"Why are you eating cereal at one in the afternoon?" Lara asked her brother as she sat next to him at the kitchen island.

"I only woke up ten minutes ago, don't judge me," Carter mumbled, bringing another spoonful to his mouth.

"As you can tell, I have had a much more productive morning than you have," Lara told him.

Carter dropped his spoon in mock shock and turned purposeful wide eyes to his sister, "What? You finally cleaned your room?"

Lara narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Nope, I painted my nails and washed my hair."

"Your date isn't for another five hours," Carter told his sister as he picked up the dropped spoon from the counter. He surveyed his sister, noticing the half dry hair that was pulled up into a ponytail and her freshly painted bright pink fingernails.

Lara's voice became hesitant as she leaned in towards her brother slightly. "Carter, can I ask you a serious question?"

Her sudden change in demeanour surprised him. Carter swivelled on his chair, facing his sister. "Anything."

She bit at her lower lip for a moment before speaking, "I noticed that your ring is gone, and I was just wondering...are you over Alex?"

Wasn't that the same question that he had been asking himself since he met Archer? Was he over Alex? The question was simple, a yes or a no, yet whenever he asked that to himself all he got was complicated answers. He liked to think that he was ready to move on, that this date with Archer signified that he was ready to date again, ready to put his heart on the line, ready to do it all again. Yet, if tomorrow Alex came up to him and begged Carter to forgive him, he honestly didn't know what his answer would be. 

Maybe his answer would have been easier if Alex hadn't had that violent outburst the week before, maybe if Alex had said that he was happy Carter was moving on, then maybe he would have known for sure that Alex had moved on, and he could move on too. That wasn't what happened, Alex's actions screamed that he cared for him.

"I have a date tomorrow night."

It wasn't an answer to her question, but in all truth, he didn't have one for her.

"You do?" she asked with wide eyes. At least he managed to avoid answering yes or no to her previous question as she seemed to be completely enthralled by this turn of events. "With who?"

"Archer, a guy from school."

"Wait, one of those guys who just transferred? Sophie was telling me that Roxy was dating one of them, oohh are you and Roxy having a rivalry over a boy?!" She seemed extremely excited at the prospect of her brother's and his best friend's lives turning into an episode from one of those dramatic soap operas.

"Nothing like that. Roxy went on a date with Cole, Archer's friend." That reminded him that he should call Roxy at soon and ask how her date went.

Her excitement faded slightly. "Oh, well that's less interesting, but still! I am so proud of you!"

"Thanks, sis."

"You don't have to actually stay for the date tonight, like, if you don't want to," Lara proposed hopefully.

"No, I think it is best that I stay."

"Urg ok, I'm going to go get ready, I have to look perfect for tonight," Lara said, standing up from her chair.

"Lara, you are perfect," he told his sister, but she only shrugged.

"As sweet as that is, an outfit isn't going to pick itself. Be ready to leave here at six!" she told him as she made her way towards the door.

Carter rolled his eyes. "I think I can be ready in five hours."

"You better, I cannot be late for this!" Lara called out to her brother before he heard the sounds of her going upstairs.

He turned his attention back to his cereal, but was interrupted again when his mother walked into the room, a large white washing basket in her hands which was overflowing with clothes.

"Why are you eating cereal in the afternoon?"

Carter huffed, "Is it illegal to eat cereal in the afternoon?"

"Don't bite my head off," his mother laughed, sitting down on the stool where Lara had been sitting just moments ago, 'I was just wondering.'

Carter met his mother's gaze, but didn't say anything, recognising the hesitant look in her eyes. "What's wrong mom?" he asked.

"I, well, I found this in your pants pocket when I was doing the laundry, and I thought that you would want it." She reached into her own pocket to pull out a silver band, the ring held lightly between her fingers.

"Oh." Carter looked away, focussing his eyes on anything but the ring.

His mother didn't say anything, she just placed the ring on the counter and pressed a light kiss to her son's forehead. When he looked up, she was gone.

