The Gold and the Forest

XL

Chapter 40: Sweetie

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The first one to get engaged was, in fact, Min. The girls all groaned when they discovered that they had lost—once again—to the speedy Kade.

"Of course it's my lovesick brother." Angel complained.

Vivi admired the delicate ring on Min's finger.

"Let me guess, he sang you a wee little song, swept you off your feet, and then proposed to you upon sundown."

Min blushed at the accusation. "Gee, that's really extra."

"It's Kady."

"He proposed to me after I finished sketching us. It was really out of the blue."

"That's so sweet." Vivi sighed, looking at her own finger, absent of a ring. "Didn't he also get you that promise ring?"

Min nodded, playing around with the ring with a distracted smile on her face. She was reminiscing the old times.

"They're holding a 5 year reunion for high school. Are you going?" Vivien asked.

"I'll go if you go." Min sighed. "Man, it would absolutely suck to go back and meet those people."

Vivien smiled, wrapping her arms around Min. "Well, now you can brag about being engaged to the biggest heartthrob of our school!"

Angel pouted. "That's way too much power for one measly girl! Share your fortune!"

Angel grappled the other two, and they burst out into a chorus of shrieks and giggles.

---

Carl was, ironically, walking their dog. Cherie was a poofy little Bichon Frise that had a penchant for—wait for it—

"Cherie!"

Squirrels. She had bounded 10 feet away already, on the loose. He wondered if he really should be compared to these creatures, since they had double the energy he had, and most of it was used on running. He did run a lot, when he was younger. He considered himself retired now, but Cherie was insistent on keeping him in shape.

Cherie barked, and Carl jogged into sight. Someone had stopped her! It was a blessing, but also a potential embarrassment ready to happen.

His eyes met blue, and he felt the flower petals whoosh by him, like one of the dramas that Vivi liked watching.

"Cherie?" Kade raised an eyebrow, the little dog licking his chin in his arms.

Carl turned back around and pretended not to recognize any of them. Cherie whined, and Carl turned to Kade again. He cleared his throat. "Didn't name her."

Kade grinned, breaking out into a warm laugh. "God, Carl, you don't have to be so embarrassed about your dog."

"You're back." Carl realized.

"Yeah, for a month or so." Kade set Cherie down, taking a hold of her leash. He walked alongside his friend as they headed back to Carl's home. "How's living with Vivi? I bet she loves bothering you at every chance she gets."

Carl shrugged. He didn't think he needed to tell him that he was the one pranking Vivi most often. She just liked documenting hers. He had switched the salt and sugar labels and watched her sprinkling salt onto her dessert and taking a mouthful of it. She spat it out almost immediately and then went on a mad hunt for his closest sock.

"You're back in time for the reunion."

"Vivi told you, huh." Kade smiled. "Min and I have a plan."

Carl raised an eyebrow, but one thing he learned from his years of being with them is that there were always mischievous plans brewing about.

---

"Cherie!" She called out, grinning.

"You've already named it."

"Of course! I've met her already, now you have to meet her too!" She picked up the small white ball of love and placed it in his lap. There seemed to be an instant connection between the two canines. She smiled, watching his eyes glimmer as he juggled a small rubber ball in his hands, actively capturing Cherie's attention.

"Who's a pretty girl," he cooed, holding up the tiny dog to his face.

When she first met his eyes in high school, in that nurses office, she noticed something in him. A timid cautiousness that plagued him. Fences and fences laced with barbed wire around him. He was visible, and there. And it was an arduous and stinging journey to reach him.

And here he was, vulnerable, watching his little dog spin around in circles. Vivi smiled to herself, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

Are you happy now, Forrest?

You've come so far.

---

The plan was to have Carl and Kade, wearing matching outfits, enter the restaurant where the reunion was happening together and see what people thought that meant. People stopped for a second and blinked. Someone called out to Kade and the girls started gathering over to say hello to their heartthrob from high school.

"Are you two an item?"

Carl furiously shook his head, and Kade suppressed a laugh.

The girls perked up, all opportunists.

"He's here to break all of our hearts again." One of them teased. Someone else sidled up to say an energetic hello to Carl.

Kade laughed. "Actually, that's right."

Vivien walked through the door and the girls audibly gasped. "No—You don't mean...?"

Carl took interest in the nearest confectionary stand, before his girlfriend caught his collar in a gorilla grip. She kissed him, making it clear what it meant. The girls were simultaneously bemused, confused, and shocked.

"Oh—Kade! You kid too much! You're single, right?"

Kade let out a dejected sigh, adjusting his shirt and smiling wistfully. He didn't answer any questions asking him to clarify.

Suddenly, someone noticed the band around his ring finger and pointed it out.

Before he could answer what it was for, his wife walked in. She was blushing profusely, but she walked powerfully over, grabbed his collar, and kissed him.

The fan girls gasped.

"You're late, Mrs. Evans." He teased her.

"I regret this plan." Mrs. Evans muttered to him.

"You did make it while drunk. I will commend your effort."

Kade looked out at the girls, smiling politely, holding his wife by the waist. "Sorry, I'm married."

The girls all groaned and dissipated.

"Interesting way of revenge." Vivien came back to the couple, dragging Carl with her. "Leading them on like that."

"It's rather dramatic." Kade agreed. "But so is my sugar plum rabbit—"

Min stomped on his feet with the wedge of her shoe and he hissed. "Hey! You rabid gremlin!" He scolded her, and she cackled gleefully.

"I definitely don't miss high school." Min huffed.

She was then promptly tackled by her two best friends from school, Grace and Kristy. "Where have you been?" Kristy exclaimed.

"Ow! Ow!" Min complained whilst Kristy proceeded to squeeze the rest of her life force out of her. Grace noticed the ring on Min's finger and promptly dragged both of them away to do some catching up.

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