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THIRTY-THREE

The days began to pass in one quick blur.

Whenever I wasn't helping Ethan plan the perfect proposal, I was painting. I had forgotten how much I loved the smears of paint that ended up on my skin and clothing after a long day of work. It was comforting. And I needed as much as I could bear to get through the day.

Painting was the only thing that was keeping me sane.

It was funny to think that statement could not have been further from the truth days ago. But now, my sketchbook was full. Canvases were covered with art. And my creativity felt like it was endless.

Lily was glued to my side whenever she was home, drawing alongside me. I had missed out on so many years of her life, and I liked that we had something we could now share. I was happy to know Auntie Dylan had a permanent place in her heart.

Although, her constant presence made it impossible to get any work done on her room during the hours I usually would have to spare. During the day, I would sneak away to help with the proposal. And by the time I had a chance to get to Lily's room for painting, she had already come home from school. That only left the middle of the night - which in all honesty, I didn't mind.

It was when everything felt most at peace, and I could paint without any distractions.

"Oh my god," Delilah whispered, looking over the canvases, "Dylan, these are..."

Shit. I knew that pause. A pause like that could never be good. What was she going to say? Were they ugly? Horrible? Terrible? The worst thing she had ever seen before?

"I want to say beautiful, but I don't think that word even does this justice!"

My head snapped to the side. "Really?"

"Of course! Look at your brushwork... and the colours..." She stepped closer. "How are you even going to pick three to submit to the art show?"

"I don't know if I'm going to submit any of these."

"Why not?"

I shrugged, eyes falling to the ground as I picked at my nails. "Don't they feel a little too... literal to the theme?"

"I don't think so." Taking my hand, Delilah guided me to one of the paintings. "See this one you did? The couple is tangled up in each other's arms. Sure, that's literal. But the shadows you painted almost make it seem like they're hidden? Like they're literally in a secret room, or their love is a secret..." She paused, looking over to gauge my reaction. "Is that totally off, or am I a bit on track?"

I felt slightly ashamed to admit that I hadn't thought of my own work in such detail as my sister currently was. But her analysis made perfect sense. "That's a really good take on it," I admitted.

"And these fields you painted, full of flowers with the lake... I take that as places you love to go. You know, like something you find comforting. And these butterflies are so cute!" she squealed. "Dyl, if this is your starting point, I can't imagine what your work will look like a month from now."

"Thanks, Del. That means a lot coming from you."

"You need some more confidence in yourself, baby sister." Delilah looked down at her phone. "Oh, that's Emma. I'll be back in a few hours!"

After a goodbye and hurrying out the door, I was quickly reminded what the purpose of having this chat with my sister was for in the first place.

It was all a part of the grand engagement plan. Operation: surprise Delilah with a proposal before she figures out what's going on. Or, SDWAPBSFOWGO for short. It was a working title.