"When I was broken, You were my healing; now, Your love is the air that I'm breathing. I have a future; my eyes are open. 'Cause when you called my name, I ran out of that grave. Out of the darkness, into Your glorious day!"

Looking at the spangled sunlight dappling the world around me in brilliant gold, my heart agrees with the words spilling over my lips as I join my townsfolk in song under the trees in Scarlet Park.

https://youtu.be/LfzpfqrPUDo

Various religious groups are scattered all over the park, each having its own celebration service in their own way. Our congregation combined with all the others from the other towns to form one large group. I can see my sister jumping up and down, singing her heart out, with Simon giving her a fond smile. Near me, my dad has his arm around my mom, and Burlap's parents and grandfather are over there.

Beside me, Kira is holding onto my hand, looking extremely cute in her T-shirt with Eevee on the front, and next to her is Uncle Joe. His eyes are closed while he feels the music the way he always does. I know that my best friends are all somewhere in this crowd.

I am truly blessed.

The only thing that could turn this glorious day into a not-so-glorious one is nerves. Kira has been giving me nervous looks since Scamp, and I woke her up this morning, and I'm not sure what that is about. I am nervous too. I've made up my mind to tie this relationship down once and for all after lunch.

Last night, at the dance, I told Deli about my plan to give Kira a ring with one of the stones from my necklace so that she could wear it instead of the necklace. She agreed it was a great idea and told me to give her one of the stones from the necklace I was wearing because she had a couple of vintage ring settings that Kira would love.

I told her it had to be a stone from my necklace, which I gave Kira, or it would be like we were both wearing her necklace, and she needed to wear mine. Deli looked at me for a long time, patting my head above my forehead, frowning in concentration while I glared at her. She'd explained the meaning behind that action to me once before, and I was not in the mood to throw her over my shoulder and dump her in the ocean, pretty dress and all, so I just let her check for hidden antennae broadcasting to my spaceship.

Seriously! That girl!

Still, deep down, she got what I was saying. She understands me pretty well. She assured me that she would steal the perfect stone from the necklace Kira had wrapped around her wrist and promised that today I would have the ring to surpass all other rings... or something like that.

I believed she could get the stone without Kira knowing because the world would've been in peril if Delia weren't such a good person with high moral standards and the ability to tell right from wrong. My sister can be devious, but fortunately, she uses her evil powers for good.

She wasn't exaggerating about the ring. Deli buys old or damaged jewellery and rejuvenates them with polished, pretty stones and sea glass. She made virtually all the jewellery she and Kira own. People who know of her hobby donate their discarded jewellery to her to use as she pleases.

Aside from selling magic potions, Lurch's mom's store also sells items created by locals, from Delia's jewellery and funky t-shirts to Wendy's candle sticks and coasters. She is always open to promoting the work of artists of all kinds. I love shopping there for presents. She helps many people make an income from tourists who visit our town for their holidays.

When I dropped Delia and Simon off before going to Burlap, Delia showed me a few possible settings to choose from that would fit Kira. I picked a delicate pewter ring. The space where a stone or diamond is supposed to go is shaped like the head and feet of a tiny beetle. Deli was going to use it to make Kira a ring for Christmas but was happy to sacrifice it on the altar of love.

Those were her words.

She showed me the small grey and red speckled pebble she'd taken from the necklace, and it was exactly what I had in mind. The small stone would be the hard area of the bug that usually hides its wings, turning it into a ladybug-like creature.

Kira loves bugs.

I know I shouldn't have been surprised to see that Delia managed to get one of the stones, but I was still amazed. She said she'd 'accidentally' gotten the skirt of her dress snagged on the bracelet and had to help Kira take the necklace off her arm to free herself, and... oops... the knot keeping the stones in place came undone. She hurried to gather the dropped stones so they could repair the necklace... and stole the best one for the job.

While I was at Burlap's, Delia worked with her small polisher-grinder to get the stone the right size and smooth. When I got home, the completed ring was waiting on my desk in one of the tiny silk pouches Deli made for selling her jewels.

As expected, it is perfect.

She said I can pay her in labour, and I'm sure she's going to make me suffer for it. I'll probably have to be her sewing dummy again. She always uses me when Mrs Winkler, a neighbour a few houses down from us, orders a new dress.

Mrs. Winkler is in her 70s. She's tall and broad; according to Deli, I'm her perfect body double. She's lying, of course, because I'm a lot taller, and I don't have a large stomach and couch cushions for boobs... which is why Deli ties pillows to my stomach, chest and butt according to the measurements for me to fit the dresses.

