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immobilized. I almost closed my eyes,
wanting more than anything for his lips to meet mine, but at the last second, I
pulled away, too nervous to go through with it.
     
    “It’s fine,” I said, embarrassed, “looks like I didn’t go to sle-”
     
    I didn’t get to finish my excuse as Mathis leaned in and captured
my lips with his. It was short and sweet, his lips meeting mine for a few
wonderful seconds, soft and gentle and perfect. My heart fluttered and I took
in a deep breath of air as he drew away, trying to regain my equilibrium.
     
    I looked shyly up at Mathis, nervous about his reaction. He was
smiling at me, his eyes twinkling.
     
    “Just in case,” he said.
     
    ***
     
    We were sitting in the yard, side by side on the stone wall
overlooking the lake, when Uncle Andy approached us.
     
    “Hi Mandy, Mathis,” he greeted us. “She’s not bothering you is
she, Mathis?”
     
    “Quite the opposite, actually,” Mathis smiled up at him. Uncle
Andy gave a short laugh, but frowned as he caught sight of our joined hands.
     
    “Why are you holding hands?” he asked, his voice neutral, as if he
was curious. “She’s not a child any more, Mathis. She’s fifteen years old.”
     
    “It’s fine, Uncle Andy,” I told him, excited to share my newfound
boyfriend with the world. “We’re dating.”
     
    Uncle Andy laughed, and Mathis and I shared a quick look, both of
us a little confused.
     
    “How sweet the two of you look. Like regular little lovebirds,” he
said, smiling at us. “You’re getting a little old to be playing childish games,
though, Mandy,” he added.
     
    “I’m not-” I protested, but Uncle Andy cut me off.
     
    “Mathis, I wonder if I could borrow you from this lovely lady for
a little while? We still have a few things to go over. It won’t take long.”
     
    “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” I asked. “We were thinking that
maybe we could take the boat out.”
     
    “No,” said Mathis, looking up at my uncle’s face, giving my hand a
little squeeze and letting it drop back onto the stone wall. “It’s fine,
Amanda. I’ll see you a little later.” Uncle Andy nodded and started walking
back to his office.
     
    “Okay,” I agreed, knowing that Mathis had responsibilities to take
care of with my uncle. “See you later.”
     
    I leant over and snuck a quick peck on his soft, tan cheek before
he got up and followed my uncle back towards the house.
     
    I waited on the wall for a little while, watching the birds swoop
low across the lake as the sun set. I wondered how long their business would
take. After a while, I walked back towards the house, selecting a book from my
uncle’s library and waiting for Mathis to come in.
     
    But he never did. After almost three hours, I got up and went in
search of him, checking the windows to see if he was in the garden, peeping
into doors and expecting to see a tousled, light-brown head behind every one.
He was nowhere to be seen. Finally, I went to the door of my uncle’s office,
wondering if they were still at work. It was open, but the only figure sitting
inside was that of my uncle.
     
    “Uncle Andy? Is Mathis around?” I asked timidly.
     
    He looked up from his paper and gestured for me to come in. I
entered, and stood in front of him, expectant.
     
    “Oh Mandy, Mathis had to go back to the city,” he said in an
apologetic tone.
     
    “W-what? Why?” I asked, my heart suddenly clenching up as if it
were a sponge being drained of water.
     
    “I’m sorry, Mandy. It was important business, and it couldn’t be
put off. You’ll have to be a big girl and understand that.”
     
    “Will he be coming back soon?” I asked. “He didn’t even say
goodbye to me.”
     
    “Not sure. I really can’t say,” Uncle Andy said. “But I’ll tell
you what – if you’re feeling lonely, maybe we can go out on the lake tomorrow,
just you and me. Do the catching up we haven’t gotten to do yet.”
     
    I offered a grin in