The first week had flown by like a soft breeze, easy and gentle.

Ashton had called every night and morning and sent texts throughout the day. We were doing great and I was feeling better about the whole three week break.

Business was still booming and I had worked on the books late one night to discover that this had been one of our best years since mom and dad had passed.

Ender was starting school in a week and I was ready for him to be back with his friends since I could tell he was missing hanging out with them especially without Ashton or the boys there.

But what excited both Ender and I the most was that he was now able to get his cast off.

The Monday of the second week I took him in to Dr. Carson's office to get it removed.

"Take a before and after picture of my arm to send it to Ashton." Ender wiggled in the stiff waiting room chair excitedly.

I snapped a quick picture of his wrapped up arm and went back to reading a book on Blue Whales that was sitting randomly on the table.

"Ender Chase." A dark haired nurse called out and Ender and I stood up, following her back to a small room.

Ender sat on the paper covered table while I took to the chair in the corner.

"Dr. Carson will be here in a few minutes." She smiled after flipping through the papers on her clipboard and then disappeared into the hallway.

Ender kicked his feet against the table loudly until Dr. Carson came in, a smile on his face.

"You ready to get that cast off?" He grinned and Ender jumped off the table, practically bouncing.

"Yes!" He cheered and Dr. Carson laughed heartily.

"Alright come back with me and when you come back you'll be cast free." Dr. Carson led Ender to a different room while I waited for them to return.

I quickly sent Ashton the picture of Ender holding the casted arm up with a cheeky smile that made his whole face stretch.

Ashton replied with a smiley face and then I continued to wait until they came back.

A few minutes later the door opened to reveal an ecstatic Ender and an amused Doctor. Ender stuck his arms in the air and began waving them around wildly.

"I'm free! I'm free!" He cheered and Dr. Carson and I both busted out laughing.

"Come here let me take a picture!" I calmed him down enough to snap a quick picture and then gave him a hug.

"Guess we can resume those boat driving lessons." I smirked and he cheered again.

"Congratulations Ender." Dr. Carson patted him on the shoulder. "Have a great day you two!" He swept out of the room, ready to see more patients.

"Come on bud, let's go home." I led him out of the room and to the front desk signing a form and then out the front we went.

I had sent Ashton the picture of the non-casted arm and got back a congratulations and a bunch of smiley faces and exclamation marks.

It was around dinner time when we got home so I made us a quick meal and we sat by the television as we ate, catching up on Ender's cartoons.

After dinner I washed the dishes and then began to straighten up around the house. As I was fixing the pillows on the couch the sound of my phone ringing upstairs made me jump.

"Ender can you answer my phone please!" I called up to him since he was in his room.

I heard his footsteps thundering down the upstairs hall and then his cheery voice as he answered the phone.

Continuing with my cleaning Ender stampeded downstairs and thrust the phone into my hands.

"Ashton wants to talk to you." He said and then ran off again.

"Hey." I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hey babe." I could hear his smile.

"How was your day?" I asked.

"Good, flew to Melbourne for some business stuff."

"How fun. Are the guys there?"

"Yeah, hold on I'll put you on speaker." He said. I heard the muffled sounds of commotion then the shouts of three boys crashed into my ears.

"Hi Carter!" They all shouted and I laughed.

"Hey guys!" I giggled, "How are you?"

"We're good!" It sounded like Luke who shouted that.

"Hurry up and come visit your boyfriend, he's being a dick." I was sure Michael yelled and a smacking sound followed after that.

"Hey! No I'm not! See this is why you can't talk to her." Ashton complained and then I heard more shuffling and muffled shouts until it got quiet again.

"Sorry 'bout that." Ashton sighed into the phone.

"It's fine." I laughed.

"So," he sighed like he had just sat down, "Ender is excited to come visit."

"Yeah, did he tell you? Because that's all he's been talking about to me."

"Oh yeah. First thing he said after he told me about getting his cast off." Ashton chuckled.

"Yes, I think that he has too much excitement to handle right now." I giggled.

"Okay, so my mum is like so excited that you're coming to visit like seriously it's all she talks about." Ashton giggled and I joined in.

"Really?" My voice sounded so hopeful and happy.

"Yes, she can't wait to meet you."

"Aw, how sweet." I cooed.

"She wants everything to be perfect and she wanted to know if she could call you to ask you a few questions about what you and Ender want before you get there."

"Oh she doesn't have to worry, we are just happy to be invited." I assured him.

"Yeah well she and I both want this trip to be perfect so I'll give her your number okay?"

