"How long before I get to join the swap club," Simon asks, causing three frowns to be directed at his amused face.

We're seated at two sides of a red and white plaid tableclothed table on the balcony of our favourite Italian restaurant. It is also the only real restaurant in Mudville, and though it brands itself as Italian, it serves virtually any kind of cuisine under the sun. We are fortunate to have Raffaello's in this town; people travel from all the other towns in Summerfield (including Silverview) just to eat here.

It is cosy, with a lovely view of the bay and serves really good food at reasonable prices.

"Dude," Ethan says, looking disgusted. "You're dating my sister! There'll be no swapping, not with me or anybody else."

Simon's expression changes from amused to confused to horrified, and then he is laughing, putting an arm around Dell's shoulders, pulling her closer. "I was talking about food, Ethe! You guys are constantly exchanging things between your plates. Looks like fun."

"Here you go, Babe," Dell says, spearing a couple of mushrooms on her plate and dropping it on Simon's. That is so sweet! Delia loves mushrooms; she stole most of those from Ethan's plate since he hates them. We only swap for things we either really love or to get rid of things we cannot stand.

I glance over at Ethan's plate. I've already traded half my fries for all his gherkins and tomatoes.

"You have nothing I want," I tell him when he catches me eying his plate.

"Keep on telling yourself that," he scoffs, and I poke him in the ribs with my fist, making him grab my hand, laughing.

"You're doing it wrong," he says, copying Simon's arm-draping move to pull me towards him, and I almost fall off my chair.

"Hey! Get off me!" I growl, and now he is frowning at me. "What?"

"We have the example right there," he explains, indicating Dell and Simon, who are watching us with varying degrees of entertainment on their faces. They are seriously enjoying this weird reality show I got trapped in way too much. "We're supposed to copy them."

"Oh, good!" Dell exclaims. "Do this then." She tilts her head back, looking up at Simon, and he bows his head to kiss her. It is a very sweet kiss, fast becoming uncomfortable to watch... until I give Delia a kick under the table. "Ow!"

"I thought we were here because you're hungry," I frown at Ethan. "Not to play some weird-ass version of Simon Says!"

"It was Deli who said-" Simon starts, but he purses his lips when I glare at him.

"Don't glare at my Simon," Dell tells me, toying with the hand of the arm he still has wrapped around her shoulders. I obediently stop glaring at her Simon, to glare at her instead.

This is too strange!

I turn my head to look at Ethan and am surprised to see him moving his fork around on his plate, looking dejected. What is up with him now?

"Fine," I huff and scoot my chair over to his so that I can lean against his side and awkwardly pat his chest in a weird parody of an affectionate hug. I nearly fall off my chair again when he drops his utensils and turns to wrap both his arms around me.

Seriously, give the guy a pinky, and he grabs my entire arm right down to my tailbone!

"This is really uncomfortable," I tell him when the moment stretches on and on, and I can feel my chair beginning to slide back to my side of the table. Besides, my heart is starting to beat too fast, and I'm liking his warmth around me too much. The chair misbehaving is actually saving me from myself.

"Yeah, and I'm hungry," Ethan agrees, releasing me. He effortlessly pushes both me and my chair back to my space. Surprisingly gently, I might add!

Done with weirdness for now, our dinner becomes pleasant with casual chatter and jokes, and I'm finally really relaxing, feeling normal again for a change. Well, maybe not completely normal because Ethan and I haven't threatened each other even once. Usually, I would've told him very clearly by now that I'm going to shove the ketchup bottle up his nose if he doesn't stop mocking me, and he would've explained to me, in detail, how I'll need a complex ladder and pully system just to reach his nose.

Tonight we're actually giggling with each other rather than despite each other. I am enjoying this companionability. The idea of it all ending soon is making me rather sad. Perhaps when this experiment ends, Ethy and I will remain friends. I think we've become real friends somewhere along the way, and I rather like that friendship. I like it a lot. I hope he likes it too.

Perhaps we've always been friends, and I just never realised it before because I was too busy being annoyed by him.

"So, this weekend," Simon says, and I hear screeching brakes and slipping tyres in my head, causing my throat to close up. I don't want to think about this weekend. "I know the whole history part, but what actually happens during the celebrations?"

"Well, Friday, there's a big fair with stalls and competitions and games and nonsense," Delia explains. "Saturday there's a boat race during which people try not to get stranded or wrecked in the cove the way the founding fathers did, and then there's a dance in the evening. On Sunday morning, there's a church service on the beach and loads of food, and just socialising. Monday, we build tiny boats, and that evening we set sail to our dreams and have a massive fireworks display at night. The end."

"You joining the guys and me for the boat race?" Ethan asks Simon, and he gives a nervous laugh, looking from Ethan to Delia and back. Clearly, the guy lacks Ethan and his friends' love of high-risk crazy activities.

"Oh, it's a legitimate sailboat, Sy," Delia says, laying a hand on his forearm. "They just pimp it out to fit whatever weird-ass theme they come up with every year."

"Pirates, Deli, it's called pirates. We're pirates every year... because we like being pirates, and that is our job," Ethan explains, narrowing his eyes at his sister. She just giggles and shrugs, continuing her explanation.

"It's not as dangerous as it sounds, and there's never a race if the weather is bad. Besides, Barn and Jet are really good at sailing; they'd live on the sea if they could. They're always out on Jet's boat. And the coast guard and emergency services are on standby. There's never been any deaths or serious injuries in all the years they've been doing it."

This race is the highlight of the year for Ethan and his friends, mostly because they get to be idiots without anybody complaining about it.

"Okay, thanks, Ethe, count me in."

"Awesome!" Ethan grins.

"Do you two take part too?" Simon asks Dell and me, and we both shake our heads, laughing.

"No thanks, we're not stupid," I snort, causing Simon to look uncertain again.

"Hey!" Ethan snarls at me, and I lean over to pat his arm, expertly following Delia's very good example. They should all be very proud of me; I'm being an extremely convincing gentle girlfriend.

"I leave the weird things to you," I say, giving him a sweet smile, but instead of smiling back and kissing the tip of my nose or something Simon-like (seen him do that soooooooo many times), he grunts, his frown deepening.

"You really don't, Kicks," he grumbles. "Just last week, you got stuck in a hole and came home all scraped and muddy. I still get nightmares about what could've happened to you."

Wow! He is good at playing the concerned boyfriend! His jaw muscles are bunching magnificently, and he even got the tiny pulse in his temple going. Impressive! I should totally score him and give him a report card later.

"It was just my foot that got stuck," I remind him. "It was wet and slippery after the rain, and I had to pull hard to get it unstuck, and that caused me to fall on my butt and... I slid downhill a bit."

"You got stuck in a hole and rolled down a mountain!" he exaggerates, glaring at me. Why is he glaring at me now?

"Just my foot, and it was a hill!"

He is still glowering at me, and his eyes have that strange stormy ocean quality they get when he's upset. He is either an amazing actor, or he is really serious.

"You're not going into the hills alone again," he finally grunts. "End of story!"

What?! Bossy much?!

"Don't make me end your story!" I snap, changing my hold on his forearm from gentle to pinching. We are actually scowling at each other now and then without warning, completely without an example to follow or anything; Ethan goes off script and grabs my hand.

"All my stories end with you, Kicks," he smiles, kissing the tips of my fingers.

"Oh! Wow! I just fell in love with my brother!" Delia squeals, her squeal turning into happy laughter when both Ethan and I turn to glare at her.

♂♀