Chapter 20

There are times when someone flashes you a smile and you can’t help but smile as well. It’s contagious, like when someone is sad, you also feel sad. It’s funny how someone’s mood can  affect yours.

When Lucy saw the amusement park, her face lit up 10 times brighter than the sun. And because of that, my face lit up too. I was happy that I thought of taking her here, and thank you to Kayla for telling me that Lucy has been dreaming to go here.

This date would probably end up being perfect.

We got inside the parking lot and quickly got a spot. When we got out of the car, she started admiring the place, watching and hearing people scream from the drop tower. My eyes fell on Lucy who was so busy gawking at the place with her eyes glistening.

I tucked my hair behind my ears. “What do you think?”

She turned to face me, mouth still ajar. “Amber, do you know that I’ve always dreamed of going here?”

“This was actually my first choice of where I should take you, but then I started feeling anxious so I asked Kayla for some help and she told me that you’ve always wanted to go here,”

“The fact that you thought about this place first before asking my best friend for help is just so cute,” She grinned.

A blush made its way to my cheeks and I looked away as my heart fluttered. “How come you’ve never been here?”

“When Kayla and I were little we made a promise to each other. I promised that I won’t go to an amusement part unless someone brings me here- Kayla’s not included. A promise is a promise,”

I jerked my head towards the entrance, “Let’s go and buy tickets.”

She hooked her arm to mine and we walked to the ticket booth. The place wasn’t packed that much. People usually go here at night cause it’s not hot and the place looks beautiful with all the lights on. As for me, I love going here in the afternoon. 

I bought tickets for us both, Lucy insisted on paying me back, but I declined. After all, I was the one who asked her out. We first went to the different booth, checking the games, and the food we wanted to purchase when we get hungry later.

Lucy was eyeing this one booth and I couldn’t help but check it out. It’s the type of booth where you have to knock the ducks down.

“You wanna try that?” I asked and she nodded. I gave the guy who’s busy with his phone a penny and he handed Lucy the gun.

“You need to knock down ten ducks to get a major price,” He said dully.

“How many points for that one?” Lucy asked as she pointed at a stuffed toy of Sid the Sloth.

I found myself smiling as I remembered what Kayla said to me about how much Lucy loves sloths.

“Seven.”

Lucy released a sigh through her mouth, aiming the gun at the moving ducks, closing one eye to focus. She started firing at them, not even blinking once. My mouth hung open as I watched her shooting at the ducks. After her 10th bullet, she dropped the gun and huffed.

“You didn’t even hit a single duck,” That made her pout even more. “Do you want another try?” She bobbed her head and I gave the dude another penny.

“I’m gonna kill this round,” She said confidently, aiming the gun and starting off again.

As she finished another round, I put my hand on her shoulder. “At least you got 9 this time. 9 misses,”

She pouted as she lightly hit my arm with her fist. “Let’s just go. We’d probably end up broke if we keep playing this game,”

Lucy tugged my arm but I didn’t move. “Hold on, Luce.”

I gave the dude a penny once more and this time, I was the one who grabbed the gun and waited for the ducks to move. Once they started moving, I began firing away and knocking them down by each bullet. I knocked 8 and missed 2. The dude asked what I wanted and I pointed at Sid the Sloth. Lucy was surprised when I handed her the stuffed toy, gratefully taking it.

“You could’ve just told me that you can knock them down so I wouldn’t have to play anymore,”

“I thought you were gonna kill that round like you’ve said and I wanted to see it,” I shrugged.

“Now you know how bad I am at this game,” She frowned.

I let out a chuckle, pulling her to the next game booth. “I’ll teach you how to shoot one day. But first I’ll teach you how to cook, cause that’s where you’re really bad at,” She pinched my arm while I winced in pain. “Ow! What was that for?!”

“Nothing. You’re just cute,” She walked away from me with her chin up and went to the ring toss booth.

“Oh man,” I said under my breath but smiled afterwards. 

She’s the one who’s cute.

When we got to the ring toss, Lucy paid for a round and started tossing the rings onto the bottles. She was better at this game and got 6 points. We tried most of the game booths and got tons of prizes too. We even gave two kids a toy because we couldn’t carry them anymore. Our hands were so full and we decided to put it all in the car before finding something to eat.

We found this booth that sells nachos and corndogs, but we were looking for something light if we’re gonna try some of the rides. We came across this ice cream booth and chose that one. We ordered a single donut for each of us, chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup for me, and bubblegum ice cream with strawberry syrup for the beautiful lady I’m with.

“Since we’re on a date, tell me what happened with you and your ex,” I started.

She shook her head. “Our time together was horrible. We can talk about our exes at some other time. Today is all about enjoying,”

“Wait, I thought we were supposed to talk about stuff?”

“Yeah… But that story is so awful and it might ruin our date.”

“No storytime, then?”

“No storytime.”

“Isn’t that what you do on dates?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather focus on the happy stuff,”

“Roger that, ma’am! Anyway, strawberry syrup and bubblegum? That’s a weird combination,” I put a small amount of ice cream on the donut and took a bite.

“You’re one to talk. You put ice cream on your donut. That’s gross!” She scrunched her face, taking the last bite of her donut.

“No, it’s not. People do it too,”

“It’s disgusting!”

“Have you tried it? No? Okay, how about trying it first then you can criticize,” I put some ice cream on my donut and put it in front of her mouth. She stared at it quickly, debating if she should eat it or not. She took a bite, savouring it.

“It’s actually not that bad,” She admitted.

“See. It’s good, right?” I put some more and let her bite into it.