She also insists that she needs to photograph me like that to see her creation from a different point of view... which she then, of course, just has to share with Kira and the guys so they can all have a good laugh.

Yes! She could totally go to Mrs. Winkler and let her try on the dresses to check for required adjustments! Like I said, my sister is evil!

I don't know what I would do without her.

The ring is in my pants pocket, and after lunch, when we're alone, I'll ask Kira if she would like to wear it as my girlfriend. For real, this time. Forever. Well, until we get engaged. I'll buy her any engagement ring she wants... and any wedding ring.

When the service is done, I help my dad and Uncle Joe bring the food containers from our car, and from the looks of it, my mom cooked for the entire Summerfields again. I like this kind of Sunday lunch. Everybody brings something. The food is often something traditional from whatever place in the world they're from, and it's fun tasting all the different dishes.

The park turns into a hub of activity as all the groups come together and spread blankets under the trees to eat together. I'm soon lounging on a blanket with all my friends around me. This is one of the highlights of Founders' Weekend. The atmosphere is filled with laughter and affection.

This is home.

"Here you go, magē putā, this is just for you," Barn's mother says, calling me her son and handing me a plastic container from the cooler bag Barn is carrying for her. I know from experience that he carried this bag to each group of people so his mother could pass around her speciality, which is one of my favourite treats.

Whenever she has to bring food to an event, Barn's mom always makes sure to have her amazing Sri Lankan coconut pancakes as one of her contributions. They are made with a spiced sweet coconut filling wrapped in a thin crepe.

https://www.hungrylankan.com/recipes/sri-lankan-coconut-pancakes/

"Yay! Thank you, Aunt Dayani," I grin happily, eagerly taking the container from her.

"Awwww, Ammā," Jet complains, pretending to sulk. "I thought you liked me! I'm much nicer than Ethan. How can you only make pancakes for him?"

Aunt Dayani heaves a long-suffering sigh. She has an ongoing love-hate relationship with Jet. She loves him to bits but hates that he is always getting himself into strange trouble, often dragging her son along with him. The love part usually wins; she is Jet's real mother in so many ways.

"Leopoldt Tremain, always talking, seldom saying anything," she huffs, pulling an identical container from the cooler bag, just as we knew she would. "Here you go."

Aunt Dayani learned long ago that the best way to maintain peace and ensure that everybody got enough of the pancakes was to give Jet and me our own. The more civilized people (her words) share the pancakes in the large container Barn places on the blanket near Burlap.

She is a very wise woman.

"Thank you! I knew you loved me, Ammā!" Jet exclaims, taking the container and pulling off the lid to revel in the fragrance of brown sugar and coconut. "Just for the record, though," he frowns, giving her one of his I-am-highly-offended looks while not being offended at all. "I say a lot of things."

"Indeed you do, puṁci mæṇika," she says, proving that love still wins by calling him Little Gem. She tousles his hair, laughing the jolly laugh that always makes me think of these pancakes I'm already devouring. I watch her stroll away to join my parents and her husband and am startled to see Kira looking at me rather intensely. In fact, I'm so startled that I stuff the last bit of the crepe I'm eating into her mouth.

She gives a nervous laugh and chews it, watching me with wide eyes. I wish I knew what's troubling her. If she told me, we can deal with it. I asked Delia, but she assured me that nothing was wrong. According to her, I just need to give Kira the ring, and all will be well.

After lunch, my parents and Uncle Joe take off to look at my Dad's latest, almost completed project in Palm Grove. After that, they'll be catching up with Aunt Eden for coffee. They'll hang out all afternoon and won't be home until later tonight.

I'm glad. Both my dad and Uncle Joe need a break, and they generally enjoy each other's company. I'm always happy when I know my aunt and Uncle Joe will be together somewhere because she drives him up the walls, and according to what my parents told me the other day, that is a sure sign of true love. In their case, I think Aunt Eden is the one who is going to have to wear Uncle Joe down until he gives up and marries her.

People have been leaving the park bit by bit for a while now, and very few are left napping under the trees or strolling around. Most of the young men of Summerfields are gathered in the parking lot, tying stuff to motorcycles and piling into vehicles.

I help Lurch and the others secure the tarp on Lurch's dad's utility truck. He is bringing most of the food and large camping gear. Simon will follow them soon, giving a ride to Lance, Reuben, and Paul, one of my rugby buddies. Paul and Reuben live on Sy's street. He will wait for Paul to finish helping his dad replace a window he'd broken last night when he was wrestling with his dog on his bed.

