Chapter Text
The first time Victoria saw her, she was standing on the beach, laughing at an athletic-looking man who was jumping through the water whooping loudly. The second time she saw her, the woman told her with a sniff, “You might be pretty if you weren’t wearing last season’s overalls.”
Victoria had been too shocked to respond as the woman walked away. She had stood in the town square staring after her for at least five minutes before she started to walk back to her farm after barely half a day of chores.
She thought of this now as she walked over to the table at the saloon to join Alex and Abigail. It had been a couple of months since then. A little more than 6 months since she had inherited the farm from her grandpa and embarked on a new chapter in her life.
“Vic! Finally! I feel like all you do is work anymore,” Alex pouts as she walks up to the table.
She had been so busy lately preparing for the start of winter that she had lost track of how many times she had canceled on her friends. It may have also partially been driven by the avoidance of a specific blonde woman who refused to give her the time of day.
“I know, I’m sorry. I can’t believe how many of your renditions of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ I’ve missed.”
Next to Alex, Abigail chuckled, “You’re in for a treat. He’s even been rehearsing a new dance.”
“I’d pay to see this, but I’m glad we get it for free,” says Sebastian as he walks back, setting the three drinks he had been juggling on the table. “Hey Vic, I saw you walk in after I already had these so I didn’t grab your usual fancy drink.”
“I hardly think a dirty martini is a fancy drink,” Victoria huffs. She waves him away, “It’s okay, I’ll go grab it in a minute.”
He sits down next to Abigail, leaving the final seat between her and Alex. Suddenly, she can think of a few things urgently needing her attention back on the farm.
Before she can move, someone is sliding in next to her.
“Ugh, sorry, my sister insisted I help her clean the house before I left. I swear we just did that last week.”
“Yeah, cleaning does tend to be a weekly thing you know, Haley,” Alex laughs.
Haley just rolls her eyes at him and scans the drinks at the table. “Okay well, I need a drink so I’ll be right back.”
Not wanting to be left behind, Victoria scrambles to follow her, quickly saying “I need one too.”
Haley either doesn’t hear her or chooses not to acknowledge her as she heads to the counter.
The bar is a bit crowded tonight, so Victoria and Haley squeeze between two sets of people to wait for Emily, Haley’s sister, to come over and take their orders. With little room to work with, Victoria is right behind Haley as she leans against the bar.
“Do you have to be breathing down my neck like that?” Haley asks tightly.
“Sorry, it’s not like I have much room back here either.”
The person behind Victoria chooses that moment to shoulder into her just enough to throw her off balance and fall against Haley’s back. She reaches out instinctively to grab onto something for balance and her hand lands on Haley’s waist. Haley reacts just in time to grab the chair in front of her with one hand and the bar with her other hand, stopping them from toppling the next person.
Victoria is pressed fully up against her, her breasts firmly against Haley’s back. Victoria can see that Haley is white-knuckling the chair as she grits out, “Get off of me.”
She takes a second to respond and moves back away from the other woman. She’s breathing a little heavier than normal, and she can see that Haley is too.
Emily is the saving grace and comes to take their orders after spotting them in the crowd.
When they make it back to the table, karaoke has started. Victoria watches as Pam finishes “Friends in Low Places” in which the entire bar has joined in. Even Sebastian had begun to sing along after being elbowed by Abigail.
After a few more people, Alex gets up from the table, “Time for the show of a lifetime, I hope you’re all ready.”
“I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Victoria says, as she takes a long sip of her martini.
As Alex makes his way to the stage, the group settles into their seats, eagerly awaiting his performance. Victoria can’t help but feel the warmth from having been accepted so quickly into this small group. Nights like these make her glad she'd chosen to move to Pelican Town.
"You'd think he was auditioning for American Idol," Sebastian says with a smirk as Alex picks up the microphone.
Abigail leans in, whispering conspiratorially to Victoria, "Last week he was practicing in front of the mirror, hairbrush and all. It's a sight to behold."
Victoria laughs, shaking her head. "Well, I'm glad I didn’t miss this then."
As the familiar notes of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" fill the saloon, Alex begins his performance with dramatic flair. His enthusiasm is infectious, and soon the entire bar is cheering him along.
Victoria feels someone tap her on the shoulder as she watches Alex perform. Turning, she finds herself face-to-face with Leah, a local artist.
"Hey, Victoria," Leah says with a warm smile. "I haven't seen you around much lately. How's the farm coming along?"
"Hey! It’s been pretty hectic, but I’m enjoying it," Victoria replies, returning her smile. "How about you? Any new projects recently?"
"Oh, I’m always trying new things," Leah says playfully, her eyes twinkling. Victoria hears Haley snort at that comment.
Leah continues, unperturbed, "Hey, how would you feel about getting a drink together sometime? I’d love to catch up and get to know you a little better. We haven’t had a chance to hang out one-on-one since you moved here."
“Yeah, that sounds nice," she confirms, “Just let me know when you’re free.”
Leah’s smile widens. "Great, I'll hold you to that.” They exchange numbers and Leah gives Victoria’s arm a light squeeze as she gets ready to walk away. “Enjoy your night, Victoria."
Turning back to the table, Victoria studiously avoids Abigail's gaze, her cheeks a little flushed from being so obviously flirted with in front of her friends.
“Well, that was cute,” Haley says sarcastically.
Abigail throws a straw wrapper at Haley’s head, “Be nice.”
“What? It was a little desperate if you ask me. Leah clearly just wants to fu–” Her sentence is cut off when Abigail reaches over and smacks her arm.
Haley remains quiet after that with a small smirk on her face, while Victoria is now blushing furiously and Sebastian has fully turned away from the table to focus on karaoke.
Alex finishes his song with a flourish, earning a round of applause from the crowd. He makes his way back to the group and plops back down in his seat, beaming. "So, what did you think? Pretty impressive, right?"
"It was something, all right," Victoria laughs, grateful for the distraction. "I’m just sad I didn’t record it."
"Next time, we’ll make sure to get it on tape," Sebastian says, taking a sip of his drink.
As the night wears on, Victoria finds herself relaxing more, despite Haley's occasional barbs. Abigail and Sebastian both take their turns on stage. Victoria watches happily, trying to push aside the strange tension between her and Haley.
The crowd begins to thin as the night draws to a close, and the group begins to gather their stuff.
”Tonight was great! Vic, you really need to take more breaks from work and hang out with us more than once a month,” Alex declares.
"Couldn't you just get a farmhand or something?" Sebastian questions.
"Yeah, I'm sure if you need some free labor, Leah would be more than happy to help you out ," Haley chimes in, unhelpfully.
“Wait what happened with Leah?” Alex asks.
“Oh, she was just throwing herself at Victoria at the saloon,” Haley replies too quickly for Victoria to cut her off.
“That’s not at all what happened. But she did ask me on a date I think.”
“She definitely asked you on a date,” Abigail laughs.
Alex high-fives Victoria, while Haley rolls her eyes. They all finish saying their goodbyes and Alex, Sebastian, and Abigail head north of the bar, while Victoria and Haley head west in silence.
When they reach Haley's house, Haley seems unsure how to break the silence. "Well, this is me," she says finally, “Have fun milking cows or whatever you do.”
Victoria laughs at the awkwardness, “Okay Haley, goodnight. I’ll see you later.”
Haley nods, her eyes briefly meeting Victoria's before she heads inside. Victoria watches her for a moment, then continues back to the farm, dreading how tired she’s going to be in the morning but feeling happy about the night out with her friends.