Hey There Delilah! ⇝ Doctor Harvey.

spring one, year one

ᴏɴᴇ

Zuzu City, the city of dreams they called it. Where money and aspiration came hand in hand with a gruelling work schedule and late nights.

Initially, the knot of anxiety within Delilah's stomach grew with every hour she spent on the bus from the city. The unknown terrified the city girl much like it did any other, and starting a new life as a farmer in Pelican Town within Stardew Valley was the furthest into the unknown Delilah could have ventured. But when the tattered vehicle pulled up to its final stop a strange sense of relief washed over the blonde.

Her mother's father had passed a few years ago, leaving the pair with a small amount of money and a large plot of land far away. They had considered selling the farm, making their life in the city much easier. Money buys happiness after all...Eventually, the mother and daughter settled on the latter inheriting her late grandfather's land, an unfortunate event pushing Delilah away.

So there Delilah found herself, stepping off the bus into her new life and quite literally into the arms of those who welcomed her as her bag caught on the doors of the bus. A wave of red rushed to the girl's cheeks, much like the colour of the woman's hair who had caught the city girl. "You must be Delilah." The redhead went on to introduce herself as Robin, the town's carpenter along with the elder man who stood beside her. Mayor Lewis was a somewhat familiar sight, Delilah recalled the photographs of him and her grandfather.

Despite the warm welcome, nothing could have prepared the blonde for the state of the farm, her farm. Abandoned for years, it was overgrown with trees, rocks, all sorts that Delilah would no doubt have to clear in order to get any sort of work done. It was a big task for a woman who had never done any sort of manual labour in her life, but Delilah was determined.

•

Night had fallen on that unusually warm spring day and delilah was exhausted yet gratified as she glanced from the small area she had cleared of debris to her sore hands, cuts and grazes littering their usual perfection. Her muscles groaned with exhaustion, something only a hot shower could help, though the blonde received barely warm at best. The farmhouse, if you could even called it that, resembled more of a nightmarish cabin with rotting wood both inside and out. The place needed some major improvements and Delilah planned on doing exactly that.

Mayor Lewis had invited the young woman to the Stardrop Saloon that night, vowing that every single Pelican Town citizen would be there.

She took her time to ensure every aspect of her appearance was perfect, not a hair out of place before she ventured out into the town. It was a quick walk, fifteen minutes, maybe ten if she was brisk. Nights in the valley were an awful lot chillier than the blonde was accustomed to, bumps rippling across her shoulders and arms as she cursed herself for not bringing along a jacket. It was a lot quieter too, peaceful even, and the town square was a shining example of just that. Dim lamps illuminated the cobble below it, highlighting the perfect path to Delilah's destination that evening. The journey consisted of secrets the city girl had yet to discover, building's contents unexplored and people's day to day lives still a mystery. All in due time.

Finally, Delilah found herself at the door of the only hotspot in town, a warm glow emitting in such an inviting manner that the blonde simply couldn't resist but to nudge it open. An ominous creak gave away the newcomer's arrival as a cool draft made its way her tiny body. The shivers that ran down her spine was almost as bad as all the attention she had gained in the matter of seconds. She took in the unknown faces, some kind and others not so much. They appeared to be dressed how you'd expect typical country folk to dress, an overwhelming amount of dungarees and baggy plaid shirts.

Incredibly overdressed and immediately embarrassed Delilah felt a dozen pair of eyes on her in that single moment. She glanced to her feet, catching the glitter of her tiny shirt on the way. She didn't move from the doorway as the ringing in her ears began. The feeling was familiar, the tightness in her chest that wouldn't go away, the lump that formed in her throat and tears brimmed her dark eyes.

The saloon was now a memory as Delilah took a sharp turn towards the town square, fingers clawing at her own shoulders with her arms crossed over her already restricted chest. This was a mistake, she thought, keeping her blurry eyes pinned to the cobblestone beneath her. Another mistake for Delilah was not looking where she was going as her slender frame clashed with a much larger one. Two hands shot out to steady the clumsy blonde, lingering slightly on her exposed skin until they had both found their footing. "I'm so-" The man stopped, hearing the new farmer sniffling quietly. "Are you okay?" The question was redundant as it was clear that Delilah was in fact not okay.

Delilah found her breath after a few moments, regaining her facade before wiping her eyes and allowing them to meet the figure in front of her. He was astoundingly tall, dressed with a red tie, an emerald blazer and kind eyes to match, his thick rimmed glasses only magnifying the fact. The bushy moustache that sat upon his top lip was most certainly his most defining feature. She realised she had been staring wordlessly at the stranger for longer than what could be considered normal. "I'm fine." Her answer and the smile that came along with it was unconvincing.

This time her feet carried her at a rapid pace, eager to leave the intimidatingly tall stranger who quickly followed behind. "At least let me walk you home." Harvey didn't know what had come over him. Bold? He had never been described in such a way. Maybe it was the tremble of her knees or her tear stained cheeks, but all the doctor wanted to do was help the poor girl.

"No thank you." The words were thrown over the blonde's shoulder as she barely bothered to turn back.

"Take this then." His bright blazer was shrugged off in an instant, extended in his pale hand as the pair stood facing the other. "You must be freezing."

Hesitating, Delilah accepted the kind offer, feeling the warmth that had lingered inside the jacket. "Thank you." She breathed, relieved.

Doctor Harvey shook his head lightly, watching the blonde's figure retreat into the cold spring night, wondering what exactly had just occurred. Feeling the chill of the night himself he wondered back towards his safe haven, the warmth engulfing him the moment the door to the clinic swung shut behind him.

In their haste, neither had introduced themselves to the other, a minute detail in the moment that both parties regretted as they lay in their own beds that night. Tossing and turning with intrusive thoughts they wondered when their next awkward encounter would be and if it would be just as awful as that first night of spring.

ʟᴀᴛᴇʀs ʙᴀʙʏ.