"What do you mean, you want to go back home? I just got you back!" Sam exclaims as I roll my eyes.

"Sam, we've spent every minute of this week together, and besides, you'd be coming with me." I reason as he raises a speculative eyebrow.

"I'd be coming with you?" He repeats and I nod.

"Your mum would kill you if you didn't come with me, and she really wants to see you." I add, praying that this works. Sam huffs, knowing my argument has logic behind it.

"I don't see why you want to see your dad again so soon anyway." He mutters, his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"I feel like I've just gotten him back in my life, Sam. I want to make the most of it." I explain, patting myself on the back internally for how reasonable my argument sounds.

"Fine, but it's one night and then we come home. That's not home, this is." He grumbles and I nod enthusiastically. Couldn't agree with him more on that one.

"I'll book the tickets, you're cool about leaving tomorrow morning, right?" I say hastily and he nods absently, waving me off. Sam's been running a little hot and cold with me recently but hopefully I'll be able to cheer him up tomorrow.

After hours of wracking my brain, I finally decided upon how and where to ask Sam to be my boyfriend. I'm trying not to freak out, in all honesty, but internally I feel as though my organs are liquifying.

Sam's a hopeless romantic, he's cried during every rom-com we've ever watched. Don't even get me started on the time I accidentally let him watch Big Hero 6. Either way, he'll deny it every time and insist that his non-existent allergies are playing him up, but he's a softy and that's all the counts.

That's why this date has to be perfect. It has to be the perfect amounts of special, meaningful, romantic to hold his interest; to make this night the best he's ever lived. No pressure or anything.

I would be lying though, if I said that I haven't enjoyed planning this, because I have. Everything I do for Sam, I do out of want, not necessity. I want him to have tomorrow evening be the most special thing anyone's ever done for him, because it's an attempt to put into words how much he means to me. I have to figure out a way of saying all of this without making him explode, he's not used to me being quite so forward about this aspect of my life.

"Eli, what do I need?" He asks, poking his head into my room.

"Clothes, oh, pack your really nice shirt- that one with..."

"Oh yeah! I love that one!" He interrupts, immediately knowing what I'm on about and I grin.

He flits back to his room but never leaves my side for long. When he declares that he's done packing he slings his bag down into the hallway and flops onto my bed, watching me with rapt attention.

"What?" I ask, knowing he has something on his mind. He has a pensive expression. Not like him at all.

"Nothing." He mumbles, averting his eyes as he plays with the hem of his shirt.

I drop the things in my hands and walk over to him, sitting next to him as I peer into his eyes. I shift his head slightly so that it's nestled in my lap and lean against the headboard, waiting for him to speak to me. You can't rush him, so I'll wait until he can voice his thoughts out loud.

My fingers fiddle with his hair, which is in dire need of a cut but at the same time I don't want him to. I love it when his curls fall into his eyes, haphazardly framing his face. It suits his demeanour.

"Are you serious about me?" He blurts suddenly, gazing at me with his huge chocolate eyes, so vulnerable at this moment.

"I'm always serious about you." I state. He rolls his eyes, clearly not satisfied with my response.

"What makes you think otherwise?" I ask, genuinely curious to see where his thoughts are.

"I mean, are you serious about being with me?" He mumbles.

"I know what you meant." I say, frowning to myself. Maybe I'm not doing a very good job at this, I haven't exactly got any other experience to compare it to. I exhale heavily, my head falling back against the headboard.

"I know I'm not the best at this but I promise that how I feel about you has not changed. It is unwavering and unrelenting and you still take my breath away." I murmur, my fingers dancing across his woven bracelet which sits proudly against his skin. When my gaze meets his again, his concern has melted into a smile so innocent which dims when he spots my expression.

"Elias, neither of us know what we're doing. We're just going with what feels right. I didn't mean to make you think that you're not...you're amazing. Just like, pure perfection and I'm...me and I can't understand the appeal but hey if that's what you're into then..."

I cut him off by laughing, my fingers intertwining with his as he smiles in return.

