I grumbled to myself as I typed an e-mail to yet another board member. It was really obnoxious that I had to write Aunt Joliet's e-mails for her. I mean, honestly, how hard is it to write an e-mail saying 'This month's board meeting will be at the Crowne Plaza, on the 29th of October'? I mean, yes, I had to be a little more fancy and elaborate than that. But it wasn't that difficult. She could have totally written them herself instead of making me sit here and write them.
I guess I was bitter because this was my last task of the day before I could rush into the expansive and beautiful bathrooms of Belleza to get dressed for my date.
My date.
I was going out on a date with Sean. Sean Parker. AKA Hottie McHot-Hot.
How did I get so lucky?
I felt my phone buzz and looked down. It was yet another text from Maya. This time she was asking me if I was ready yet. I rolled my eyes and continued to type the e-mail I was working on. My phone buzzed again. This time it was from Sean.
Sean: 1 hour :)
I smiled at the text, feeling my cheeks warm up a bit.
"Victoria!" I heard a sharp voice call out. I snapped my head up to see my aunt standing with her hands on her hips. I noticed she did that a lot. I wondered why. Maybe it was to feel more authoritative and in-control. To me, she just looked like an aggravated pre-teen.
"Yes?" I asked.
"What did I say about texting while on the job?" she asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.
"You said not to do it," I replied.
"And so?" she prodded. I smirked at her, stretching out my tired fingers.
"And so, obviously, being me, I do it," I replied smartly. She gave me a look which I returned with a blank, innocent stare.
"Remember, you're being paid now. I can fire you in an instant," she said.
"You could have fired me before. And I'll have you remember that I didn't want this job in the first place. By firing me, you'll admit defeat," I pointed out. She furrowed her brows, clearly annoyed with my snippy attitude. Some things never change.
"Oh, I won't fire you just yet," she said, smirking evilly at me. I felt a shudder run down my spine. She really did remind me of the evil Queen from Snow White.
Mirror, mirror.
On the wall.
Who's the biggest bitch of them all?
Your Highness, the Queen...
"I talked to your mother on the phone the other day," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame of her office. My attention was drawn at this.
My mother? I hadn't spoken to her since...well, since she first left. She never had the time to call. I would get the occasional text asking how Peter and I were doing and if I was behaving. But other than that, no contact. And Dad? Dad was even worse. I didn't even get texts from him. But that was understandable since where he was, there was little to no internet or cell-phone service. Occasionally I would get an e-mail from him asking the same things Mom asked. But besides that, I rarely heard from him.
As I was thinking this, I realized how horrible my parents really were. They were so busy in their professional lives that they had completely forgotten about their own two children that they left behind in New York City. Well, in about a month, they would be back and have to deal with us then.
"What was she saying?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just asking how you were," she replied.
"That's it? When did she call?" I asked.
"A few hours ago," she answered, examining her fingernails. I knew she knew how annoyed and infuriated I was with her because of this. A few hours ago, I was literally sitting outside of her office while she was on the phone, waiting for her to give me my tasks for the day. The person she was on the phone with was my mother. She had told me it was an important client call.
"You realize that--" I began, but she cut me off.
"I told her I moved you up to a paying position and suggested to her that even when she comes back, you continue to live and work with me," she said. I glared at her, realizing where this was going.
"And...?" I hissed, seething. I already knew what the answer was.
"And, she said that was a fabulous idea. I mean, I am paying you quite a good sum. Of course she'll love the idea. Especially when I pointed out that it would help you pay for your college education," she said.
"Do you find pleasure in torturing me?" I asked, feeling my cheeks burn with anger. Her face grew serious and she stood up straight, looking directly into my glaring eyes.
"I'm not torturing you, Victoria. You need to learn how to look at things differently. You let your emotions rule over you and you can't see what's right in front of you," she said.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.
But she didn't answer. Instead, she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, turned around, and retreated back into her office. The doors slid shut behind her and I continued glaring at the glass, as if trying to burn a hole through the rippled glass.
I let out an aggravated sigh and to show my frustration, I threw a fancy ballpoint pen across the room so hard, it got stuck in the wall. I smirked victoriously at what I did. As if by throwing the pen and putting a tiny blemish in the wall, I had put a dent in her life. But I knew it was small damage. It would be fixed the next day, or whenever someone noticed it.
Finishing the e-mails hastily, I gathered my things and went to the studio level where Jaque worked. Jaque was already gone, but he had left the studio open for me to get ready in. I closed the doors and changed into the outfit he had given me. Then I used the expensive make-up to fix up my face and I ruffled out my long golden-brown tresses. After I was satisfied with the way I looked, I balled my other clothes up and stuck them in a bag, which I left in the corner. I would pick it up the next day when I promised I would debrief Jaque on how the date went. For some reason, he was extremely curious to know.
