Shane's P.O.V.

I fumbled my way through the darkness of the forest before finally reaching the southern entrance of the farm. Staring out at the pitch-black farmland I swallowed hard at the thought of getting caught, keeping my footsteps light. I stood there for a moment, my breathing in time with the sound of the summertime crickets chirping. Their presence made me feel watched. I really shouldn't be sneaking around like this… I knew that. But I had to. I couldn't stand it anymore. Putting my feelings of unease to one side, I squinted through the darkness until my eyes picked up on a small light slicing quietly through the night. Rain's house. I cautiously tiptoed onwards.

That crazy scheme is something that came to me suddenly. I wasn't exactly planning to do it – I figured if I pondered on it for too long then I'd chicken out. After my cowardice at the Luau, I felt pretty pathetic. Once again, I only even went to the stupid event for the free food. That, and because aunt Marnie wanted me to – she wasn't happy with me at all after the situation at the Saloon so I wasn't really in any position to refuse. I didn't really think that Rain would show up. No, more than that – I just didn't think. Of course she'd be there, and there I was, stuffing my face like the animal I am. So of course, when I looked up and saw her looking my way, what did I do? Man up and apologise? Play it cool and ignore her? Oh no. I decided to panic and run away like a child. Congrats, Shane, you're even more pathetic than ever before. That could've been my chance to make up for things, but I blew it.

After that, there was no use in waiting for another chance – it just wasn't coming. It had been over a week since the Luau. She didn't turn up at the Saloon at all during that time, and I never saw her on my way to work. Of course, she still visited aunt Marnie for dancing lessons at the house, but I just hid away in my room. She never asked after me, either. I started to get the impression that she really wanted nothing more to do with me… Not that I could blame her. But, I'd finally had enough. I was wracked with guilt. I felt like a total idiot. So, while I was at work that day, I decided I had to do something. I wanted to visit her. I wanted to apologise… But, of course, I knew I'd mess it up somehow. I've never really had a way with words. So in the end, I decided I'd write her a letter instead. Luckily, I'd been assigned a couple hours of paperwork in the backroom of Joja that day, so I could covertly write it all out. "Dear"… I was already stuck. Do I use her full name? Or do I just call her Rain? Would 'Mirabelle' be too rigid? But at the same time, wouldn't 'Rain' be too casual given the situation? Ugh… I decided to opt for a simple 'Hey'. It might not have been approved letter format, but if it was in her mailbox she'd know who it was for anyway. "I thought it'd be fun to send you a letter." Fun? Are you stupid? I wasn't about to cross it out, though. And, I guess I didn't want to write my apology out. I kinda wanted to entice her into coming to talk to me so I could finally man up and apologise in person. But in that case, I didn't really know what to write about. "I don't really know what to write though." That's… Way too honest, isn't it? I guess my nerves were probably showing through in my writing… Though maybe that wasn't so bad. I didn't want to seem like I didn't care. Maybe I should give her a gift…? But what? I didn't have the money for something pricey. Food? Food's always a good option, right? Not that I could cook. Besides, Marnie would get suspicious if she saw me using the kitchen. She'd probably be happy that I'm trying to apologise but it'd be way too embarrassing to get her involved. Yeah… I wanted this to be between me and Rain. No more outside factors. That's what started this mess in the first place. My stupid jealousy. I didn't own Rain. I had no right to think I could tell her who to talk to and who not to, or even… Who to date, as much as it pained me. Maybe that was a misunderstanding too, though, but either way, it was none of my business.

I glanced over at the open store room to my left. The new shipment of pepper poppers had just come in – little plastic bags full of the spicy treats. Freeze dried and non-perishable – they were perfect for sending in a letter. I looked around sneakily before casually waltzing over to the store room, craftily removing a bag of pepper poppers and quickly putting them into the envelope in front of me. What? Don't judge me. Morris has stolen enough of my will to live – he can forego a packet of pepper poppers. I picked up the pen again, smirking to myself. "Here, I've enclosed a treat for you. Don't tell anyone, but I snagged this from the back room of Joja Mart." Well, it's probably best to be honest. Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right? "Okay, see you soon. Shane." I sealed the envelope and slipped it into my pocket before finally getting back to work. If I didn't have those papers sorted out by lunch, Morris would probably have my head.

