"we found everything," olivia said after we left the dump. "now what?"

"follow me."

i pedal ahead of her and in the corner of my eye i can see her trailing behind me, curiosity swimming in her ocean eyes.

i can't help but smile.

after minutes of endless pedaling, we finally arrive to the park where i took her for lunch.

unfortunately, my mom could not save me with a spider man lunchbox and sandwiches.

i was on my own.

we leaned our bikes against a tree and i started walking further into the park where i knew a little creek was with a broken but stable bridge.

the bridge creaked as we crossed it, but i paid no attention to it as i sat on the wooden passage and unlatched my backpack.

"what are you planning?" she asked with a small smile as she sat down next to me.

"we're going to fix the mirror."

i took in her facial expressions and watched as she went from confused to excited.

"it's like a puzzle!"

i watched her gently slide her fingers under the pieces of glass, move them around to find their correct spot and add a layer of glue on the bottom.

i followed her lead but i moved much slower than her because i was so scared that she would accidentally cut herself.

once we're down, olivia presses her lips together in a frown.

"some pieces are missing."

i smiled.

"lift it up and look at it."

she looked puzzled, but she looked at the shards of glass messily glued together.

i can see a small scowl forming on her lips as she glanced at her reflection.

my heart ached to comfort her, to squeeze her hand and tell her that she's beautiful, but what were my words to her?

i was too terrified of losing her again.

fighting my feelings, i swallowed the lump in my throat and attempted to speak.

"what do you see?"

her nose crinkled.

"my face and broken shards of glass."

her eyes locked with mine and she gave a small smile. "what's your philosophy now?"

i smiled back.

"the mirror may be broken, it may be messily glued together, but that doesn't mean you are. it's a reflection, it's just how you see yourself. "

her smile fades away and i began to panic.

had i done something wrong?

instead, she shocked me and grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"i have to go, but promise me we'll get together again soon okay?"

"i promise."