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Isabelle went through her checklist for the second time in the last fifteen minutes. The famous K.K. Slider was coming to perform for the island tomorrow , something which Isabelle was certain would prevent her from sleeping well tonight.
She glanced over the top of her list at Tom Nook, who was busy dusting his bookshelf. He looked calm and unbothered but she could tell that he was nearly as excited as she was about the whole affair. He was the one, after all, who had first received the news that K.K. was coming to town.
The door to the Town Hall jingled, signaling the entrance of the Resident Representative. Isabelle's smile widened as the Rep sat across from Tom, consulting with him about the placement of a future bridge. They had been working hard and was one of the main reasons why the island now had a three star rating.
Isabelle checked her list again after the Rep had left. While the Rep and Tom Nook worked together on the appearance of the island it was Isabelle's job to make sure everything behind the scenes, the less-visible things, were taken care of.
It had always been that way for Isabelle. She had been taught from an early age to serve with a smile, always do your best, and never seek recognition. She took pride in the fact that few, if any, knew just how much she contributed- just how much she sacrificed.
So although tonight required more preparation and time than usual, Isabelle didn't mind. The fact that K.K. even recognized their tiny island as a place he wanted to visit was enough to give her the energy she needed to get everything done before he came.
I might even be able get a picture with him… Isabelle thought to herself, looking out the window.
---
Isabelle's alarm beeped. She turned it off and looked out her window at the sunrise, tempted to go back to sleep, if only for a few minutes. Then her mind caught up with her; K.K. Slider is coming! He'll be here in only a few hours!
With that she sprung out of bed, all tiredness gone from her body.
"Good morning, " Tom Nook greeted her as she walked to her desk in Town Hall.
"Good morning, Tom! Are you excited for today?" she chirped back.
Tom smiled into his cup of coffee at her rhetorical question. Of course he was excited, they all were.
Happily Isabelle looked down at her list for the last time. The only thing left to check off was setting up the stools in the Plaza for K.K. and the townspeople to sit.
In what felt like no time K.K. had flown in and arrived on their island. The islanders were excited and cheering, begging for autographs and handshakes. K.K. patiently did as they asked until he made it to his seat in the center of the Plaza. There he and all the islanders (including the Rep, who had just returned from picking fruit) gathered for a concert and a group picture. Isabelle was in the back, but she didn't mind- she didn't want to ruin any of the other islander's fun, anyways. Besides, K.K. looked like he would appreciate the space.
The rest of the day passed in what felt like a blur. After the concert and group picture Isabelle had to return to her desk in Town Hall, but from where she sat she had a good view of the back of K.K. And, if she and Tom were quiet, they still hear K.K.'s singing.
Isabelle thought he sounded slightly melancholy, but perhaps that was just because he has only been playing sad songs.
Finally the sun began to sink below the ocean horizon, setting everything ablaze with a bright orange hue. K.K. was now taking requests from the islanders and Isabelle wondered if she should go and request her favorite song.
The chance never came, however, and before Isabelle knew it everyone was going to bed.
Timmy and Tommy came to Town Hall after their shop closed and waited for their uncle Tom Nook to finish with his work.
"Well, I'm heading out now. Sorry you weren't able to talk with K.K. more," Tom said as he shut off his computer.
"It's no problem! I'm just happy everyone else had a chance to meet with him," Isabelle replied with a smile.
"Okay then. Have a good night," Tom said as he walked out the door with his nephews.
Isabelle watched them leave and, finding herself alone, allowed her face to relax from the smile that she had worn all day. She took out a pencil and paper, preparing herself to make a new list for all that was needed to get done for tomorrow. She normally enjoyed doing this but tonight the pencil felt like it was made of iron, making it difficult to lift. She sighed. Maybe she should just go to bed tonight after her stroll through the island.
Shutting the front door behind her, Isabelle started to head for the incline that led to her favorite spot on the cliff, enjoying the cool night breeze that filtered through her yellow fur.
"It's a little late to be out on a stroll, don't you think?"
Isabelle jumped and spun around, searching for the source of her voice. From behind a tree a figure walked out onto the light.
