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I shrug “I have my ways”

We’re at the beach where she spent that last weekend with her parents before they died She walks toward the water, kicking her shoes off so she can walk barefoot on the sand It’s cold, so I know she won’t want to stay out here long, but a few h

I go to the trunk and pull out the kites I bought yesterday There’s one for her and one for ht four more in case we broke one or lost one in the wind

“I have a chess board too if you’d rather play that” I look at her and watch for her reaction

She starts to unwrap her kite and put it together It’s the cheap kind, the kind that you can get at any vacation gift shop When it’s all put together, she runs out onto the sand and lifts her kite to the wind It unfurls and catches the breeze, and I watch as she lets it rise into the air She smiles at me, and the wind blows her hair all around She doesn’t care She just lets it fly

I setthe wind be at our backs, and letting it fill our kites, raising theher

She looks over at me and her cheeks are wet “This is the best day ever,” she says

“I know” I laugh at her, because she’s so damn pretty and she’s mine

“How et?” she asks

“Six Why?”

“One for me, one for you, and four more for…?” She watches my face

“For extras”

“Save therins atto have?”

I laugh, because it feels so right “Well, we have four kites…” I shrug

“Okay,” she replies She stares into ht?”