Love Is The Best Medicine (Stardew Valley - Harvey)

Chapter 26 - Motion Sickness

"Tell people? You mean... about us?" he asked, his voice tinged with surprise and uncertainty. You nodded, a mix of vulnerability and anticipation colouring your expression. "Yes, about us."

He just stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, a feeling of panic set in your stomach, making you regret even bringing this "sensitive' topic up to begin with. The weight of the decision hung heavy in the air, and you could sense his hesitation.

"It's not that I don't want people to know," Harvey finally spoke, his voice gentle yet hesitant. "It's just... I worry about how they'll react. Our relationship is precious to me, and I don't want anything or anyone to jeopardise that." You stared him down, your eyes heavy with confusion but at the same time, understanding. "I'm your doctor, Evangeline," he reminded you, his voice gentle yet firm.

"Yes, but you are allowed a love life just as much as them, you aren't a cold mean doctor machine." You quickly giggled after realising how stupid that sounded.

"Did you just rhyme that?" He questioned, your body seemed to ease from the tension. "I think so?" You replied, smiling. "Maybe I should have been a writer." You added, unable to resist a smile.

In that moment, for those brief seconds, your eyes locked with Harvey's and time seemed to slow down. A rush of emotions swirled between you, intense and almost overwhelming, yet surprisingly invisible.

"On second thoughts, I don't think anyone could jeopardise us." Harvey stated, his eyes filled with longing. In that instant, any lingering doubts or worries seemed to dissipate, replaced by a newfound certainty. "I don't think so either." You added, your smile now consistent and warm.

Suddenly, Harvey's phone rang.

You glanced down to read to caller ID. That's when you read Isabella's name. Even though you had cleared everything up with Harvey, it didn't fully ease the pangs of jealously and envy you felt. Being only human, it was natural to feel inferior to a blonde bombshell.

"It's Isabella! I completely forgot about work today!" He exclaimed, a slight gasp escaping his lips. "I'm supposed to be training her." He sighed, looking somewhat frustrated, oblivious to how this might have made you feel.

"You have such a way of distracting me, Miss Rosingdale..." He smirked, playfully jumping up from the bed and reaching for his shirt that was hung on the back of your vanity chair.

You chuckled softly, feeling your heart flutter at his words and the playful expression on his face, your mind shifting focus from Isabella. "Well, I can't say I'm sorry for being a distraction," you teased, pulling the sheets closer to you as you leaned against the headboard.

Harvey quickly buttoned up his shirt, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You're impossible to resist," he said, leaning towards you to place a soft kiss on your lips. "I'll make it up to you later, I promise."

"I'll be looking forward to it," you replied, a clear sense of anticipation in your voice.

Harvey grabbed his coat and made his way to the door, kissing you goodbye and hurrying to work. As you watched him walk down the driveway with a quick pace, those reoccurring feelings emerged once more.

You decided to distract yourself to try and forget about the whole ideal. You got dressed and headed downstairs, trying to immerse yourself in the daily chores and activities around the house. However, every now and then, you found your thoughts drifting back to Isabella and the gnawing sense of competition that plagued you.

- knock knock -

You opened the door to be greeted by the friendly faces of Leah and Haley.

"Evangeline! We've missed you!" Haley exclaimed. Leah's eyes sparkled as she added, "Yeah, it's been too long! We thought we'd drop by and see how you're doing."

Their unexpected visit was a pleasant surprise, and you welcomed the distraction from your swirling thoughts. "Hey guys," you said, a weak smile on your face. "Are you okay?" Leah frowned, sensing your downtrodden demeanour. "I'm fine, just tired." You smiled, trying to distract them both from your mood.

"We thought you could come for a walk with us by the lake?" Haley asked, her eyes sparkling in a puppy dog manner. You giggled at the sight.

"Yes, of course," you agreed, grateful for their company and the opportunity to clear your mind.

You quickly grabbed a light jacket and joined Leah and Haley outside. The sun was starting to set, casting a warm golden glow across the surroundings. The gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh air, and the sound of rustling leaves added to the calming ambiance.

Haley playfully skipped ahead, pausing occasionally to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Leah walked beside you, admiring the trees like she usually did.

"Tell us about what's been going on," Leah said softly, sensing that there was more to your tiredness than mere exhaustion.

"I'm okay honestly!" You responded, quickly trying to pull the attention off of you. "I don't believe you." Leah replied, her tone firm.

"It's Isabella-" You began.

"Let me guess, you and Harvey are an item and she threatens that?" Leah cut you off before you could carry on, Haley glanced back at you in anticipation.

"How did you know?"

"It was a matter of time. I see the way you look at one another. There's a weird sexual tension between the two of you, me and Haley both noticed the night of the party. Then on New Years, your whole demeanour changed when you were introduced to Isabella. We just put two and two together, it wasn't hard, and I think others are starting to do it too."

"Others...?" Your mind flooded with worry.

"Jodi mentioned it when she was asking how you were."

You suddenly felt a mix of surprise and concern at Leah's revelations. You hadn't expected others to notice the subtle shifts in your interactions with Harvey. The realization that people might be talking about your personal life made you feel vulnerable and exposed.

"I didn't mean for it to be so obvious," you admitted, feeling a bit flustered. "Harvey and I- we didn't want anyone to get involved in our relationship."

Leah and Haley exchanged a knowing look. "Evangeline, you can't control what people think or feel," Haley said gently. "And sometimes, trying to hide something only makes it more noticeable."

"But that doesn't mean you should let it bother you," Leah chimed in. "What matters most is how you feel about Harvey and how he feels about you. Don't let other people's opinions affect your happiness."

You took a deep breath, trying to absorb what you had just learnt. They were right; you couldn't control what others thought, but you could control how you handled the situation.

"I guess you're right," you said, feeling a sense of relief at confiding in someone for once, instead of bottling it up like you usually did.

Leah smiled warmly. "Exactly! As long as you two are happy, that's all that matters. And if anyone has a problem with it, that's their issue, not yours." Haley nodded in agreement.

"You deserve to be happy, Evangeline. Don't let anyone or anything get in the way of that." As she finished, you felt the warm spring air begin to turn bitter as the evening set in. You were lost in your own thoughts for a while, but eventually everything they had said made sense. You continued chatting with them both happily, feeling that your mind was finally at peace.

Thats when you made the clearing to the lake, your eyes beheld the sight before you.

Harvey and Isabella, sat on the pontoon. But they weren't just sat, Isabella had her hands all over him.