The drive back to my grandparents’ house was awkward, but what would you expect after a disappointing proposal?

As soon as we got to my room, Sean broke the silence. “Kat, come on, PLEASE tell me why you can’t say yes. Do you not love me?”



“Sean,” I began weakly, “Of course I love you and want to spend my life with you! But I need to think about school right now. I’m not ready to get married. We’re only 19! We both have three years of school left, and probably more after that.”



“I can’t believe you! You’ve spent the last two years talking about our future together and here I am giving you what I THOUGHT you wanted, and you throw it right back in my face!” Sean yelled at me. “Do you know how long I have saved my money to get you that ring?”



I had never seen him so upset, but I knew that his anger was only his way of protecting his broken heart right now. I felt so bad for rejecting him, but I needed a few more years. Was that wrong?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” he began to cool off. “This isn’t about the ring. I just don’t… don’t know what I did wrong.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong, Sean.”

“Then say yes! Kat, say yes! We can have a long engagement if you’d like,” he begged.



“I’m sorry, I can’t. I just need time to think,” I protested.

Sean dropped his arms helplessly, and without another word left the house. From my window I watched him walk down the empty street. He would probably have his dad pick him up at the market down the road, and they would go back to Danview Valley tomorrow. I didn’t know when I would see him next.

I took the ring off my finger, and held it in my hand. Such a tiny thing was the cause of this horrible feeling in my gut, but for most people it was a symbol of commitment and happiness. Why couldn’t I be one of those people? I cried myself to sleep that night.



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In the morning I called Sean. In the light of day we were able to talk more reasonably. We agreed not to be engaged yet, but we didn’t want to lose each other. In a few years we’d both be ready and could go from there. In the meantime, I had the ring in my possession. I don’t know what was going through my head, but sometimes I liked to wear it. It was comforting, knowing that in a few years school would be behind me and I could settle down with my love.

To get my mind off of the failed proposal, I started helping Emilio in the garden. Agriculture was a pretty big thing in Oxford, New York and my grandparents had a large orchard and a few plots of land for growing veggies. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to improve my gardening skills. The first time I used a garden hoe was funny.



I found working the ground to be very relaxing, but the fact the Emilio was constantly staring at me prevented me from relaxing completely.



“You’re holding it wrong,” he said, coming over to me. Suddenly, he stepped behind me and started to embrace me. Instinctively, I moved to get away from his grasp. “Relax, I’m just showing you how to hold it correctly,” he laughed. I stood still and felt his strong arms come around me, guiding my hands down the length of the handle. “You need a firm grasp, and keep your hands further apart. There you go, you’re getting it,” he said approvingly as I obediently moved my hands.

I was thinking that gardening wasn’t so bad, apart from getting a little dirty, when Emilio unexpectedly grabbed my left hand.

“What’s this?” he asked, grazing the diamond ring with his thumb.

“Oh, um… it’s nothing,” I stumbled for words. I had forgotten that I’d put it on that morning.



“It doesn’t look like ‘nothing,’ it looks like you got engaged.” Poor Emilio looked a little disappointed.

“No, I’m not engaged. Sean proposed, but I said no,” I explained quickly.

“Ah, he is not your true love?” Emilio said, perking up a little.

“What? Of course he is!” I protested. “I’ve loved Sean since high school.” Emilio knew my feelings for Sean. As my only friend in this town, he’d heard a lot about my relationship.

“Hmmm. I don’t know. If he is your true love, nothing would stand in your way of being with him. What is more important than love?”

“Oh, so you’re a romantic now?” I giggled.

“Of course, didn’t you know this?” he played along.

I told him about the proposal and he listened intently. Emilio was a great listener, and he always found a way to make me laugh. I was lucky to have his friendship.



“Is it hot out here, or is it just me?” I said, fanning my face. We’d been outside for a while and the afternoon sun was beating down on us, causing me to break into a sweat.



Emilio saw my discomfort and offered to get us some drinks. As he was washing his hands in the kitchen I ran upstairs to my room. After washing up, I hesitated in front of my mirror. Looking at my reflection, I slowly took off my heart locket and set it on the bedside table, along with the diamond ring.



Not pausing to question my motives, I hurried back down to the kitchen. I took a seat at the table just as Emilio was grabbing some bottled water out of the fridge.



“So, have you ever been to the summer festival?” Emilio asked casually.

“I think I went once when I was a little kid and was visiting my grandparents, but I don’t really remember it.”

“Oh. Well, I was thinking that maybe you’d like to check it out with me? It’s actually pretty fun.”

“Like a date?” I asked, frowning at him.

“Well, you aren’t married or branded,” he started, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. “You’re free to do what you want, and I was hoping you’d like to go with me? We could just go as friends if you want.”

“Okay… sounds like fun,” I said, a little unsure. What was the harm in going to a little town festival?



----------------------------------------------------

The festival was a blast! There was food, games and even an outdoor movie. We spent the day dancing to live music, checking out a few of the livestock and produce contests – you should have seen the huge watermelon that won a blue ribbon, it was bigger than me! – and filling up on popcorn and cotton candy. We ended the day by watching the movie under the stars.
Emilio brought me home and walked me to the doorstep.

“I had a good time tonight. Thanks for making me get out of the house. It was good for me to get my mind off of Sean.” Whoa, did I just say that? Did I just MEAN that?

“Anytime,” Emilio laughed, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. As he pressed a kiss to my knuckles, the strangest sensation ran through me. My hand started to tingle and an incredible warmth spread from his kiss, traveling up my arm and back down to the pit of my stomach. My head was swimming with… desire?



“Goodnight, my beautiful Katarina.” He turned and walked back to his truck, leaving me bewildered.

----------------------------------------------------

I started having these dreams. They usually took place at the pool. Emilio would be cleaning the pool, and when he noticed me he’d climb out, but in slow motion. His muscles flexing to hoist himself up, the water dripping down his tan skin – I was putty. Then he’d come over to me and take me in his arms, planting the most irresistible kiss on my waiting lips.



I tried to stop the dreams by thinking about Sean just as I was falling asleep, but that only made my dreams weirder! I was caught in a love triangle, not only in my dreams but in real life. Whenever I saw Emilio my blood ran just a little bit faster. He wasn’t making it any easier. Now that he knew I was having relationship issues, Emilio seemed to flirt relentlessly. I found myself having trouble staying away from him.

As the summer dragged on we got a lot closer. My grandparents must have picked up on this, to their utter pleasure I’m sure, because they started inviting him over for dinner. One night, after watching a TV marathon for several hours, I sleepily walked Emilio to the door. I was half asleep and straining to stay awake.

“Sean is the luckiest guy in the world,” he was saying, “because he has your heart.”

I felt his hand come up to caress my cheek.



Perhaps it was inevitable, or maybe I was too sleepy to stop what happened next, but I eagerly complied when he kissed me. All the emotions I’d been trying to hold back seemed to rush forward and overpower my senses. I melted into his embrace and we kissed for what must have been ages, but seemed so short when it was over.



I watched him leave when what I really wanted was for him to stay. Why did it always seem like I was watching him leave?



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Next: Now that summer is over, who will Kat choose?