UNFINISHED SYMPHONY MATERIAL

POV: KENNETH

God. God, god, god. Holly was coming. I could see her painted car bouncing over the dirt road.

"What am I doing?" I murmured out loud. "This could ruin my life."

Then, it was as if I had an angel on one shoulder, a devil on the other.

"You love her. It's the best thing you could ever do," my good conscious told me.

"Yeah, he's right," the other shoulder-person said. "But you'll be selling yourself away for the rest of your life."

I shrugged my shoulders, and my imaginary conscious went away.

Just in time, too. Holly pulled up.

Ulysses trotted over to give her a slobbery greeting. I could see that the way he was walking instead of running was telling that his time was coming soon.

What would I do with my one and only true friend? Ulysses had always been there, and yet, so had Holly. Who should I choose? Who would make me happier?

God, that's a tough decision.

Just like Neptune's Daughter, the idea to propose to Holly just came to me. Just like the idea to possibly go after Haille when we were old enough. Why did she have to be my half-sister?

"Holly," I said slowly after the dishes from our dinner were cleaned and put away – for a first.

"Yes? Is there something wrong, Kenneth?"

I took her hand and led her out to the beach, my other in my pocket, keeping the small box in place.

"There's something I need to ask you. It's really important," I said, leaning against the half-constructed boat on the beach.

"What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath. This was definitely going to be hard. "Umm… I'm just gonna come out and say it, okay?"

"Okay," she said with a scared look on her face.

I got down on my knee, pulling out the small box from my pocket and opening it to show her what was inside. "Will you marry me, Holly?"

She gasped and leaned against the raw wood. "Kenneth… this is so unexpected!" She put a hand on her heavily breathing chest.

I raised my eyebrows, getting to my feet again. "Is that a yes?"

"Kenneth, I have to check the stars and if they're not aligned correctly, it could be a horrible marriage and what about when you-"

Suddenly, I just moved forward and kissed her. I kept a hand on the back of her neck, keeping her there.

I felt her slowly succumb to me, her arms winding around my neck and pulling me down to her level. Her fingers twisted in my long brown hair.

"God," I thought. "I'm going to have all this forever." I kissed her again, our bodies sinking to the still warm sand.

She leaned away a few moments later. "Are you still waiting for an answer?"

"Yes," I answered.

"I thought it was already evident." She gave me the sweet smile that made me initially fall in love with her.

I smiled and put my arms around her, holding her to my chest. Her hair smelled like that disgusting herbal tea that she always drank. But I liked the smell.

She let a breath out, the air running down the back of my neck. "Kenneth…"

"Yes?"

"I really don't know how I should say this…"

"Say what? Are you breaking up with me?" I joked.

"I…"

"Just say it, Holly. I can take it, I'm a man!"

"It's not that… it's just that I've never said this to anyone else before…"

"Oh, God, Holly, you're pregnant, aren't you? Please say no."

Her pale hand flew across my face gently.

"I just… I love, you, Kenneth."

Man. I'd never heard that before. Especially from someone that I knew that I truly loved.

"I love you, too, Holly."

She smiled. It was bright enough to seem like the sun even though it just dipped below the horizon.

R&R!