Yeah, I can totally see that happening. I had many wrestling matches with Lazy-Bones when he was younger, resulting in many broken things, including windows.

When Paul is ready, they'll grab Reuben, come to our street so Sy can say goodbye to Delia again, and pick Lance up. I'll go down to the lagoon when I've settled things with Kira. I'm not sure how long that is going to take. There is still a chance I might not go, so I don't want to commit to the guys nagging at me to go camping.

I end up saying stuff that sounds like I won't be going because I don't want questions about what I need to do first. It's bad enough that Wendy and Jet know about my Kira project; I don't need the others laughing at me, too. What if they say something to Kira and freak her out? I only told Burlap mainly because I didn't want the others to make her uncomfortable or to say the wrong things at the wrong time accidentally.

I trust them; I just wanted things to run smoothly.

Jet keeps giving me looks, and I nod at him to make sure he understands that despite what I say in answer to all the nagging I'm being subjected to, I'll still come when I'm done dealing with Kira. It just might be very late. I wish everybody would drop it because Kira looks increasingly guilty, as if she's somehow preventing me from going.

She is, but it's not her fault.

"Wendy okay?" I ask Burlap when I find him near me again. He consistently runs interference, helping me not get overwhelmed by the other boys and even Lurch and Barn.

"Yup," he smiles. "She's back to ordering me around. She's here somewhere. You know what she's like."

Yes, I do. Wendy tends to skulk away in the shadows at events like these because she's not much of a crowd person. She says people tend to piss her off. She's not lying.

"My parents are taking her home with them. She'll be hanging out with Grandpa as soon as my mom has him settled down. They're taking her up on her offer to look after him while they have a date... which I do not want to know the details of."

Burlap's parents are both ER Surgeons at Silverview's biggest hospital. Their schedules often get out of sync, so they barely see each other. They grab every opportunity to spend some time together and bond. Burlap cares for his grandfather whenever his full-time nurse has time off, so we often all hang out at the Hessian's house. Founders' weekend, his parents always make sure that at least one of them is around to look after Grandpa, to give Burlap the entire weekend off. Neither of them is on duty this weekend, so they are looking after him.

When we've waved the guys off, I take Kira's hand, and we stroll among the statues of long-dead children I've never really been able to look at without feeling miserable. I lead her to the river and along a footpath to a large flat-topped boulder hanging over the water. Kira often comes here to sit and think when she's not crawling around in the bushes, looking for weird insects and... stuff.

She always comes home with grass sticking out of her hair, mud smears on her clothes, and eyes sparkling with excitement while she shows us crap in the large jam bottles she took with her on her adventure. I mean that quite literally because sometimes it is excrement from some critter. Kira is a mystery to me in many ways, and I love that.

"I like coming here to think," I tell her since it's mostly my secret that I often actually think... about stuff... and I do it here.

"Me too," she smiles, knowing I already knew that. She giggles when I turn her to face me and pick her up with my hands on her waist, lifting her onto the boulder. This boulder is even nicer than the one at the bridge because it has a lovely view of the river and lots of shade from the surrounding trees. While the brook at the bridge is soothing to listen to, it doesn't have the same tranquillity as the river running below our feet hanging off the boulder. It's cooler here.

I drag my phone from my pants pocket, wrap my arm around Kira's shoulders and take a selfie. I need a picture of this moment. It might be the end of whatever magical adventure we've been on this week - fitting since it started on a boulder - but it could also be the beginning of our forever together, which also fits perfectly with the who boulder theme.

The breeze is gentle and cool, stirring the tendrils of hair framing Kira's sweet face. The mountain shields this park from all of Egret's Rest's harsh weather: the sun, the wind, storms. It's almost always pleasant here, no matter what's happening elsewhere.

"Why don't you want to go camping with the guys today, Ethy?" Kira asks, and I sigh, shoving my fingers into my hair. I guess the moment has come. It's now or never. I was kinda hoping just to sit here quietly a little while longer.

"I told you-."

"No," she interrupts sternly, narrowing her eyes to glare at me. "You can hang out with me virtually any time, so that cannot be why."

"Did you want a break from me today?" The thought didn't even occur to me before. It is occurring to me now in Technicolor, and I turn to take a proper look at her face. If she's had enough of me for one weekend, I should just go and do this tomorrow, or it will not go well.