For a few minutes he still didn't look at the ring, but his willpower faded quickly and before he knew what he was doing, the cold silver was pressed on his palm. He fingered it with his other hand, running the pad of his finger over the simple pattern around the outside.

The memory hit him without permission, clouding his mind with its power.

The sun was setting over the water of the lake, the oranges and yellows of the sky reflecting on the large pool of water which lay out in front of Carter and Alex who sat at the edge of the water, their toes touching the lukewarm liquid. Carter's head rested against Alex's chest as they sat in silence, watching the sun move lower and lower every moment.

They had spent the afternoon at their favourite ice-cream parlour, and when they remembered the lake which was only a few minutes' walk from it, they jumped at the chance to spend the rest of their afternoon hanging out by the late together.

Alex was playing with one of Carter's hands in his lap, his fingers running over the smooth skin of his hand as Carter's head rested gently against his chest, rising and falling with each of Alex's breaths.

"It's been a whole year. I can hardly believe it," Carter said with a smile.

"Best year of my life." Alex pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend's hair. "I know we said no presents, but I may have gotten a little something."

Carter pulled away in a hurry. "Alex! We said we weren't doing presents. It better be a fricken itchy sweater or something terrible."

Alex laughed, shaking his head. "Not a sweater, sorry."

"Well, now I am going to have to buy you like three birthday presents just to make us even."

Alex shut him up with a kiss. "Would you be quiet and open your present?"

"You're a jerk, getting me presents and shit.'"Carter laughed, watching as Alex reached over into his bag to pull out a small box.

Alex laughed, "I know, worst boyfriend ever, why do you even stay with me?" he asked sarcastically.

"Because I love you," Carter stated simply as he extended his palm.

Alex placed the box into his awaiting hand.

Carter flipped the box over in his hands a few times, watching it with slight hesitation, like he was suspicious of its intentions.

"If this is an engagement ring I am going to throw you into that lake. I am a free man, I won't be tied down." Carter looked as if he had just had an idea. "Tying me up, now that's something you can do. I hope it's handcuffs." 

Alex rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. "Just open it, would you?"

Carter ripped the paper off of the box carefully, placing the paper to the side. He lifted the lid to find a single silver ring in the centre of the box.

"That's it, you're going in the lake."

Alex laughed, lifting his hands into the air in surrender. "It's a promise ring, not an engagement ring doofus. I have a matching one."

"Oh," Carter smiled, pulling the ring from the box to give it a closer inspection. "and what exactly are you promising?" Carter spoke teasingly, like he expected the answer to be morning sex or breakfast in bed every weekend. What he didn't expect was that Alex straightened up, his face sobering.

Alex's face got serious and Carter could feel the mood change. Alex took a hold of Carter's free hand in-between his own and met his gaze. "I know that after everything that happed with your dad, that you are scared that people will leave you."

"Alex..'"Carter mumbled, looking down. Alex's words were as true as the grass being green or the sky being blue, yet it was a hard truth to face, and admitting it out loud made it real.

Alex didn't stop, he just squeezed the hand between his and ducked his head down to meet his boyfriends gaze again. "So, I promise you that you never have to worry about that from me. I promise that I will never let anybody hurt you, and I promise to protect you with everything I have. I am not going anywhere Carter. I will wear it every day to prove that promise, and if you promise the same then you can wear yours."

"I'd die before I hurt you," Carter told him with a small smile, "and I promise the same thing."

Other words didn't need to be said, Carter slipped the ring onto his finger, and in one movement he was on top of Alex, leaning on his knees over his boyfriend. Neither said anything as Carter brought down his head to Alex's pressing their lips together into what would have been one of the most important actions of Carters life. He was showing him that he believed him, that he loved him, and that he promised the same thing for as long as he wore that ring.

The memory left as fast as it came, and Carter slipped the ring into the pocket of his jeans, not wanting to look at it again. He didn't want memories of those times, he didn't want to relive what should have been happy memories. They were all laced with regret and sadness.

Then there was the feeling in his chest. The hollow emptiness that seemed to be eating away at him. He missed Alex, it was simple.

