Chapter 43: Nighttime Fun

"You've been gone for so long, nearly everything's been changed" Monty excitedly ran circles around Callie and Adstrum.

"Oh, really? Well, I'm excited to see what's new." Callie smiled down at him.

"We got more roads and lights! So more shopkeepers showed up for the night markets! Lots of people come out at night."

"Exciting." Adstrum smiled a bit.

"I'm gonna show you to the fountain! And, and the lanterns….and…" Monty eagerly ran ahead and into the crowd.

"Monty!" Callie yelled for him.

"Come back, little buddy!"

"Hm?" Monty ran back to them, "Sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't see me."

"You could get lost in the crowd, Monty. Be more careful." Callie smiled.

"But there is so much to see! The fountain is over here." He held her hand.

The lights lit up the water in the fountain so it glittered and sparkled like the stars.

"Wow! This is so pretty!" Callie looked around at the plaza around the fountain.

"It is." Adstrum nodded.

"I remember this place used to be a patch of dirt. Now, it looks so pretty." Callie rested her head against Adstrum as they walked towards the fountain.

"Not as pretty as you." He patted her head.

She gave him a kiss on his cheek, "You are sweet."

"You are even sweeter." He kissed her in return.

She nuzzled into Adstrum. She realized after a bit that Monty was not there.

"Um, Addie…. Where'd Monty go?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Monty? Monty?!"

"MONTY!" Adstrum yelled.

"Yeah?" Monty asked looking up at him.

"Where did you go, buddy?"

"I wanted to get you guys sweets…" He handed over a box of squid shaped cookies.

"Oh, thanks buddy." Adstrum smiled and patted his head.

"Aw, how thoughtful. Thank you, Monty" Callie petted him.

"I wanna take you to the hill next! You can see the whole town there. It's prettier at night than in the day."

"Lead the way, little guy." Adstrum saluted.

Monty eagerly ran ahead again. Callie held Adstrum's hand as they walked after him.

"Wow, it's been a while since we spent some time one on one, huh?" Callie smiled.

"I guess it has." He nodded.

"I have to thank Cici for this when I see her again. I never realized how hard I was working."

"She's a good little squid. She deserves hugs. Just like you." He pulled Callie into a hug.

"I think you deserve a kiss then" She kissed him.

He blushed and picked her up in his hug, twirling her around.

She giggled and held onto him tight.

He put her down and kissed her cheek as they reached the hill and started climbing it. They followed a trail and passed by an old wooden bridge with a waterfall near it.

"Oh, this place. Me and Marie used to come to this forest a lot when we were younger."

"Really? What did you do?"

"We went on 'adventures' and played around here. This bridge was Marie's favorite spot. She always came here to think."

"That's interesting." He looked at the waterfall.

"My favorite spot is the old hollow tree farther in. Best place to see flowers, bugs, and animals."

"Really. Why not show me this tree?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay!" Callie gleefully pulled Adstrum into the woods until they came into a large clearing of flowers and a large dead tree.

"Well, there it is, huh?" He looked at the tree.

"Yeah, it seemed so much bigger back then."

"Everything seems bigger when you are younger." He replied.

"It is still nice and calm here, and you could see the stars pretty clearly." She looked at the sky as it became darker.

"Such a pretty night tonight." Adstrum smiled.

"Isn't it? I forgot how much I missed this. It feels even better to share it with you."

"Thanks. Glad I'm experiencing this with you." He winked at her.

She smiled back at him.

"Your smile brightens my day, Callie."

"You brighten mine." She purred as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He gave her a kiss on the forehead and patted her back, wrapping a tentacles around one of her's. They looked into the night sky as stars started to form.

"Look!" Callie pointed to a shooting star.

"Make a wish." Adstrum smiled and held her hand.

She nodded and both of them closed their eyes. After a moment they opened them again and looked at each other. "What did you wish for?"

"For you to be happy." He smiled.

"Heh, it already came true." She smiled back. "I wished for us to return home to Carti Ridge safe and sound after all this is over. And for you to also be happy." She giggled.

"Seeing you smile is what makes me happy." He replied.

The two stood there intertwined for a moment more before Monty's voice made them realized they had forgotten about him. He was calling out from afar, sounding worried for their well-being.

"We're okay, buddy!" Adstrum yelled to him.

"Caaalllliiie? Miiiiissster?" He kept calling out panicking a bit more with every shout.

"Monty!?" Adstrum sat up concerned.

"We should probably get back on the path before he gets lost" Callie stood up.

"Good idea." He replied and stood up as well.

They walked to the path to see a frantic Monty panicking as he ran about.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Adstrum asked him as he walked up.

He started crying and hugged him. Nobody could understand him as he sobbed into Adstrum's jeans.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's okay Monty. We are fine. You must be tired. Come on, let's go home now" Callie picked him up and he cuddled her.

They started walking back down the path, but they stopped when they heard a voice at the bridge.

"Two years ago I almost jumped… Time really does fly, huh?" The voice sounded somber.

"Is that…?" Adstrum looked over.

"Marie?" Callie seemed curious.

Author's Note: Yeah...more than a month since the last update. I have some explaining to do, don't I?
Well, main reason it took me so long is because I had two 5-week online summer classes. Those were filled with a lot of homework and I barely got time to myself. And when I did have free time it was usually spend playing games. I'm so sorry for making you all wait so long.

I thank you all for being so patient with me, though. I'll make sure next chapter comes out before a month has passed. Maybe next week or the week after.
Thank you The Bowser Monster, SpikedFruitPunch, Lilikeith, and Pink Hedgie 74 for leaving reviews. Thank you guys so much!
I thank you for being patient, Pink Hedgie. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thank you all for reading and I will see you again in a week or two. Bye for now!