"So, what, you two sneak off and go make out from time to time now?"
Alex sipped his hot chocolate as he and Haley watched Robin and Leah chip and pick away at their respective blocks of ice.
"No, we don't make out, you perv." Haley said, jabbing him in the ribs. "It's just a kiss on the cheek. As friends though. Ya know?"
"Hmm, yes, I also kiss the homies goodnight. Let me ask, if you're only kissing your best friend on the cheek, what did that make us exactly?"
Haley said nothing, snatching his hot chocolate from his hands and downing the rest. She couldn't tell him that the same question kept her up at night. How this whole arrangement spawned from a moment of jealousy and possessiveness that Haley didn't even know she was capable of. Despite this newfound feeling of said possessiveness and how forward she had been at the time, nothing much had actually changed in her relationship with Sophie. They would occasionally run into each other by the river, enjoying the silence of each other's company while Sophie fished and Haley took photographs, or enjoy a drink together at the saloon. The only difference now is that, when no one else was around, she would give Sophie a kiss goodbye. Only on the cheek, of course, and she would quickly run away after, never giving Sophie the opportunity to kiss her cheek in return.
"You know it's ok if you're into her, right?" Alex said, interrupting her thoughts.
"I keep telling you, it's not like that."
"Well, does she know that?"
"Of course, she does! Sophie knows that we're just friends and I'm not even into women. It's just an innocent kiss on the cheek between friends." She glared at Alex, daring him to say more.
She had never been attracted to women before. In fact, she still didn't consider herself attracted to them. There was just something special about Sophie. Haley told herself it was just because she had never had a close female friend before. Growing up, her wealth and beauty made her popular amongst the boys in school. However, these aspects of her life also made the other girls resent her, merely tolerating her if it was advantageous to themselves. Haley would always watch the various groups of girls displaying all manner of affection towards each other; from holding hands in the hall to a quick peck on the cheek when they said goodbye. As far as Haley was concerned, what she had with Sophie was no different.
"Well," Alex disrupted her thoughts yet again. "It's too bad you only claimed her cheek in the terms of your agreement because it looks like Leah's going for the rest of her."
Haley's gaze whipped in Leah's direction. Sophie was standing next to her, smiling and laughing at whatever was being said. She tried resisting the grin that was tugging at the corner of her lips, not wanting to give Alex any more ammo. However, any inkling of a smile disappeared as she watched Sophie kneel and Leah climb onto her shoulders. Seemingly without effort, Sophie stood with her arm wrapped around Leah's thighs. Haley could feel that same jealousy she felt towards Abigail begin to bubble just under the surface. Leah had been perfectly fine using her step ladder to reach the top of her ice sculpture, why did she suddenly need to use Sophie as a boost? She kept her eyes on Sophie's back as Leah continued to work, her stomach feeling like it was tying itself into knots. After several minutes of debating whether she should approach them or not Leah threw her hands in the air, proudly declaring that she had finished.
Unfortunately, the act of throwing her hands out caused her to become unbalanced, which in turn caused Sophie to also lose her balance. Haley watched Sophie twist her body in an attempt to salvage the situation. She had managed to grab hold of Leah mid-air, but she couldn't stop their momentum and both women crashed to the ground. Haley rushed forward, pushing through the crowd of concerned onlookers that had surrounded the two.
Sophie had somehow managed to turn herself at the last moment so that she landed on the ground first, softening Leah's fall with her own body. The snow beneath her bit at her skin through her clothes and the hairs of Leah's braid tickled her nose as Leah pushed herself up onto her elbows. A coy smirk played on her lips as she looked down at her and Sophie felt herself begin to blush when she realized that nearly half the town was staring at them.
"Uh, Leah…"
"You know Sophie," she began, resting her head in her hands, "I think you're even cuter from this angle."
Sophie's blush deepened and she felt like she could have melted straight through the snow if it was possible.
"Okay, seriously?" Haley was suddenly next to them, pulling Leah to her feet. "In front of everyone, Leah?" A light blush was brushed across Haley's cheeks and the tone of her voice carried an edge of annoyance. "I swear, we can't take you anywhere."
"Sorry, Haley." Leah pulled Sophie to her feet as soon as hers found solid ground. "But you have to admit, Sophie is quite the catch." Leah was smiling at Sophie from ear to ear, still holding her hand. "Speaking of, drinks are on me if you're free later."
