by Kristine Cuevas
Prompt: Someone mistakes you for their blind date but you’re too polite to correct them.
Saturday – April 16, 2:10 p.m.
Mall Of Asia Seaside
It could be the weather. Or the kids playing around. Or just me staring at the guy in front of me with his hand extended for a hand shake. I had no idea who he was or what he wanted from me. I was just having a relaxing time with my book and drink when he showed up.
I squinted up at him, getting blinded by the sun for a fraction of a second. But before I could open my mouth, he spoke first.
“I’m sorry I’m a bit late. I just didn’t think this was where you were going to be, exactly,” he said, smiling a little. He’s cute, to be honest. With his curly hair almost blocking his eyes, I could see his brown eyes shining in anticipation. “Noah, by the way.”
I smiled wryly as I shook his hand. “Lara,” I said. I had no idea what had gotten into me, telling this person my name. But like I said, he’s cute. And I think I’d seen him from somewhere. He looked familiar.
“So, Lara…” he trailed off. He seemed unsure of what to do. I was too. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”
Pervert alert!
“I mean, not that kind or anything…” Then he hit his head. “What am I saying? Sorry. What I mean is, do you want to go to a café or somewhere that isn’t in the direct heat like this one?” Nice. Smooth cover up, huh. But still, I would watch out for this guy.
I opened my mouth to say something but words had betrayed me and decided to leave me in this very important time. “This is okay,” was what I said instead. What was I doing?
He sat beside me, squinting from the sunlight. “Okay then. And by the way, thank you for agreeing to this whole blind dating thing. Jenny can be a bit annoying, right?” he said.
I let out a breathy laugh. Who was Jenny?
And did he say blind date?
I opened my mouth to let him know I was not his blind date, but he beat me to it.
“What was your whole name again? I’m sure Jenny said your name is Bea Dela Cruz,” he asked. His forehead was wrinkled and he looked totally confused. He should be able to read me as well, but then he said, “Maybe she got your name wrong.”
Well, I think she didn’t, because she actually set you up with her, not me, was what I wanted to say, but it came out different when I said it out loud. “It’s Lara De Leon, actually.” Seriously. What was wrong with me?
He nodded. “Right. I’m Noah Tolentino.” His smile was fine, though he had crooked teeth and a lopsided grin on his face most of the time. Other than that, he was fine.
And this was a bit creepy.
Why was I involved in this mess? Oh, right. So I tried again.
“So… Noah, right?” I asked for confirmation. He nodded. “How do you know I’m your blind date?” He should know what his date looked like, right? He couldn’t just point a finger at a random girl and think that she’s his date.
“Well, now that you asked that…” he trailed off.
I leaned closer, waiting for him to say that he’d actually mistaken me for someone else.
“It’s the hair,” he said.
I slapped my face mentally.
“The hair,” I exclaimed, a sarcastic smile forming on my face. “What’s with the hair?”
“It’s long.” I just nodded. “And Jenny said it’s a blonde ombre.” I nodded again. This was getting a little messier than I thought. How could he go on a blind date without having seen the actual picture of his date?
“That’s all?” I was biting the inside of my lips now. I couldn’t spend any more of my time with this guy. I wanted to finish this book I was reading.
“And the dress, I guess.”
“You guess,” I stated.
He nodded. “Yes, the dress. I didn’t expect the book though. But I guess I took so long to get here that you had to occupy the time with reading.”
He could be a serial killer who’s out to get girls who are alone.
“What are you reading, anyway?”
I turned the book upside down. “It’s nothing important.” It’s important so you should go now. “Aren’t you busy?
He shrugged. “I’m cool. It’s Saturday and I saved this day for this date. What do you want to do?”
I was not going with this. The only place I thought would be safe was here with these people around me. “We can just stay here and chat, you know.”
He didn’t like the idea. His fingers drummed on his cheek like horse feet. I could tell that he was thinking of something nice to say. He could offend me for all I care. I just wanted him to get out of here.
Why couldn’t I just tell him he got the wrong girl? Oh right. I’m too nice for that.
“Let me buy you a drink, then. What do you like? Shake? Coffee? Juice? Water?”
“Pineapple juice is okay,” I said before I could think about it. Then a light bulb flashed on top of my head. Once he leaves to buy that drink, I could sneak away from this place and finish my book somewhere else. MOA was a big mall, so I didn’t think he’d be able to follow me.
