The rain returned in full force, catching me in a haze. I appreciated having the excuse of it for not seeing my fellow townsfolk. I kept indoors, venturing out only to tend to my animals and visit Rasmodius one last time to revert all of my physical changes. Another 500g went down the drain, but the loss of it was nothing compared to the abyssal gash in my heart.

I had last seen Sebastian on Tuesday, and today was Thursday. Tomorrow he would be setting out for his new home in the city. Every time I thought about it, my stomach dropped a little lower, and an uneasiness filled me. I knew the city, and I knew how badly it could burn and destroy people. Perhaps my decision to bring Sebastian to my little pocket of sanity within the urban jungle had backfired on me. The remorse settled heavily in me Tuesday night, and most of my hours of darkness were spent wiping away tears and trying in vain to soothe the rawness that his words had left in me. For the first time in many weeks, I was having nightmares again.

Wednesday had been much the same, though running in the rain must have brought on a dizzying head cold, which had persisted through most of the day, and then into the night. Misery was my sole companion now, as I could not bring myself to pet Dog or fill his water dish. He was fine; he didn't need me, though I felt guilty for failing to offer him my companionship in return. Although sleep had dulled the ache in my chest, the beast seemed to burrow deeper inside, wrapping itself around the jagged edges that had formed the previous night.

Today was Thursday, and though the pain was still there, the rain of the last couple days had abraded some of the aching. My head still felt like shit, but at least it throbbed less despite my congestion. It was hard for me to filter out what pain was from Sebastian and what pain was from my illness, though I had a feeling that the pain from Sebastian's leaving would persist for a long while. This was reality, and it was of my own creation.

I knocked back an energy tonic Harvey had prescribed to me. It was time to face the day. Gathering my courage, I finally opened my mailbox and retrieved the mail that had accumulated over the last few days. Surprisingly my mother hadn't sent anything. There was, however, a letter from Mayor Lewis about the upcoming fair, and to my surprise, there was a letter from Pierre as well:

It seems like you're starting to get close with some of the townspeople. If you want to show someone that you're romantically interested, you've got to give them one of my beautiful flower bouquets. I'm selling them now, for a very fair price! If you want to start a family someday, this is the first step!

- Pierre

I stared blankly at the letter in my hands for a few seconds. Was this some kind of sick joke? Did Pierre know about our falling out? Why would he send me such a message? I crumpled the letter up and tossed it into the shipping bin with the force of the indignant fire that had flared up inside me.

After Friday, I never want to see you again. The words resounded in my head, and as I squished my way through the mud to my coop, I analyzed all of the emotions and tones behind his words.

I had no doubt that he was pained, that he felt betrayed. If only I had been honest with him and myself, today might have been a different kind of day. I imagined the two of us holed up in his bedroom, arranged in lounging positions on the couch or his bed, thumbing through comics and novels, incredulously exclaiming about tricky plot points and cracking programming jokes.

Why hadn't I just confessed before this had all crashed to the ground? The question plagued me, and every answer came up blank. I was a monster. I had thrown all of our hard work away, destroyed that carefully crafted trust, and blown it all to smithereens. To think about it broke my heart all over again.

And yet, as I thought of Pierre's letter once more, there was a small, fragile spark of hope. Today wasn't "after Friday", and he had said that he still liked me. I had somehow gotten him to fall for me before. Maybe I still had time.

And maybe I could invoke an old debt to help me do it.

An idea was taking shape in my mind, and it was with determination that I strode into town, through the pouring rain and the pound of pain in my sinuses. I strode confidently to Sam's house and knocked on the door once before pushing it open.

No one was in the living room, so I headed for his room, mentally preparing myself all the while. His door opened with a small creak and I was greeted by his curious green eyes.

"Hi Sam," I said carefully, studying his expression.

He grinned back and I couldn't help but feel relieved. "Hey, farmer. How's it going?"

I hesitated, wondering how much Sebastian had told him. "Not great."

He nodded, giving me a knowing look. "Yeah, I can tell." He gestured for me to come into his room.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "So, you've heard?" I followed him inside and closed the door behind myself.