Sophie felt like a deer caught in headlights. Other than her current arrangement with Haley, it had been a long time since someone had flirted with her so blatantly; she especially hadn't expected it to come from Leah. Before she could process anything Haley snatched her hand from Leah's and began pulling her away from the crowd.
"We actually have plans later and I need to give her something before the tournament starts, so if you'll just excuse us a moment."
Haley dragged Sophie to one of the nearby igloo's that had been constructed for the festival and slipped inside, pulling Sophie behind her.
"Haley, it's going to look suspicious if people see-"
"Just shut up." Haley cut her off, throwing her arms around Sophie's waist. "Just… just let me stay like this for a little bit." Her face was buried in Sophie's chest and she was clinging so tightly Sophie could feel Haley's nails digging into her skin through her jacket. Sophie said nothing, only returning the embrace.
"Are you mad?" She rested her head on top of Haley's breathing in the scent of her shampoo. She smelled like flowers and felt like the warmth of a sunny spring day.
"I'm not mad," Haley exhaled. "I just…" She turned her head, placing her ear over Sophie's heart. "You're making me realize how jealous of a person I can be."
Sophie couldn't hold back her smile. "Well… I don't mind. I think this side of you is cute too."
"...You're so weird."
They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity until Mayor Lewis' muffled voice announced that the ice fishing tournament would begin in five minutes. They remained as they were and once the crowd of voices tapered off into the distance Sophie hesitantly loosened her grip and Haley did the same, slowly taking a step back.
"I… gotta go now."
Haley said nothing, staring at the ground with her hands clasped in front of her. Sophie moved to walk past her and she felt a light tug at her sleeve.
"Hey," Sophie turned to see Haley now staring directly at her, "if you win the tournament… I'll-" The light pink blush in Haley's cheeks became a darker shade of red. "I'll… give you an extra prize."
Sophie felt like her heart was doing backflips and she was certain that she was even redder than Haley.
"So you better do your best!"
Sophie smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Yes ma'am!" She left the igloo, her heart filled with a determination she hadn't felt since she first moved to Pelican Town.
Unfortunately Sophie's determination to win did not outweigh the lake's determination to only give her algae. Within the first five minutes she had fallen so far behind she knew that there was no way she would be able to catch up. In the end, she came in last place. She was disappointed in the loss, but more than anything she was embarrassed. The prospect of an additional prize from Haley had been nice, but the fact that Haley had cheered her on and watched her so intently, only for her to not only lose, but come in dead last made Sophie feel foolish.
When the tournament had finally come to an end, the next few hours felt like a blur, with the whole town coming together to take down and clean up all of the festival venues and decorations. Before Sophie knew it everyone had dispersed back to their homes and she stood alone, hugging herself against the chilled winter air. She stared at the hole that had been cut into the lake, listening to the water gently lap against carved edges made into its surface. In a moment of petty revenge, Sophie kicked a rock into the lake and flipped her middle finger at it. The lake didn't seem to be offended by the vulgar gesture, but it made her feel better all the same.
"Bullying the lake into giving you better catches next time?" Haley came and stood next to her smiling at Sophie's antics.
"Yeah, I think it really learned its lesson." Sophie kicked another rock in for good measure. Haley couldn't help but giggle and leaned her head against Sophie's shoulder.
"Too bad about the bonus prize."
"Don't tease me," Sophie pouted, rubbing her neck. "I'm already embarrassed enough as it is."
"Well," Haley puffed her chest out, feigning an air of superiority, "considering your devastating failure today I thought I would show mercy by downgrading your bonus prize to a consolation prize."
"Oh yeah?" She gently poked Haley in the ribs for the slight. "And what does a consolation prize get me?"
"Hmm…" She tapped her finger on her chin. "How about you buy dinner?"
Sophie crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "That feels like a step above consolation. What if I made you dinner instead? Make me put in some work still."
Haley eyed her suspiciously. "Why does it feel like you're trying to be sly?"
"Is it working?"
Haley smiled and began to twirl her hair around her fingers. "I suppose the prize committee could agree to those terms. It's kinda late though."
"Then tomorrow? My place at six?"
Haley's smile spread into a wide grin. "I'd like that."