"No," she says, and I can tell she means it. Relief floods my veins violently enough, almost to knock me off the boulder. If I were a weaker guy, I would be swimming with the fishes now. I mean that literally; there are fish in the river, and if I fall off the boulder, I'll land in the water with them. "I would've loved to sleep in for a bit, but I don't need a break from you."

"We can go sleep," I offer with a grin, not surprised to see her blush and roll her eyes as she punches my arm.

"Come on, I answered your question truthfully, so it's your turn."

I get why she is confused that I'm not breaking my neck to get to the campgrounds or grabbed a lift from one of the many guys who offered me one. This camping trip is the only one where most of Summerfield's boys take off together. It only happens once a year. It's huge and awesome, and I love it.

I need to get this over with, but what words should I use? Seriously! I should speak to Burlap about his aversion to using electronic devices to help me out in situations like this. He asked me if I plan on having him talk into my ear for the rest of my life if I married Kira, and apparently, he doesn't think it's a good idea.

I think it would be brilliant!

I'm stalling, I know. I am looking at everything except Kira and trying to work out what to say to her. I'm so friggin' nervous now.

"It feels like we're hovering at a crossroads," I finally shrug, looking into her eyes, willing her not to break my heart. If she rejects my ring, I'll be devastated. I'm not even sure what I'll do. Probably race to the camp and drown myself in male weirdness with my friends. I know they will help me through it, but then what?

"And I don't want you to pick a direction while I'm gone," I finish my sentence in a rush, waiting for the bomb to burst.

Kira is not reacting the way I was expecting. She isn't bursting any bombs. She's not even saying anything; she's just staring at me, looking close to panic. There's not even any storm to blame. I checked the weather forecast; there won't be any rain until Tuesday afternoon. Even Aunt Holly Malone's knee agreed when I asked it during lunch when I was taking food around the various groups lounging on the lawn.

"Why are you looking like that now?" I ask, narrowing my eyes and running the tips of my fingers along the contours of her face, enjoying the softness of her skin. The filtered light is painting golden patterns on her face, her lips glowing pinkly in their shine. Just when I think I've seen Kira at her most beautiful, I turn a corner and see her again.

She takes my breath away.

"Kicks?" I whisper, meaning to ask her again what is on her mind, but my brain stops working somewhere between smelling her subtle fresh fragrance and gazing into her wide green eyes. I'm barely aware that I'm pulling her closer until my lips touch hers.

I know I said I wouldn't instigate kisses anymore, but that kite lost its string somewhere among the fairy lights at last night's dance when I stopped knowing who was instigating what, and we kissed each other virtually every chance we got.

I am relieved - and startled - when Kira leans into the kiss, reaching up to tangle her fingers in my hair. I don't think she's ever kissed me quite like this. It definitely doesn't feel like a goodbye kiss. One thing I know about her is that she would never kiss a guy she doesn't love the way she is kissing me right now.

She has started a kiss before but has never led one the way she's leading it now. She is giving and taking, deepening it beyond any other kiss we've shared up until now. I open my mouth with a groan when the tip of her tongue seductively teases my lips, and I nearly become Sir Faintsalot again when she doesn't retreat but bravely forges ahead, gradually driving me out of my mind.

Giving in to her warmth, I let go. All I'm aware of is the softness of Kira's skin under my lips as they explore her jaw and her neck, devouring the goosebumps they call to the surface. I hungrily trace the pulse fluttering in her neck until I find her mouth again.

This time, it is my tongue teasing her lips apart, swallowing her soft groan, while my fingers marvel at the silky warmth of the trembling skin along her stomach and ribs.

"Ethan!" she gasps, the sound crashing down on me from far, far away, drilling through the thick mist of pure bliss my brain is wrapped in. Did I hurt her? I lift my head to look into her wide black eyes. "Ethan..."

Her chest is heaving, her breath puffing in short bursts against my wet lips. I have her on her back, and my hand is under her t-shirt, resting on the soft skin of her ribs. My fingertips are touching lace.

How the hell did this happen?!

"Shoot, Kicks! I'm sorry," I growl, sitting up and pulling her up with me; I hastily smooth her shirt back in place. "I got a little carried away," I breathe, feeling like I've just had rugby practice and the coach was extra mean. My heart is beating way too fast, and I'm lightheaded because I might be hyperventilating now.

Kira can barely look at me. She must think I'm a demon. She trusted me enough to kiss me like that, and I just had to push down on the pedal and rev the car to its max. Who knows where this would've ended if she hadn't snapped me out of it by sounding so panicked?

