Instead, from the first night he slept at the farmhouse, Harvey tangled himself around Rae’s body and slept soundly until the 5am weather report from Rae’s alarm clock woke him the next morning. Even then he’d make a growling sound to indicate he’d heard it but would inevitably roll over and drift off to sleep until she came to wake him an hour and a half later.

The alarm continued to be set despite the lack of early work to do in the winter, but instead of getting up and feeding the animals or tending the crops before the sun got too high, Rae would press her body in even closer to him under the thin sheets and gaze at him for a few minutes before lapsing back into sleep herself.

And on the first morning of spring, exactly a year after she’d arrived in Pelican Town on an the old bus that clattered to a half on the stop by the farm, she did just that. She’d been so damn scared about it all; the entire bus journey had been spent worrying that such a small and closed community wouldn’t accept her or that she’d be bored in five minutes. But they had accepted her and she hadn’t been bored once. The villagers welcomed her into the flock and in the short span of a year she’d gained close friends, a thriving farm and a dog that tried to jump on top of the kitchen counters just because he could.

And the doctor snoring gently next to her. He was definitely the highlight of the things she’d landed herself over the last year.

Her mouth stretched into a yawn and she touched his cheek with her straying fingers. Watching his chest rise and fall in his sleep next to her was one of her new favourite things. But just as she turned delicately in the bed, careful not to wake him, she felt him stir next to her anyway and stared at him over her naked shoulder.

The golden sunlight touched everything with its fingers, casting the room in a sea of light. It looked almost heavenly, mused Rae as she watched Harvey stir.

One reluctant eye opened. Then another. He squinted at the sunlight that flooded the room and groaned as he pushed his endearingly stubbled face under Rae’s pillow.

“Definitely spring then...” he mumbled from under the pillow. She ran her hand along his exposed arm and lay back down next to him, their faces nearly touching as he emerged from his hiding place.

“Certainly is. I’m pretty sure that if I look outside virtually all the snow will be gone too.”

“That means you’re going to start getting up earlier right?” He complained.

Rae laughed but her nod was sympathetic. “You know Harvey, I didn’t take you for such a late sleeper!”

He linked his arms above his head and stretched them towards the ceiling, moaning with relief and leaned across to grab his glasses from the bedside table. He propped them on his face and offered her a wide grin as she presumably turned from a fuzzy mass of colours into an actual, real life person.

“Well until recently I found it difficult to go to sleep. So getting out of bed was always hard. But now...” he smiled and pulled Rae into him, the feel of his warm skin against hers making prickles of delight appear on her arms and back. “Now I get plenty sleep but still don’t want to get out of bed.”

She giggled and swatted his roaming hand. “Well we have to I’m afraid. First day of spring....lots to do.” His face fell as she rose from the bed, grabbed her discarded t-shirt from the floor and the night before and slung it over her shoulders. Her hair twisted into a knot at the top of her head and she secured it with the band that was digging a thin red welt into her wrist. Basil greeted her with enthusiasm as she entered the kitchen.

As she tousled his scruff she called back to the bedroom, offering coffee which he readily accepted. Harvey following her into the living room, still securing his pants around his waist by their ancient zipper. Rae loved that he was comfortable enough to wander around the farmhouse half naked and, although he was still obviously a little nervous about his bony hips and self proclaimed ‘bird arms’, it only made her happier that he no longer worried about her judging him. It also made her more than a little indulgently satisfied to think that his gorgeous body had been in her bed for the last four nights in a row.

She handed him a steaming black mug of caffeine and added milk to her own before knocking back a deep and satisfying mouthful. Resting her hips against the kitchen counter she flipped on the radio which confirmed her suspicions that the snow had finally abandoned Stardew Valley and that the weather predicted for the day was a balmy and cloudless warm spring day.

“Doesn’t get much better than this.” She winked at him as he headed to the bathroom for a shower.

As soon as she heard the water flowing and Harvey humming loudly over the sound of the boiler whirring to life she tidied up their abandoned dinner dishes from the night before and tossed them in the sink before busying herself making breakfast.