…

So, that's how I wound up sneaking around Rain's farm that night. I'd waited until Jas was asleep and Marnie had gone out to the Saloon for the night, and made my way out of the forest cloaked in the cover of dusk. Finally, I'd made it onto the farmland, quietly edging toward the light of Rain's house. That light probably meant she was in there, and awake – I'd have to be careful. I didn't want to be spotted. I just had to make it to the mailbox on the right side of her house and make my way back into the forest, and I'd be home free. As I made my way over, I kept tripping up. Several twigs, weeds, rocks, and hard bumps in the ground were between me and the house, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so dark. Jeez, doesn't she use this side of the farm at all? Regardless, I struggled my way over to the house, bumping into trees and struggling to stay quiet every time I stubbed my toe on the rough ground. When I'd finally made it, I ducked under the window until I'd reached the mailbox. I slowly removed the letter from my pocket, my hands shaking in the darkness. I knew there was every chance she still wouldn't want to talk to me after this. She'd been avoiding me thus far so maybe this wouldn't change a thing. Maybe she'd even find it creepy. But… It didn't matter. I'd made it this far, and if I didn't follow through with my plan, nothing would happen. We'd be at a standstill and while maybe that'd be fine for Rain, it was killing me. Something had to happen as a result of this letter – whether we made up or she told me to get lost for good, anything would be better than this limbo. I clenched my right fist as my left slid the letter into her mailbox – but it got stuck. I pushed as hard as I could without damaging the letter, but it just wasn't happening. The pepper poppers had created a fat bubble at one end of the envelope, so it wouldn't go in any further. Damn it. Well, it was in there pretty securely, so it was good enough, I decided. I started to tiptoe away from the house, feeling prideful at how smoothly my plan unfolded, when suddenly I lost my footing as my toe got caught on another rock. I started to fall. "Agh-!"

Mira's P.O.V.

I pulled on my pyjama top and straightened out the duvet on my bed. It had been a long day – many of my crops were ready for harvest so I spent most of the afternoon carrying them over to the shipment box. I was finally getting used to the heavy labour, but that didn't change the fact that I've never been very muscular. Even being a bit taller might help… I let out a yawn.

I'd been hanging out with Leah and everyone a lot lately – it became part of my daily routine. Even Sebastian was finally making an effort to come outside regularly. It wasn't at all like school – I finally had friends. People liked me. They wanted me around. Anyone would be happy with that, right? Right…? My smile dropped as I thought about it. There was no denying it… Something was missing. Something about it all just felt… Empty. False. As if I'd paid a great price to get there. Maybe I'm just tired… I sighed, heading over to the light switch. As my finger brushed across it, I heard a loud splash from right outside. My head instinctively snapped towards the front door. That sounded like… The pond? I quickly unlocked the front door, scared that maybe Lyra had somehow escaped from her coop and ended up falling into the pond outside of my house. I flung open the door and my eyes widened. The light from the house illuminated the pond in an arc. It wasn't Lyra. Soaked to the bone and sitting awkwardly after a fall, the brunette man stared at me with fright like a deer caught in headlights. "Sh-Shane?"