"It's what I'm into." I confirm and he nods, a blush contaminating his cheeks.

"Cool."

_

"So, Camila's distracting Sam, right?" I ask as my dad nods in confirmation.

"Food's done, blanket, speakers and candles in the bag. Okay, I think I'm good to go." I mumble, more to myself than to my father and he smiles at me.

"You'll be fine, I'll pass the message on to Sam. He'll be there in half an hour." He confirms, patting me on the shoulder and I smile gratefully.

"Thanks dad!" I call, making my way out of the house. I carefully avoid the Rivera house, just in case and make my way to the children's park. It's deserted at this time of the night, the sun slowly beginning to set as I make my way over to the slide.

Eleven years ago, give or take a few days, this is the very spot that my life changed forever. I'm certain that, had I not shared that connection with Sam, we wouldn't be where we are today and I thank the hypothetical being in the sky for that.

I lay out the blanket so that it rests slightly below the slide before grabbing the candles. I lay them on the top and bottom of the slide, carefully lighting them before stepping back. I connect my phone to the speaker and select Sam's favourite playlist, turning it down so that it's ambient noise.

Minutes tick by and I glance at my watch more and more frequently, knowing he should probably be here by now, if he hasn't gotten lost again. I'm on the verge of giving up and going to look for him when he pushes through the gates, a puzzled look on his face.

As soon as he spots me, though, his expression clears into one of comprehension and he grins. It feels as though there's a tether between us guiding him to me.

"That's a fire hazard, you know." He says, glancing towards the candles, as soon as he's within my hearing range. I roll my eyes, chuckling to myself as he closes the gap between us. He doesn't hesitate in hugging me, nor do I hesitate in holding him in return.

He pulls away and surveys the scene in front of him, his expression passive.

"Picnic in a park? Is this our first date?" He asks and I nod.

"It's not just a park." I mutter, joining him as he sits on the blanket. He frowns and glances around him, his eyes focusing on the scenery around us. His eyes widen minutely as he turns back to look at me.

"This is where it all started? When I broke my arm here?" He asks, wincing at the memory and I nod, smiling to myself.

"The first time I knew I'd do anything for you." I say, grinning as Sam looks away bashfully. He focuses on the food and pulls out his favourite items, handing me mine whenever he comes across one.

"So, what do you talk about on a first date, when the person you're on a date with is the guy you know everything about?" Sam asks, unscrewing a pot of grapes and my eyes widen for a moment, panic altering my ability to think clearly.

"You don't know everything about me." I blurt, a little insulted at the notion. He thinks he's learnt all he can from me already?

Sam scoffs, popping a grape into his mouth.

"Sure, I do. Test me." He challenges and I raise an eyebrow. Interesting, I'll start out easy at first.

"Fine. What's my middle name?" I ask and Sam hesitates for a moment.

"James." He says confidently and I nod.

"What about mine?" Sam asks and I narrow my eyes, not expecting him to doubt my knowledge of him. Unfortunately for him, my knowledge of Samuel Victor Rivera is vast.

"Victor. Who's my favourite author?" I ask and Sam rolls his eyes again.

"Michael Crichton. That was too easy." He gloats.

"Okay, what am I afraid of?" I ask.

Sam opens his mouth to speak but hesitates, closing it again as he mulls over the question. He frowns, glancing at his hands and stretching his legs. He looks back at me, searching my face as his expression grows more frustrated.

"You're not afraid of anything." He states confidently. My mouth quirks up in amusement as I shake my head.

"No, give me a minute! I know this one, I swear." He says, furrowing his brow as he holds up a finger. After another minute of silence he relents, looking at me in desperation.

"You're not afraid of anything! You don't care about spiders, heights, small spaces, clowns, ducks." He states adamantly, listing them off as he says them.

"Ducks?"

"Yeah, you know that phobia that somewhere in the world a duck is watching you." Sam explains, his fingers wiggling in a would be spooky fashion and I nod, suddenly understanding.

"Anatidaephobia." I say. Sam shoots me an odd look.

