Chapter 14

"Thanks for getting of me Amber."

"Sorry about that." Amber said laughing.

"It's fine. You are light as a feather." Lex said smiling as he picked her up and swung her around. Amber laughed even more when he did that.

"Lex put me down. I'm going to throw up soon." Amber said as she tried to control her stomach.

"Oh, sorry." Lex said as he put Amber down on the floor. As she landed with her feet on the ground she swayed since she was quiet dizzy. Lex held her in his arms so she wouldn't fall.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah. You can let go." Amber said as he let her go. She walked over to the sofa and sat down on it. Lex walked over to her and sat down next to her. He put his left arm around her.

Slade came walking in through the front door looking around.

"Guys!" he shouted. He had thought of what they could do with the back yard and what to do with the front yard.

"What?" Trudy said as she emerged from the stairs with Brady next to her.

"I think we should build a playground for Brady in the backyard, also a deck where we can sit and relax as we keep an eye on Brady. In the front yard we can put up a swing set that we can have and also some furniture so we can sit somewhere." Slade said smiling, he thought that his idea was brilliant and so did Brady because she was climbing down the stairs so she could get to him.

"Brady?!" Trudy said in a distressed voice then she spotted her half way down the stairs.

"How did you get down there?" Trudy asked as she walked after her.

"I climbed." Brady said as she continued to climb further down. As soon as she reached the floor she ran over to Slade and hugged him.

"It seems like it's settled. We are building a playground." Trudy said laughing as Brady hung on to Slade's leg while he tried to walk over to Trudy.

"Brady don't cling to Slade. It's not nice." Trudy said and picked up Brady from Slade's foot.

"No... Don't want to." Brady said as she held on to Slade's leg tighter.

"Please get her off me Trudy." Slade said and frowned as he was pulled down on to the floor.

"NOOOO!" Brady shouted and held on to Slade even harder.

"Brady he won't disappear. You can let him go." Trudy said as she squatted down next to Brady and tried to get her of Slade.

"Really?"

"Yes he won't disappear." Trudy said once again as she kept trying to get Brady off Slade. It took two more minutes until Brady did let go of him.

"Okay. Mummy I wanna play." Brady said as Trudy picked her up.

"Can it wait until we have built you a playground?"

"Yes." Brady said and nodded with her head as she said it.

Lex was still holding his arm around Amber. "I know what we can do."

"What?" Amber asked looking at Lex.

"Follow me." Lex said and pulled Amber up from the sofa and with him.

"Why?"

"I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you then it won't be a surprise anymore." Lex answered smiling slyly.

"What are you on about Lex?" Amber asked as she looked at him. He was still holding her hand and she was holding his. He was dragging her to the so-called-sulking-spot at the cliffs.

"Lex what are we doing here?"

"You'll see."

"Lex, tell me what's going on."

"No not yet. Wait here. I'll be back in a little while." Lex said and disappeared under the bushes.

"LEX!" Amber shouted as he left. She took a deep breath and sat down on the ground watching the water. She didn't like it that Lex was being so secretive. She wanted to know what he was doing. She didn't want to be there, she wanted to help Trudy and Slade with Brady's playground.

Lex had found a pearl on the beach after the storm, he still had it. He had it in his pocket. He walked to a jewelry so he could get it attached to a ring, he was planning on proposing to Amber. He was nervous with what she would say. At the jewelry he got the pearl fastened to a ring that would fit her finger. He had taken one of her old rings and he gave it to the jeweler. "This is the size of her finger. Could you please make a ring and fasten this pearl on it?"

"Yes. But it will cost around 20 coins." the shopkeeper said.

"What if I don't have that much money?"

"Then you have to earn the money if you want me to do it."

"How?"

"You need to get a job for starters. But I will let you have the pearl fixed to a ring in the size of that ring you just gave me. I will give you as long as it takes you to collect the coins with working. But not more than two years. Clear?"

"Yes. Thank you so much." Lex said and took a deep bow.

"The ring will be ready in an hour or two." the shop keeper said as he took the pearl and the old ring.

"Thank you." Lex said as he left the store. "Now I need to talk to Amber." Lex thought as he walked down the street. He made his way back to Amber. When he got there he was in for a surprise.

Amber was talking to Cat who had made been in the bushes when the two arrived there.

"Hey Rat."
"Oh, it's you Cat. Why are you hanging around me?"

"Well I missed you. Is that a crime?" Cat asked grinning.

"No it's not but I'm involved with someone." Amber said and as she said it Lex showed up.

"Speak of the devil." Amber added and threw her arms around Lex smiling.

"Where did you go off to Lex?"

"I was just looking for something and I found it. But we can talk about that later. Who is he?"

"That is Cat, an old friend from before the virus Lex. In fact he was and still is my best friend." Amber said as she kissed Lex on the cheek.