"K.K.! What are you doing here?" Isabelle said, surprised. She thought his flight to leave the island had already departed.
"I decided to stick around for a little bit. This island… it has good vibes."
Isabelle wasn't sure what he meant by that, but was flattered nonetheless on behalf of the island.
"You haven't answered my question, though. Don't you think it's too late to be out?"
"It's never too late to enjoy the island."
K.K. seemed pleased with her answer. "Mind if I join you?" he said.
Isabelle was taken aback. K.K. still wanted to spend time with fans, even after all the energy he gave to the island all day today?
She almost accepted his offer before remembering how forlorn he had sounded earlier when he was playing in the Plaza. He sounded tired. Isabelle knew his offer to walk with her was coming out of a place of generosity, and although she did want to spend time with him, she decided against it. K.K. had already done so much, no need to take advantage of his kindness.
"No, thank you. I'm sure you're tired, I don't want to be the cause of any strain."
K.K. looked down at the guitar he was holding and flicked off a speck of dirt that Isabelle didn't see. Was he… disappointed that she didn't accept his offer?
"Unless," Isabelle said hesitantly, "unless you wanted to come with me?" She didn't want K.K. to think she was a bother but she also didn't want to hurt his feelings.
K.K. finished cleaning the dirt off his guitar and looked back up to her, his coal eyes reflecting the moon in the sky. "I think it would be nice."
And so they were off. Isabelle gave him an informal tour of the island, showing off all the hard work Tom Nook and the Rep had done. She pointed to every house and told him all the good things the islanders had done to make this island their home. Finally they made it to the highest point of the island, Isabelle's original destination.
"And this, well this is my favorite spot to go to. When I'm not working, of course."
K.K. looked around then walked through the small flower patch to sit on the edge of the cliff. He patted the ground beside him and started to gently strum his guitar. Isabelle hesitated then went to sit next to him.
"And what about you?" he asked, still strumming.
"What about me?"
"You haven't really mentioned anything about yourself. Except that this," he gestured to the trees and flowers around them, "is your favorite spot on the island."
Isabelle flushed. Wasn't it normal to not talk about yourself? She didn't even know what to say.
"Well, I like my coffee with lots of milk and three spoonfuls of sugar."
"Lots of milk and three spoonfuls of sugar," he repeated.
"And I do the morning announcements every day for the Island. I also help Tom Nook and the Residential Representative run the island, making it a beautiful home for those that live here."
K.K. continued quietly playing his guitar. Isabelle recognized it. Stale Cupcakes. Another sad song.
"It really is a beautiful island. Thanks for all your efforts," he said. "I know that others have helped," he continued, seeing that Isabelle was about to interrupt, "and they did a good job. But I want to thank you specifically." He stopped playing and looked at her. "I don't think you've been given a personal 'thank you' in a long time." He turned back to his guitar.
Isabelle looked up at the moon but wasn't really seeing anything. She had always heard that K.K. was a kind person, but this felt more personal.
She shook her head. What was she thinking? K.K. was being kind to her, like he was with all of his fans. She was just reading into it more because of the attraction she'd held for him since they were both young.
"Has anyone ever thanked you?" she said, glancing over.
"All the time," he said in a monotone voice.
"But has anyone ever thanked you for being… you?"
He didn't respond but Isabelle knew he had heard.
"Well," she said, "then I want to thank you. For being you . For being here, for all you do."
A shooting star flirted through the sky above them, causing K.K. to look up.
"And I mean that," Isabelle said, also looking into the sky. She hoped he believed her. She hoped he knew that she wasn't just saying that because she was a fan trying to get on his good side.
After a long pause he responded. "I believe you. You know, for someone so cheery you sure can be convincing." He gave her a smile. "What's your favorite song? I'll sing it for you."
"What about Bubblegum K.K.?" It wasn't her favorite song, but she wanted to show him that she was very up-to-date with his most popular hits.
"You got it"
He began strumming his guitar anew, with more energy. His voice filled the night air, smooth and strong as the nearby river.
Isabelle hummed along, adding her voice to his.
They sang together in harmony. At the end of the song Isabelle sighed.
