My Wendy won’t change. She’ll always fascinate me.

“Oh Peter, I was just trying to get a closer look at the mermaids.” She stutters as we float to rest on top of a rock closer to the lagoon. “Ever since you brought me to Neverland, I’ve wanted to get a closer look at them.”

“Hasn’t the past couple months pleased you, Wendy?” I softly release my hold on her, but she grips my arms tight, not wanting me to let go just yet.

Truth be told, I’m not sure how long she’s been with me in Neverland. Time tends to stop here. Not like where she comes from. They count the days with a calendar. They even have them named. Seasons when the world turns dark and cold, and later when the sun grows hot, and the days are longer.

We have none of that in Neverland. We lose sight of the time as the sun rises. We only slow down when it sets. If I had to think, I’d say Wendy has been here with me now for ages. I could keep her with me for eternity and it still wouldn’t be long enough.

“They’ve made me so happy, Peter,” she says softly, and I smile. “Happier than I have ever been.”

“But…”

“No buts,” she insists with a longing in her eye. “Nothing makes me happier than being with you, Peter.”

On a swift breeze I capture her lips in mine, stealing a moment of time just for the two of us as the lost boys look on. It feels right to kiss her like this. It feels natural to show her how much she means to me, even as my whole world watches. But I’ve never kissed her like this, out in the open. And she tenses in my arms as I softly brush my lips against hers one more time.

“Peter,” she breathes, “What about…”

“I don’t want us to change, just because someone’s watching,” she studies my face closely, wondering what I’m getting at. “I like us. Just the way we are. I don’t want anything to change that.”

She smiles, her grip on my arms tightening. “Neither do I.”

“Peter look!”

Michael’s yell catches our attention and we both look up, watching him point down to the lagoon. My eyes follow his pointer finger down to the water below. I smile to see Tinker Bell and the other fae down by the water’s edge.