He got up from his seat. “Okay, then. Wait for me while I buy you your drink.”
I followed him with my eyes as he walked away. When I saw him walk further than the first stall near us, I got up and went the other direction. This was not the afternoon I planned for myself.
I was not ten steps away when I heard my name being called.
“Lara, wait up.” Noah caught up with me. “Hey, hey. Where are you going?”
I turned around and faced him, and it was those eyes again.
“What’s wrong? I got your drink.” He showed me the pineapple juice in a plastic cup with bendy straw. “Did I do something wrong?”
Yes, you’ve mistaken me for someone else and I still want to continue talking to you, I thought to myself.
“No. I, uh, I just need to go to the restroom,” I lied.
“Well, the closest restroom is right over there,” he said.
“Yes,” I nodded, “I know that, of course.” I removed his hand that was holding mine and went back to where we were.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked as we walked together.
I faced him, ready to tell him that he had mistaken me for someone else but I saw his brown orbs and I no longer wanted to tell him the truth. “I haven’t had lunch, to tell you honestly.”
He sighed in relief. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Come on then.”
3:00 p.m.
Maybe he thought I was so hungry that he had to choose Vikings.
He leaned forward, covering the left side of his face as he whispered, “It’s your birthday, right?”
“What?” I asked, confused.
He shook his head, sitting upright with a sigh. “You’re quite cute, you know.”
Quite cute… only?
I felt offended!
Wait, why would I even get offended? I shouldn’t be here in the first place.
Then he laughed. What’s so funny?
“You know, you got that face,” he pointed out.
“What face?”
“This face…” He scrunched up his nose then pouted lips. “That face. I don’t know if you notice yourself doing that, but I did.”
I blushed at that point.
“Let’s get some food?”
3:23 p.m.
Noah was getting another plate of food. He was the one who was really hungry. I looked around to see where he was. He was in deep concentration over what to get next, so I grabbed that chance to get my phone out and text my best friend.
SOS. Come save me.
I waited for her reply.
What’s so SOS? I’m with Lester right now.
I groaned internally. Angelica Abellana was my best friend of four years. After graduating college, she went to matchmaking events and met Lester, her current boyfriend. While I was the bookish type, she was the opposite. She liked partying and going out, and if she knew what I was going to tell her, she’d definitely call off her date and ask me for details.
I’m on a blind date.
Her reply came out fast… in capital letters, I might add.
BLIND DATE??? WHO’RE YOU WITH?
I was starting to type out my reply when her name flashed on the screen. Noah was still at the food counters. I could answer her call for a few seconds.
“Why are you calling?” I asked with urgency.
“Why are you whispering?” she asked. “Lara, you’re on a blind date and I don’t know anything about it? Seriously?”
“Calm down, Angge. I’m not here on purpose,” I whispered. Noah was walking back to our table. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“No! Lar—” I pressed the end button and placed my phone back on the table.
“You’re full?” he asked as he took a seat. “Sorry, I’m just really hungry. Looking for you with the huge crowd outside made my stomach empty.”
I forced a laugh. “Don’t worry about me, just continue eating.”
Suddenly, my phone started blasting that Katy Perry song.
“Peacock, huh. Nice choice of song,” he snickered. I’ll kill Angelica for changing my ringtone again.
“I’ll just answer this,” I said as I stood up.
“Oh, go ahead.”
I got out of the restaurant, answering, “What? I told you I—”
“No can do. Tell me all about it now,” she ordered, not nicely.
“You just said you’re on a date.”
“And I’m not going to enjoy this date if I’m thinking about you. I should only be thinking about my boyfriend, dummy. Now, spill every single detail.”
“I can’t. He’s inside the restaurant and if he—”
“You’re in a restaurant? Where exactly are you?” she cut me off again.
I sighed. Why did I text her again?
“Oh, don’t tell me where you are,” she said then there’s the beep tone. I stared at my phone, trying to figure out why she hung up on me. “Vikings, huh.” I heard her voice from my right.
My eyes widened in surprise at her presence with Lester towed behind her. “Angge!” I exclaimed.
“MOA is not that unique of a place to go, Lara.”
“You have to go. He can’t see you,” I told her.
She shoved me. “What are you not telling me?” She knew me too well. I hated her sometimes.