"Thanks for that," she said. She expected him to leave after that, after graciously spending time with one of his biggest fans (although he probably didn't know that), but he didn't move. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to spend more time with her? Or maybe he just didn't want to come off as rude.
"You're welcome to go, if you need to," she said. "I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me."
He turned and looked at her. "Could I play you one more song, before I go?"
"Of course!"
"Do you have another favorite?"
"Well, actually, Bubblegum K.K. isn't my favorite favorite…"
He smiled as if he already knew that. "Then what is your favorite favorite?"
"Animal City." She felt herself blush under his stare. Why was she so flustered?
"You know, that's my favorite too."
He began playing. Although Isabelle had heard this song dozens, perhaps hundreds, of times before, it had never sounded so beautiful.
Without realizing it she had laid her head on K.K.'s shoulder after closing her eyes; she had never felt more peaceful.
K.K. hesitated before laying his head down on hers, but soon her felt just as relaxed as Isabelle.
They sat there, legs dangling off the cliffside, watching the reflection of the moon in the calm ocean. More stars shot across the sky, but Isabelle was no longer paying attention. All she could focus on was K.K.'s body next to hers, his soothing voice and guitar, and the warm feeling that had started in her stomach and was spreading throughout her entire body.
Isabelle always considered herself a happy person, but she had never felt this happy, not even when she chewed her brother's shoes when she was young. Or at least not this kind of happy.
The song ended but neither of them made any motion to leave, choosing instead to enjoy the moment.
Eventually Isabelle sat up and turned to look at him. A crazy thought entered her head: should she kiss him? Immediately she pushed the thought away. That would be insane. She might be feeling butterflies at the mere thought of being close to K.K., she might be feeling the best she's ever felt, she might feel like she was ready to start a new life with K.K. if only he would ask… but that didn't mean K.K. felt the same way. To him she was only a fan, nothing more.
"K.K, thanks so much. Again. For everyt-"
But she was cut off, unable to speak. K.K. was kissing her. He was there, his mouth on hers. Here. Now.
He pulled away before she could.
"I hope that was okay. Me kissing you, I mean. The moment felt right."
Isabelle was stunned. Did that really just happen or had she died and gone to heaven?
"Yes, that was good. I mean yes, that was alright. I just, wow, I just wasn't ready!" She knew she was talking too much- Blathers would be proud. K.K. waited until she had calmed down.
"Are you ready now?"
"Ready for what?"
"For me to kiss you again?"
"Oh. Yes, I guess I am."
He kissed her again, sweet and slow. Isabelle leaned into it, hoping he was enjoying it as much as she was.
The night progressed as their affection deepened and soon they fell asleep under one of the trees.
---
Early the next morning they woke, wrapped together in each other's arms. Isabelle was sure they had only slept a few hours, but she had never felt less tired. For a moment she was worried everything from the previous night had been a dream. But the white dog next to her was real.
This time, though, Isabelle knew he couldn't stay longer. The life of a celebrity calls for a lot of travel, she knew. She watched him board his plane and fly away.
She didn't know if their night together was unique or not. She didn't know if the moments they shared meant anything more to K.K. then just another fun night. What she did know, however, was that she had fallen deeply and irreversibly in love with him.
She almost told him her feelings when they said their goodbyes that morning, but held back. She was sure that many people had confessed their "love" to K.K. and although hers was real and genuine, she didn't want to make K.K. feel obligated for anything. Besides, there was no way he could share those feelings with her. The more she thought about it the more she was sure that she would remain just another fan to him.
---
A few days had passed and Isabelle found peace with the fact that although her feelings would remain unrequited, she was still grateful for the memories.
Tom Nook came into the Town Hall, a smile on his face.
"Isabelle, you'll never believe it!" he said excitedly.
"What? What is it?"
"K.K.! He said he enjoyed our island so much that he'll be coming by every Saturday!" he was almost shouting with enthusiasm.
Isabelle joined in his energy, jumping with glee. They celebrated together and spread the good news to the other islanders.
Although her first night with K.K. will always be enough, she prayed that maybe, just maybe, she would be able to spend more nights with him in the future.