A few minutes later, I was on the basement level of Belleza, walking towards the mail room where Sean and I had agreed to meet. Sean was inside, with his back to the door. He was talking to Derek.
Derek?
What was he doing here?
When the boys let me in, I voiced this very question.
"I'm not coming in to work tomorrow. I have a campus visit, so I was supposed to take the mail that came in tonight and deliver it before tomorrow, instead of coming in tomorrow to do it. But since I have...other plans...I called Derek to help me out," Sean explained. I blushed at his mention of those other plans, knowing full well what those were.
"Well, that's nice of you," I said to Derek. He simply shrugged.
"I've helped him out enough times. I should be done in about two hours," he said, brushing it off. "Besides, tonight's a special night," he added, winking at me. I blushed further and tugged at my hair, a nervous habit I couldn't get rid of.
"Err...right..." I mumbled, shifting on my feet. Derek chuckled.
"Sean's to weak to say it, but you look amazing," he told me. I was pretty sure my face was as red as a tomato at that point.
"Shut up, man," Sean hissed, punching his friend in the shoulder. Derek laughed. I sneaked a peak at Sean, whose cheeks had a slight pink tint to them. At least I wasn't the only one that was embarrassed.
"Well, off you two go. Time's-a-tickin'," Derek said.
"Thanks again, man. I owe you one," Sean said, coming up to stand beside me.
"You have yet to actually go through with that," Derek replied. Sean grinned sheepishly at me.
"Bye, Derek. It was good seeing you," I said, walking out the door.
"Bye, Tori," he replied. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he called after us.
"Shut up, Derek!" Sean called back, just as the doors slid shut. Before they closed, we heard Derek laughing to himself.
"You've got an interesting friend there," I said to Sean as we walked to the elevator. Our arms would brush occasionally, making my cheeks blush every time.
"He's a decent guy. It's why I've kept him around," Sean replied, giving me a warm smile.
We got into the elevator once it came down. I realized this was the second time in just a few weeks that I was getting into an elevator with an extremely attractive person. At this thought, my cheeks burned with color. Sean glanced over and noticed this.
"Why are you always blushing?" he asked, poking my cheek. This just made it worse.
"I can't help it," I muttered. He chuckled lightly under his breath.
"Thinking naughty things about me in your mind?" he asked as the elevator doors opened.
"N-n-no!" I stammered, not sounding convincing.
"I'm joking. Relax," Sean said, his eyes bright with humor.
I tugged at my hair again, feeling my stomach do flips inside my body. I really wished it would calm down. If Sean was taking me to get something to eat, the food wouldn't do too well with my stomach behaving the way it was.
We got to Sean's car and he opened the door for me, like the gentleman that he was. He came around on the driver's side and then started the car. Right when the engine started, music blared through the speakers.
♫"'Cuz tonight will be the night that I will fall for you, over again, don't make me change my mind..." ♫ the song blasted.
"Shit! Sorry!" he cried, turning the volume down all the way.
"You listen to Secondhand Serenade?" I asked him, chuckling lightly as I buckled my seatbelt. Since it was dark, I couldn't really tell, but I was pretty sure he was blushing. I smiled to myself.
I made him blush!
"It's a good song," Sean replied, shrugging. I smiled at him and reached forward, turning the volume up again a bit. He glanced at me and I smirked, leaning back against the seat. He started driving and we sat in silence for a few moments, just listening to the music together in peace.
"So, where are we going?" I asked.
"On an adventure," Sean replied, wiggling his eyebrows at me before looking back at the road.
"Sean! You have to tell me where you're taking me," I cried.
"Why?" he asked. I pouted.
"Because, this could sort of count as borderline kidnapping, since I have no idea where we're going and I could take 'adventure' as a sexual innuendo," I replied. He chuckled and glanced at me.
"You have quite the creative mind there, don't you?" he said.
"Just tell me where you're taking me!" I demanded.
"No. It's a surprise," he replied. I frowned and he looked at me. He tapped my chin with his forefinger. "Don't make that face. It could stay like that forever," he said. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed his hand away as he laughed.
"Like I haven't heard or used that line before," I said. He grinned cheekily at me.
"If I guess where you're taking me, will you tell me?" I questioned.
"Nope," he answered.
"I'm going to guess anyway and then try to read your facial expressions for an answer," I told him.
"Go ahead. I'm good at keeping a straight face," he said.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm going to test that," I said.
"Go for it," he said, smirking slightly.
"Are you taking me to the harbor?" I asked. No answer. I squinted in the darkness and tried to make out his facial expression. Nothing. "What about...a bowling place?" I continued. Nothing again. "Mall? Central Park? Madison Square Garden?" I kept going. Still, nothing. And he kept a straight face the entire time. Damn, he was good.
