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The sun had set behind the horizon, and the last lights of dusk were fading from view. Soon, the stars would begin shooting overhead at the Summit. Hayden, the grizzled farmer of Mistria, was pacing around nervously. As each minute ticked closer to eight o'clock, he could feel his worry grow. Would Penelope show up to watch the stars as she had promised?
Just that morning, his neighbor had shown up with the Star Brooch in her hand and a shy smile on her face. It had come as a surprise that the quiet ex-adventurer turned farmer would even approach him about it. When she had first taken over the farm next to Sweetwater, Penelope had been slow to warm up to him. The first time he had laid eyes on her, he could have sworn she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She, however, did not seem to want anything to do with him.
At first, Hayden thought it was due to the fact that Penelope found him too simple and homely. But as the days went by, he realized that his new neighbor remained cooped up on her farm, barely coming out to even go into town for supplies. He worried about her wellbeing, though he did not know why. He had no idea who the woman was, but something about her continued to draw him in.
Even though Penelope seemed to not want to socialize with anyone, Hayden began to visit her every couple of days to check on her progress at the farm. At first, she resisted his visits. Short, curt replies came to his questions of how she was doing, and a barely grumbled 'thanks' was given when he gifted her supplies he thought she might need to sustain her.
Slowly, however, things began to change between Penelope and Hayden. As the weeks passed, he found she would give him a small smile when she would see him coming up the lane to her small patch of earth. Then she began to walk down to the fence to greet him when she saw he was on his way to visit her. With each visit, she opened up more and began to tell him more about herself. Then, one day, he convinced her to go into town with him to get to know some of the other townsfolk.
In the time Hayden had gotten to spend with Penelope, he had found himself growing fond of his neighbor. It warmed his heart to see her beginning to blossom even though she still kept her past to herself. That was okay with him, as he just enjoyed the thought that she was beginning to let others in. He wanted nothing but the best for her, and watching her grow friendlier with the townspeople of Mistria seemed to do wonders for her health. Her ashy undertone began to change into a much healthier rosy color, her skinny form began to fill out, and her smile began to make an appearance more often. And, oh, did that smile make his heart race every time he saw it.
Even though their relationship had grown into a sweet friendship over the weeks before, Hayden was still in shock when Penelope showed up at the farm with the Star Pendant in her hand on the morning of the Shooting Star Festival. He had never presumed that she would choose to go to the festival at all, let alone want to go with him for the first time she was able to to see the stars shoot across the sky of Mistria. But there she was, holding out the pendant for him, her cheeks red with a bashful blush.
For a moment, Hayden's knees felt like jelly as he stared at the little star in the palm of Penelope's hand. "Well, I'd love to!" were the words that finally came from his lips.
Even to him the words sounded silly and uninterested. He wanted to tell her how much it meant that she chose him. How it made his heart pound that she wanted to spend time with him out of all of the eligible townsfolk she had come to know. Instead, he kept his emotions to himself.
At the festival, Hayden found Penelope dressed in a floral print summer dress with her long waves cascading down her back. He had never seen her in anything other than overalls and her bright red bandana to keep her dark hair pulled from her face. She looked impossibly beautiful to him. His throat felt dry as he made some silly, passing comment about the stars. He remembered her shy smile, and the way she looked down at her feet before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Then Reina had come up to loop her arm through hers to try to steal away her new friend. "8 pm still good?" Penelope asked, even as the innkeepers' daughter tried to pull her away.
"Still good for me if it's good for you. See you at the Summit," he replied, a soft smile on his face.
"See you there," she answered, her own smile mirrored on her lips.
Then he was left gazing after her as she disappeared into the crowd. It was the last time he had seen her that night before he headed to the Summit.
Hayden glanced down at his watch once again. The time was ticking by, and she still had not arrived. Perhaps she had found someone else to spend the event with. Someone younger and less grizzled than the farmer. As much as it would break his heart, he would not blame her if she had chosen to do so. She deserved happiness with whoever she chose to be with.
Suddenly, movement snapped his attention back to the pathway winding its way through the trees. Rounding the bend of the Summit, Penelope appeared as if from out of his thoughts. Her dark eyes were wide and shown even in the dark as she rushed up to him. "I am so sorry, Hayden. I was lending a hand to Nora, and got away as soon as I could. I shouldn't have kept you waiting like this," she told him, slightly out of breath.
The relief at the sight of her flooded through every limb of his body, but he only shook his head. "No need for apologies, Penelope. Just glad you could make it," he told her truthfully.
"I was not about to miss this. Not when I get to watch the shooting stars with you, Hayden," she explained as she gazed up at him, her eyes shining with joy.
At her comment, Hayden left out his famous hearty laugh, glad that it was dark enough that she would not be able to see the blush on his cheeks. "I sure am glad to hear that, Penelope. I wouldn't want to watch the stars with anyone but you either."
His heart felt like it was hammering in his chest as he confessed his own thoughts to her. Her shy smile graced her lips. "I'm sure glad to hear that too," she told him before slipping her small hand into his. "Now let's watch these stars together."