They walked down the river hand in hand. She was humming a song while he snuck glances at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Er - yeah, so, what are you doing after we're finished school?" he asked.
"I'm not really sure," she mused. "I'll go to college but I'm not sure where I'll stay or anything."
"Mmm." She could tell he was nervous but could see no reason for it. "Can I, uh, ask you something?"
"Yeah, of course," she said. They stopped walking and he turned to face her, grabbing her hands.
He cleared his throat. "Well, um, see - it's like this: I love you a lot. More than anything really. And well, I can't, uh, picture not having you with me and, er, well…" There was a long pause when neither of them said anything. They just waited. "Will you marry me?" The look on her face was priceless. "I know we're young. We're not even legal yet but, uh, we can have a long engagement if you want and -"
She cut him off with a kiss. When she pulled back her eyes were shining and she was biting her lip. "Yes," she breathed. "Yes."
"Wha - what?"
"Yes! I'll marry you!"
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! We're getting married!"
She jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck and he picked her up and hugged her. When he released her, she kissed him. Joggers and bikers went around the kissing couple, some smiling, other grumbling. The world was lost to them for the moment until he pulled away and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, velvet box.
"Will you wear it?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a plain ring.
"Of course I will!"
He slipped it on her finger and she smiled at him then pulled him in for another short kiss and a hug.
"I love you Van Fanel."
"I love you too 'Tomi."
* * *
"Hey Merle," Dilandau said, falling in step beside her as she walked down the hall of their school.
Gulping inaudibly, she turned to him and smiled gently. "Hi. How are you?" Her fingers pried at the edges of her books nervously. She was almost expecting him to spit bitter words had her like before.
"Meh, alright. Kinda stressing for finals though. How about you?"
For a moment, Merle's head spun. Where were the accusations? The yelling? After taking a deep breath, she replied, "Look, Dilly. Um, I really think pretending nothing happened isn't the best thing to do. We don't have to talk about it but -"
"Yeah," he cut her off. "We do. I really, really, want to apologize for the other night. I mean, I know it was a huge thing to tell me but I freaked out. And not just a little bit."
"It's alright," she replied, though it wasn't. "It freaked me out too."
"You handled it well though."
By then they had stopped in the middle of the people streaming around them in all directions. Dilandau reached out and ruffled Merle's hair gently. She smiled and grabbed his hand. They stood there holding hands for several moments.
"I'm sorry it happened," she admitted.
"So am I. But there isn't anything we can do about it now. I think we should just be thankful nothing worse happened. No lasting damage," he said, repeating Hitomi's words.
"Yeah, I guess... What do we do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do we stay friends or maybe try for more?" questioned Merle nervously.
He thought for a moment. "I don't know. I hadn't thought of that."
"Well, think now."
With a sigh, Dilandau said, "I am. I'm trying to sort out all these things in my head at once."
"Look at it this way Dilly: there must have been some kind of - je ne sais quoi that made us do it. And not just the alcohol. Some kind of spark, I mean."
"I know. But I don't know if it's the kind of spark that can lead to a relationship like that."
"Friends then?"
Merle's eyes looked up into Dilandau's pale ones and tried to read something in there.
"For now."
There was a pause. Both just looked at each other.
"So, we're okay?" he asked.
"We're okay," she confirmed.
"Good."
Snaking an arm around her shoulders quickly, they continued towards Allen's van, where they were meeting the others. As they walked out together, running past hand in hand came Hitomi, shrieking, and Van, laughing. Smiling at their antics, Merle shook her head.
"C'mon Dilly!" Millerna called from her position on top of the hood of the van. "We want to get to the beach before everyone else, not after!"
In honour of the seniors, the school had decided to put on a small concert at a beach nearby. It would include a band from their school and a bigger one they had booked. Everyone had been looking forward to it since the rumours had started to float around the school.
After almost an hour of driving, they arrived at the beach. Millerna let out a squeal when she saw the ocean. She opened the door of the van, hopped out, kicked off her shoes, and ran to the water. Allen scooped her sandals up off the ground as the rest of them piled out of his vehicle. Hitomi and Merle went around the back and grabbed a cooler they had picked up on the way there. With blankets and drinks, they headed towards the sand.
Millerna was still frolicking in the waves, wearing only a skirt over her bathing suit. Dilandau stripped off his shirt quickly and ran over to her. She screamed as he picked her up and waded out into the water with her.
"No! No, Dilly! Please, let me down! I like this skirt! Dilandau! Nooooo!" Seconds later she came up drenched and sputtering. "Ass!" she yelled as she jumped on him and tried to get him under the water.
Hitomi laughed as she lay back on the blanket, her head resting on her shirt. Merle, Allen, and Van had joined the wrestling match in the water. Dryden layed on his stomach, watching the band playing on a makeshift stage while people played volleyball and swam. When his gaze shifted over onto her, his eyes because puzzled.
"That ring's from Van?" he asked.
Caught off guard, Hitomi opened her eyes quickly. Wearing only one ring, she couldn't play dumb. "Yeah. It is."
"You guys are serious? Like, marriage serious?"
"Er - um, yeah. It's serious."
Dryden propped himself up on one arm and studied her hand more carefully. "How did you know it was what you wanted? I mean, I thought Millerna and I - I thought we would be together for the rest of our lives. I guess not, hey?"
"Well, I don't think you can know for sure, that you're meant to be together forever," Hitomi said hesitantly. "I just know that I couldn't picture myself without Van. Ever. And just because you can't picture yourself without someone, doesn't mean that you have to spend forever together as more than friends. You and 'Lerna could easily be friends for the rest of your lives! Or maybe something will happen between you again." She paused for a second while Dryden listened carefully. "Don't listen to me, I'm probably not even making sense. And if I am, then I'm probably wrong!"