"Alright. I'm excited to meet her." If he could see me then I would be grinning.

"She's going to love you, I just know it." I could hear his smile. "So you said the other night that you were doing this years books, how'd it turn out?"

"Great! This is one of our best years ever." This news was so important to me. For a few years now since mom and dad passed the business went downhill in terms of profit. Ender and I had still been getting the grip of running it ourselves and I was still learning how to manage money.

"That's amazing! I'm proud of you Car, you worked really hard for this."

"Thanks." I replied, smiling like crazy. That seemed to happen a lot when I was talking to him.

"Well get some sleep and I'll talk to you in the morning."He sighed happily.

"Alright, g'night Ash."

"Night Car, lo- talk to you later."

The line disconnected.

His tripping over his words hadn't gone unnoticed but I was choosing to ignore it and not call him out on it. People make that mistake all the time and besides, we weren't to that place yet. No, definitely not yet.

That night before I went to sleep I spent a little time up in the crows nest, I hadn't been there since my first date with Ashton. The wind was soft and it blew my hair delicately around my face. I sat with my arms hugging my knees, staring off at the midnight oceanic expanse before me.

My thoughts were a whirlwind and I knew if they were ignored any longer they would drive me insane.

What if Ashton did love me? Did I love him back? I had never experienced that kind of romantic love before and I didn't even know how to know if I was in love or not.

The idea of love had always been a concept, for me, that was hard to grasp. The thought of giving all of your mind, body, and soul to someone else, sharing a life with them and spending that life together for eternity until you both passed was incredulous.

People actually wanted someone else in their lives so much that they devoted their all to them and expected the same from their partner.

But sometimes that didn't work out. Sometimes people thought they loved someone and then come to find out they don't. And that's where divorces and breakups occur and you realise that not all love is everlasting. Love is a phase. You can grow in and out of it and no one can control it.

Would my relationship with Ashton be a phase?

Right now in the present its very real and very evident of our feeling for each other, not love but very strong emotions. Though in a week it could be gone. Time can slice through those emotions and then our phase would be over, forcing us to move on and continue our lives, with a scar on our hearts and the memories reminding us of the time we shared but that would be it. It will have passed.

That could be what happened to us or we could be the everlasting phase. The one that doesn't end until we both pass on, an eternal love that leaves it's traces even after we're gone.

We would either be one or the other, and there was absolutely no way to know our outcome.

--

The next morning I had slept on my thoughts and decided to leave them at rest for now, or at least until I knew more about myself and my feelings so I could answer the thousands of burning questions that resided in my head.

My body was sore as I cooked breakfast, probably due to the stress I endured last night via myself.

Ender was groggy as he came downstairs, sniffling and puffy eyed, and I knew that he'd had another nightmare.

"Bub, why didn't you come get me?" I pulled him into a hug and let him rest his head on my stomach.

"I wanted to be a big kid and not wake you up." He sniffled but there were no tears, he was just exhausted.

"It's okay to wake me up, you don't have to be alone." I cooed as I stroked his hair and he nodded barely in acknowledgement.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" I asked and he shook his head no.

"End, you need sleep." I frowned and he just shook his head no again.

"Okay then, I'll make you some breakfast and you can go watch TV on the sofa." I kissed him on the forehead and then watched him trudge into the living room and flop himself on the cushions, knowing he would be asleep in minutes.

Ender was not someone you could force to do something, he wanted to do things on his own time and in his own way, but it was easy to find ways around straight up making him in order for him to do it himself.

In my five years of substitute parenting that was one thing I had learned.

I set out to make breakfast and just like I knew would happen he was sound asleep before I had even finished scrambling the eggs.

I continued making my own food and scarfed it down, knowing I would now be on my own today working the boat.

As I quietly placed the dirty dishes I into the sink my phone began to ring and I hastily grabbed it and answered before the noise could wake Ender.

"Hello." I whispered as I carefully made my way outside so I could talk at a reasonable volume.

"Car?" Ashton's voice quirked.

"Hey, sorry. Ender just got to sleep and I didn't want to wake him."

"Just got to sleep? It's eight in the morning." Ashton sounded confused.

"He had another nightmare last night and didn't come wake me up and just stayed awake the rest of the night. I just got him to back to sleep." I explained.

"Oh wow. Is he okay?" Ashton's tone went from confused to worried.

"I think so. I just wish he would've come told me, he knows I don't mind if he wakes me up." I sighed.