"Whatever, the point is, you're not afraid of any of those. You're not afraid of anything." He states, crossing his arms across his chest in finality.

"You're wrong." I state, watching his confidence crumble.

"What are you afraid of then?" He demands.

"Losing you." I say bluntly, watching the firework show of emotions flit across his face.

At first he looks angry at himself for not guessing that sooner, but comprehension soon floods his face, the anger melting away and quickly being replaced with a bright, burning blush.

"You can't just come out and say stuff like that." He mumbles, dipping his head as he avoids my eyes.

"Of course I can, and you love it." I say matter-of-factly and he scoffs, attempting to disagree with me.

"You really think that we don't have more to learn about each other?" I ask lightly, breaking apart a biscuit and handing half to him.

He takes it happily and munches on it, meeting my eyes as he thinks.

"No." He says finally and I smile.

Sam finishes his biscuit and reaches for the pot of grapes again, his legs brushing against mine. Everything feels so innocently intimate with him and I love it.

"Sam," I begin, gaining his attention as his doe-like eyes gaze up at me questioningly.

"Being with you is the best thing in the world. It's not always easy, sometimes it's expensive and difficult and tiring but it's always worth it and I want to do it forever. I never thought that I'd feel so intensely about anyone and I certainly didn't think it would take me so by surprise but you did. So, if you'll let me, I'd like to keep trying to bring you happiness as a friend, but also as someone more." I finish, watching Sam carefully as he looks on the verge of fainting.

"What I'm trying to ask is, will you be my boyfriend?" I clarify, my heart beating sporadically inside my chest as I rub my clammy fingers together.

Sam's face looks altogether, weird. His eyes are wide and glittering, his expression giddy as he stares at me but doesn't say a word.

"Sam?"

"I think that's the most words I've ever heard you say." He says quietly, the Cheshire grin not leaving his face.

"And they were nice. Not nice, beautiful. And they were about me." He mumbles and I nod slowly. I feel slightly crestfallen at the lack of response but not defeated. I'll try again, something more special and I'll work out what to say instead of doing it on the fly.

"Okay." I say weakly, attempting to smile but finding that I can't bring myself to meet his eyes.

"Okay." He replies and I frown.

"Okay?" I ask and he nods.

"Okay." I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"What does that mean?" I ask and he looks vaguely puzzled.

"Did I not say yes out loud?" He asks teasingly. I groan, lowering my head into my hands as I shake my head.

"Yes. Obviously yes. I mean, who would ever say no? I've been in love with you forever so yes, of course, yes." He babbles, blushing as he speaks and I grin, propping my chin in my palm as I watch him.

"Yes?" I clarify and he nods.

"I've never been more certain about anything." He assures, moving closer and shifting so that he's laid between my legs, propped up against my chest as he surveys the park. I rest my cheek on his head, my arms winding around his torso as I revel in the new found feeling of calling him mine. It's better than I ever could have imagined.

"Elias?"

"Yeah?" I mumble against his hair.

"Is this real?" He asks, sounding genuinely concerned that it might not be.

"I bloody hope so." I mutter, thinking about how long we've been waiting for this.

He hums in agreement, sighing as he interlocks our fingers. Our casts are due to come off soon and I can't wait to be free of the damn thing.

"Thank you, for tonight, Eli. I didn't know you had a romantic side." He admits and I shrug.

"I don't really, but you do. Anyone is capable of being romantic and you deserve someone who's willing to show you how much you mean to them." I state slowly.

"You need to stop, I'm used to you being blunt but this is a whole new level of shock. I'm having palpitations." He jokes, pulling my hand down so that it rests over his chest. He may have sounded like he was joking but his heart is genuinely racing and I'm glad that I'm not the only one affected by the others' presence.

"I'm not going to stop." I murmur and he laughs shakily.

"I don't think I want you to." He replies and I laugh.

"Good."

"Do I effect you whatsoever?" He asks, turning to look at me and I smile gently.

I let my eyes roam over his beautiful features, his appearance seemingly becoming more attractive to me every day as I lift his hand to my chest, resting just over my pounding heart.

"More than you know."