"That Sebastian's leaving? Yeah, of course. I'm his best friend, after all." He eyed me suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, I was until you came into the picture. But I don't mind." His expression cleared. "You should see how excited he gets when he talks about you. It's a little weird, but I'm happy to see him happy."

"So you knew," I said weakly. Perhaps this had all been obvious to everyone, everyone but me.

"Knew what?" He smirked, and leaned against his dresser.

Ass. I bit down my mounting frustration. "That he liked me," I growled.

"Duh."

"Well," I said forcefully, smoothing out a wrinkle in my shirt, "I don't think he'd be happy to talk about me now. I'm the reason he's moving away."

He hummed as he pondered what I said. "Hmm, you'd be surprised." He shrugged. "Is that why you're here? You wanted to talk about Sebastian?" That smirk crept its way back onto his face.

"Yes," I said and hesitated. "Well, that and I've come to claim your debt to me."

"What debt?" He tried to make himself a nonchalant, blank slate, but I detected a nervousness in him.

"Remember when you dropped that egg and your mom came in here, raging and hollering? She was about to lay the smackdown on you. I'd think you'd remember that."

"Oh, right," he said slowly, almost sheepish. "What about that?"

"You owe me for covering for you."

"I'm the one that cleaned it up!"

"Yeah, but you let me take the fall. You nudged me into taking the blame for that."

"Okay, okay, fine," he huffed. "Fair's fair."

"Excellent."

"So what do you want me to do exactly?" He looked more cautious and serious than I had ever seen him before.

"Don't worry, it's not too bad at all," I said, flashing a wicked grin.

Some minutes later, he was on his computer, slowly typing on the keyboard. Worry had stripped the grin from his face, but he didn't waver as I directed him. I tried not to think about how much faster Sebastian was at typing.

"Okay," Sam said, swiveling in his desk chair to face me. "Sebastian said he's coming over."

"Thanks." I mustered a tentative smile, not quite ready to feel triumphant. "I really appreciate it."

"Well, I owed you one, I guess." He smirked once more.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Now where's a good spot for me to hide?"

He pushed back his chair and stood up, hand scratching at his chin as he surveyed his room. "Can you squeeze under my bed?"

I stared at him, but he didn't break out a grin or even attempt at cajoling me. I grimaced. "I guess so."

Gingerly, I sank to the floor and crawled toward his bed. I peered underneath, into the darkness. As my eyes adjusted, I took in dust bunnies and discarded socks. My gaze fell on a lump that stood out from the more familiar shapes. Revolted, I reared back. "Is that a dead mouse?"

Sam scratched his head. "Oh, maybe that's why it stinks sometimes. I wonder how long it's been there."

Glaring at him, I pulled myself back onto my feet. "Any other ideas?"

"I can clear out a dresser drawer for you."

I quirked an eyebrow and eyed his dresser. "I mean, I'm not big, but even I can't fit into one of those without decapitating myself first."

"Well, I can only think of one other option." He grinned toothily.

Oh shit, what had I gotten myself into? "Where?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

He pointed at his unmade bed and started snickering.

I gaped at him, eyes wide. "No way. I think I'd rather get cozy with the dead mouse than hide under your covers." I shook my head vehemently. "When's the last time you washed your sheets?"

He shrugged. "No idea. Wherever you pick, you'd better get into position. He's a pretty fast walker."

I resisted the urge to clock him in the face.

I stood in front of his bed. Before me lay two bad options, but there was one that was decidedly worse. Plugging my nose, I dropped to the floor once more and rolled underneath the bed just as we caught the sound of the front door opening. I nudged the dead mouse away from my face, forcing down the wave of illness that threatened to take me over.

I noticed Sam's momentary look of panic towards where I was hidden, but his attention snapped into place as Sebastian knocked and pushed into the room. I pulled back just in time.

"Hey," Sebastian said glumly, and I felt my heart beat to life at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, hi," Sam said with a small half-laugh, and I silently grimaced into my hands.

