a Stardew Valley fan fiction: The Proper Care and Feeding of Souls

Chapter 12: Stardew Point

"We stood

Steady as stars in the woods

So happy-hearted

And the warmth rang true inside these bones"

- Ben Howard, Old Pine

Early the next evening, Grace packed her backpack with 4 sandwiches filled with fresh veggies from her garden, a big bag of chips, and a dozen of her gran's cookies from the recipe that Evelyn gave her. For breakfast the next morning, she added a loaf of banana nut bread and some oranges. And of course, she tossed in a bag of marshmallows which she'd had to travel to town for but refused to go camping without. Finally, she stuffed two big thermoses in the side pockets, one with water, one with fresh-squeezed lemonade.

She had changed her outfit four times and took way too long doing her hair and make-up, but she hoped her final casual choice of her favorite jeans and a perfectly fitting white t-shirt wouldn't let on that she'd been prepping for this little rendezvous basically all day long. She tossed an extra t-shirt in her backpack along with an old sleeping bag she'd found in a spare room she thankfully hadn't purged yet.

The truth was that it had been a long time since Grace had done anything fun and spontaneous like this with friends. During her last few months in this city, she'd avoided her friends at all costs. Hanging out with them had become so awkward after what had happened. She and her friends were just no longer living the same life. It was easier to just make excuses and stay home.

But now, now, she had a fresh start, the possibility to make friends without the wedge of what had happened coming between them. Of course, Sebastian knew. But, unlike everyone else in her life, he didn't allow the knowledge to alter their relationship. He didn't pretend it didn't happen, but she also knew that in his eyes, it did not define who she was.

Grace hiked up the path to Sebastian's house and saw the three of them were already there. Abagail was laughing and standing close to Sebastian with her hand on his chest as he leaned against the side of the house. Grace almost thought he might be blushing. Were they a thing? Grace realized she knew Sebastian very deeply in some ways and in others, not at all. As Grace approached, Sam turned her way. He looked different than the last time she saw him, but not in a bad way. His hair was different, styled but somehow equally as tousled and wild.

"Hey".

"Hi".

Their words stumbled over each other and they smiled. Sam caught Grace's eyes for a moment. She felt as though she could've stayed right there all night long. His wide, deep blue eyes pulled her in.

GRACE

"Hey Grace," Sebastian interrupted the moment in his deep, soft voice. Abagail grinned at me and swung her backpack on.

"Hey", I replied. It seemed insufficient, but really, what do you say to someone who you last saw when you showed up uninvited to their house in the middle of the right and cried yourself to sleep in their bed?

Without another word, Sebastian started walking toward the lake and we all followed. Around the lake and into the forest, we hiked mostly single file, past the clearing where he'd taken me to forage for berries and continuing up to the peak. For the most part, we walked in silence which was oddly comfortable.

Every so often, when the width of the path allowed, Sam would walk closer to my side, stealing glances with those sparkling eyes. Sam was the kind of person who immediately put people at ease. His kind eyes, his easy-going nature, everything about him was, just as Sebastian had said, good. Those glances though. Agh. They didn't make me feel so much at ease as they made me excitedly nervous. With his eyes on me, I felt like I might melt right into a puddle in the dirt.