IT WAS RAINING. It was no surprise. Most of the snow had melted, signifying the start of a new season, and it had been sunny for days, it had to pour eventally. And so, water filled town; watering the plants (thank goodness), flooding the roads, and giving everyone a chance to stay indoors.
Well, for the most part, anyways.
I walked along the path toward the bus stop, my boots sinking into the mud filling with water each step I took. My clothes and hair were drenched, but I didn't seem to mind. I didn't bother to bring an umbrella.
Walking through the rain had helped me become... calmer, after everything that has happened. Maybe it was the pattering sound that seemed to soothe me, or just watching the town in its serenity.
Silently, I thanked Yoba that it was not a good day today. I certainly did not want to have the towns people look over at me and silently judge me. In fact, most people had forgotten about this loathe and were slowly starting to forgive me. It took a lot of time and giving everyone their well-loved gifts, but it was a start.
And even Jas. I had felt so guilty after having her caught up in the fire at the festival and I knew that I had to do something. And so I had surprised her with her favourite flowers: fairy roses that I had been growing inside of my house. She seemed hesitant when she first saw me, but eventually warmed up again once seeing I had brought cake.
Emily and Sam had realized that they were wrong to judge me and had shown up at my door the night before, bearing gifts and plenty of food. It wasn't hard to forgive them, seeing Sam's sad face and Emily holding my favourite dishes from the Saloon.
Everything was slowly coming back together... Almost...
As I approached the bus stop, Pam's figure came to view, her usual scowl on her face. She didn't seem to mind being drenched in the rain. In fact, she seemed happy ever since the bus was restored and she could go back to her job.
Her expression didn't change as she saw me. "Heading anywhere today, kid?"
Kid... Was I so selfish? Was I being a child, wishing that Shane could stay?
"No, not today," was all I said. Pam grunted and turned away, heading into the driver's seat.
After a few minutes, another set of footsteps could be heard echoing off the muddy floor, slow but still distinct. Shane entered my peripheral vision and I took a deep breath, taking in his sight. He grasped onto a strong stick that allowed him to stable himself, his body still not strong enough on his own (unfortunately, this town wasn't benefitted with crutches). Unlike me, his familiar blue sweater covered his face, the one I was so mesmorized with for the past few months.
Seeing him walk toward me, I was reminded of what happened over the course of my arrival, memories flooding into my mind. How he had once loathed me, how he was a reminder of my old life, how I indulged in him with my past and how our lives were intertwined. How we were bad for each other... but we couldn't keep away.
In fact, it was not that we were bad for each other... We had our own faults, had our own regrets. We weren't perfect. And this made us just right, fitting us together like puzzle pieces. We had to solve our own problems before joining together.
Soon, Shane was in front of me, and I blinked as if stuck in a trance. He reached an arm out to me as though he was going to pull me into a hug, but he then grabbed me, colliding my chest to his. I had to hold him to maintain his stability. "For someone who doesn't work out as much, you sure are strong," was all I could muster.
I gazed up at his dark eyes, trying to see the story behind them. But I knew everything about him. Since I got to know him better, he became transparent, opposed to the opaque mask he wore at the beginning.
"Maybe the lack of beer has helped me. Plus, I don't want you sulking in the rain. You'll get sick."
I broke our gaze and quickly glanced at Pam, who now sat inside the bus and watched with curiosity. "You know why I'm sulking..." I whispered, so low that I didn't catch it, but Shane did.
He grabbed my hands, lacing his calloused fingers through mine. "We talked about this, Mae. I'll only be in the city for a year."
"I know. And I should be happy for you. I don't want to keep you from something you need to do. You need this more than anything." My voice cracked and it took all my willpower for me not to break down and cry.
The collision had only reminded me that I was the cause of Shane's accident. I didn't know if his body would ever be the same again, but there was still hope for him to recover in the city. As much as Shane wanted to hide it from me, I could see that he was struggling in the way he walked and acted. There was a hidden pain he tried to hide.
Before I knew it, I was pulled into yet another engulfing hug. Shane tossed the stick away as it landed a few feet away and he traced circles on my back while I sobbed into his shoulder, letting out all the emotions I was bottling up these past few days. "Say the word, Mae," he murmured in my ear, "say the word and I won't go."
This time, I pulled away, leaving the comfort of his arms. "What? You can't do that."
"I will. I don't need help from people who charge overpriced fees to those who are suffering. I'd be better off here and recovering alone, with you." He had a look of determination on his face and I was reminded of the old Shane when he was vulnerable and weak. How times had changed.
I smiled weakly at him and brushed a strand of wet hair out of his face. "As much as I'd like you here with me, I won't do this to you. The city will help you recover more than what I could do."
He was about to protest, but I leaned in and closed the short distance between us. Our lips locked and danced with each other, soft and passionate. His lips tasted like pizza and I nearly broke away from my grin. Soon, I felt the pair of hands glide along my waist and found my hands deep in his hair.
