Kiara and Rafe's Guide to Dating

lesson 7.5: -but have an escape plan ready

Lesson 7.5: —but have an escape plan ready

Why don't you change me at all costs?
Starlight and star-crossed

Let's Get Married - Bleachers

Paradise Island was an incredibly apt name for the estate the Camerons' owned in Nassau—the manor felt like it was its own world by how large it was. If it would be raining in the city, Paradise Island would exist in an ecosystem of its own and stay dry. Everything about it was straight out a magazine, if there was a drought, you'd never know by how green the Camerons' grass was.

Unfortunately, Kiara was left to stare at the grass with a glass of sweet tea as Sarah miraculously found papers that were, in fact, time-sensitive to work on for the wedding. Even though they called a truce, she couldn't help but feel Sarah was still being weird.

Someone moving in her peripheral eyesight breaks her from her thoughts, "Hey Ward."

Ward slows down with the newspaper tucked under his armpit and a smile on his face, "Kiara, nice to finally see you here."

She rises to give him a hug, "Sorry about that, we've been busy running around the island."

Ward laughs, "Nothing changes with you guys, does it? Still the same hooligans."

"The very same ones," She beams at him as he shakes his head in good fun.

"God you kids," Ward sighs but it's soft, his eyes glaze over with a thought or a memory, "I can't believe we're already at the point where I gotta let my Sarah go."

Ward doesn't say it with any malice or disappointment, he's more in awe about how fast they grew up. That yesterday Sarah and Kiara were in his living room showing him a dance they had choreographed all day, then it was Sarah begging him to drop her off at her first date, next it was waiting for John B to drop Sarah off after that night—he had waited by the porch with the light on to make sure John B was punctual. 10 PM meant 10 PM for him.

He was able to say yes to Sarah going out with him again next week knowing that John B had made the effort of dropping her off 15 minutes earlier so he could have time to say goodnight to Sarah.

He blinks and it's time for him to drop her off one last time, at the end of the aisle.

"She'll be in good hands," Kiara offers as Ward nods along, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Soon it'll be you," He points at her knowingly and Kiara gives a forced laugh.

"I don't know about that," She scrunches her nose while still laughing, the sun is still beating down on her skin but she sweats for an entirely different reason now.

It's already awkward talking about the institution of marriage to the parent of your respective partner when you're actually dating them. This is just weird.

Ward hums and Kiara hopes that's the end of that—that he won't try to talk about a dowry or prenup for her to marry Rafe.

"It's quite interesting how you and Rafe found each other after all these years," He chuckles but Kiara feels strangely guarded. "I thought when he left, that was it."

"I bet it feels nice to have a second chance," Kiara can only imagine the guilt from all the lost time that he felt like he needed to account for. She could see the same thing happening with Sarah and Wheezie—all the love they had for him didn't disappear, it was tucked away waiting for him to come back.

She doesn't know where it all would've gone if Rafe never did.

"That's just it," Ward clicks his tongue, "I don't think everyone deserves a second chance."