She gave me a nod, scooping some of her ice cream. A smudge of syrup was on her lower lip. I wiped it with my thumb and licked it. I then licked my lips, liking the taste of strawberry. I suddenly got curious about what her lips taste like. Does it taste like strawberry too? Bubblegum? Or both?

Her cheeks turned in crimson red by the action I did. This made me speak, “The syrup is good,”

“It could’ve tasted better if you used your lips,” She smirked seductively.

We ended up finishing our ice cream with a blush on our cheeks. We rode the roller coaster, merry go round, and other rides that we enjoyed. It’s a good choice that we didn’t eat a lot, or else we’ll be puking already. The sun was about to set, making the place more beautiful and colder. We were holding hands as we walked around the park. We walked past the Ferris wheel, causing me to stop in my tracks, staring at the top of the ride.

“Hey, Lucy? Before we go, can we go on one last ride?”

We buckled up on our seat, letting the guy help us with the belt. Lucy was looking tense beside me, hands clutching the metal railing. She told me she’s a little afraid of heights. I told her we could back out, but she didn’t want to be a killjoy and told me she’ll suck it up.

The ride started to move, making Lucy move closer to me. I placed my hand above hers to let her know that I’m here. I guess it did make her feel more relaxed as I felt her body let loose.

“Lucy, I want you to open your eyes,” I spoke before we could reach the top. 

“Nope.” She closed her eyes even more.

“Come on, you’re gonna miss something beautiful,”

She slowly opened her eyes, looking at mine. With a beautiful smile on her lips, she said, “You’re right. You are beautiful.” And closed her eyes again.

I ignored the blush on my face, chuckling. “Not me. Something more beautiful, much more beautiful,” 

“I can always check myself in the mirror.”

I let out a whine. “Lucy… Open your eyes again. You don’t wanna miss this, I promise,”

She bit her lips, slowly opening her eyes again as she held tighter unto my arm. Her eyes widened in awe as she saw the beautiful view from the top of the Ferris wheel. This is why I love riding the Ferris wheel at this hour. You could see everything clearly; the sky was very clear and blue like Lucy’s eyes. The sunset was in different shades of orange. People looked so small to where we were at.

“Wow. It’s beautiful.” She breathed out, appreciating the view.

I snaked my arm around her. “Told you it’s beautiful,”

My eyes watched her as her eyes diverted from my lips then to my eyes, flashing me a smile that can melt anyone. “It is.”

She rested her head on my shoulder while I rested mine on top of her head as we watched the beautiful sunset. 

What I love about the sky was that it changes colour every hour, and every hour I fall in love with it even more. Day or night, sun or moon, clouds appearing at day or stars appearing at night, you will always appreciate how beautiful they are. 

The date was ending, but you see, sometimes endings aren’t bad at all. Cause sometimes the end is just the beginning of something new. Especially when you know that more good days are coming. 

The date was perfect as I expected. We left the amusement park with a grin on our faces. I was driving her home, the sun was replaced by stars and a full moon. I kept replaying our date in my mind and it always put a smile on my face. But it disappeared quickly when I remembered that I should tell her how I feel.

We pulled up in their driveway, putting the transmission to park. My hands started to shake. I drummed my fingers on my lap, thinking about how should I tell her.

Should I say, “I like you.” or “Hey Lucy, do you know that I also have a crush on you?” maybe, “Bitch, I like you too!”

But it seems like I couldn’t say it in front of her. Especially when she’s looking at me, I just… The words get stuck and I won’t be able to say it out loud. Whenever she looks at me, it’s like I always forget how to speak or how to move. 

“I’m so happy that you took me out today,” She admitted.

“I’m happy too,”

“I had a great time, Amber.” She glanced at me with those eyes and flashed me a smile.

“I-I had a g-great time too, Lucy,” 

See? Why can’t I speak without stuttering?

She was about to open the door and this was my perfect chance to tell her. I grabbed her wrist, making her turn around. “Lucy?”

“Yes, Amber?” Her lips shaped into a faint smile.

“Uh… Well uh…” My eyes roamed around and saw the prizes that we won at the backseat. “You might forget about these fellas,”

“Good thing you remembered. I guess hanging out with you makes me forget things too, huh?” She chuckled, stepping out of the car and grabbing some of the stuffed toys at the back. 

“I guess so,” I also chuckled, removing my seatbelt to help her at the back.

We left some for me to take home. I followed her in the house, dropping the stuffed toys on their couch. She led me outside with her hands at her back as my hands were tucked in my pockets.

“Call me when you get home, okay?” She said, giving me a quick hug.

“Okay, mom,” I smirked. I opened my mouth again to tell her, but there’s nothing coming out. She was waiting for me to say it, so I spoke. “Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight too, Amber,” 

I started walking away slowly, battling with myself to just say it out loud. Before I got in my car, Lucy called out my name. I spun around, readying myself to catch her flying kiss. That’s it. I know how to tell her. More like show her.

She blew a kiss in my direction and I caught it with my hand. And instead of crushing it, I put my hand against my chest and kept it. Her smile disappeared and was about to say something. But before she could speak, I got in my car and honked my horn, stepping on the gas.

As soon as I got home, I went straight to my room and plopped down on my bed with a long sigh.

My phone suddenly rang, not bothering to check who’s the caller cause I know exactly who it was.

“You kept it,” Lucy spoke.

“It’s still in my heart.” 

“But remember what I told you before? If you kept my flying kiss that means you like me too?”

I nodded my head even if she couldn’t see me. “I remember,”

“That means you like me?” I kept quiet. “No answer. Silence means yes for you Amber. When you’re quiet, it always means yes.”

“I’m sleepy. Let me sleep,” I groaned sleepily.

A sound of laughter emitted on the other line. “Goodnight, you sleepyhead.”

The last thing I can remember was the big smile I had on my face.