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Maybe Summer isn’t the best time to visit a hot, tropical place like Ginger Island, but I couldn’t help myself. I was craving the sight of the turquoise ocean and the bustling island, the sunlight against my skin, the fresh coconuts. The parrots squawk in the bushes, Abigail and Sam are hitting a volleyball back and forth, Emily is reading a fashion magazine just next to me, since she annoyingly insisted on coming along. This moment is almost too peaceful for my liking, but I find myself revelling in it. This is my happy place, after all.
A shadow blocks the sun, and I feel like the moment is ruined, until I sit up and see the farmer, a sunflower in their hand, stretched out towards me. I can’t help but smile. They always do this, giving me things I love at just the right moment.
I sit up on my towel, pulling them into a kiss, and I can feel them smile against my lips. “I didn’t know you were coming to the island today,” I murmur.
“Hm.” Their hand reaches for my hair, brushing through my gold locks. “How could I stay home when my North Star is so far away?”
My smile only grows at their stupid, poetic flatter. They lean in and whisper to me, “I have a surprise for you. Follow me.”
Before I met them, I had never considered the possibility of meeting a sweet, charming, and somehow wealthy farmer. Even if I did, it would’ve just been a passing fantasy.
Yet here I am, absolutely enamoured with this person who was a stranger a mere few years ago. I follow them without hesitation or question, past the polished resort, through the emerald bushes, until we reach a secret beach, far from the others. It’s a beautiful sight, and I can’t help staring in awe. The green flick of a mermaid’s tail splashes in the waves, cliffs surround the beach, a star-shaped mass of rocks holds a tidal pool in the centre, and the canopy above casts shadows on the golden sand.
The farmer smiles at my reaction. “I knew you’d like it.”
As I look at them, I don’t even mind that I probably look dishevelled and sweaty from the walk, or that my eyes are full of idiotic wonder and my hair is full of sand. The fact that they thought of me is too sweet for me to care about anything else. “You did?”
A small laugh escapes them, and I feel more in love than ever. “Of course. You’re my girlfriend, I’m always thinking of you and looking for things you might like.”
Girlfriend… I’ve been their girlfriend for such a long time. I love it, sure, but… “Am I going to be your girlfriend forever, then?” I meant to sound playful, but I feel like I sounded a bit too serious.
They falter for a moment, but their smile just grows as they lead me out of the shadows of the palm trees, into the searing yet gentle light. “Haley, you are more to me than a girlfriend ever could be. You are sunlight on a rainy day, sweetness in a world of salt, a sunflower in a field of daisies.”
My unease is immediately replaced by that lovely feeling they always give me, a feeling of contentment and excitement and nervousness all at once. I can feel the heat of blood rushing to my cheeks, and I do nothing to stop it. Distantly, the mermaids begin to sing a soft and gentle song, filling the air with magical wonder. I forget all of my troubles, my worries, everything that’s ever plagued me. This moment is too perfect for me to worry about anything.
The farmer seems nervous as they fidget, and I can’t help wondering how they can be tense when everything is so lovely. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing. You’ve always seemed so perfect to me, and I felt like this had to be perfect, but… I don’t actually know how to make it perfect.”
How have they not realised that everything they do is perfect in my eyes? How could they think I’m the perfect one when they were kind from the start, and it took me months to greet them without glaring? How could they think I’m perfect when they’ve managed to build a life for themself independently, while I still don’t know how to do half the chores in my house?
“You don’t have to know.” My voice is weak, but I can’t help it. I love the farmer too much to care. “It seems to come naturally to you.”
“That’s only because you’re here.” Their eyes meet mine, and I find our hands linked together. They lift my hand, palm up, and when they pull away, I’m holding a pendant as blue as the sea and the sky, connected to a string. My heart soars, and I can’t help choking up. Hot tears start to fill my eyes, and a strangled noise escapes my throat.
The farmer’s voice is suddenly filled with concern and I feel their hands on my face. “Oh, honey, you’re crying…”
“No I’m not.” But I am, and though I normally hate crying in front of people, the farmer has seen me in far worse states. “I just have sand in my eyes…” But it’s no use. I’m a mess of tears and joy.
They don’t point out my blatant deflection, instead pulling me into a gentle kiss. “Haley, can we spend our lives together? I promise, I will do everything in my power to make you happy, for as long as you’ll allow it.”
“Yes.” My answer is instant, my tears rushing faster to my face. “I’ve never been so happy.”
They place the pendant around my neck. They kiss me once again, and I finally feel at peace, knowing that this is the person I’ll wake up next to until the stars collide.