It was about 9:00 pm by the time I hit up the saloon and things were already in full swing. It was much livelier than the last time I’d visited. There was a live band playing at the center and the crowd was roaring. I snuck over to get a mug of ale, thankful that I wasn’t completely broke this time, and after purchasing it I had forty gold left. But I wasn’t too worried, only a few more days until the tomatoes came rolling in!

I sat down and enjoyed the music. I didn’t want to fight to find Leyanna over the noise and energy of the crowd. For now, I decided to just relax on my own and enjoy the music and a cold drink. It felt good to clear my head and just be in the moment.

The band consisted of a dwarf, a gnome, and a lanky elf with tanned skin. They had a hat out in front of them and were taking donations. It was already filling up and they had drawn quite a crowd. I was impressed. The first song they sang reminded me of a kind of ancient sea shanty, and a lot of bawdy jokes were thrown around, much to the laughter and general enjoyment of the crowd. The elf played a boxy-looking instrument somewhat resembling a guitar while the dwarf drummed on a large round barrel and the gnome played a flute. I tapped my feet and sipped my ale, basking in the moment.

Sometimes being here felt like living in a fairytale. I took a long sip and sighed. The music was flowing through me and though my muscles ached, I felt proud of all that I accomplished today.

I could get used to this. Simple, hard, honest work.

My mind wandered to my past job as a lawyer. It had been the opposite of this feeling. The vibes at the firm were of people who were conniving, scheming, always trying to find a loophole here, a scapegoat there. It was a nasty business, but I had been good at it in my own way. What I hadn’t realized I was sick to my very soul. Corrupted by the system that made me.

Here. Here things are different. They truly are. And yet… do I belong?

I loved this place, but I still felt like an imposter. It wasn’t my world. I had to be honest about that. Could I change who I was inside? Could I leave it all behind? Was that even possible? Allowed?

“Hey,” a voice whispered into my ear, “This seat taken?”

I felt the bench shift a little as someone sat down beside me. I turned to see Leyanna grinning, a pint of her own in her hand. I forgot all my doubts at that moment and fell back into the present.

“Hey,” I replied. “Long day at the stables?”

She chuckled. “It always is, but look at you, walking around shirtless.” She whistled. “A real farmboy you are, just wearing your coveralls. It’s kind of doing it for me if I’m being honest!”

“Oh is it?” I said with a smirk and felt a warmth building inside of me that was from more than just the ale. “Well, as long as we are being honest, I was hoping to run into you tonight,” I said, unsure of where this newfound boldness came from.

Leyanna met my gaze and we locked eyes. She was not like Ella, not shy. Not at all. She was flushed but she was confident. “Well, you have my attention, George. At least for now. Until I get bored,” she teased.

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“I’ll just have to keep things interesting then, won’t I?” I smirked and withdrew a gold piece from my inventory and set it on the table. “Let's play a game”

Leyanna’s eyes widened. “I love games!”

Soon we were howling with laughter and having a grand old time as we played “quarters” and various other bar games. We attracted the attention of several other patrons with our competitions, ending finally in an arm wrestle for the last round of ale which Leyanna nearly won before I kicked it into overdrive, pushing her arm down onto the table as she cried out in defeat and mock anger. We stumbled out of the bar a little while later, happy and full of energy, into the cool night air.

“This is better, it was getting stuffy in there. And there were… a lot of eyes on us,” said Leyanna.

I nodded. Too many eyes indeed. She had loosened her outfit and stripped down to her tank top to wrestle me and the way it clung to her body, the thin sheet of sweat on her bronzed skin well… let’s just say she attracted a lot of attention. She looked good. And she did so in an effortless natural way that turned a lot of heads. I was no exception.

It had been a long while since I’d made any kind of move, and even though Leyanna was giving all kinds of green lights I wasn’t sure what to do as we stood awkwardly outside the saloon. Then I heard her stomach rumble and she giggled. “Oh my, I’m sorry I… I haven’t eaten all day!”

“Well,” I thought aloud, something dawning on me, “I do have pink cake back at the house.”

Her eyes widened and I could swear I saw hearts in them. “Oh. My. God. I love cake!”

The two of us had pretty much sobered up by the time we walked home. Truth was we had been more intent on each other's company than on getting drunk and I realized we’d both only had a pint or two each. Leyanna seemed more intoxicated by the idea of cake than she had by Manuel’s draft.

I stepped over Max who was snoring fitfully on the porch and pressed a finger to my lips. Leyanna giggled as we snuck inside like schoolchildren. Once we entered the cabin I closed the door and lit a fire for us while she sat at the table.

“It’s nice in here, George! You wouldn’t know it from all the brambles outside. Very cozy, I’m impressed,” said Leyanna as her eyes roamed the place.

“I can’t take credit, most of it was like this when I got here!” I explained as I set the table with the plates and cutlery that Ella had left me.

“Fair enough, but look at you mister fancy pants, silver cutlery!” said Leyanna, holding up a knife and watching it sparkle in the firelight.

“Oh, those! I’m lucky to have them. After Ella found out I was pretty much without any basic supplies at all, she dropped all of this off. She is really kind.”

Leyanna chuckled. “Oh yes, she is. To you at least. You know I’m impressed by how well she opens up to you. Did she um… spend the night?” The fiery redhead raised her eyebrows suggestively.

I waved my hands back and forth, rejecting the notion immediately. “No no, nothing like that. We didn’t even hug goodbye. I hadn’t showered!” I laughed at the memory. “Although I found out I have a bath in the back.”

“Good,” said Leyanna, running her fingers absentmindedly down the fabric of her top, stopping at her chest. “Don’t get me wrong I… don’t mind. I’m not jealous I…” she paused and then coughed, composing herself. “You said something about cake, George?”

“Right right!” I exclaimed. Cake was the last thing on my mind at that moment but I headed over to the pantry all the same.