"I know but he just wanted to be a grown up. I remember doing that when I had nightmares. I wanted to be a big kid and not cry about it but I ended up scaring myself even more and never did it again. Every nightmare after that I woke up my mum."

"Maybe I should take him to see the therapist again. I thought the nightmares had stopped but I guess not." I pondered aloud.

"He has a therapist?" Ashton asked.

"Well yeah. After our parents passed, Ari's parents sent us to a therapist to make sure that we were okay and when Ender's nightmares started that's who he saw but he hasn't been in a while."

"Do you still go?"

"No. I only went that once." I shrugged as if he could see me.

"I think that's a good idea, maybe he needs to talk it out with someone that has a different perspective."

"Yeah I think you're right, I'll call him today." I scratched my head.

"Alright well I'll let you get to work and give him a hug for me." Ashton said with a little more gusto to his voice.

"I will, talk to you later." I hung up.

I went inside and found the number for the therapist and went back outside to set up his appointment for the next day and then set off to the shop to get the day started.

By lunch time I was drained and Ender was still passed out on the sofa.

I was worried of how he would react to seeing the therapist again but I was only doing it for his best interest.

That afternoon I worked two more tours. Ender came outside an hour after I had checked on him during lunch and said he was taking a shower then playing outside on his skateboard.

After work I made us dinner and then was preparing to have the therapist talk with him when my phone rang. I didn't know the number but answered it anyways in case it was the therapist's office.

"Hello?" I chirped.

"Hi, is this Carter?" A female voice responded.

"This is she." I said almost like a question.

"Hi, this is Ann, Ashton's mum." She introduced herself and I immediately smiled.

"Oh hi! Ashton said you were going to call!"

"He did? Good, I was hoping he didn't forget and that it wouldn't be awkward if I called you out of the blue." She laughed and I joined in.

"Yeah he told me last night."

"Great! I'm so excited for you to visit!"

"Me too! It's all my little brother has been talking about." I chuckled.

"Ender is his name, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh just call me Ann, Carter." She laughed and I did too. "Before I forget, can you text me a list of groceries you and Ender use like on a daily basis so I can make a trip to the market."

"Sure! We are pretty easy though so don't worry about us."

"I just want you two to have the best possible time here." I could tell she was smiling. "Alright, well I'll let you go but don't forget to text me that list!"

"I will. It was lovely talking to you, Ann."

"You too dear. Have a great evening."

We hung up and I set my phone on the counter right before Ender pounced on me.

He jumped so that he was on my back almost knocking me over in the process.

"Woah you're not five anymore hop off." I laughed and he slid down my back bouncing onto the floor.

"Was that Ashton?" He asked, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull.

"No, and calm down you look like that "Bugsy" guinea pig from the Bedtime Stories movie." I gave him an odd look and he huffed, rocking back on his heels instead.

"So, was it?" He asked again.

"No it's was his mum. She wants a list of groceries for us when we come visit so I need you to tell me what you want."

"Deal." He nodded and then moved to walk upstairs.

"Oh End, before you go, come have a seat." I patted one of the stools by the counter.

"Am I in trouble?" He frowned as he sat down.

"No. I just have a question. How would you feel about going to see the therapist again, just for a check in?" I asked him carefully, wary of his facial expressions that I could read like a book. He didn't seem angry or sad he seemed relatively calm.

"Okay." He nodded.

"Really?" I said surprised.

"Yeah. Just a check in, right?"

"Yeah. Just a check in." I promised and he nodded in agreement. "We have an early day tomorrow so we can go after work and then go shopping for some new school clothes."

"Alright." He nodded and then went upstairs to get ready for bed.

I was over the moon that he had agreed so easily. When we first had to see the therapist together he had put up a fight and an even bigger fight each time after that.

Finally when he was able to calm the nightmares he stopped fighting so much.

I began making a small list on my phone of everyday things we ate like orange juice and milk and double checked with Ender if he had anything to add and then sent it to Ashton's mum.

As I was getting ready for bed I got a text from Ashton saying that he was running late at work and would call me when he got done.

Flipping back my sheets I crawled in and set my phone on my bedside table.

"Car?" A small voice came from my doorway and I turned to see Ender in a blue t-shirt and Spider-Man pyjama pants, leaning against the door frame.

"Yeah, bro?" I called out to him softly.

"Can I sleep with you?" He mumbled and I nodded, beaconing him over and scooting to the side so he could join me.

Instantly we cuddled into each other like we always had and I quickly fell asleep to the sound of Ender's soft breathing.