When he emerged ten minutes later, hair tousled with water droplets and body smelling like her violet scented shampoo, she only allowed herself a half second of admiration and affection before setting down two omelettes and glasses of orange juice.

He tucked in readily, as though he hadn’t eaten in days, and hummed with satisfaction as the flavours hit him.

“In only a few days I’ve gone from hellish microwave dinners to freshly cooked breakfasts made with produce that’s come from about twenty feet away.” He looked at her with hooded eyes behind his glasses. “I wonder what I did to get this lucky?”

She scoffed and took a bite from her own plate. It did taste good. Had she really become so accustomed to growing and making her own food that she’d forgotten how a year ago she herself was buying vacuum packed meals and thinking of them as fuel instead of food?

They sat in easy silence for the five minutes it took them to finish their omelettes. A comfortable and relaxed meal with the occasional finger brushing or sly glance. After the plates were cleaned and the very dregs of the coffee was consumed he brushed his lips against hers, a lingering goodbye that neither of them wanted to make was made and he headed out the door just in enough time to get to the clinic for his first appointment at 9am.

As Rae followed him out and watched him stroll down the path into town, she chided herself when she realised how utterly and foolishly dependant on him she was already.

—

A second shower had been necessary before she went to meet Harvey after his shift.

The morning had been spent preparing the soil for planting the next day and it had proved to be back breaking work. Although as she thought back to the year before, when her muscles hadn’t become attuned to physical labour yet she was pleased to note she got about four times as much work done in the same time. Her hips still jutted a bit too much for her liking and her stomach still paunched at the front, but her arms and legs had grown stronger and her energy levels compared to her arrival were like night and day.

When she looked up just after lunchtime, her calves cramping and arms numb with exertion, she called it a day and gave the chickens a final check before allowing herself a steamy shower. Her muscles were very grateful when the hot water washed over them and the relief was instantaneous.

Rummaging around in her entirely disorganised closet she grabbed one of her more summery dresses, a yellow slip with blue stitching, and slipped on a pair of flat pumps. She tossed the winter boots to the back behind her sandals and work boots.

“Hopefully won’t see you guys for a while...” She whispered to them.

She wandered into town in a dream like state. Any evidence of snow had completely melted in the night and the trees looked green and lush as tiny buds appeared through the dirt in the grass. Birdsong offered a perfect soundtrack to her journey as her basket rocked gently on her elbow, soon to be filled with seeds for the upcoming season.

The air was filled with showers of pale pink blossoms as they floated from the trees and seemed to dance gracefully in the air. Rae didn’t even pick off the errant petals as they landed on her shoulders and sprinkled her with their spring attitude.

As she cleared the path into town the first thing to hit her was a mouth-watering scent that she couldn’t quite place. The smell of food permeated the otherwise fresh air and as she moved past the trees noticed that most of the villagers were standing in huddles in the town square.

Tables had been set out in front of Pierre’s and smoke rose in plumes from the centre of a crowd of people huddled around the Saloon. The flip down tables were already all set, laden with pitchers of water, juice and what seemed to be punch. Yellow and red bottles that dotted the tables reminded Rae of better times with her family when her mother and father would jokingly argue of the benefits of mustard vs ketchup. It was one of the few pleasant memories of her she’d come up with since she’d made the upheaval from the city.

Harvey emerged from the clinic and clicked the door lock behind him before smiling at Rae’s arrival.

“What’s going on?” She asked, pointing at the crowds.

“Impromptu barbecue it seems.” He kissed her readily without looking around for prying eyes as he’d have done only a week before. As his lips pulled away Rae noticed, not for the first time, how much of his nervousness had vanished in recent days. For the first time since she’d known him he was relaxed, his shoulders weren’t tensed and he seemed genuinely comfortable in the crowd of villagers. “Gus said he had a bunch of food that was going to go bad in a few days so suggested we might all get together for dinner. Do you want to join everyone?”