“Okay. So this guy—his name is Noah—mistook me for someone else. I don’t know how he came up with the idea that I am his blind date, and don’t even ask why I’m going with this because I don’t know the answer either.”
She smirked, linking her arms with mine. “Honey, you’re infatuated, obviously. Is he cute?”
“Ah, love, shouldn’t we go now? The movie is about to start,” Lester interjected. Yes! I knew I liked Lester for her for a reason.
“No, love. We’re not going to see that movie. We’re going to eat. Come.” She started pulling me back inside the restaurant but I halted, putting all my energy on my feet. “Lara,” she said through gritted teeth.
I shook my head. “You should go.”
“No. Come on.” But of course, she’s stronger than me.
I saw Noah craning his head and when he spotted us, he stood up from his seat.
Angelica saw him right away and walked towards him. “Hi,” she said.
He smiled a little. “Hi. I didn’t know Lara had company,” he said.
I looked anywhere but him. I was about to get caught. Then again, why would I have to be afraid of him finding out the truth? I was not his actual blind date anyway. If Angelica spilled the beans, then this day would be over and I wouldn’t have to pretend anymore.
“Actually, we just saw her outside. We just wanted to see how the date’s going,” she informed him. Very smooth right there, but still.
“I’m Noah, by the way.”
“Angge and this is my boyfriend, Lester. Nice meeting you, Noah, but we’re going now. I’ll see you around.” She turned her back to us. “Oh, take care of my sweet Lara. She’s a bit dense sometimes, so you have to poke her many times just to get things through to her head.”
“What are you saying?” I asked, gritting my teeth. “Just go away.”
Noah found it funny. “She is kind of dense, but I like her. Don’t worry.”
What’s it with me and blushing? My cheeks were warm again.
When Angelica and Lester were finally gone, I took a seat again and sighed in relief. I felt like I was on a mission to not get caught. This was getting out of hand already. I couldn’t let this guy meet another one of my friends. We were not even supposed to meet. Our paths shouldn’t have crossed, but they’re getting crooked and were crisscrossing each other.
“Your friend’s nice,” he commented.
I smiled. “Nice is the last thing I can think about her, but thanks.”
“You two seem different from each other, though.”
“How so?” I asked.
He crossed his arms on the table. “For one, I can say that she’s the boss in this friendship. Meaning, you do whatever she says. Also, her boyfriend seems to be the ‘I’ll-follow-you-wherever-whenever’ type of guy. And, she’s talkative.”
Impressed, I nodded. “You may be right. But she helped me through thick and thin when we were in college. She’s smart too, you know. She’s not just all beauty.”
“Oh, I didn’t say she’s not smart.” He popped a piece of cake in his mouth.
I found myself smiling.
4:35 pm
“Where do you want to go next?” Noah asked.
Let me just go home, I thought. “What about catching the sunset?” I suggested. I’d tell him the truth after sunset. Then we wouldn’t have to meet again. That’s a plan I had in mind. But it was too early and I was sure that the sun was still high in the sky. I couldn’t suggest seeing a movie either, though, because it would be dark afterwards for sure. “Or just talk while we walk around?”
“Now that you mention it… what about skating?”
“Skating?” I blinked twice. “I don’t know how to skate so—”
“Then it’s perfect. Let’s go.” He started pulling me back inside the mall. The grip he had on my hand was quite tight and I liked it.
Whoa, whoa.
I wiped that thought.
I shouldn’t like it.
I couldn’t get attached to this person.
Two seconds later, Noah was handing me my skate shoes. I shook my head and refused to wear them but he pushed me back down on the bench and put them on me instead.
“What are you doing?” I asked. He was unlacing my sneakers.
“I’m helping you out,” he said with a chuckle.
“No,” I waved my hand, trying to pry his hand off of my shoes. “No. Noah, stop.”
He did stop. “Lara, I’m not going to let you fall. I’ll catch you.”
I also stopped upon hearing those words. Why was I getting all worked up over this unwanted date? I was feeling all fuzzy and bubbly in the stomach as my cheeks warmed up once more. This was me and my female hormones, ladies and gentlemen.
“There. Ready?” He looked up at me and those eyes just made me nod. He pulled me up and into the rink. This was a bad idea.
I would fall. I would fall. I would fall.
“Relax,” I heard him saying. “You’re not going to fall.”
