The copious amount of cotton candy slowed me down by the time the evening rolled by. We had spent the whole day walking around the entirety of the park and spent most of it waiting in lines. There were way too many people here today. Was it some sort of holiday?
We decided to take a break from the rides and played some fun carnival games instead.
"I want that one!" Poppy chirped as she pointed at a small plush panda on one of the display cases. It was one of the many prizes one could win at this shooting game.
We all cheered Poppy on as she tried, relentlessly, to shoot down all the bottles. She missed every single one. I felt bad, so I tried doing it myself.
Every time I aimed perfectly at one of the bottles, the gun would move. It was totally rigged. I huffed in frustration when I was only able to knock one down.
"Maybe next time," the man behind the counter smiled smugly.
Tulip gave him the finger and we all ran off to find some other game to play.
"Tulip, we could get in trouble!" Iris scolded.
She shrugged. "Who cares, it's almost time for the firework show anyway!"
I checked the time to find that she was right. This day had gone by so quickly, yet I never wanted it to end.
"Let's play this last game!" Tulip pointed at a booth that held even more plush animals. There was a big orca whale that I definitely wanted to win.
In this game, we had to toss rings into the tiny poles in front of us. Seemed easy enough. However, when it was my turn, the nerves started to kick in and I lost all of my concentration.
"Let me try." Angel stepped forward and carefully aimed. It was to no one's surprise that he nailed every single one.
"Which one would you like?" The lady running the booth asked.
He pointed at the one I had my eye on. It was almost the size of his torso. Angel then handed it to me and my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
"I saw you staring at it, so I thought I would win it for you." He smiled.
I felt my face light up like a red Christmas light. "T-Thank you, Angel." I held it close to me, feeling the soft, fluffy black fur nuzzle my cheek.
"Lucky! Oh! Let's go play that one next!" Tulip grabbed onto Iris's hand and pulled her along with her.
We all tried to maneuver our way through the crowd. Suddenly, I felt someone step on my foot.
"Ow!" I yelled as I immediately crouched down to tend to it.
The man who did it quickly mumbled an "I'm sorry" and walked away. I furrowed my eyebrows angrily. Does no one have any respect these days?!
When I stood back up, I found myself completely alone—my friends were nowhere to be seen. There were a plethora of people walking back and forth, completely blocking my field of vision. I called out to them, one by one, but no one answered.
"Tulip?! Iris? Poppy?!" My breath hitched as I realized I could potentially be completely separated from my group. I would have called them, but I had stupidly forgotten my cellphone at the hotel.
And then tears started to well up in my eyes. "Angel?!" I choked.
I can't cry! Stop crying!
I hugged my orca tightly to my chest and buried my face deeply within it. All I saw was darkness, the sounds of people fell distant and muffled. I wanted to watch the fireworks with everyone so badly. I wanted to watch the fireworks with Angel.
Mamá, if you're watching over me right now, please let them find me. Let me find them. I don't want to be alone—forgotten. Please-
"Camellia!"
My head shot up and my eyes adjusted back to the light. I heard someone call my name. I heard-
"Camellia, there you are. Here, I got you some ice cream."
Angel handed me a pink ice cream cone with sprinkles. I stared blankly at it.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he got closer to my face.
"I... I... thought you were w-with Tulip, Iris, and Poppy?"
"No, I got separated when I left to go to the ice cream cart. I forgot to tell everyone. Are you okay?" He asked me again.
I smiled. "I-I'm fine... now that you're here."
His ears flushed again. I wondered why they kept doing that. Angel turned away. "Take your ice cream, it's gonna melt."
I quickly did as I was told and took it with my free hand. The sweet taste of juicy strawberries hit my tastebuds as soon as I licked it. Reminded me of home—of the ice cream vendor who used to come by our street selling his homemade ice cream.
"I'm assuming you got separated from everyone too?" He asked as he licked away at his brightly blue-colored ice cream. I assumed it was either cotton candy-flavored or blueberry.
"Yeah... we should go and look for them!" As I turned to start walking the other way, Angel grabbed my shirt.
"Um, maybe we should keep playing games. Maybe we'll run into them then."
I turned to look at him and cocked my head to the side. I guess that made sense too. "Okay, sure!" I gushed. I realized that meant I would spend more time with him! Alone!
