Elliot on the beach. The uncomfortableness when Pierre joins Nat and I at the diner. The urge to hurl when I see Denny and Lanna cozying up where I intended to fish.

All my friends are pairing up, while I'm here by my lonesome self.

All I've been doing was paying attention to the farm, to the point that I pushed aside any romantic interest. Friends? Sure. Love? There's no time for love. But now that I've finally settled down, I've found there are too many hours in a day, and the house I spent hours chopping wood for is too big for comfort.

No time consuming work and no available friends. The perfect combination for absolute boredom. My only relief was when Vaughn came to town. He had new stories from off the islands every week and also had to deal with our mutual friends abandoning us to couple up. It was a win-win situation!

I didn't notice him too much when I first met him. That dark, brooding figure in the corner or in the shadows. His eyes were cold, and his words were gruff and concise. Although I came in to say 'hi' to Mirabelle and Julia, there was no real reason for me to visit as I had yet to build the coop or barn. With the hours like minutes, I had to make use of my time as best as possible. Why bother with someone who clearly didn't like me? I said 'hi,' of course; I have my manners. But our interactions never went further than that.

Until Chessie arrived.

"A horse? Really?" I squeaked. In front of me were two majestic, fully grown horses. My modest height felt insignificant compared to them.

After Mirabelle reassured me it was a gift ("but you can only have one" she pointed out), I was soon in possession of my first horse. I named her Chestnut, after my favorite roasted snack. Mirabelle had to return the other one to the store, but she told me she'd come back and explain how to take care of her. A while later, black boots clunked their way over the bridge, and I was face to face with a familiar stranger.

"Hey, Mirabelle had to stay at the store, so she asked me to show you the ropes." His gruff expression didn't change at all, and I was pretty sure that was the most I've ever heard him speak. I was dumbstruck. "Where's the stable?"

I quietly led the way, too nervous to make a sound. I was even conscious of my footsteps. He seemed as though... He was very strict about his job. What if I didn't meet his standards?

The stable was clean enough. Although it wasn't previously in use, I still made it a habit of cleaning it now and then, leaving it at least presentable. As he inspected and gave me an approving nod, I felt myself exhale in relief. I hadn't even realized I held my breath.

"This is the feed dispenser. Mirabelle sells special horse feed back at the shop. She can also eat tall grasses and fodder. Try to stay off the horse treats; they can get addicting, but they're not full meals. Carrots and other crops are better but still keep them in moderation."

He taught me all the ins and outs about caring for a horse, down to the best way to brush and pet her. He seemed to have a magic touch, calming her down to a sleepy lull almost instantaneously.

"You're good." Oh wow, that sounded lame. As soon as that sentence slipped out, I almost wanted slap my forehead and hide in embarrassment. He stopped petting Chessie, who let out a low whine in response.

"Thanks." I perked up. His voice was so low that I could barely hear his reply. He turned away from me and adjusted his hat. After a few moments of silence, he began to speak again. "Well, that's it for horse care. If you have more questions, go to the shop and ask."

By the time I gathered my wits, he was already one foot out the door. I ran over to him, tapping him on the arm to get his attention. He stopped and looked down at me; the same cold glare in his eyes.

"Thanks." He nodded and tipped his hat. I lowered my hand, and he calmly walked away.

I made it a habit of buying feed when he was around. Mirabelle claimed it was easier for a man to deliver it, but Julia later pulled me aside and confided to me that her mom hoped he would open up more to someone else. No problem, as my number of farm animals increased so did my questions about them. I noticed Mirabelle made it a point for Vaughn to join our conversations. Later on, I gathered enough nerve to talk to the man directly instead. First impressions were proven false. Although he didn't like me at first, he didn't hate me. Plus, he was the king of the animals, a true animal whisperer. Anyone who got that many animals to like him had to be a good person, right? Too bad it felt as though all of his kindness went towards them.

Getting to know him was slow. The man was only in town two days of the week, and not even visible sometimes depending if there was a festival or bad weather.

We eventually became best friends though. That little grumpypuss finally realized it was more fun to have adventures with me than wander listlessly for two days straight. When our friends got into couple-mode at the diner, we could talk to each other instead of quietly third-wheeling until the food was finished. Mondays and Tuesdays were the best. Julia and Natalie would point out how I was mopey most of the time, but, when Vaughn was around, that feeling dissipated like it was nothing at all.

I wondered why they would proceed to grin and whisper after I agreed though.