Kissing Shane was a dangerous game to play, but so fun and addicting at the same time. We couldn't contain ourselves and it was hard to keep our hands off each other.
We then broke off, panting from the lack of oxygen. Shane leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes thoughtfully. "I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss you. Heck, I'm going to miss everything about this shitty town."
"And I'm going to miss you. The whole town will. Marnie, Jas, Emily, and even George!" We both laughed. "The days will go by quickly. I promise."
"I hope so," he replied, taking my hand in his and stroking it. "But... what if I come back and I'm not the man I used to be? What if the city changed me?"
I closed my eyes and once I opened them, Shane stared at me with love and affection. "Shane... even if you lost ten pounds or suddenly did something different with your hair, I'll still love you for you." I put my hand where his heart was, feeling it pounding against his chest. "I know that deep down, you're still the Shane I fell in love with. Even if it means having to break down your walls again, I will find you."
Shane looked at me as if searching for any lie in my words. When he couldn't, he chuckled. "You sure know how to be sentimental." A tear fell down his left eye, trailing down his stubbled cheek and to his chin. "Great. I'm going to cry now. I told myself I wouldn't..."
I found myself crying as well and we were both sobbing messes. I leaned into Shane and stroked his cheek. "Shane, crying doesn't show your weakness, but how strong you are and how much you care for others. Trust me, I'll cry as many tears as the ocean if it meant losing you."
I was going to kiss him again, but a loud honking noise had me turning away. We both turned to Pam who sat impatiently in the driver's seat. "Okay, lovebirds! Smooch up and get this over with! It'll be a long way to the city and we're losing daylight."
Slowly, I turned back to Shane and treasured the last few minutes I had with him. "I guess this is goodbye?"
"No." He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a pouch. Seeing my confused face, he said, "Open it."
I untied the rope and loosened it. My hand reached in and grasped a hard object that felt cool to the touch. Pulling it out, I stopped and stared. What was it? It was shimmering blue and had a refined structure, almost like a shell... But I've never seen this one at the beach before.
"Shane..."
He grabbed my hands and we both held the shell, gazing at the glow it was emitting. "It's a mermaid's pendant. I stopped by the beach earlier and bought it off a creepy man..."
That's right... During rainy days, I'd see a man standing to the shore. I'd try to talk to him, but he told me I wasn't ready... I had no idea what he had meant. Until now.
My thoughts went back to a letter Mayor Lewis had written to me a while ago. It entailed the details to a mermaid pendant given to one as a proposal to marriage. He said everyone in town knew its symbol and what it represented. But clearly, I didn't.
My hands shook and I looked at Shane in shock. "You want to... get married?" After his past relationship with his dead girlfriend Loraine. I didn't think he was ready for this commitment, let alone marriage! We weren't ready for this... I wasn't ready.
He shook his head and his face was red as he struggled to process his words. "No--wait, yes I do. But not now. I know we're both not ready. But... it's a promise. A promise that when I come back, I... am going to marry you.."
The widest smile broke out onto my face and I flung my arms around him. "Yes! I'll marry you." I pulled away, holding his face in my hands. "Now I can't wait for you to get back." I put the pendant in my pocket. "I'll treasure it forever."
"Good."
Hearing Pam's impatient honking, Shane gave me one last lingering kiss. "I love you," he murmured before hesitantly pulling away as if he never wanted to let go. My hands sought out to reach for him, but I refrained from doing so.
He gave me a look filled with passion, determination, and love. I waved and watched as he picked up his stick and boarded the bus.
Soon, the bus roared to life and drove out of Pelican Town. Shane and I held eye contact through the windows, never breaking sight of each other until the bus left. I gazed down the tunnel and I half-expected it to come back, but it never did. Sighing, I turned around and trudged back to the farm.
I touched the weight of the pendant in my pocket and smiled softly. Even if Shane wasn't physically with me, he would always be here in spirit. We had a lot to work on to become the better version of ourselves and it was something that we needed to do alone. To face our fears and memories of the past. And when we come back, we won't be the same naive people anymore. We would be different.
In the end, whatever intoxication we had for each other had caused our downfalls, but it helped us grow and realize our mistakes. But now we were sober of these mistakes and aware of our actions.
As cliche as it is, It may seem like the end of our story, but I knew--deep down in my heart--that this was just the beginning, a new chapter ready to unfold.
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And that's a wrap! This is the last chapter and it's been a WILD ride to get here. I was originally planning to write an epilogue, but I'm not sure anymore. I know there are a lot of things left to discuss (like what happens when Shane comes back?), but I like that it's open-ended and you can imagine how it ends. For now, this story is completed, but if I feel like there should be more, I'll have an epilogue written!
Thank you all for reading this story and stuck through until the very end! I wouldn't have continued this at all without all your encouragement and support, so I truly truly appreciate ALL of you!
What am I going to do next? I'm not sure. I haven't even considered if I want to write another fan fiction about another Stardew bachelor/bachelorette. But we'll see!
Thank you once again! See you all:)