Sophie felt her heart begin to beat faster. She wanted to jump and cheer, but she somehow managed to keep her cool, as well as her feet on the ground.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow! I need to get home and check what I'll need!" She was grinning like an idiot as she ran home. She didn't care.
The closer Haley came to Sophie's farm, the more nervous she began to feel about their dinner date. Neither of them had called it that, but the word "date" clung to her mind. She whispered it to herself, feeling each letter on her tongue. Yesterday she had been so insistent that there was only friendship between them, so why did the idea of a date with Sophie make her chest swell with excitement? She had even spent hours agonizing over what she would wear tonight. In the end she had given up, opting to simply wear her usual jeans and sand-colored turtleneck. She paused at Sophie's front door and took a deep breath before knocking.
"You're overthinking things," she thought to herself. "This is Sophie. She'll probably be in overalls and a flannel." She smiled at herself, imagining Sophie grab whatever was closest in her closet. She was so carefree, Haley couldn't imagine her getting stressed over something as silly as what to wear for dinner.
This image of Sophie was shattered the moment she answered the door and her smile faltered. She was wearing overalls, in a way. It was a corduroy overall dress, underneath was a cream colored, off-the-shoulder sweater. Her legs were covered in matching cream-colored stockings and her usual mud-covered boots replaced with chocolate Mary Janes. She had even done her makeup and pulled her hair into a half ponytail. Haley's breath hitched and she suddenly forgot how to speak. She felt heat rush to her face as if the swelling she had felt in her chest earlier was overtaking her entire body.
"I look weird, don't I?"
Sophie had begun to nervously tug at the end of her dress and Haley was suddenly aware that she had been staring with her mouth hanging open.
"N-no!" Haley quickly stepped inside from the cold, finally allowing Sophie to close the door. "I… was just surprised, is all."
They both stood for an awkward moment, the two women blushing and seemingly unable to look the other in the eye. "Say something, you idiot!" Haley chastised herself. "Reassure her! Tell her she looks cute! Anything!" But no matter how much she wanted to, the words clung to her tongue, refusing to leave her mouth.
"Well, dinner's actually ready now so..." Sophie said, breaking the silence.
"Oh, right." She followed Sophie into the kitchen and was immediately hit with a delectable aroma that made her mouth water.
"Sandy gave me this recipe for tom kha soup so I figured it was a good time to give it a shot since it's cold out." Sophie explained while pulling the chair out for Haley to sit. The small gesture was enough to make Haley's heart flutter.
" What is wrong with me!? Yesterday I was talking about 'bonus prizes' and now I'm acting like a shy teenage virgin. I could pull every man in a bar if I wanted to, I can handle a simple dinner!"
The truth of the matter, that she did not want to admit to herself, is that for once Sophie had been the one to fluster her. She had always thought Sophie was cute, she had no problem admitting that; in some instances she had even thought her handsome. But tonight, with her hair and makeup all done and all dressed up, for the first time Haley thought she was beautiful. She was so beautiful it had taken her breath away, but she couldn't tell her that. She couldn't say anything. She couldn't say anything for the same reason she never let Sophie kiss her back; because if she did it would open a door. A door in her heart that was inching itself open bit by bit despite Haley's best efforts to push against it and keep it closed.
Thankfully Sophie carried the evening, walking Haley through the events of her day and prompting Haley with questions about hers. They managed to maintain a regular conversation throughout the night, but Haley couldn't get a hold of her usual rhythm, becoming flustered all over again every time her eyes wandered and fell on various parts of Sophie's body. When dinner had finally finished and Sophie began to clear away the dishes Haley knew she had to do something to make up for it.
" Sophie's put so much effort into… everything and I've just been weird all night. I need to do something for her."
She took a cursory glance around the room and spotted a small table with Sophie's phone and what appeared to be a speaker.
"Hey Soph, do you think I could play some music?"
"Hmm?" Sophie looked over her shoulder as she rinsed the bowls. "Yeah, my phone's connected if you just wanna use it."
Once again, Haley was rushing in without a plan. She had no idea what song she should play and when she tried to think of one it was as if she had forgotten the name of every song she had ever listened to. Choosing to let fate decide, she just hit the random button on Sophie's playlist. She didn't recognize the song that began to play, but she thought it had a nice melody and beat. It would do.
Taking a deep breath, she approached Sophie and tapped her on the shoulder. "Sophie, I want to dance."
