~Fourteen years later~
Gretel, Sherry and Antoinette sat by the water near Gretel's farm. A picnic basket full of dirty napkins and a soiled picnic blanket along with three pairs of shoes sat beside them as they dunked their bare feet in the clear water. They chatted at length about many things both silly and serious, enjoying the lovely warm day.
"How's Dirk?" Antoinette asked Gretel with a monotone voice. "It's been awhile since he left town."
"I know." Gretel began to answer. "It feels like forever. He just got married a couple of weeks ago, some girl named Lillian." Antoinette's face became ever so slightly sadder than her usual sad demeanor, but she didn't say anything else.
"What about Amir?" Sherry chimed in, changing the subject.
"Married some girl named Rio a couple of months back." Gretel answered. Antoinette looked at her with a slightly annoyed face.
"Why don't you tell us these things when they happen?"
"Because nobody asks." Sherry giggled until Antoinette gave her a look of pure annoyance. "But I'll be sure to let y'all know when they're going to have kids."
"Thank you." Sherry said with a chuckle.
"How about Lloyd?" Gretel turned her full attention to Sherry's answer.
"He's been acting weird lately, to be honest."
"Weird in what way?"
"He's been very melancholy lately. Like a sad zombie. He made about half the normal amount of money he usually makes at the last bazaar because he forgot to order half the stuff he intended to. I'm honestly a little scared he's still in love with you, Gretel." Gretel laughed.
"I highly doubt that's the case Sherry, it's been three years since that all happened and you two have been together ever since. Look, I'll go talk to him. We're friends so if it has anything to do with how overwhelmingly in love with you he is, then it won't be as embarrassing to say." Gretel winked jokingly to her friend, who laughed and nodded her head.
"I'd like that, thank you."
~Later that week~
Lloyd heard a knock at the door as he sat going over some old receipts.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal Gretel.
"Hey Lloyd!"
"Oh, it's you." Lloyd said as he looked at her with blank eyes. "I was expecting Sherry."
"Nope, it's me! Disappointed?" She chuckled.
"I don't know and don't ask me that again." Lloyd looked slightly agitated and mostly sad.
"Sorry, I came here to talk about something important."
"Go ahead."
She walked over to him as he turned around to face his bookshelf, looked him right in the eye, and asked:
"Is red your natural eye color?" Lloyd looked at her and raised one eyebrow in confusion.
"Why on earth would you ask me that?"
"Is red your natural eye color?" She repeated. Obviously unrelenting, he sighed, took off his glasses, and removed one contact lens from his right eye to reveal a dark purple-ish color underneath.
"How did you know?"
"Not long after I first came you, you were frantically searching for something and asked me to help you look. I picked up a book in your room to see if it was under there, but instead I saw a couple of pictures. One was a wedding photo with a bride, groom, four adults and five young men. One of them looked a lot like you but with a different eye color. The other one was the same guy that looked a lot like you only much younger with a young woman that looked like your sister-or maybe your mom."
"... Why do you bring that up now?"
"I was going to keep quiet about it, but a couple of days ago Sherry told me you were acting really melancholy and that she was scared you were still in love with me. But I had the feeling it had to do with those pictures I found." Lloyd silently walked over to his room as Gretel followed. He picked up a book to reveal not only the two pictures Gretel had found-which were now tattered and yellow from age and being messed with-but a polaroid selfie of Gretel, Sherry, Felix and Lloyd.
"These?"