You know how people say that time passes faster the more fun you have? Yeah, it is definitely true.

  Yet another month passed, and by the time I noticed it was time for the Flower Dance. It was hosted annually towards the end of spring. And I had nobody to dance with. Oof. So, when I walked over there and heard commotion, I obviously felt awkward.

  “Oh, hey John,” Alex greeted me. He was a rowdy young man with unruly brown hair who looked athletic and loved sports.

  “Hey, Alex.” We haven’t talked much before, but we knew each other from sight.

  “Are you dancing with anybody?” he asked.

  “I’ll see about that,” I said. “What about you?”

  “Not sure. I’ll just go with the flow, I guess. I don’t care much about that stuff.”

  I took a look around. It was a wide forest clearing, with wooden fences put around it. Some flowers were sprawled around, Pierre’s stall (because of course this man would use every opportunity to fill his pockets), and a table with food. Everyone in the whole town was there, except for Magnus, talking about random stuff.

  Abigail and Sebastian were chatting in the corner; Linus and Marlon were just as well. After the campfire that one time, they became surprisingly good friends. Leah and Elliot were talking by the water, and Clint was making his moves on Emily. Haley was gently steering him away.

  Yet another loss for Clint. One day, I would have to explain to him that Emily doesn’t like him. Not today.

  More people noticed me, and we all greeted each other. Sam, Abigail, Linus, Sebastian, Maru… the list goes on.

  “Hello there.” Lewis turned to me.

  “Hello, mayor. Great weather today,” I said.

  “Yes, yes, definitely.” He coughed. “Well, it looks like no more people will come. The dance will begin in half an hour, so maybe get prepared in that time.”

  “Will do.”

  I did not.

  Instead, I spent the next few minutes of my time devouring the food that was on the table, avoiding the awkward moment that was to come. Back in the game, you needed four hearts for someone to accept your invitation to dance. You could do so only if you put in real effort to increase friendship.

  Now, I did pretty well, if I may say so. I did go out and talk to people many times, but still… what if I asked someone out and they rejected me in front of the whole town? That would be so embarrassing.

  It was Willy who got me out of my thoughts.

  “What are you doin’ there by yourself, not talking to no one?” Willy asked. The fisherman smelled of fish, of course.

  “Just… have you ever asked someone out only for them to reject you brutally?” I asked.

  Willy chuckled. “Boy, too many times to count. Why askin’? You scared?”

  “…Yeah.”

  “Let me tell you something about fishin’. When I go out there and stand in front of the good ol’ sea day by day, I never know how much fish I will catch. There are days when I get nothin’ for a whole week. You think that ever stopped me from waking up and trying yet another day?”

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  “No?”

  “You’re right. Even though I felt bad, like I was wasting my time, I kept doin’ it. Even when it was raining like hell, or it was cold or hot as hell. But then, one day, I would feel it. A big fish. And I would pull and pull till I got it. And that feeling? When you finally succeed, after trying so hard? I wouldn’t trade it for nothin’.”

  I blinked. “And what is it supposed to teach me? This is more like a lesson about perseverance if anything.”

  “Ay, I just said what came to mind, alright? What’d you expect from a fisherman?” Willy chuckled.

  Something stirred in my chest. Then, I laughed. It was just a soft laugh, but it felt like the knot in my chest had untangled. My breathing got easier, and I took a good look at Willy.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I needed that.”

  “No problem. Now, go out there and do your best.” Willy patted me on the shoulder.

  I stood up from the seat and cleaned off the chunks of food on my lips. Didn’t I tell myself that I would live my life to the best?

  Back when I first arrived here, in this new world, I considered the people here as characters. The more time I spent here, though, talking with these people and getting to know them better, the more they were like real people to me. I found out things about them that the game would have never told me about.

  Willy used to hate salmon as a child, but his mother would force-feed him salmon until he started to like them. Leah’s favorite paintings are those of Picasso. The song that Sam often practices on his guitar is his father’s – Kent’s favorite. Jas wants to be an amazing cook. Linus used to go adventuring back when he was young.

  Bit by bit, I became closer to people here, just as they became closer to me.

  And if I wanted to truly get to know them, I would have to face the uncomfortable challenges that came with it.

  That’s right. I knew who I wanted to ask.

  Haley stood in front of me, dancing around, as if practicing moves of her own. She noticed me standing there with a raised eyebrow and tilted her head.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  I felt my ears getting hot, and my chest getting tight. “Do you, uh, want to flower dance with me?”

  Nothing else existed right now but me and her, and even then, I couldn’t see her face. It was as if a veil was placed in front of her, masking her emotions from me. Strangely, the tightness in my chest was lifted, and my heart calmed down now that I asked her.

  It took a few moments for her to respond. “Oh? You want to ask me?”

  Ah. For a moment, I felt both happiness and disappointment. I recognized that dialogue from the game. It meant she would say yes. But… that was what she said in the game. I knew that the people here were different. They were real. But, still…

  “You know, I’ve been waiting for you to do something, anything, ever since we went together to Miss Marnie’s house… what took you so long?”

  My eyes widened as I looked at her. And I saw her, really saw her, for the first time since coming here. She had a blush on her face as she looked to the side. Her head was adorned with a ring of flowers, which perfectly complemented her white dress.

  “So, uh, is that a yes?” I blurted out.

  She sighed and grabbed my hand. “What do you think?”

  I followed after her as she dragged me to the center of the clearing. The other townsfolk who were looking at us joined in, as if on cue. Haley and I began with a light dance before everyone else got ready.

  Abigail was with Sebastian, Leah was with Elliot, Maru was with Harvey, Penny was with Sam, and Emily was with Shane. Alex was to the side, watching with a content gaze. Every other townsfolk just enjoyed the show.

  I smiled as I looked into Haley’s blue eyes. She smiled in turn.

  The flower dance began. It wasn’t a goofy dance like in the game – it had a choreography of its own, one that I learned from Abigail. I wasn’t good at it. I only practiced it for a few weeks, but Haley was amazing. She was leading.

  Before I noticed it, the Flower Dance ended, and the small audience clapped. I wasn’t tired at all, but I still breathed hard. The dancers dispersed, including Haley and me. We spent the rest of the day just hanging around and having fun.

  When it was all over, a thought occurred in my mind. Before, I thought of fixing the Community Center because it was a fun challenge to do. But now? I wanted to do it for the people here. To make their lives better. And I would do it, no matter what.

  I went back to my farm and pet the orange cat, which I named Garfield, and Bi Di. The chicken would need another friend soon. When I went to sleep, Garfield sneaked into my bed, and we slept together.

  I had very good dreams that night.

  Quick Announcement for my readers:

  Sometimes, I don't feel like sitting down and putting these words on the page, but then I think of you - of the people who read this series and like it. Thank you for liking it :)

  I didn't think to say this before, but I thought it might be a good time. I'm planning for this fanfic to be about 40 - 50 chapters long, with each chapter being around 1500 words. And, as you could probably guess, it will end with restoring the Community center. I'm also trying to post a chapter once every two days, usually at 8 PM CET (UCT + 1), but, of course, life sometimes comes in the way, and I'm unable to do so.

  Not only that, but I am also writing a novel of my own, since in the future I do want to become an author. As such, I would appreciate any comments on the parts of the fanfic that you liked and didn't. It is a different style from my usual writing, but I'm sure I would glean some very valuable advice.

  That's all, folks.