Rae nodded and placed the empty basket in front of the clinic door to collect later. She’d just have to fetch seeds the next day, she thought to herself. Suddenly it just didn’t seem as urgent as it had ten minutes before.

Harvey linked her hand in his confidently as they began towards Robin, Demetrius and Lewis who were having an animated discussion about tables and chairs. Rae rolled her eyes at Harvey as the Mayor’s voice begun to raise a few octaves above its normal tone.

“I understand it’s all very friendly and neighbourly to do this but it’s traditional to propose a new event during a town meeting and send notices out a few days in advance. We could have had flyers! We could have organised music. This is all rather....spontaneous!” He spat the last word as though there was poison in his mouth and Robin crossed her arms and offered him a raised eyebrow.

“That’s all fine for annual festivals and get togthers but I think it’s OK to occasionally do something off the cuff.”

“I agree Lewis,” began Demetrius, his arm linking around his wife’s. “And when better to do it than a beautiful spring day like this?”

Lewis made a growl in his throat as he rubbed his head under his hat and shook his head, looking around to his most likely ally. “Surely Harvey you agree with me? These things need to be planned out, don’t they?”

Harvey offered him an easier smile than he’d ever managed and shrugged. “I don’t know.” He side-eyed Rae mischievously. “Maybe we all should start worrying less about things that aren’t really that important and start focusing on the things that matter. Like being together.” He squeezed Rae’s hand.

Rae flushed slightly and had to hold back a giggle as Lewis finally barked out an angry laugh and stormed off to where a sympathetic Marnie stood taking handfuls of nuts from a bowl by Gus.

Robin turned her gaze back to Rae and Harvey and snuggled in even closer to her husband. “You two are looking happy.” She looked up to Demetrius. “Remember that brand new love look we used to give each other?” She squeezed his arm tighter as he shook his head at her and offered a mock indignant look.

“Don’t be silly. I’ve never been anything other than completely rational about our relationship.” He offered Rae a wink and pulled Robin away towards where Abigail stood with Sebastian, pouring cans of cola into red plastic cups.

“Let’s go get some food before Shane eats it all.” She suggested.

They wandered over to their friend who was eating burgers in three mouthful actions. He paused for a moment when he saw the couple and wiped his mustard tipped mouth with the underside of his sleeve.

A glance that could barely be seen flitted down to their joined hands and back up with a slightly weathered expression on his face. No one acknowledged it and instead Rae leaned over to pass a paper plate to Harvey. She moved to put some cheese slices on Harvey’s plate when he suddenly whipped his plate towards himself.

“No thanks. I really hate cheese.” Rae raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Wait,” her mind whirred. “What about that night you made the artichoke cheddar soup for us?”

His cheeks burned at her question and his expression grew sheepish. “I, uh, well I knew you would like it so I guess I just....ate it anyway?”

She offered him a pained look but guessed she would have done the same for him in other circumstances. She mouthed a sorry to him which prompted a grin.

“Burgers good then?” She asked Shane, heaping a bun onto her plate and onto Harvey’s without asking. He nodded and grabbed a can of soda from the bucket of ice behind him. Rae waved to a grinning Jas who sided up next to Shane as she held her plate out to Gus who was offering meat from the grill. “How you doing Jas?”

The young girl nodded excitedly and, without answering, squeaked up to Shane. “Will you come and play hide and seek with me and Vincent?” She pulled at his arm and gave him a pleading look as he took a long draw of the soda then burped loudly. Rae could feel Lewis’ disapproval from across the square.

“You guys look happy.” He muttered. “I’m, uh, happy you’re happy.”

Rae didn’t get a chance to respond as Jas finally pulled him away and Shane joined the kids in a slightly haphazard game of hide and seek.

Rae bit her lip and filled her chest with a heavy breath. Nothing was going to make her feel better about the Shane situation other than time. She hated to think of him being uncomfortable around she and Harvey but in a town with only a few dozen villagers it was inevitable that the three would see each other often. She could only hope his feelings would dissipate over time.

