Generation 1.3

I desperately struggled to control my breathing—and my apparently overactive hormones. Just because an attractive man sits down next to me doesn’t mean I need to freak out. It’s not like he’s even aknowledged me, after all. He’s just here for a drink. I stared straight ahead at the wall of bottles behind the bar, and prayed that he’d never notice me even as another part of me prayed that he would.

“You must be new here.”

I almost swallowed my tongue. I had no choice but to turn to him at that. The only alternative was to be completely rude and that certainly wasn’t in my nature.

“U-um . . . n-not really. Well, I-I mean, I’ve lived in Twinberry my whole life b-but I . . . I’ve never been here before, no.”

A small smile pulled across his face at my inane rambling and I felt like melting into the floor.

“You must have been keeping yourself under a rock somewhere,” he laughed. “I’m fairly sure I would’ve remembered seeing you around town before.”

I did my best to summon up a returning smile, but I doubt I managed. Why was that, I wondered bitterly. Hard to miss the colorless toothpick hillberry, eh?

“I’m Sunglow, by the way,” he continued blithly. “Sunglow Goldenrod. What’s your name?”

“Vanilla,” I somehow managed to croak, my throat feeling like it was squeezing shut, cutting off my air and what little there was of my confidence. “Vanilla Cream Palette. Would you . . . excuse me, please?” 

Ignoring Sunglow’s startled look of concern, I leapt to my feet and practically ran to the bathroom to escape. Mango continued to dance, oblivious to my drama. Or so I thought.

Apparently my friend has eyes in the back of her head. As soon as I exited the stall—having successfully fought down the desire to vomit—she was waiting for me.

“What’s up Nill?” she questioned immediately, concern all over her face. “Are you alright hun?”

I didn’t want to disappoint my friend, but I had to answer her honestly.

“I’m sorry Mango, but . . . this just ain’t workin’ for me.” Her face fell instantly and I only felt worse. I forced myself to soldier on, however. “This sort of thing just isn’t me. I don’t fit in here, and frankly it scares me spitless. I'm not ever gonna find my Prince Charming, Mango,” I confided miserably. “Definitely not here. The cutest guy I’ve ever seen just tried to talk to me and I almost threw up on his shoes.” The tears were threatening now, and I desperately tried to hold them back. “I’m sorry I let you down, Mango, but I . . . I need to go home.”

I left the bathroom, leaving a shocked and worried Mango behind. A quick glance to the bar revealed that Sunglow had disappeared, thankfully. One less embarrassment to endure, then. I left the club as fast as my uncomfortable heels would let me, back to the safety and security of my farm. It might be lonely there, but at least I’d never be hurt.

The next morning I had none of my usual pep and energy. I had to drag myself out of bed, not even the thought of tending my plants could get me motivated. I had tossed and turned in misery for hours before finally falling asleep. Why did things have to get so complicated? Why did my fickle heart insist on yearning for things that I was too much of a coward to take?

Sunglow . . . why did his face keep haunting my thoughts? All he did was ask my name. That didn’t mean a thing. Did it?

The sun was beating down hot and strong by mid-morning. I was on my knees in the dirt as usual, weeding the plants and putting down fertilizers. And then, I suddenly noticed a shadow fall over me from behind. What . . . ?

I stood and turned, my hand gripping a spade in case the person behind me turned out to be an attacker. But when I got a good look that spade dropped out of my suddenly lifeless fingers and back into the dirt with a thud. It . . . couldn’t be. Sunglow?

He grinned at my blank expression of shock, his yellow eyes dancing with laughter.

“You’re a hard lady to track down, miss Vanilla Cream. I was pretty disheartened when I got out of the bathroom and found out you’d left last night. I thought for sure I’d never see you again, but luckily your friend Mango pointed me in the right direction.”

I was pretty dazed with shock, and confusion. He’d come all the way out here? To find me? It didn’t make any sense. “Um . . . what . . . what are you doing here?” I fumbled. Surely there had to be a reason for this.

Sunglow just continued to grin at me, unfazed by my stupor. “It isn’t obvious? I was hoping we could get to know each other a bit better.”

“Get to know . . . ?” I blinked, stunned. “But . . . why?”

“Why not?” was his confident reply. That made me snort. Anger and frustration gave strength to my normally tied tongue.

“Well for starters, I’m probably the least interesting person you’ll ever meet,” I scoffed somewhat bitterly. “I spend all my time out here on a farm. I talk to more plants than I do people because I’m so shy that normal conversation terrifies me. I’m not rich, I’m not pretty, so I’m sure as berry not worth your time.”

Sunglow had remained quiet and motionless throughout my tirade. After it was through I just stood there, feeling my face burn with mortification, sure I was about to be sick. I waited for him to back away slowly and leave again. But amazingly, that moment never came. Instead he sighed when I was through, then lifted his finger in a ‘wait a moment’ gesture.

“First of all, there’s nothing wrong with living on a farm. My grandparents were farmers, my grandpa taught me everything he knew about the land and I treasure those memories of him. Talking to plants is definitely not nearly the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen; I have a cousin on my father’s side who puts on a green tiger mask and insists we all call him El Gato Verde. I don’t give a berry how much money you have,” here he met my stare pointedly and for some reason the suddenly heated look in his eyes made my knees feel weak, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I for one think you and your adorable freckles are absolutely gorgeous.” My mouth fell completely open at that, and Sunglow just grinned. “So all in all, I’d say that makes you pretty darned interesting. At least to me.”

It was all I could do to remember to keep breathing. Stunned was far too kind a word to describe my mental state just then. My eyes fell away from his charming grin, staring at the dirt instead, but I couldn’t fight the giddy smile that pulled at my lips.

“I . . . I don’t know what to say,” I finally admitted rather sheepishly. This was all new territory for me, after all. Where did one go from here?

Sunglow just chuckled. “Say you’ll let me stick around,” he encouraged gently. “I just want the chance to know you, Vanilla. That’s all I ask.”

I lifted back up to stare at him, and I’m sure my expression had fallen this side of dreamy. And for once I didn’t much care.

“I think I’d like that,” I returned softly. “Very much.”

“Good,” he answered, his deep voice gone slightly husky as well, with that hot look back in his yellow eyes that made my knees feel like pudding.

He seemed to shake himself free of it after a moment, clearing his throat and glancing around. “So, what shall we do to occupy ourselves on our first grand adventure?” At that I blanched somewhat self-consciously.

“I-I’m not really sure. I’ve just moved here a few weeks ago, I haven’t had enough money to buy a T.V. or anything like that.”

Sunglow wasn’t to be deterred. “Well I see a perfectly good creek out back, there. You wouldn’t happen to have a couple of fishing poles handy, would you?” I stared in surprise yet again.

“You fish?” He laughed at that.

“Not well,” Sunglow assured. “My grandpa tried to teach me but I never really got the hang of it. I always enjoyed it though. So what do you say?”

A delighted grin spread across my face. “Sounds like heaven.”

So there it was that I found myself spending the rest of the afternoon standing on the riverbank, fishing next to Sunglow Goldenrod. Slowly but surely my nervousness faded, chased away by Sunglow’s persistant charm and gentle coaxing. We talked about anything and everything, and didn’t catch a single fish because of all the noise.

And I couldn’t have cared less.

 

((There you are, another installment down. Isn't Sunglow so cute? Lol, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to drop a comment here or on the Sims Forums. See ya next time!))