I made her panic. Me: the guy who claims to love her, never wants to hurt her, and vows to protect her always. I scared her.

"I'm sorry," I say, swallowing against the nauseating knot in my throat. If she calls me a bastard and leaves now, I won't blame her. I know she had a miserable experience with Cole long ago and how much it upset her. She didn't trust Cole. He never told her he loved her. Me turning into an octopus is so much worse. We're not even dating properly yet. The ring is still in my pocket.

I'm so friggin' good at mucking things up!

"I cannot do this," Kira says so quietly I can barely make out the words. She looks as shocked by her words as I am. She cannot do what? Us? "How are we going to get back?!" she asks in a panic, and now I'm completely lost. She's been here hundreds of times before.

"We just follow that path..." I say, waving a hand in the direction we came from, though I'm pretty sure that is not what she meant. I don't know what she meant, and it is hard to think through the fog lingering loudly in my head.

"I mean to Kira and Ethan..."

"We're not Kira and Ethan?" Great, now I'm just confused. Did I give her a brain injury with my tongue? "Who are we, then?"

"Confused."

Damn straight, we are!

"Kicks-."

"Ethan, you are the best boyfriend," she says, her words coming in such a rush I can barely make sense of them. "You are really good at being a boyfriend. You don't need tutoring. Any girl will be lucky to have a boyfriend as good as you are. That girl you love should be happy that someone like you loves her."

What girl do I love? Oh! No! Her? She still doesn't know she's talking about herself! Yikes, this is going all kinds of wrong, and I cannot get my head to stop spinning so I can stop her spiralling into wherever she's crashing into now.

"You don't need to change. I'll tell Grandpa that you're everything he should be proud of. He'll definitely give you the car."

"The car?" What the hell? Does she really still believe that?

"Please, Ethan," she says, looking close to tears now. "I don't want to be your tutor anymore... I want-."

"Kicks, are you breaking up with me?!" I exclaim; my entire world is sliding off its axis now, rolling down a hill, gaining mud and holes from sharp stones. Please don't do this to me! I have to find the words to stop her, but I don't know where the words are. All I can hear is the blood droning deafeningly loudly in my ears. I gape at her, hoping I misunderstand what she's trying to say.

"Am I?" she asks, and I swear, she looks as puzzled as I'm feeling.

"Aren't you?"

She keeps moving her lips as if she's trying to say actual words, but if she thinks she's saying anything to me, she's making a huge mistake. I'm starting to get worried that perhaps her injury on Friday was worse than we thought after all. I should get her off this rock and rush her to the nearest clinic to get checked out.

"I can't..."

"Can't what, Kicks?" I'm this close to puking up the six tons of food I've devoured since I got up this morning. I cleared our fridge of all its leftovers, then I cleared the Crofts', and then I was all but force-fed by everybody here in the park offering me food.

"I... Ethy..." Kira croaks, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, turning my heart into a ball of lead. It crashes through my chest, destroying everything in its path on its way to oblivion.

"Time out!" she shouts, shuffling away from me to the other side of the boulder, where she slides down on her bum. At first, I'm too stunned to make sense of what is happening, and then I scramble to get to my feet.

"Kira! Wait!" I shout, but she's not waiting she is running, crashing through the bushes, not even caring where the path is. "Kira! Stop! Please! What the..."

I want to follow, but I can't, and it takes me a few seconds to realise that it is not because the shock of what just happened is weighing me down. I'm stuck! In my hurry to get to my feet, I've managed to wedge my one foot into the only friggin' crevice in the blooming boulder. I should've scooted down on my butt the way Kira did.

I cannot get my shoe out of the crack and I cannot get my blinking foot out of the sneaker. I love these shoes; I've had them for much longer than their expiration date. I have awesome new ones, but I like these more. They're lived in and comfy.

Right now, I want to set the bloody shoes on fire.

I'm starting to sound as salty as the sea, but I cannot get my damn foot out of the-.

"Ow!"

So, my foot is out, and my bum is going to be bruised, but it puts me in a better position to shove one hand into the shoe while I pry it loose with the fingers of the other. I have to use a lot of force, and by squatting, I can use the power of my legs to help.

I'm elated to feel the shoe leave the trap, but my joy lasts exactly two seconds, and then I'm airborne due to the velocity created by my own strength. My last thought is that I really didn't think this through properly, and then I'm submerged in cold river water.

Great! Seems I'm swimming with the fishes after all.

♂♀