Picnic With Lovers And Friends

alyssa and tyler at underneath a big tree feasting on the food while colin mixed the cocktail together. shayna was hapily playing soccer with colby.
"colby's health has improved so much. i can hardly recognise him from the army days. he used to be so pale and lifeless. now he's just like any young kid, playing and laughing.
"yeah i'm glad he's like this now. so happy. i owe it all to shayna who pulled him up on his two feet and fight the illness," colin said, watching them play. alyssa and tyler looked at each other for awhile and suddenly broke out in laughter.
"what what?!" colin asked.
"i've never heard of you talk about a girl like that. you've matured so much buddy," tyler remarked.
"so you were saying i was immature last time?"
"yeah! always using girls as some plaything. now i know this is for real. you and shayna. you two belong together," tyler said.
"just don't break her heart and let her be THE owman in your life," alyssa said, "she likes you a whole damn lot, colin. you can see it in her eyes and the way she talks about you."
colin smiled and continued with mixing the cocktail. but in his heart, it stirred up more feelings for shayna. indeed he wanted to make this relationship really special. he was not going to hurt her in anyway and someday, when he was ready to settle down. he'd ask her to marry him. maybe... someday. for now, he'd just keep these feelings in his heart and see how they blossom into something more beautiful in the next few years.

***

"meg, you have to eat something," zoe said, noticing megan has been fiddling with her food for a long time and zoe was halfway through her course.
"sorry zoe. i just have no appetite," megan said, forcing down one small mouth of rice.
"colin is not worth you brooding over him. you are so pretty and successful, any other man would do! why colin? why brood over him?"
"i'm NOT brooding over colin. i'm just not used the the fact that i'm single again. i just missed the times when i knew someone was there that i can lean on, hug and kiss whenever i want to. now it's just.. nothing."
"oh please. we do not need men to survive. we are OVER that!" zoe said, shaking her head.
"we need men zoe. you have mark. tho you keep scolding him and kepping him in his place but you still are with him. kiss him and all that. yes we're independent people but we are always in search to be loving someone else too," megan said.
both ladies just kept quiet.

"why not we'd go to a club tonight and hang out? it'd be fun and you can meet guys!" zoe suggested.
"i wouldn't be interested..." megan said, still looking glum.
"come on. give it a shot. please? we'd just tell mark it's a girl's night out," zoe said.
megan looked at the eagerness in zoe's eyes. she didn't have the heart to turn her brest friend down. besides, she was trying to get megan back on the dating game and away from thinking about colin.
"alright then. we'd go tonight," megan said.
"great! this will be damn fun!"

***

colby was just too worn out from eating and playing. he was resting with colin in a hammok underneath the shady trees. shayna was reading a book and eating an apple while alyssa and tyler were walking down the stream and talking, heaving her personal time together.

"shayna you down there?" colin whispered.
"yeah i am. you need something?"
"could you get me a drink? i can't seem to get out of colby's grip," colin asked. shayna passed him a glass of cocktail. he smiled, seeing her face.
"i'm so glad to have spent today with you shayna. i also have something to tell you," colin said.
"what is it?" she asked.
"i wanted to tell you that i missed you too but i want this to be special. so let's just get to know each other better first? is that alright with you? i wouldn't want to lose you in any way in my life... ever," colin said.

shayna nodded. "i know. i wouldn't want that too. we can be friends. if we can survive this, we can survive anything," she commented.
"thank you for understanding shayna. you're the best. both to me and colby. my life wouldn't be the same without you," he said.
shayna blushed. colin was just too sweet to her.
"have a good nap," she said, briefly touching his hand.
that made both of them tingle.

as colin fell asleep beside colby, shayna just sighed to herself. "i love you colin. i'd do anything to make us work. someday i want to get married to you, have your kids and live with you, until we'd grow old," she whispered to herself.

it was the best sunday and outing shayna has ever been to.

as dusk breaks in, the day was nearly over. colin offered to send shayna home while alyssa and tyler had other arrangements for just the two of them.
"you two just don't seem to get enough of each other," colin sighed. alyssa and tyler just gimaced at each other, just two typical lovebirds.
"enjoy yourselves. take care of my best friend ty," shayna said, hugging alyssa once more.
"bye colby. have a good day at school tomorrow," alyssa said, ruffling his hair.

back in the car, colby was playing with his soccer ball and some of his action figures he had brought along for the ride. colin and shayna just said nothing to each other. they just kept driving on. it was just a nice quiet ride with the people you love. finally as colin pulled in to her parking lot, shayna stepped out to get her stuff.
"come let me help, " colin said, helping her bring out the empty containers, "enjoyed yourself?" colin finally asked.
"yeah i did. thanks," shayna replied.
"maybe can i see you for lunch or something soon?" colin asked, eager to see her soon.
"i thought we'd just said..." shayna tried to explain. colin's excitement just turned to just pure disappointment.

"never mind then. i'd see you soon," he finally said, sounding really dejected. shayna hated to see him so unhappy.
"maybe we can bring colby somewhere soon. so it would not look like a date. we can just hang out as friends," shayna suggested. colin's eyes suddenly lit up.
"great! i'll call you soon?" colin said.
"that will be nice. please do," shayna said, smiling back at him.