Friendly Dating - Kira

Chapter 51 - The Embers of Romance

When the boys set off to hunt for food as if we've suddenly been struck by famine, Tonia, Dell and I collapse on the chairs where I'd left the towel and my purse when we were dealing with Wendy. Leaning with our elbows on the table, we idly watch the spray being kicked up by the barefoot dancers having fun on the waterlogged dance floor.

That is one thing about Summerfields that I truly love. You can leave your belongings and have fun, and everything will still be there, safe and sound, when you get back. After being on holiday in other parts of the country, I do not take the lack of crime in our district for granted.

"These puddles are going to ruin my shoes," Delia complains and leaning over, she plucks off her footwear, storing it under her seat. I follow her example, and on my other side, I see Tonia doing the same with her shoes.

"I meant to thank you," she tells me when she catches my eye, and I smile at her. "I thought about what you said at the waterfall about being yourself in a relationship and focusing on building something real rather than just being romantic. You said that if one person gets all their needs met and the other one is always the one compromising, it's just indentured servitude, and that really got to me."

I said that?

"I've had a long talk with Brian, and he had no idea that I felt that I couldn't just relax and be myself around him; that I thought I needed to be perfect all the time. According to him, he likes me the most when he shows up at our place unannounced and catches me playing Frisbee with my little brother. No make-up, and my hair a mess," she smiles, shaking her hair, which is anything but a mess right now. She is as flawlessly beautiful as always. "Or eating barbecued ribs with my fingers, standing at the grill in our backyard, just hanging out with my family. The kind of things I always thought did damage to our relationship and would put him off me. Things are so much better between us now."

"Oh! I am really glad to hear that," I tell her sincerely. "Lurch is a sweet guy," - when he's not a noisy idiot - "I'm glad you found a way to be yourself around him."

"Can I hide here with you for a bit?" I'm startled when a girl with long, dark, wavy hair suddenly drags a chair up behind Dell and me and, sitting down, peeks through the narrow gap between our shoulders to spy on the dance floor.

"S-sure..." I say, giving Delia a questioning look. Yvette Walton is Lurch's lively cousin, and people often think they are twins since they share the same surname and are the same age; they don't look alike, but she is every bit as easy-going and carefree as he is. I'm not used to seeing her without her boyfriend; I barely recognised her all by herself.

She looks really pretty in a silvery tunic, reflecting the grey of her eyes and black leggings, her hair streaming moistly over her shoulders. She'd clearly been caught in the rain at some point... could be on purpose. She is often seen dancing around in downpours. She says it makes her feel refreshed, alive, and one with nature. This tendency of hers is also why so many people think she's Lurch's sister; she is just like her aunt Rose, the owner of the organic crafts shop in town.

All the inventory in Aunt Rose's store is homemade, and she supplies anything artistic people could possibly need. All of it is either edible or biodegradable or both, ranging from homemade paper, candles and paint to shampoos, soaps and potions to cure constipation. Yvette is often found working in the store or creating items to sell in it.

"Who are you hiding from?" I ask, wondering if she also had a run-in with a drunken hagraven that escaped from Skyrim to ruin her romantic moments. Yvette can be unpredictable, but she doesn't usually skulk around hiding behind people... I have occasionally seen people hide from her, though.

"Bobby Seinfeld."

Delia and I share a confused frown. Bobby is in most of our classes at school, and he's a pretty nice guy; I cannot think of any reason why anybody would ever want to hide from him.