"No, you're making a lot of sense," he disagreed.
Rolling onto her stomach, Hitomi rested her hands on her arms and listened to the music.
Though I've tried to forget
You're all that I am
Take me home
I'm through fighting it
In all my bitterness
I ignored
All that's real and true
All I need is you
As she thought about how the lyrics reminded her of Van, he came up behind her, picked her up, ran over to the water and dumped her in it.
"Van, you ass!"
* * *
The sun was sinking down into the water yet all seven of them were still there. Merle and Dryden were running around and jumping in the water while Millerna and Allen wandered down the beach. Dilandau was laying back on the blanket, humming a tune and letting sand run through his fingers while Hitomi and Van talked quietly beside him. Van fingers traced lightly up and down Hitomi's back and she shivered.
"Hey," Allen called as they approached the blanket while Merle came up behind Millerna and hugged her. "Anyone else want to spend the night here?" he asked over her screams.
"That'd be fun," Dryden said, coming up behind Allen and shaking his head a bit before grabbing a towel.
"I'm game."
After a group census, it was decided they would stay the night, sleep on the beach, then drive back to the city by midday. Within minutes they had blankets out of the van and Dilandau and Merle were unsuccessfully attempting to create a fire.
Hitomi and Van took off for a walk down the beach as Allen tried to help with the fire. Within minutes, they had one going. Dryden and Millerna drive into the parking lot in Allen's car, bringing food they had purchased at the closest grocery store.
"Yay! We're saved!" Merle yelled as she ran to the van and started grabbing food and drinks out of it.
* * *
The seven of them were laying back on the sand, wrapped in numerous blankets, looking up at the stars.
"So what are you guys doing after school?" Allen asked.
"I think I'm gonna go to Europe for a little while," Merle said hesitantly. "But I still have to sort a lot of stuff out."
Van sighed, "Well, I think I'm moving out."
"Me too," echoed Hitomi.
"Together?" Dilandau questioned.
After some delay, Hitomi replied, "Yes."
"Hmm," was all Dilandau said. "I think I'm just gonna be staying at home and heading to uni. Nothing too special."
"Yeah, I think that's all I'll be doing too," murmured Millerna. She moved a little closer to Allen for warmth and he wrapped his arms around her.
Showing nothing, Dryden looked at them and kept the conversation going. "Maybe I'll work for a while, because my parents aren't going to be paying for my education. And I want to go to university because there isn't much you can do without it anymore."
There was silence as they all dropped into their thoughts. Hitomi was curled up in Van's arms, sleeping with one hand on his chest. He stroked her hair lightly and looked at the ring on her finger. When he looked up, Dilandau was watching them.
"You guys are gonna have a great life together, man," he said.
Van grinned lopsidedly. "Naw, we all are. Just 'cause we won't be in school together doesn't mean this is all over. It's just beginning, I think."
A grin that rivalled Van's, appeared on his friend's face. "Yeah, it's just beginning."
* * *
The next morning, they drifted into school in pairs or by themselves, all of them pale with puffy eyes. They had stayed up late the night before talking on the beach and they had risen early to get into town and get ready for another school day.
Girls were running down the halls, clutching each other and crying. Van and Hitomi walked into school as some girl tackled her boyfriend and squealed, "I can't believe we're almost done! It can't have been four years already!" and then breaking into sobs as her boyfriend patted her back.
"You're not gonna expect that of me, are you?" Van asked, laughing.
"No," teased Hitomi, "You're gonna be the one that's crying and jumping on me."
They laughed as they walked to the locker they shared and dropped their books in it. Dilandau came up behind them and scooped Hitomi up and over his shoulder. She shrieked as he walked off towards the cafeteria. Teachers just smiled at the antics of the senior students, thinking that they should enjoy their last few days at school.
Hitomi, Dilandau, and Van had just joined the rest of them when the intercom buzzed. "Can all grade twelve students please exit the building and move to the front law. Grade twelve students to the front lawn please."
Still carrying Hitomi, Dilandau pranced towards the doorway, bumping his cargo up and down. There were yells and threats from Hitomi but they were all ignored as he half set, half dropped her onto the front lawn. Dryden helped her up and she sent a mock glare in Dilandau's direction.
A photographer came bustling over. "Get together, get together. Into a big group now. C'mon children."
There was some laughter and protests at that comment. The photographer continued to explain the picture taking process. They would stand in a group and were allowed to pose however was wanted as long as it "was not vulgar or improper."
After several minutes of shuffling around to get together, the seven of them had formed a group. Allen stood on the edge with his arm around Millerna. She smiled up at him as she grasped one of Dryden's hands. His other hand was helping Dilandau support Merle as she held on around his neck, smiling. One of Hitomi's hands was linked through Dilandau's arm and Van had both of his wrapped around her waist.
Once the photographer had set all his things up on the roof, he yelled down for them to smile. There were happy yells from several people as they posed.
Van leaned down to Hitomi's ear and whispered, "I love you, 'Tomi."
"I love you too, Mr. Fanel," she replied.
He kissed her gently as the flash of the camera went off, the image forever branded on the pages of the yearbook that would fade as the love and friendship from that year lived on forever.
(A/N: Wow... I can't believe I'm finally done. Sorry for the delay, I had half of this chapter typed out and my computer deleted it. But it's all good, this cut was better than the last one. I had a lot of trouble ending the whole thing and I know it sounds kinda cheesy and gay but I was like, hey, it's a love story. Thanks for all the support, keep Reviewing until this story is nothing more than words and Reviews! Go check out some more stories and look out for me!)