I had only been asleep for an hour when I woke up, consumed by anxiety about everything that had happened. I realized I hadn't really known Danny very well. We worked together and would go out for beers after work, but that had always been the extent of our friendship. He had been my best friend, but also my only friend. I didn't spend much time with people outside of work. His recent visit had revealed his true colors, which left me worried about what might have happened if I had stayed in Zuzu. Something about him truly terrified me. I lay in bed trying not to dwell on it, rolling onto my side to gaze at Sebastian sleeping on the couch. That sight calmed me down, and I managed to take a deep breath and fall asleep again.
Upon waking up once more, I saw Danny standing over me and let out a screech. When I blinked, he was gone, but Sebastian had hopped off the couch and rushed over to me.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
"Yeah," I replied, even though adrenaline was still pulsing through my veins. I must have been dreaming when I thought I saw Danny.
"You don't look okay," Sebastian remarked. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I just had a bad dream, that's all," I reassured him.
He stood there for a moment. "Well, if you need anything, let me know."
I nodded, and he returned to the couch. I tossed and turned throughout the night, eventually sleeping much later than usual as my body attempted to catch up on rest. When I finally sat up and looked around, Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. I climbed the stairs and found Robin standing at the counter.
"Good morning! I've got great news. Your house is all fixed up," she beamed.
"Oh, thank you," I replied, feeling a pang of disappointment about leaving. Staying here had been really nice.
"You're still welcome over anytime you want," she said, as if sensing my disappointment.
"Thank you. I'll grab my stuff and head out then," I said. I hurried upstairs, retrieved all my belongings from the attic, and took the back way to my house. The transformation of my house was incredible. It was much bigger, with a room for my bed and a massive kitchen. It was beautiful but felt empty. I hadn't been at Sebastian's for very long, but it was comforting knowing someone was there with me. I'm sure he'll be glad to have his bed back, though.
I figured it was okay to start working on the farm again. I'm sure Harvey wouldn't approve, but I felt so much better. Stepping outside, I noticed sprinklers had been installed among my crops. Then I spotted Sebastian and Sam emerging from my shed.
"Hey!" they both greeted me. Then Sam added, "We pitched in and got you some sprinklers. We thought it might save you from being out in the heat too long," he said with a big smile.
I was thrilled and ran up to give Sam a hug. He picked me up and spun me around. "Thank you guys so much!" I exclaimed. Then I approached Sebastian for a hug, but he just looked down and scratched the back of his neck. "We would do anything for you. We're happy to help," he said.
"All right, we'll let you get settled. Seb and I have band practice," Sam said, patting my shoulder. They walked off.
The sprinklers were a lifesaver. I went into town to buy seeds from Pierre's. As I was leaving, I ran into Abigail. "Hey," she said, smiling, but she looked like she was forcing it. "Just finished my first band practice with the boys."
"So you agreed to be the drummer?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said. Her voice was not her normal bubbly self. I wondered if getting over Sebastian was not going well.
"Want to hang out tonight?" I asked, hoping to cheer her up.
"I can't tonight," she said, then glanced at the box of seeds in my hand. "Good luck on the farm." With that, she walked inside.
When I got back, it only took me 2 hours to get everything planted. I went inside to look at the house again. When I opened the fridge, I realized it was fully stocked. I wondered if it had been Robin, Sam, or Sebastian who did it. Either way, it was really sweet. I found a frying pan and fried up some eggs. After finishing my meal, it was only about 6 pm and I had nothing to do. The work on the farm was done for the day. I didn't have any new books to read, and I had destroyed my phone last night, so I couldn't even talk to anyone. Being alone had never been a problem for me, so I was surprised that I felt so lonely.
I guess in the past, I had been more comfortable alone because I felt so anxious around people. Now I had met people who made me feel good about myself. Despite not having known them for long, I felt like I had known them my whole life.
I went to the bathroom to shower. Looking in the mirror, I was surprised by what I saw. I hadn't really looked in a mirror in a few days. My hair was a disaster, but my face looked really healthy. I tried to remember the last time I looked like this, but I couldn't. After showering, I attempted to tame my hair, but the effort was useless. I laughed and realized that I didn't actually care, so I left it down.
I knew that Sam and Sebastian probably wouldn't be at the Saloon tonight, but I was bored out of my mind, so I headed in that direction. I saw Sam sitting on the bench in front of the Saloon, talking to his brother.
