Intoxicated (Stardew Valley)

Chapter Seven

THE TOWN SQUARE was always quiet.

I knew it was because of the small population of Pelican Town, but it was always like a ghost town—barren of any noise or movement, just the drift of the wind flying overheard or the little creatures hiding in the bushes.

This quiet was almost peaceful. I never had the time to appreciate something like this back in the city. It was always cluttered with noises of taxis honking, citizens shuffling, and loud pop music playing at any corner.

So when my nightmares kept haunting me, I found that strolling through town in the early mornings helped calm my inner demons.

I sat on a bench, thinking about the serenity of this place and wondering if this would be my life from now on.

My thoughts were broken when silent footsteps padded on the concrete floor. I scanned the town and saw a familiar shade of purple.

"Hey." Our shoulders brushed lightly when I stood next to him, walking to Joja Mart.

"What do you want?" he asked harshly and this made me frown. Did he not remember everything that's happened these past few days?

"I just wanted to talk, Shane."

"Sorry... I'm being rude again."

"It's fine."

We approached the blue building and I sucked in a breath. I desperately wanted to run, to fling myself into the rivers—to get anywhere away from here, but I didn't.

"You're not going to pass out again, are you?" Shane inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

I put on a cheeky smile. "Only if you're there to catch me," I replied.

His face flushed and he looked away, walking into the store. I followed suit, thinking about what I had just said.

Yoba, what is with this flirting? I thought mentally. I used to never have romantic preferences and never went on dates. But with Shane... it felt so natural.

"Might I ask why you're here?" he asked bluntly. He was always so direct, didn't care what people thought about him. Was that one of the reasons I was so drawn to him?

And honestly? I had no idea why I found myself following Shane as he signed into work and began organizing the dusty shelves of the store. Or how my gaze would watch his actions—from the movement of his hands to the way he hid his eyes under his blue cap.

Maybe I wanted an excuse to be next to him, to have his presence next to mine.

"Oh, you know... I'm just going to buy some supplies for the farm." I grabbed a bag of flour off the shelf and examined it, nearly gaping at its overpriced tag. "Never mind." I put the product back.

Shane scoffed as he starting stacking canned goods. "It's not worth shopping here. Joja only scams you for your gold even if they claim to have low prices."

"Trust me, I know." The words tumbled out of my mouth before I had time to process what I had just said. Shane looked at me skeptically as he stopped working. He was about to speak before I quickly asked, "But if you hate Joja so much, why do you work here?"

Shane's face showed a mixture of emotions. From rage to sorrow. How desperately I wanted to go into his mind and see what he was thinking. I was glad for the change of topic, though. I didn't feel like talking about my past just yet.

There was a pause of silence for a while and even Shane stopped his work. He stared at the ground, refusing to meet my eyes. The sound of punk music—the type that Sam's band would have played—echoed throughout the store.