Valla blushed but smiled, making sure that her back was to Tommy. "Abby!" Valla chided softly. Getting goosed by a girlfriend about a boy, now that's something Valla hadn't counted on happening on the island. For a moment, Valla forgot where she was, and it was like a pleasant day in the village back home.<br/><br/>"Tommy and I thought it would be nice to see the ocean," Valla said, only aware after she said it how the phrase "Tommy and I" seemed to imply, well ... a date. Eager not to stoke Abby's already racing imagination, Valla felt she needed additional explanation. "I mean, Saul just finished healing him this morning. It's a good idea to let him take the day off from work, get some air."<br/><br/><em>Was this a date?</em>Valla wondered. Her feelings toward Tommy were complicated, she wasn't even sure of them herself. It was difficult to think past the panic she had felt the night before, when she feared Tommy was going to die. Valla had never experienced such a gut-wrenching emotion before.<br/><br/>Valla's own experience with boys was limited. She was aware that she was pretty; boys had been after her, and girls had been hating her, since she was thirteen. However, her three brothers were fiercely protective, and had given more than one broken nose to a village farm boy who dared get too close to "little sis." Aside from some flirting glances and a few stolen kisses here and there, Valla had never had a relationship before. By her age, a lot of the girls in the village were either married or were at least "experienced," but Valla was neither.<br/><br/>Valla turned quickly and called to Tommy. "Tommy, come on, slow poke," she said, hoping to cut Abby off before she delved into this topic any further.