We’d been at his parents’ house for nearly a month, and things were going well. We had good days and bad days. Sometimes I still had a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, but we were actively working on getting better. It helped that Alex had started working at the logging company and his health insurance allowed us to see a really nice counselor once a week. My cast was gone, which was a relief.

I’d also been talking to my aunt and uncle again. Things weren’t the same as they had been before, but knowing that they loved me made a huge difference. Even though I’d been pretty lost in my own world when they’d come to see me, I’d still recognized how much they cared. Once I’d been able to see it from the other side, I’d made an effort to repair my relationship with them.

“Alex,” I said, huffing as he pulled me along. “These boots are going to give me blisters if you keep making me walk so fast.”

“Sorry,” he said, grinning back at me. “I’m in a hurry.”

“I can tell,” I said, slowing down so he was forced to also.

A few minutes later, I could see something flickering in the trees, and I watched in confusion as the light got brighter.

“What did you do?” I asked, laughing as I realized there were candles hanging from at least twenty branches.

“They’re LED candles,” he said proudly. “Don’t worry—I’m not starting any fires.”

“I wasn’t worried,” I mumbled as I stepped between the trees and into his old hideout.

There was a picnic laid out in the middle of the clearing, on what looked like an old green sleeping bag. A thermos held whatever we were drinking, and a box of doughnuts sat off to the side.

“I remembered the lights and the sleeping bag,” he said, laughter in his voice. “But I forgot the food, so Mom helped me out.”

“I think it’s perfect,” I said, smiling at him as I moved to the sleeping bag. “Is this yours?”

“It was either mine or Bram’s,” he said with a chuckle. “They were both exactly the same.”

“I love this,” I said, sitting down.

“Wait!” he said. “Stand up.”

I wobbled as I pushed myself up again, and searched the ground, thinking that I was about to sit in something or there was a rodent or spider.

I was still searching for whatever had made him panic when he dropped down on his knees in front of me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my lips twitching.

“Sarai Levy,” he said, holding up his hand to stop me from correcting him. “I promise to always tell you when I’ve had a bad day.”

I bit my lip, trying to hold back my smile.