…

I didn't really know what was going on, but I ended up inviting him inside for a towel. Reluctantly he accepted. He sat silently on the chair beside my bed as I went to find a towel. My hands trembled, meekly lifting a white towel from my wardrobe. Shane was in my house. Shane was sat right behind me, in the dead of night. Why was he here? What would he say? What would I say? The silence hung in the sticky summer night air. I tried to quiet my rapid breathing, swirling blood in my ears all I could hear. Did he want to apologise? Or… Was he not done yelling at me? Wait… Was he sneaking around my farm? Thoughts buzzed around my head, melting my mind into an inaudible puddle. Calm down. I clenched my fist around the towel through the shaking. Whatever his reason for being on my farm, I'd find out before long. I just had to retain composure until then. Forcing my expression into calmness, I turned around – and time stood still. My eyes widened. The trembling stopped, sure, but not for the intended reasons. Shane's soaking wet work jacket lay slumped on the floor beside him as he was halfway through taking off his damp shirt. He froze in that position, the expression of stupor on his face mirroring mine, the dewy skin on his chest glistening under the artificial light of my house. His deep hazel eyes were locked onto mine, widened just as mine were. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The trembling came back – finally averting my eyes, I quickly flicked my arm out to him, offering him the towel. I felt it slip out of my hand silently. He hadn't changed a bit… Still dorky and charming all at the same time. A pink flush rose to my cheeks at the thought, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I must really be an idiot, I thought, to think something like that after everything that's happened. For a heavy drinker, though, his body didn't look bad for it. Stop, stop, stop! No more of these thoughts! I pinched myself. I glanced back over to Shane, who was rubbing the towel through his hair. He wasn't looking at me anymore. I let out the breath that I'd been holding in my chest before lightly stepping over to my bed and sitting down, staring at the floor. I didn't know where to look. I didn't know what to say. As the towel brushed over his hair, a light spray of rainwater showered me. "…Thanks." He spoke at last.

"I-It's okay." I turned my head to face him. He was blankly staring forwards, my towel around his shoulders. "So… Um… Why exactly were you in my pond?"

"I fell in." Thanks, captain obvious. I didn't think he'd just decided to take a swim.

"Yeah, but… Why were you there in the first place?"

"U-uh…" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I came to… deliver… something." His eyes flitted to my window. The top of my red mailbox peeped just into view. Mail…? I creaked open my front door again. Shane nervously murmured incoherent words behind me. Did he not want me to look? I stepped out into the darkness, watching my footing for rogue twigs and rocks. I didn't want to end up taking a swim too. Looking at my mailbox, there was something bulging and misshapen sticking out of it. "What the…?" As I attempted to pull it out I put on hand on the top of my mailbox – the night time air had made its metal shell cold to the touch. I gave it a huge yank and the object came flying out – I nearly fell over backwards. In my hands was a white paper envelope, bloated at one end, which I assumed is what caused it to get stuck. "A letter…?" I muttered to myself, heading back into the soft light of the doorway.

"Is this what you came to give me?" I asked Shane, whose cheeks were now a little pink as he seemingly refused to hold eye contact with me. He was still shirtless, and it caught me off guard again. He seemed so innocent and vulnerable, I almost didn't recognise him as the same person who shouted at me in the bar. My cheeks felt hot as I tore the seal to the envelope. The ripping sound broke through the silence that hung between us awkwardly. At last the envelope was open and the small white sheet of paper folded in half inside revealed itself. I slid it out carefully, and with it came a small plastic packet full of pepper poppers. Um…? I tilted my head to one side before setting the packet down on my bed, and sitting down beside them, unfolding the letter. I thought I heard Shane hold his breath, though it was probably just my imagination. I appraised the letter carefully.

'Hey,

I thought it would be fun to send you a letter. I don't really know what to write, though.

Here, I've enclosed a treat for you. Don't tell anyone, but I snagged this from the back room of Joja Mart.

Okay, see you soon. Shane.'

I finished reading, but my eyes didn't move from the letter. I was dumbfounded. The words went in, sure, but it felt so… Surreal. To write me such a casual letter after everything that happened – I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. I looked up at Shane. He was looking down at the floor, flush-faced. My brow furrowed. Even if he did manage to leave unseen and I'd found the letter by myself, what then? Was I supposed to skip over to him as if nothing had happened? I lay the letter down beside me and rubbed my temples. I just didn't understand. I picked up the pepper poppers with my free hand and looked down at them. Was it a peace offering or what? And if it was, how was I supposed to know that? I was so confused.

"Uh…" Shane's quiet voice startled me, "I-if you don't like pepper poppers… I can go back and get a pizza…"

"Huh? No, it's fine…" I giggled at the simple thought. Shane let out a small sigh of relief, clearly misinterpreting my confusion. No… He really hadn't changed at all. I smiled covertly.

"You know…" Shane sighed hesitantly, "I've… been wanting to talk to you. About those things I said. But I kinda felt like I couldn't."

