Yours, now and forever.

Chapter 33

recommendation: listen to these songs while reading this chapter.

kiss me- by Jason walker.

chasing stars- by Rupert Pope

Bella's POV

Benjie and I arrived back at the camp soon after. I was greeted with a huge and tight hug from little Noah, as well as a smile from Peter. I let Noah spring up into my arms, rubbing my thumb against his cheek to brush away some mud that had, of course, made its way onto his face.

Noah sat giggling on my hip and Peter walked towards us, giving Benjie evil eyes as he left my side. We exchanged a sympathetic and small smile as he walked away. I turned my head back to face Peter as he ruffled the back of Noah's hair. "Are you ok?" he mumbled to me. I nodded and smiled, beaming at him. I kissed by brother softly on the forehead and placed him back on his feet. Peter smiled down at the small boy who gazed up at him like a big brother and then back to me.

"Can I take you somewhere?" I said quietly as to prevent Noah from hearing and wanting a part.

"Of course." Peter smiled and leant on his knees down next to Noah's face. "Go play buddy, Bella's taking me away for a bit." Noah nodded excitedly and ran towards another crowd of boys who had been playing conkers with each other. He plopped himself cross legged within their circle and immediately seemed to be included in the game. I reached my hand out to Peter. He took it and I led him through the forest, all the way to our tree. The one we had visited so so many times. He took my waist and held me close to him, as we floated up to the trees.

"Don't you dare drop me." I laughed breathily in his ear as I clung onto his shoulders.

"I won't, I promise." As we reached the top branches and we clambered our way into the branches, turning our bodies around to look into the distance. Our legs dangled and swung into leaves and flowers below. He sat breathing in the crisp air and simply looking out into the horizon. I watched him intently with simple bliss. "So tell me." He began. "Why did you want to come here?" I took a breathe and paused, taking a second to gather what I wanted to say.

"I guess, it was the place you first kissed me. Where I found out you liked me as much as I liked you, where we came and sat on those days we wanted to be alone. It's where you helped hide Noah when we played hide and seek, it's where I heard you and Felix that day and it's where you told me you would send me home, if I wanted to go." he listened with every bit of him. He hung on my every word, distracted by nothing. "It means a lot to me. So much has happened at this tree, and I wanted to spend some time here with you, before I leave."

Peter didn't reply for a few minutes, he simply took in what I had said and let it swirl around his mind, calmly keeping our eyes on the view in front of us. "I still can't really believe it could be the last day I sit here with you." I hummed in agreement. I looked at the ribbon around my hair and slowly took it out.

"Give me your hand." I said softly, holding my hand out to take it.

"What?" He said facing me slightly.

"Just give me your wrist dummy." I laughed reaching forward and taking it myself. I carefully tied the ribbon around his wrist, securing it in a knot at the side. It was a perfect fit, it tide off exactly at the right point.

"What's this for?" He breathed out a confused laugh and brought his hand to his wrist, examining the ribbon around it.

"Just....I don't know. To remember me." I smiled. He smiled, shaking his head and looking forward.

"You know nothing can make me forget you." He suddenly let his face drop again. Focusing back on the view before him. There were minutes that felt like hours of silence before he spoke again. "You know, this tree was special to me even before you came here?" I turned towards him, as he continued to gaze forward, aware that I was listening just as intently has he had been. "I call it my thinking tree," He carried on. "I used to come here, sit on this very branch and be alone with my thoughts." his face suddenly dropped and he let his chin lower, staring now to his feet swinging below him. "It used to hold a painful memory. I took Wendy here, and told her I loved her on this branch." something inside me burned at that. To think he had taken me to the same place where he had told his first love how he had felt. "She didn't say it back. And I didn't realise in the moment because in response she just kissed me. It was my first kiss." he sighed, his breathe shaking as the pain of the memory overtook him. "She left exactly one hour after, and she never came back." a tear rolled down his face, I only caught a glimpse of it before he rapidly wiped it away.