My little farming village doesn't have a ton of options for dating. There's the aging doctor, the writer, the scientist... and that's it. I'd dated them all before, too. Nothing to write home about, if you know what I mean. I kind of gave up on the whole scene and contented myself with working my property. There are always more rocks to pound, more weeds to pull... so what, if a girl doesn't get to have O's anymore? I can get myself there, of course, but who has the time? Unless someone else is doing it for me, it seems like I'm never willing to slow down enough to make it happen.
That is, until the new girl moved to town.
At first, she seemed like exactly the kind of woman I can't stand. Moody, bossy, and entirely spoiled. I would try to sell her produce or animal products, or even gift her things I'd made to try and make peace... but she wasn't interested. Again and again, she would roll her eyes and ask how I could be so stupid that I would offer her something like that. What was I supposed to do!? Eventually, I just stopped trying. I would see her around the village or at the beach, but she was uninterested in me--and so, like with my failed attempts at making time to find my O--I stopped caring. She seemed like a bit of a bitch, anyway, and it's not like I was into her. No, I was better off without that toxicity in my life.
It wasn't until I caught her in the woods taking photos, one day, that I realized there might be more to Hailey than met the eye. I'd just picked a fresh batch of sunflowers, and when I approached her, she got so excited by the flowers that she nearly dropped her camera. She catches it and shrieks in surprising laughter, and I can't help but feel my own smile.
"Do you like sunflowers?" I ask, hefting my bundle in my arms.
"I adore them!" She says, blue eyes twinkling. Her blonde hair is up in a thick bun, and her camera id slung around her neck.
"Well here," I say. "Have one."
Hailey squeals and grasps the flower to her chest--her very generous chest, I notice. Some girls get all the luck in the boob department. Not me. I have to make do with what I was given, and unfortunately for me, it isn't very much.
"This is beautiful!" She sings, and spins on the spot. When she clasps my arm and gave a little squeal of thanks, I start to wonder if maybe I'd been wrong about her.
"What are you taking photos of?" I ask. Her answering smile is like sunshine.
"Anything I find beautiful." She says, then shows me a few of the images. There's birds in flighy, lilypads, sunflowers blowing in the breeze, and a sunrise. She has quite an eye for photography. "Has anyone ever taken your picture?"
I blush, before realizing she probably hadn't meant it in a flirtatious way.
"Just selfies and stuff," I say. "Never like, an actual photo shoot."
"Oh!" Hailey says, hopping on the spot. "Could I? I would love to capture the raw beauty of farm life."
Beauty? Of manure and bug bites and allergies? I guess some people might find it intruiging...
"I guess," I say, but smile. It's impossible to not be effected by her contagious energy.
"Let's go right now!"
Fortunately for us, my farm is right next to the forest. I agree, though still not sure why, and together we tromp back to my property. Once we get there, I'm caught up in the whirlwind that is Hailey. We choose outfits, plan poses, and mark spots that aren't TOO dirty. Under her direction, I pull weeds with my head turned just so, or plant seeds with my body angled one way or the other. We've been at it for over an hour before she finally calls that we're near the end.
"Just a few more," She suggests, peeking out at me from behind her camera. "For this next series, I want to really focus on the most beautiful thing on the farm."
"Which is?" I ask, turning and looking around.