"Yeah… Me too." It was true. I let my friends pressure me into staying away from him – I really realised that just then, that I'd done something so pathetic. Shane had probably been beating himself up that whole time and I did nothing to help. Besides… The whole situation was probably my fault, anyway. I tried to force a smile. "To be honest, I'm still not sure what I did… But… I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologise." Shane gave me an intense look. "It was my fault. I just… I'm so used to not having anyone there and, I…" he sighed.

"Yeah." I understood how he felt exactly – I was the same. I'd somehow managed ever since moving to Pelican Town, but maybe I was just lucky… And maybe things had just moved way too fast between me and Shane. I'd only lived in Pelican Town for just over a season and we'd already been seeing each other every single day without fail, on schedule. He'd even told me some really personal stuff. I don't know… Maybe it all just felt a little premature. And that sort of escalating friendship just doesn't work for introverts like Shane. Maybe it all just got a bit too much. "Hey… Shane."

"…Yeah?"

"Why don't we just start over?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Hmm…" I tilted my head thoughtfully. "Well… Like I only just moved here! Like we only just became friends, maybe?"

"I… guess…" Shane frowned. "But that's not going to make what I said to you any better. It won't change the fact that it happened."

"Well, why not?" I put my hands on my hips. "Why should we be controlled by what happened? We're free to choose where we go from here! They're our lives!"

"Tch," Shane chuckled, "you always did have a rosy outlook on things."

"Hey…" I grumbled. I could feel my cheeks puffing out, but Shane just smiled.

"…Maybe you're right, though. Starting over might be for the best."

"Yeah!" I felt all the tension drain away from me. I was so happy to have made up with Shane. "Does this mean we get to introduce ourselves all over again?"

"Wh-what?" Shane stuttered awkwardly.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" I laughed. Shane went quiet. He looked down at the floor and fidgeted his hands around in his pocket uncomfortably. My smile dropped as I watched him. Did I mess up again? Was I too full on? Silence hung in the air until finally, slowly, Shane's hand, open-palmed, extended out to me. His eyes were still on the floor, his cheeks red. "…Shane. N-nice to meet you."

"Ah," I smiled wide, "Yeah! I'm… I'm Mirabelle! But most people call Mira!" I took his hand, which was still a little damp. "Or… Well… You could always just call me Rain. If you want to, that is."

"Yeah." He smiled softly. "I'll do that." Shane let go of my hand and stood up, collecting his clothes and returning my towel. "I'd better go… It's getting late."

"Oh, yeah. I kind of forgot," I giggled awkwardly.

"Heh." Shane turned the handle to my front door and stepped outside. "Well, see you around. Come by the Saloon some time."

"Okay!" I waved Shane off, switched off the lights and got into bed, still smiling to myself. Everything felt like it was coming together again – it'd probably take some time, but I felt like mine and Shane's friendship could end up being better than it ever was before. We could finally hang out again, just like we used to.

And we did. Most nights after the farming day was done I'd head into town and spend a couple of hours at the Saloon. I felt like I belonged in Pelican Town again. But before long, I realised that things just weren't as easy as planning to start over – there were always outside factors. One rainy summer night I headed up to the Saloon. Shane was of course already sat in his corner of the bar, nursing a beer. His face was glum – his eyes almost lifeless. He'd clearly had a rough day at work. I sat down beside him and we sat in comfortable silence, the odd exchange of words now and then. But then I noticed a head of bright amber hair across the bar from the corner of my eye; I looked across, and there was Leah, staring coldly at me. She held my gaze for a few seconds before looking away, shaking her head. My stomach dropped.

"Hey, Rain…" Shane mumbled coarsely, "do you ever feel like the world is scrutinising you like you're some sort of disgusting insect?"

His question hit me hard. Could I really not maintain my other friendships if I associated with Shane? Was I really not enough for them to see past that and accept me for who I am? I rested one elbow on the bar, my chin on my palm. "Yes, Shane... I do."

Author's Note: Hey, guys! Thanks so much for reading!

Hey, did anyone see ConcernedApe's interview at PAX? Lots of exciting news about the Stardew Valley update! He's aiming to release it in about a month's time! I can't wait! ~Nyannygiri