Jenna Sol stood on the balcony of her parents' summer home, her short legs perched up on the ledge, body pressed against the railings, pink face sticking out between two limestone bars. Beneath her, she could see the crystal-clear waters of the Azure Bay and the endless sea of tourists, small as ants from where she stood, spread about across the sand and the surf. 

"Why do they call this the gem of Sen?" she asked the boy who stood anxiously behind her. 

"Get down from there, Jenna," he said. "You might fall."

"You worry too much," she replied. 

"Jenna, please?"

Jenna sighed and rolled her eyes. Peeling herself from the railing, she got down from the ledge. 

"You're such a worrywart."

"It's my job to keep you safe."

"Says who?" 

"My dad, and yours."

Jenna gave him an odd look, like one might when encountering a tricky word in a spelling exam. (Did the 'i' come before 'e' in 'receive'?)

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Then, she smiled, her face changing so suddenly that it startled the boy. 

"You can marry me when we're grown-ups," she said, her smile bright and earnest. 

The boy, no more than twelve years old, felt his mouth go dry. His heart thumped furiously in his chest, so loud he thought even she might hear it. 

"Then you can keep me safe all you want," Jenna continued. "Daddies are supposed to protect mommies."

The sun was beginning to set, and the waning light rimmed her face in shades of gold, peach and purple. Her eyes, usually deep blue, were like iridescent marbles in the sunset, so full of life and colour. When she saw his hesitation, she frowned, and he felt a momentary panic that she might burst into tears.

"You'll marry me, right?" she asked.

He couldn't bring himself to answer. 

She stuck out her lower lip and pouted, and her eyes began to glisten. 

"Y-yes, Jenna. Of course I'll marry you." 

Thrusting out her pinky, she said, "Promise?" 

Again, he nodded, and hooked his own little finger around hers. 

"Yay!" 

Arms outstretched, she jumped towards him, catching him in a big, lunging hug. He felt the breath get knocked out of him as they both fell to the ground. She nuzzled her cheek against his, and his entire face flushed red. When she saw this, she began to laugh, a sound so pleasant and sweet that it made him smile, despite his embarrassment. 

He didn't know it then, but it would be the memory he cherished most about her. The wondrous sound of her laughter, and the vision of her face in the sunset. 

But alas, the boy was twelve, and Jenna a year younger. Children, rushing headlong towards the end of their childhoods. 

What could they have known of marriage, of love? 

Of destiny?