Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 14 - Fall 24

"Dog on?" Alex repeated, almost as if he was mimicking me. "It's way more than dog on, Sadie. You don't even know the half of it."

"Then tell me!" I shot back, the walls deflecting the shriek and sending it echoing throughout the space.

"No!" Alex said, dropping his armful of items on the ground as he approached me. "You already know enough."

"You're the one who brought it up..." my voice tapered off as his figure began to tower over mine. It had been awhile since he had been so close to me—his mere presence demanded dominance over my entire being.

His face was only inches from mine now, and the room suddenly felt small—as if the disintegrating foundation of the Community Center was finally crumbling down; Alex made ceilings disappear.

"Where's Sam? And Haley?" I croaked out, his lips gracing my neck. Their touch was gentle, sending chills up and down my spine as they connected and disconnected slowly from my skin. Beneath the mask of tenderness was hunger; beneath the hunger was desire that seeped from his pores and into mine.

"Trying to catch a fish," he responded, his left pointer finger moving staticy hairs away from my face. "So they'll probably be gone all day."

I would have laughed at the thought of those two trying to reel in the perfect albacore, if it weren't for the fire spreading inside of me that forbidded any wandering thoughts. The flames followed his hands, which were now planted on my waist as he swiped a million items off of the table and hoisted me onto it.

"Tell me a secret," he whispered.

"A secret?" I asked, my question slicing the moment in half.

"A secret," he repeated, his volume even lower. "You know my secret, now I get to know yours."

"Uh...Oh, God, Alex, I don't know. I like you?" I sighed, looking down. It was a statement, hardly a secret, and based on the look on his face...not what he was hoping for.

"Come on," he said, running his thumb in circles over my thigh. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Oh, really?" I questioned, my face beginning to heat up. "That's presumptuous of you."

"Come on, Sade," he purred, his lips once again nearing my ear. "Tell me something good."

"You really want to know?" I smirked, moving his face to once again be level with mine. "My deepest secret?"

His eyes begged me to tell; his mind was scared to know. "I lost my virginity to a woman."

"What?" He asked, stunned by the confession. "You? Miss Goody Two Shoes? I'm impressed," he said smugly, crossing his arms.

"You don't know the first thing about me," I hummed in response, trailing my fingers up his torso and around the nape of his neck. His body didn't resist as I pulled him closer, his waist now nestled between my legs. "And, by the way, that's not a secret. Just information for select audiences."

"Oh, so I'm not part of the in-group?" he plastered fake shock across his features, bringing his hand up to his chest dramatically.

"No, but you want to know who would be?" I smiled, now using one hand to unbutton his jeans. A small moan escaped him as my hand slid beneath his boxers, our lips crashing together.

"Am I interrupting something here?" Haley's voice boomed from the entryway. Ironic.

For a moment, the world was still.

I yanked my face away from Alex's, lines of spit stretching between our lips and snapping almost immediately at the sudden movement.

Haley was silent, as were we. Our hands slowly retracted from the other's body, trembling beneath the weight of our own bad decisions.

"Fuck," Alex groaned quietly, burying his freshly reddened cheeks in the hands that had just shamelessly embraced me.

Haley scoured the scene, watching each move we made with careful eyes—she wanted answers. She looked down and tugged at her tank top, loosening it from hugging her curves—almost as if she, too, felt exposed.

Though merely feet away, we'd never been more far apart. The distance between us grew by the second, each blossoming realization pushing her further. What Alex and I had done. What we were doing. What we were about to do.

She stared at our feet, and I imagined she was wishing she were in my shoes. Maybe he was wishing that she was, too. Maybe he was imagining what she might look like beneath him, or what flavor her lip gloss was; what it would be like to please her.

"Why..." she murmured to herself, her voice shaky. "Why did it have to be you two, of all people?"

"Haley," I started, tears beginning to pool in my eyes. "Haley, I'm so sorry, I should have—"

"Don't worry about it, Sade," she sighed as she walked past; her familiar scent was no longer comforting. "I forgot the extra bait...that's why I'm here. Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to help," I whispered. "I figured it had something to do with the community center, so I came by, and...well..."

"Enough said," Haley interjected, holding up a knowing hand. "Well, I'll leave you two to it."

"Haley, come on," Alex said, annoyance tainting his tone.

"Oh, and...Just try to act surprised when we reveal it," Haley mumbled. "For Sam's sake, if nothing else. He is really excited to do something sweet for you."

"You pretend you never knew about the renovation," she continued. "...and I'll pretend I didn't just see that."

"Haley..." I whimpered, walking towards her.

"Sadie," she cut me off. "I saw this coming. He'd be stupid not to fall for you."

Daylight spilled into the space as she pushed the door open, her absence somehow sparking more uneasiness than when she stood before us.

"You should go," Alex said. "I'll see you back home, okay?"

"Alex—"

"Just go, Sade."