Sophie spun around in surprise. "What, like right now?"
Haley nodded and held out her hand.
"All these years rejecting me at the flower dance and now you wanna dance?" Sophie asked coyly.
Haley pouted and grabbed her hand, yanking her to an open space. "Then let's make up for it."
Without saying a word, Sophie naturally took the lead, placing her free hand on Haley's waist. Haley responded in kind, placing her hand on Sophie's shoulder, and allowed herself to be swept away, being led in small circles around Sophie's living room.
"You know that's partially your fault, right?"
"Hmm?"
"You always waited until the last minute to ask me to be your partner."
"Ah," Sophie twirled Haley in place, fingers delicately laced in hers, and pulled her back into her arms. "You're right. Is it too early to ask now?"
"No." A smile tugged at the corner of Haley's lips.
"And what about the year after that?"
Her smile grew wider. "No."
"And the year after that?"
A soft chuckle escaped Haley's lips. "How about we just agree that your name is on my dance card for the foreseeable future?"
"Deal." Sophie smiled, nodding in approval at this arrangement.
She wasn't sure when, but at some point they had closed the distance between them and Haley's hand had traveled from Sophie's shoulder to the back of her neck, her fingers brushing the fine baby hairs. She could see herself reflected in Sophie's deep emerald eyes, and she felt herself become hot and flush. She finally caught the lyrics of the song they were listening to and she felt the words pierce straight through her heart.
Maybe it's foolish, but I wouldn't do this
For anyone else but you
Sophie held her body close, so close she felt as if they might meld into one. Haley felt Sophie's hand move from her waist to the small of her back, her fingers splayed out covering as much area as possible. In the next moment Haley felt her entire body sway to one side and was slowly dipped towards the ground.
But I'm born to do this
Fall and keep moving
Up on my way to you
As the song came to an end Sophie slowly and gently pulled Haley back into an upright position. They were standing so close the tips of their noses brushed against one another. Despite not exerting much effort in their dance, both of their breathing had become ragged and Haley could feel Sophie's breath on her lips. Sophie stared at her with half-lidded eyes and Haley felt herself slowly begin to lean in closer. There was barely a molecules width between them when Haley felt a crash against the door in her heart. Her eyes shot open as she pushed back against it, pushing Sophie away in the process.
"No! I don't- I'm not-" She never hated anything more than she did herself in this moment. "I'm sorry, Sophie."
"No, no. I'm sorry. I… uh… got caught up in the moment." Sophie tried playing it cool, smiling and rubbing the back of her neck, but Haley had seen the hurt in her eyes when she pushed her.
"I should go." Haley hurriedly grabbed her things.
"Yeah… yeah, it's late. I'll see you-" But Haley was already out the door, too cowardly to even stay long enough to let Sophie say goodbye.
Haley ran. She hated running, but now she ran as if her life depended on it and didn't stop until she reached Alex's house. She furiously began pounding on the front door. She didn't care how much noise she made or if she woke up Evelyn and George. She just needed these feelings to stop and this was the only way she knew how. Alex finally opened the door, anger immediately giving way to confusion once he saw her.
"Haley, what are you-"
She grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him, shoving her tongue in his mouth. It was desperate and needy, as if kissing Alex would fix all of her problems. He shoved her away from him, wiping his mouth and closing the door behind him.
"Haley, what the fuck are you doing?!"
"Just let me in, Alex."
"No.
She glared at him. "You never had a problem saying yes before."
"Well I'm saying 'no' now. I thought you were gonna be with Sophie tonight. What happened?"
She wanted to scream. "My life does not revolve around FUCKING Sophie. Why are you always bringing her up!?" She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "Now can we please just… go to your room… like normal?"
He was silent for a moment, carefully considering his words. "Haley, I consider you to be my best friend. But I'm not gonna let you use me just because you're confused about things and trying to figure yourself out."
Haley gritted her teeth. "Go fuck yourself, Alex." Her voice dripped with venom. She hoped he would get angry and yell at her, just so she would have an excuse to yell back. But instead he looked at her with pity and that just pissed her off more.
"Go home Haley." Without saying another word he walked back inside, gently closing the door behind him without looking back. As if to add insult to injury the sky opened up, allowing a heavy rain to cascade across the town. Haley didn't care. At least now no one would be able to tell that she was crying.