I hadn’t realized I was saying the words aloud. Even though his voice was calming, I could hear the beating of my heart getting louder and louder. It was going to burst out of my chest any minute and I’d be a lifeless, heartless girl at the center of this rink with nothing but my lies about pushing through with a date I shouldn’t be in.
“Lara?” Noah’s voice pulled me out of my trance. “Just slide left and right, it’s not that hard.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Noah,” I tried to tell him but he shook his head.
“We’re not getting out of this rink until you know how to skate on your own. Got it?”
I could’ve said no and just crawl my way out, if that would help my situation. But the flimsy excuse that I had to stay was because, maybe, Angelica was right.
I was infatuated.
5:18 p.m.
“See? You’re getting good at this. Now, look at me,” he said, “I’m going to let go, okay?”
I slowly shook my head. “I can’t do this on my own,” I complained.
He smiled, rolling his eyes. “You can. Once I let go, you go on your own, okay? Don’t wait for me to catch you because I won’t be there, okay?”
Why did his words have to have an effect on me? I was starting to become one of those girls in the books I was reading.
“You ready?” Our eyes met again and there was that little tug at the pit of my stomach. I shoved it away, ignoring the voice inside my head whispering that I was no longer just infatuated. I was starting to like him. Who even liked a guy mere hours after meeting them?
Before I knew it, I was on my own and Noah was skating few feet away from me with a smile on his face.
“See? You’re good at it now,” he told me. “Now let’s go. It’s almost sunset.” He pulled me towards the exit.
5:45 p.m.
We were sitting by the bay with Potato Fries in hand. This was it. I was ending the date with my own hands. He had the right to know that he got it all wrong. I should get mad at him for getting me involved, but I actually had fun with him. Regardless, he still had to know the truth, even if it was his mistake.
“Do you know what I like about this date?” he asked, leaning a little closer to my side.
I turned the book so the front cover was on top. “What?”
“I know I’ll ask for a second date.”
I felt my heart sink.
There would be no second date, I assured myself. But upon hearing it from him, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to reveal his mistake.
You have to be logical here, Lara, I told myself.
“What if I say no?” I asked.
“What if you say yes?” he countered, grinning from ear to ear. He looked at the sky in front of us and I just watched him.
The thing about me being on a date was that it always didn’t end well. Angelica was a witness to all those terrible, terrible dates I had when we were in college. I never got to have the right person who treated me right. Unlike her—she’s used to attracting every male species on the planet. Not that I am saying she’s a serial dater, it’s just that she’s more open to (and luckier at) dating. Then when she met Lester, I knew he was the right one for her.
To be honest, this one was one of the best dates that I’d had, and the funny thing about it was neither I nor Angelica set it. It was a complete accident. But just like my other dates, this had to end in a not-so-good way.
I knew I had to tell him the truth.
“What if I say no, though?” I asked again.
He bumped his shoulder against mine. “Why are you going to say no, anyway? It’s not like you didn’t enjoy today.”
He had a point. I enjoyed today.
“I was just thinking that this day isn’t over. What if we encounter something bad at the end of it? That will make or break your request to go on a second date,” I informed him.
“Point taken. But of course I won’t do anything stupid to make you say no.”
“Still. I don’t want to jump to the conclusion that I will go on a second date with you.”
6:34 p.m.
I texted Angelica, asking her to wait up for me while I cleaned up the mess this guy had started. She responded with a lot of question marks and a demand that I call her sooner.
Noah and I were going to our last destination, the MOA’s eye.
As we waited in line, his phone started to ring. He excused himself so I was left alone in the line. When it was our turn to buy the tickets, I paid for it since he was still not back. I looked at the time on my phone; he’d been gone for two minutes. It hadn’t been that long. I could still wait.
6:47 p.m.
Noah better have a proper explanation for why he hadn’t returned for almost ten minutes. A girl could only wait for a reasonable amount of time. Being left alone without a word was annoying.
What if the call was an emergency?
Okay, he could be excused for that. But if it was really an emergency, he should’ve told me and not make me wait for him to return.
I could still wait. I’d assume he was just at the restroom with a long line.
6:55 p.m.
I couldn’t believe him. I called Angelica and she answered right away.
“You’re still with him?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes. “I think he ditched me. We were about to ride the eye, but he answered a call first and he hasn’t come back. It’s been twenty minutes, you know.”
“Patience, my dear.”
“Don’t patience, my dear me. I’ll talk to you later.” I hung up on her. Just like that, Noah was back and he looked mad. “Something wrong?” I asked.