Sebastian shut the door behind himself and ventured further into the room. "What was so urgent that you needed me over here to talk about?"

"Right," Sam said slowly, as though he were grasping around for words. "The thing."

Sebastian waited patiently, moseying on over to the keyboard, his usual spot during band practice. He said nothing, though I could hear the faint tap-tap of his fingers restlessly drumming against the keys.

"Well, so," Sam began, swallowing, "you know the farmer, right?" He paused. "Haha, well, of course you do."

A sigh escaped Sebastian and I longed to see his face, to see a hint as to what lay behind the sigh. "Go on," he said, voice strained, and I imagined him running a hand through his thick, messy, dark hair.

"Well," Sam ventured, and I sensed him trying to buy himself time. "Would it be okay by you," he continued, a sneaking confidence taking over, "if we started dating?"

My jaw dropped, and I had to clench my hands into fists and tuck them into my mouth to stop myself from screaming. What the hell was he playing at? I made up my mind there and then to clobber Sam when this was done. Of all the nerve.

Sebastian said nothing, and I wondered if he was as shocked to hear this as I was.

"I mean," Sam began, and I heard the rustle of his shirt as he raised an arm so he could rub the back of his neck. "Are there still feelings there... For you?"

I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Sam had delivered. This is what I needed to know.

"Of course there still are," Sebastian said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "I can't stop what I'm feeling, who I think about all the damn time. This would be a lot easier if I could stop, but I can't, and it's driving me crazy."

My heart could have sang the darkest, grittiest nocturne – my hopes had soared so high into the darkened heavens.

"Maybe you two should talk it out," Sam suggested slowly. "It sounds like things aren't over yet between you."

"That's not on me," Sebastian said sharply, and my heart sank lower in my chest, grounded once more. "I've said my piece. Unless something drastic happens, my decision is final, and tomorrow I'll be moving away."

"That's fair," Sam said sagely. "Are you sure you have to move away?" I appreciated the appropriate amount of whining he had injected into his voice.

"I need to get out of here. Since that night we got back from the city, it feels like the valley is suffocating me. Aside from you and my mom," he paused, "I have no ties here."

They lapsed into silence.

"I guess the idea of me and the farmer dating is a no-go then?" Sam asked tentatively, and I could have throttled him in that moment.

Sebastian let out a dry, hollow laugh. "Until tomorrow night. After tomorrow, I don't care. Farmers will be the last things on my mind, I'm going to be so busy."

Sam matched his laugh with one of his own, equally as dusty and empty. "You make a good point."

I saw Sebastian's feet pivot and turn back towards the door. "If that's everything, I'm going to head out now."

"Yeah, that's it."

"Cool. It was nice coming back here actually. I feel like I got to say farewell to your room, your synth."

"Lots of good memories here, for sure."

"I think I'll head to the beach and take in that view one last time."

"Sounds good. I'll drop by tomorrow before you leave. I think I can get out of my shift."

"That'd be great."

Sam paused. "I'll walk you out."

I heard their receding footsteps grow fainter until the only sounds left were the patter of rain against the roof and the light whoosh of my own breathing.

Once Sam reentered his room and shut the bedroom door behind himself, I crawled out from my hiding spot. I took a few big, gulping breaths, trying to force some clarity into my head.

It was refreshing to see Sam so thoughtful and worn.

"You're going to the beach, aren't you?" he asked, though the question didn't even reflect in his eyes. He knew my answer already.

I nodded. "It's my last shot."

He nodded in agreement. "Then go."

Heading for the door, I stopped just with my hand on the knob. "Thanks, Sam. I just really needed to hear him say that there's a chance."

"I know."

"I'd really appreciate if you didn't tell anyone that I was hiding under your bed."

A fleeting smile flicked the edge of his mouth up. "No guarantees. But, pro-tip," he began, "if I were you, I'd consider buying one of those bouquets Pierre sells."

I gave him a questioning look, but he just shrugged.

"You'd better not go and break his heart again." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Or you'll have to answer to me, too."

I nodded and left.