Vincent saw me, and his eyes lit up. "Rosie!" he exclaimed, running over to hug me. "Can we build sandcastles together?"
"It's getting dark, Vincent. We'll have to build sandcastles with Rose another day," Sam said, walking over and ruffling Vincent's hair.
Vincent pouted and said, "Fine."
"It's time for you to go home. Mom said you needed to be there by 8," Sam told him.
"Ugh!" Vincent exclaimed, then turned to me with a smile. "Bye, Rosie. Come build sandcastles with me soon." With that, he stuck his tongue out at Sam and ran off towards his house.
"What are you up to?" Sam asked me.
"Oh, just wandering aimlessly around town," I replied.
He grinned and asked, "Can I join you?"
"Hmm, I don't know," I said jokingly.
"Well, how might I convince you?" he asked, taking a step closer. I noticed his hair, which was usually gelled up into spikes, lay flat on his head, letting his natural waves show.
"I like your hair like this," I said, then, feeling impulsive, I reached out and touched his hair. It was so soft. I looked down from his hair to his eyes. They were beautiful in the moonlight. He was staring back at me, his face just inches away from mine. I felt my face go red and quickly pulled my hand away and took a step back.
"I'm so sorry! It just looked so soft," I said, embarrassed.
"It's okay. You can touch my hair anytime you want," he grinned at me. "So you like my hair like this? Would you say that I look handsome?" he asked with a wink. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "So have you decided if I can join you?" he asked.
"Yeah, you can," I said. "Actually, you might be able to help me."
"With what?" Sam asked.
"Well, it's your fault really. Since you put in sprinklers, I don't have as much work to do. Do you have any books or any ideas of how I can spend my free time?" I asked.
"Ah yes, I'm terribly sorry for lessening your workload," he joked. I stuck my tongue out at him, which made him laugh. "I don't really have a lot of books. Seb would be the best person to ask for that. I mostly spend my days writing songs," Sam said. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Would you want to learn guitar? I have a second one. You could even be in the band if you want!" he said excitedly.
"I don't know about being in the band, but if you really want to teach me, I'd be interested in trying. I've always wanted to learn a musical instrument," I said.
"Great! How about we start tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm? Do you think your work on the farm will be done by then?" he asked.
"3 pm sounds great!" I replied. I was looking forward to it. Spending time with Sam made me happy. His joy was contagious. I would have been happy to just walk around and talk all night, but Jodi stepped outside her house and yelled, "Sam, you promised you would help Vincent with his homework!"
"Alright, I'll be there in a minute," Sam replied. Turning to me, he said, "I can walk you home first, though. If you want."
I laughed and said, "No need, I think I can make it back on my own."
Then he said, "See you at 3, don't be late!" before heading for his house.
When I got home, I found Sebastian sitting on my doorstep. "Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.
"I just wanted to check on you since it was your first day back working. I also thought you might be bored, so I brought you some books," he said, gesturing to a stack of books next to him.
"Today went really smoothly, thanks to the sprinklers," I said, smiling. "This is all really sweet of you." I was about to say something else, but he walked up and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. I was shocked. After him avoiding my hug earlier, this was unexpected. I wondered if he could hear how fast my heart was beating.
He didn't let go but said, "If you're ever bored, you can come read in my room while I work. It was really nice having you around."
"Okay," I replied, knowing that if I said anything more, he might hear my voice shaking. He rested his chin on my head for a second and then released me. "I better get back home. See ya," he said, disappearing down the path to his house.
I felt very confused about how I was feeling. In fact, I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling. I just felt warm. I wondered if what Abby had said when she was drunk was true. Did Sebastian and Sam like me more than a friend? I pushed the idea out of my head. "I've just never had good friends," I thought. "They're just being nice. I mean, Abby was always hugging me and being sweet, and I was positive she wasn't into me."
I went inside and got into bed. It was nice to have people who cared about me. I hadn't really had anyone care about me since my grandpa. I mean, my dad definitely cared about me, but he wasn't touchy-feely. He would be there for me if I needed it, but besides that, we never really talked. My grandpa was the one that I had told everything. Now I had a whole town that cared about me. I felt happy.
As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but see Sam when I had touched his hair. His beautiful green eyes and his smile. His lips just inches from mine. Then my mind moved on to Sebastian—the feeling of warmth from his arms around my waist and his chin on my head. I could feel my heart racing and my head was spinning. I finally picked up a book from the stack Sebastian had given me. I needed a distraction. I read until I passed out with the book on my face.