He just frowned and walked past me. I handed the guide our ticket and we got on the gondola. As it started to lift us up, I felt a little tension inside the little space that we had. He was on the other side and I was across from him. The phone call might have been bad news because he was fine before he answered it.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
He still didn’t answer.
Maybe it was a bad idea to ride the ferris wheel.
A moment had passed and still no words came out from him. We were at the topmost point and it was so high, I was afraid to look out.
Out of the blue, he finally spoke. “Lara De Leon, right?” he asked.
I frowned a little. “Yes, why?” My heart was thud, thud, thudding in my chest.
He snickered mirthlessly, looking out. “Lara De Leon,” he repeated my name, like it was burning his tongue. “What’s your deal?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, really, really confused by now.
“You’re not the girl Jenny set for me,” he said.
Just then, the fireworks outside started booming and the fiery color burned the sky, joined by my speedy heart. The gondola slowly went down as the sky lost its color, then boomed again with another batch of fireworks.
I swallowed hard. I knew this would go all wrong. I should’ve told him earlier.
“So? What’s your deal?” There was bitterness in his tone. It’s not like I didn’t give him a nice date.
“I don’t have any deal,” I answered. He was turning me into the bad guy when he was the one who was mistaken. “I should ask that question to you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me then?”
Because your eyes were too lovely.
“I…”
“You what? Trying to get yourself a date?”
I felt a sting in my eyes. Why was this ride taking so long?
“Don’t point fingers at me. You were the one who came to me.”
“Exactly. I did. Why didn’t you tell me?”
I pursed my lips. I practiced my line in my head but it was all gone.
“It’s Jenny who called me, just FYI. She said that Bea was so mad because I didn’t show up. If you told me right away—”
“Alright! It’s my fault that you got the wrong girl. Happy now?” Exactly at that moment, the gondola’s door opened. I quickly stepped out and picked my phone out of my pocket. I dialed Angelica’s number and waited until she answered.
“Lara, wait.” He blocked my way. I pressed the end button. “You know what I hate about this whole thing?”
I was mad and seeing his face only made me madder. I pushed him and continued walking.
“I liked everything about it!” he shouted. I stopped in my tracks. “I enjoyed everything and I don’t think I’m regretting it.”
There’s a but coming.
“But this is not right.”
I spun around and faced him. “You’re right. This is not right. So you learned your lesson now? Don’t go around assuming that all girls want to date you. Maybe I’m a sad and pathetic person for going along with this thing even though I’m the sensible one who knew the whole truth. But do not put the blame on me, Noah. It’s your fault you enjoyed this day too much. It’s your fault I didn’t get to finish reading my book. It’s your fault, remember that.”
“Don’t you think it’s your fault, too? We enjoyed each other’s company because you didn’t tell me that I got the wrong girl.”
I looked down, guilty as well. I had every chance to tell him but I still didn’t. I was as bad as him.
“When I bought that pineapple juice, you were trying to escape, right?” he asked, realizing what my actions from earlier meant. “You wanted to get out of the situation but didn’t say anything about it. Why? We could’ve saved each other’s time instead of…” he stopped. He groaned, kicking in the air. “And your friend…”
“She doesn’t know anything,” I said right away.
He sighed. “That’s why you’re also saying that there will be no second date,” he thought, “because you knew.” He looked down. “You’re just going to go without saying anything about it, is that it?”
“No!” I exclaimed. “That’s not true. I was going to tell you about it before leaving. It’s not like I’m keeping this all to myself. It’s not an ideal memory to keep anyway.”
He crossed his arms. “Well, Lara De Leon, it was nice meeting you.” Then he turned his back to me and started walking away.
I rolled my eyes and turned the other direction.
9:51 p.m.
I stayed by the seaside and found a nice spot where I could continue reading my book. But it was dark and I couldn’t concentrate. I closed the book and sighed. I heard the girl beside me sigh as well.
“Bad day, too?” I asked.
She only nodded. Then she got up, gathered her things and started to walk away.
How I wished I could do the same thing she did—walk away after admitting to yourself that you’re having a bad day. Why did I even let that whole situation get to me? It’s not like I was meeting Noah again. I was pretty sure one accidental meeting was enough.
