“Come on Nathan, this way,” I say, feeling the trees and bushes scrape against my arms and legs. “Hurry, or we’ll miss it.”

“Yeah, wait up,” he says, his voice husky behind me.

Nate is my protector, my keeper, my best friend.

But if he doesn’t hurry, we’re gonna miss the full moon, the whole reason we’re out here, to begin with.

I run and don’t look back.

I know he’s there, trailing me.

I break through to an opening in the woods. And then I’m shining, basking in the moonlight.

Nathan follows me into the clearing. He stands beside me, and for a moment, both of us just look up into the starry sky.

The moon is full, bright, and overwhelming.

“Don’t run from me, Sienna. I can’t lose you,” he says.

“Oh Nathan, you’re just being overprotective as usual. Just look,” I say, pointing to the sky.

He looks up, and I watch his face light up to see the biggest full moon in history.

It feels like our own personal show of nature. The moon itself is on display for only us.

I knew this night would be special.

I’m always seeking ways to impress Nate, to prove to him that I’m a big girl, more than just a child. Yes, I might have an unrequited crush on him. But you would too, if you saw him.

I’m ten, and he’s fifteen. Quite an age gap for kids like us.

He’s like an older brother—protective, fun, and adventuresome. But he’s also more than that.

He’s one of the only true friends I have in my life. We’ve been inseparable ever since his father moved to a small house on our estate in LA.

His father is a groundskeeper for my dad, Hudson Rose. I’m Sienna, heiress to the Rose fortune. I know that means something big, but I’m too young to quantify just how big.

For this moment though, it’s just Nate and me peering up at the cloudless sky.

He holds my hand, and it’s an innocent kind of gesture. I don’t think Nate knows what this means to me.

He’s my everything. He’s my rock.

He’s the one person in my life that has ever seen to the inside of my soul. He sees past every mask and façade I put on for the world. He sees the real me.

And there’s nobody else in this world that I look up to as much as him.

He’s strong and brave—everything I’m not.

“It’s beautiful, huh?” I ask him.

“Yes Sienna, it’s beautiful, alright,” he says.

He holds my hand innocently enough, and we watch the full moon rise over the tree line.

I’m a sucker for nights like this.

Part of me believes the full moon has power—magical powers beyond our comprehension. And so, we take a minute to just appreciate the moment.

I’m appreciating him.

And then I admonish myself, saying that Nate will never feel anything for me.

He’s too old for me. I’m just a kid to him.

And with that thought, I take off.

“Catch me, Nate,” I say.

I run straight into the woods, the little thicket on my father’s land. I run, and I run, and I run. Just waiting for the strong hands to wrap around my waist to catch me.

I get pretty far this time.

And then he’s there.

His secure arms catch me, and I know deep inside, it will always be like this. I can always rely on this enduring force of a guy.

“Don’t do that, Sienna. You’ll get hurt,” he says, gently scolding me.

“Come on Nathan, live a little,” I say laughing, trying to break free of his arms.

He sets me down and fixes his gaze on me.

“It’s more than that. I want you to be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he says earnestly.

And with that statement, I’m taken aback a little as I always am.

Nate is unyielding, staunch in his protection of me. Something about that makes me feel like I have a foundation, a stronghold from which I can take flight.

Because I know that no matter how high I go or how far I run, Nate will catch me.

“Nathan?” I say, looking up into his dark eyes. “Are you really gonna leave tomorrow? Will I ever see you again?”

He looks at me sorrowfully, like he doesn’t want to say the words.

“Yes, Sienna. I’m sorry. My dad got another job. It’s time to move on.”

Tears form in my eyes even as I will them not to. I don’t want him to see me cry. I don’t want to appear more childish than I already am.

I have a crush on this guy.

Maybe he doesn’t see it yet. Maybe he doesn’t see me like that yet. But one day he will.

I make a silent promise to myself that one day, he’ll see me as a woman, a proper match for him. That is, if I ever see him again.

“But Nathan, what if I never see you again?” I ask him the words that are forming in my mind.

He looks down at me in a tender way. He’s always a sucker for me when I cry.

I know he thinks of me like his little sister. But I don’t think of him as a brother, not really. I think of him as the most handsome, most endearing, most capable guy on the planet.

I say none of this, of course.

“Come on Sienna, don’t say that.”

I look at him, tempted to run away again. It would be easier to run from the pain of losing him than it would be to stand here and face this moment.

Nate’s been my best friend for a long time. He’s indulged every whimsical childhood fantasy I’ve ever had.

He’s built me forts, taken me on long walks, made sure that I have a friend to turn to when the girls at school have been petty. He’s my strong guy, my anchor.

Now, he’s leaving. How can he guarantee that we’ll see each other ever again?

“But it’s true, Nathan. You’re leaving, and I may never see you again. And that’s just the truth,” I say tearfully.

He leans down and tilts my chin up so that I’m staring at the starry skies again.

“You see that moon, Sienna?”

I nod my head.

“I’ll look at that moon every single night and think of you. You look at it, too. And we’ll both be staring the same thing together. That way we’re never really gonna be apart.”

I look at the moon and take in what he’s just said, my last moments with Nate.

“You think so?” I ask hopefully.

“Of course. Besides, I’ll see you again. I’ll find you.”

Thinking of having my protector back one day elates me.

I go so far as to say, “So basically you’re saying that we’re gonna be friends forever?”

“Yes, Sienna, friends forever. I promise.”

I trust Nate. I trust that he’ll be back in my life someday. He always keeps his word.

And with that, he slings me over his shoulder and begins the long hike back to the mansion.

This is the last midnight hike we’re gonna take together. We’ve done it countless times, running across my father’s perfectly manicured lawns to the forest and beyond.

He’s been my partner in crime.

When we’re not sneaking around in the woods and going on hikes, we’re getting into trouble—disrupting my parent’s lavish parties, laughing, and revealing our innermost secrets.

He’s taken me under his wing in a way and has shown me the ways of the world.

Nate is the most special person in the entire universe to me.

Only he doesn’t know it.

And I’m too much of a child to say so.

But I know in my heart he’ll be there for me always.

And I’ll be waiting.