He was pulled from his thoughts when a voice came from the doorway. "Carter, are you alright?"

Roxy stood at the entrance to the room, Carter's mom standing beside her. They both wore equally worried expressions as they looked him over. It was then that Carter realised that he was crying, small wet drops falling down his cheeks. He pushed the tears away with his sleeve, standing from his chair.

"I'm fine," he told them, pushing past them both to walk up the stairs, hoping that just Roxy would follow him to his room. He was glad when he sat down on his bed that only Roxy came through the door before closing it behind her.

"What's going on?" 

"Noth-"

Roxy cut him off as she sat down on the bed next to him. "Don't tell me nothing, because I know that it's something."

Carter didn't want to voice how much he really missed Alex. He was supposed to be getting over him, not pining over him. That memory seemed to set him back, and he needed to be moving forwards, so he took a deep breath and wiped Alex from his mind. "Really, Roxy, it's nothing."

"Carter.." She sighed, obviously not believing a word he said.

"Really, I am fine." This time he said it more convincingly, yet he didn't quite believe it himself.

"Are you sure?"

"Please tell me about your date."

Roxy eventually gave in and spent the next hour telling Carter every detail of her date with Cole. She even went as far as to mention the colour shirt he was wearing. Carter listened with a smile on his face as she told him how much fun their date was. He was sincerely happy for his best friend, who deserved to have a good boyfriend, and from the sounds of it, Cole was perfect for her.

"Want to see a movie tonight?" Roxy asked once she had finished her endless rant about her fabulous date.

"I would, but I am chaperoning my sisters date," he told her.

"All good, Cole and I will have fun without you." She smiled cheekily.

"Cole? Two dates in two days, you two are doing well."

"Yep, I don't know what it is, but when I am around him, it just seems like the whole world disappears."

Carter knew the feeling, it was new love, it was the enticement and romance of first kisses and holding hands as you walked through the street, exploring the world together one block at a time. He had felt that way with Alex, and the feeling had never really gone away. With Archer, he had felt that when they kissed, they had chemistry for sure, but he didn't really think he felt it the whole time. Only the date tomorrow night would tell him for sure.

"I'm happy for you Roxy." He smiled at his best friend.

"Want to go for a walk or something?" She asked while peering out the window. "It looks nice out there."

Carter nodded, some fresh air to clear his mind couldn't hurt. They both left his room, and walked down the stairs. Carters mother was in the kitchen, and he could smell that she was baking something.

They walked into the kitchen and Carter grabbed his coat off of the back of a chair. "We are going for a walk," he told his mother.

"Ok, you two have fun." She gave them a smile as she continued to stir the contents of a large bowl.

Once they were outside Roxy turned to Carter. "Where should we go?"

"We could go to the park and sit by the river for a while?"

Roxy nodded happily and they made their way down the street in the direction of the park. The sun was shining yet the slight breeze made the weather nice. Roxy's hair blew around her face in the wind but she didn't seem to mind it.

As the two walked down the familiar streets, Carter couldn't help but feel better about the whole situation. He had Roxy, and he had his family and a date with a cute boy. Even if things with Alex were as complicated a sudoku puzzle, well, he would live.

They were only a minute or so away from the park when Roxy's phone rang, her ringtone of Wannabe by the Spice Girls filling their ears.

"It's Cole, is it ok if I take this?" she asked, and he knew that if he asked of her, she would have ended the call in a heartbeat to be there for him.

"Answer it, I'll wait for you down by the river."

"Thanks." She smiled as she pressed the phone to her ear. 

Carter walked the rest of it alone, waking along the footpath with his hands in his coat pockets until he reached the end of the park.

He used to go to the park all the time. When he and Alex were together they would meet Roxy down here for picnics by the river on warm, sunny days. He passed the playground and turned the corner where he knew he would find picnic tables placed right near the river.

What he didn't expect to see, however, was that there were two guys sitting on one of the picnic tables, joints in their hands.

He turned around to leave, but it was too late, they had already seen him.

"Come over here Carter, I think it's time we had a little chat."