I looked up at the sky and saw a few stars twinkling. The moon looked like the Cheshire cat’s smile—sarcastic and annoying. I shook my head and decided that it would be best if I just went home and forget this day had ever happened. But when I got up and turned the other direction, I saw him there, standing and looking up at the sky… the same sky I was just staring at a few minutes ago. I watched him and waited until he walked away, but his eyes turned to me and stared back.
My heart was thumping again. And those eyes… maybe they were a bit far to really see, but those were the same eyes I enjoyed looking at throughout the day. The one reason why it was so difficult to tell him.
I held the book tight against my chest. Would he walk towards me? Would he talk to me? What if he embarrassed me in front of these people? The questions lingered for few seconds before I saw him smile… a real smile.
Confused, I just waved.
Funny thing, he waved back. Then he came closer, saying, “I hate you for ruining my plans.”
My brows creased together. Okay, I didn’t expect that.
“But I like the whole thing that happened.” He stopped a few meters away from me. “Let’s start off right. I’m Noah.” He extended a hand for me to shake.
I looked at it then took it. “Lara and I like books,” I said with a shrug.
“Well, Lara and I like books, nice to meet you.”
I stopped for a moment. I couldn’t go on without properly closing the day’s event so I said, “What happened today was something I didn’t expect and it’s kind of creepy. But the funny thing was, I doubted it but I didn’t second guess it. I should’ve told you right away and I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. It was my mistake.”
Silence built between us, but it was not the awkward kind. It was the type that lets you think that it’s okay. After everything that happened, it was okay and it might’ve gotten twisted but the day ended on a good note.
Sunday – April 17, 2:30 p.m.
MOA Seaside
I couldn’t believe I said yes.
Last night, I was all smiles when I got home. But the big news was Noah asked me out. Technically, this would be our first date.
I knew I saw him from somewhere. When I was searching him on Facebook, I saw that we were already friends from way before. We had a mutual friend, Joan, who was my elementary friend who transferred to another school. I never heard from her ever again until I got a friend request just last year. I didn’t remember who added who but I guess that’s fate calling. Whatever it could be called.
I looked around upon arriving by the seaside. Since I hadn’t seen any sign of Noah’s presence, I stopped by one of the stalls and bought myself pineapple juice.
“Do you really like that drink?” the person beside me asked.
I turned to face the person but got startled to see Noah, making me cough the juice out of my nose. Disgusting. I kept on coughing like a dying hyena. “Noah!” I exclaimed after calming down.
“One pineapple juice, please. Let me taste what she likes about that drink.”
“You’re already here?”
He took a sip of the drink before saying, “I already saw you and I waved,” he said, emphasizing ‘waved’, his eyes going wide. “You ignored me, though.” Another sip.
I raised an eyebrow. “I probably didn’t see you,” I reasoned.
“You probably saw me but ignored me instead,” he complained.
“You know what? I don’t think I’d enjoy this day.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”
I pursed my lips. But before I could say anything, he cut in immediately.
“I bet he’s a nice guy,” he said.
“Who?”
“The guy you’re seeing today,” he said, all confident.
I agreed with him. “I guess he is.”
“And will treat you to a nice restaurant.”
I nodded. “Yes, he will.”
“And watch the sunset with you.”
This time, I stopped nodding with him.
“Want to skate first? Like I told you, I won’t let you fall because I’ll catch you.”
My heart was beating loudly in my chest again.
“I already had the day planned out and I don’t think skating is on the schedule,” I told him. He nodded. “Besides, I don’t think I’ll like skating again. I know how to do it now so you can’t hold on to me anymore. I can go on my own.”
His eyes bore into mine and I found myself wondering why this guy was even with me in the first place. After what happened yesterday, I doubted he’d ask me out.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to find another way to get a hold of you again so you won’t slip out of my hands.”
I couldn’t believe I was hearing him say those words.
“This is not our second date,” I informed him.
He raised his hands in defense. “I’m not saying it’s our second date. It’s our first date. Just… all I’m saying is that I’ll get a way to get a hold of you again. What about bowling?”
“What about it? You can’t hold me while bowling.”
“You’re probably right.” He was thinking hard. “What about that flimsy ride? That one like the octopus-looking ride.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath.
“Come on. No time to lose,” he said. He started pulling me towards the ride and I only found myself looking down at our hands. He said he’d find a way to get a hold of me again. He didn’t realize he just held my hand, and the way he gripped it told me that he was not letting go.
For now, I guess. ☁
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