novelraw Chapter 43: Are You Trying to Propose to Me?
Chapter 43: Are You Trying to Propose to Me?
"Uh, what else would I mean?" Leon looked at his outfit. It wasn’t exactly formal, but it wasn’t ugly either. What was wrong with it?
Abigail didn’t reply. She simply pointed at his cuffs and pant legs. Leon followed her gaze and noticed the mud stains there. Not that it surprised him—he was a farmer, after all. It would be stranger if he didn’t have any dirt on him.
Realizing his clothes were indeed a bit sloppy, Leon gave in readily. "Alright, I’ll go change and take a shower while I’m at it. You might have to wait here a bit longer."
"I don’t mind." Abigail nodded, perfectly at ease, and walked right into the house with him. She plopped herself down in a chair like she owned the place.
Leon was speechless. "If you stay here, how am I supposed to change?"
"Is that a problem?" Abigail tilted her head at him in puzzlement.
"I said I’m going to shower too," Leon reminded her.
"But you don’t have a bathroom here," Abigail replied matter-of-factly. "If you’re going to bathe, it’ll be outside. So if I wait in here, I’m not interfering with either your shower or your changing, right?"
Her logic caught Leon off guard. Thinking it over, he realized she was right. He did have to bathe outside, using the hose Robin had left, hooked to the faucet and hung under the eaves.
Still, it was strange that Abigail knew this detail about how he bathed. But seeing her lying on the coffee table, yawning, Leon decided not to ask. He grabbed a clean set of clothes, fixed the hose in place, and stepped outside.While showering, he stomped his dirty clothes underfoot—killing two birds with one stone. A bachelor’s efficiency at its finest.
The thought that a girl in her prime was sitting just a wall away did feel odd. But Leon had seen enough in life not to overthink it. He only glanced occasionally at the corner of the wall, half-expecting to spot a pair of mischievous eyes.
Once he was clean and his clothes were free of mud, Leon hung the wet set under the eaves. Wearing fresh clothes and with damp hair dripping, he stepped back into the cabin.
"Done already?" Abigail blinked at him. "Did I doze off just now?"
"Nope. A shower takes me five minutes. How long did you think it would take?" Leon asked, puzzled.
"Five minutes? Are you sure that’s enough? I can’t even finish washing my hair in five minutes." Abigail gave him a look of disdain. "You didn’t just rinse with water and call it a bath, did you?"
Leon chuckled at that. He rolled up his sleeves, showing off the healthy tan of his arm, and held it in front of her.
"Go on, try rubbing it. See if any dirt comes off. Or give it a sniff—see if there’s any weird smell. Then you’ll know whether I got clean."
Momentarily thrown by his gesture, Abigail actually reached out and rubbed his arm, then leaned in to sniff it. A second later, she realized what she was doing, flushed red, and pushed his arm away.
"Alright, alright, I believe you. Let’s get going."
With that, she dashed out of the cabin.
…
Leon watched her retreating figure with a playful smile. Another day, another successful bit of teasing.
His own hunger pulled him out of his thoughts. Only now, post-shower, did he realize how empty his stomach was. He desperately needed a high-calorie meal before his body started devouring itself.
Abigail was nowhere in sight, so Leon headed toward the eastern exit of the farm. Soon, he spotted her standing by an old, boxy, orange sedan, waving him over.
The sight of the car reminded Leon of the old Santanas the wealthy villagers used to drive. It brought back memories, and a twinge of nostalgia.
But none of that outweighed the growling in his stomach. He opened the passenger door and hopped in. "Step on it. If we don’t go now, I might just cut you up and toss you in the pot."
"You’re disgusting," Abigail shot back, though she clearly knew he was joking.
"Yeah. So, are you scared?"
"Not at all. In fact, by that point, I’m not sure who’d be eating who." Abigail smirked, turned the key, and pulled a U-turn. The old car, with its terrible suspension, rattled toward Pelican Town.
Her words reminded Leon of a little trivia about Abigail—in the game, if you gave her a diamond, she’d bizarrely respond with, “How did you know I was hungry?” Players had long joked she was a genuine metal-eater. Of course, that was just a buggy dialogue trigger. Real life wasn’t that ridiculous… right?
But now, Leon wasn’t so sure. Curiosity got the better of him as they drove. "If I gave you a diamond, what would you do with it?"
"I’d probably have it set into a necklace or earrings." Abigail tilted her head, thinking.
"Why not a ring?"
"Are you serious?" Abigail turned to give him an exasperated look. "If you’re making a diamond into a ring, are you trying to propose to me?"
"Hey, eyes on the road! Watch where you’re going!" Leon quickly pointed out that her turn of the head had made the car veer.
Once she steadied the wheel, he asked, "So weddings in Pelican Town need diamond rings? Wouldn’t something with more tradition and ceremony—like a Mermaid Pendant—be better?"
"I’m impressed you know about that old Stardew Valley tradition," Abigail said. "But no one’s done it in ages. It’s hard to find a Mermaid Pendant. They say the old sailor’s ghost only appears to those he approves of, offering it to would-be grooms. Most people think it’s just a story, so they use diamond rings instead."
Then she glanced sideways at him. "And just so we’re clear—don’t get any special ideas. I haven’t even finished college yet. I’m not thinking about dating right now."