Harvey didn’t seem as affected by Shane’s words as he piled his burger high with salad and ketchup and took a huge bite, spilling sauce down the sides of his mouth. Rae rolled her eyes good-naturedly as he wiped it off with the back of his thumb. The pleasure she was seeing in him from insignificant things truly showed how happy he now seemed to be.

She popped some cheese on her own burger and bit into it. It really was pretty good, she realised. Not for the first time she wondered if Gus’ culinary talents were a little wasted on Pelican Town. Long may he continue though, she thought.

They stood in silence with their food, observing the conversations of the other villagers. Lewis was the only one complaining about the gathering; even George was cackling wildly at Shane’s antics as he tried desperately to shimmy up a tree to hide from Jas’ oddly accurate finding skills. Rae chuckled along with him between bites of food and as Jas shouted she was coming to find him Shane fell ass first from midway up the tree and landed in a bush underneath. He groaned and rolled over, holding his backside as virtually all the onlookers lost their composure at him. He looked up and grinned at Jas’, throwing his arms around her as she ran towards him and engulfing her in a huge bear hug that made Rae’s heart swell.

“He’s going to be fine.” Harvey said, his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “It’ll take a little time but he’ll be fine.”

Rae wasn’t sure if Harvey was referring to his feelings for her or his struggle with alcohol. But either way she was sure he was right. Time would fend off Shane’s demons until soon enough he was strong enough to fend them off himself.

Lewis chinked his spoon against his wine glass which got everyone’s attention. He looked around reluctantly until Marnie nudged his side and he forced a great smile.

“Thank you for coming to our extremely impromptu barbecue everyone.” A few groans echoed through the square but he fluffed his chest and looked around more genuinely. “It is nice to have everyone together now that the weather has turned pleasant. So I’d like to make a little toast.” He raised his glass and the villagers raised their glasses and red plastic cups in unison. “Here’s to Pelican Town. We might be small in the grand scale of things but we’ve got one another. And, well, I think that’s a lot more important. To us all!”

A chorus of agreement sounded as people took a drink and looked around at one another fondly.

He was right. A year ago Rae had landed in Pelican Town thinking she’d last a month at most before getting bored as hell and selling the farm. She could never have predicted that these people would become her friends. Her family.

“Fancy leaving now we’ve made an appearance and stolen some free food?” Harvey asked. Rae nodded in agreement and after thanking Gus for the spread they walked back to the farm hand in hand, fingers twisted around each other’s as Harvey gently rubbed the jade ring with his thumb.

—

Their evening was relaxed. Lounging, chatting, listening to music, an unintentional slow dance in the kitchen. They giggled with one another as they went about tidying the farmhouse and winked at each other every so often just to remind the other their thoughts weren’t entirely pure.

As evening drew in and the sun melted into the horizon, pulling the heat from the air, the pair sat wrapped in Rae’s quilt and read quietly next to one another. Harvey had been teased over his choice of reading material, a thick and heavy medical textbook he claimed was compelling, and Rae had snuggled down under the quilt with Elliot’s latest draft of the romance novel she’d convinced him to write.

After a while Rae found herself distractedly looking at Harvey more often than her pages; she’d read the same sentence four times now which prompted a question in her mind.

Rae leaned into Harvey and whispered to him a question that made his breath catch in his throat and look down at her earnestly, his thick eyebrows hatching together. “Of course.”

“Good.” She tugged at his arm as she stood. “Let’s go to bed.”

The pair walked through to the now breezy bedroom with its empty fireplace, and lay on the bed next to one another. Rae picked at Harvey’s shirt absently as he lay on his side, watching her.

“I’m really glad you decided to stick around in town.” He whispered.

“I don’t think I could have ever left after I met you.”

He pulled her closer and breathed into her neck. “Let’s do this forever.” He murmured absently, his eyes heavy and closing with fatigue.

“At least that long.” She breathed back to him, her own green eyes already closed.