We spent the rest of the evening playing every game we could until it was time for the fireworks show. My legs were numb, they could barely carry me any longer. Tulip, Iris, and Poppy were nowhere in sight. They must be long gone, waiting for the fireworks to start as well.
Angel guided me to a far-off path away from the crowd of people. We had found ourselves in a secluded resting area with a bench and a beautiful view of the park's pond. It was also a perfect place to view the fireworks.
I plopped down in my seat and let out a sigh of relief. Angel chuckled. "You know, for how tall you are, I would have expected you to have been more athletic."
"That's what they all say. Didn't you see my basketball playing? You would be the one to know I'm awful at sports."
"Yeah, that's true," he smirked and sat down beside me.
The sun was starting to set—the oranges and yellows blended in with the deep blue sky. My eyes flitted down to my feet, then to Angel. He stared at the scenery before us. Swans passed by in couples as they glided through the pond and the sound of crickets started as soon as the sun had completely gone down.
It almost feels like we're on a da- no stop! There's no way. After all, he did talk to Chrys just before coming here. Maybe, he confessed his feelings for her...
I mustered up the courage and said, "I might be... a bit jealous of Chrys..."
He quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "You're jealous of Chrys?"
My face plummeted into the orca's chest. He laughed.
I shot my head up, heat building up in my cheeks. "Stop laughing!"
"I'm sorry, it's just unusual for someone to outright admit their jealousy for someone. Chrys has a girlfriend. They make a lovely couple, honestly."
My eyes widened, more embarrassment overwhelmed me. "Oh, I feel like such a fool!"
"No, I think it's cute." Angel grinned, teasing me.
I shook my head and turned away from him. I was being irrational. Why couldn't I have come to the conclusion that maybe Chrys was already in a relationship? She was just so pretty and I felt like they would have made such an auspicious couple.
Suddenly, I felt him take hold of my hand and I glanced at him, surprised. "C'mon, it's almost time for the fireworks!"
That got me on my feet and we both made our way to the railing that divided the pond and the sidewalk. The night was particularly gorgeous. There was something in the ambiance that just made me feel at peace.
A screeching sound suddenly cut through the silence of the night. My head shot up towards the sound and a glowing red ball exploded into a million shining pieces of various different colors. Then more and more appeared in the dark sky. They reassembled flowers.
This was unforgettable. I turned to look at Angel, his eyes sparkled as he stared at the fireworks intently. He reminded me of a kid who was experiencing something for the first time. My heart swooned at the sight of him.
Adjusting myself to look at the fireworks again, I suddenly dropped my orca. As I crouched down to pick it up, a water droplet fell onto my hand. Rain?
Pulling my hand up to my face, I realized that I was crying. It felt like a dam had broken within me, unleashing an endless amount of pent-up emotions. My chest suddenly grew sore. What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way all of a sudden? And then it hit me. My feelings for Angel—they were too much. I had been holding it in this entire time, but I just couldn't keep it inside anymore.
"Camellia, I-" Angel turned to look at me but found me on the ground instead. His face morphed into concern.
He was about to say something when I quickly cut him off, "I-I'm sorry. I just can't hold it in anymore. I know that something's wrong with me, I just know it." I stood up and wiped away my endless stream of tears.
I sobbed, "H-Have you ever l-loved someone so much that you just want to h-hold them? I know I said I would w-wait, and I will, but I just..." my voice trailed off. I didn't know what I was saying anymore. It just felt like an endless stream of nonsense pouring out of me. You're being selfish again! Stop it!
I was an utter mess—crying like a baby. I hid my face behind my hands, not wanting Angel to see me in this state. The sound of the booming fireworks reverberated throughout my body. That's what I feel like right now—a firework.
Suddenly, I felt someone take hold of my hands and pulled them away from my face. Angel's eyes were soft as he stared at me. I sniffled, a bit shocked at his boldness.
His ears and cheeks were a faint pink as he moved in closer to my face. "Can I give you my answer?" He whispered.
Confused, I let out a, "Huh?"
Angel then stood on his tippy toes and closed his eyes, kissing me softly.
I was rendered speechless. My first kiss. It was a bit salty because of my tears but also gentle and warm. He pulled away just for a moment, his cheeks were flushed, and most likely, so were mine. Then leaned in again for another, this time he lingered. More tears streamed down my face but they were out of sheer happiness.
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