"Sean! Just tell me!" I pleaded, clasping my hands in a begging position.
"I don't think you understand what a surprise means," he said.
"I don't think you understand what TELL ME means," I remarked. He gave me a look and I returned it, pouting.
"That's not going to work on me," he said.
"That's what Jaque said," I replied. Sean shifted uncomfortably in his seat slightly. "What?" I asked.
"What?" he asked back, glancing at me. I looked at curiously.
"Nothing. Never mind," I replied. "I thought you said something," I added, so that I didn't seem suspicious. Was there something more to Jaque and Sean's relationship besides fellow employees? I decided now wasn't the time to ask.
Sean drove us to Central Park.
"I knew it!" I exclaimed, pointing a finger in the air. Sean rolled his eyes as he parked. Then he got out of the car and came to my side to open my door before I could get my seatbelt off. He held the door open and stuck his hand out for me to grasp. I took ahold of it--although I didn't need it--and got out. He shut the door behind me, locked the doors, and then took my hand again. Then he led me to the gates of the infamous expansive park.
"So do you have, like, a scavenger hunt planned?" I asked him as we walked through the gates.
Central Park was huge. As a child, I had made it my goal to walk through the entire place. I still hadn't accomplished that goal.
At the moment, though, we were walking to a place that I used to love as a child: The Ancient Playground.
"Oh my goodness! I used to love this place!" I exclaimed, walking a bit faster and pulling Sean along with me.
"So did I," Sean replied quietly beside me. I glanced at him curiously and he smiled softly back at me.
For the next hour or so, Sean and I climbed the now-tiny pyramids and slid down the winding slides that now took us less than two seconds to get down. Sean approached a few children that were playing tag.
"Hey, guys! What are you playing?" he asked a boy that looked to be about seven.
"We're playing hide-and-seek tag!" he replied excitedly.
"That sounds like fun. Can me and my friend play?" Sean asked. A girl with pig-tails and a polka-dotted dress nodded her head vigorously so that her side pony-tails shook.
"You can be on my team!" the girl squealed, grabbing his hand. Sean chuckled and looked at me, his eyes twinkling. I found myself smiling. Sean was so incredibly friendly and nice. It seemed like everyone loved him. But there was something off about him. I was pretty sure it was the way his eyes lit up only partially. There was something lurking underneath the surface and I wanted to know what it was. But I pushed my thoughts to the side and went up to the kids.
"I guess I'll be on your team, then," I said to the little boy. He grinned up at me and then motioned for Sean to get closer. He reached up to whisper something in his ear, but it was loud enough that I could hear it.
"Is she your girlfriend?" he asked.
"Maybe. Do you like her?" Sean replied. The boy nodded.
"She's really pretty," he said. Sean glanced at me, a smile on his lips.
"I think so, too," Sean said. I felt my cheeks flush with color. I turned my attention to the little child.
"So, do you have a name? Or should I just call you Cutie-Pie?" I asked him.
"My name's Timmy!" he said enthusiastically.
"Well, hello, Timmy! I'm Tori," I told him.
"Hi Tori!" he cried. "Let's go! It's our turn to hide!" he exclaimed, grabbing onto my hand and pulling me away from Sean, who was laughing to himself. I ran with little Timmy to go find a hiding spot. We found a good one, hiding in one of the tube slides. We peered out of the window holes and Timmy told me who was on our team and who wasn't.
After a short game of this with the kids, Sean and I found a swing-set. Sean insisted that I get on one of the swings and that he push me. I complied to his request and sat on the swings. He pushed me and I pumped my feet, going higher and higher.
I felt a sense of freedom as I whisked through the air on the swing. Forward and down and back and up. As I rose higher into the air, I threw my head back so that I could look at the darkening sky. When I looked up, I felt like I was being consumed by the expanisve sky, delving into a clear sea of midnight blue and silvery dots. I remember my childhood, how my father would push me on the swings and I would pretend that I was an asteronaut launching into space.
I stopped the swing with my feet, my hair windblown around me. I stood up as Sean came up next to me. We both entwined our arms around the rusty chains of the swing.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"This was your idea of an adventure?" I asked.
"The night has only just begun," he replied, smirking at me. I laughed lightly and moved forward to him. He took my hands in his, brushing my flyaway hair back from my face.
"Why did you choose the park?" I questioned.
"You'll figure it out as the night goes along. It's a puzzle. You have to figure out what I'm trying to tell you," he explained. I cocked my head to the side.
"You are so odd, you know that?" I asked. He shrugged.
"That's because there's no fun in being normal," he replied. Again. Another little phrase that Jaque had said. Were they just that close? Or was there something else?
"Ok. So first the park. What's next?" I asked.
"Are you hungry?" he asked me.
"A little bit. But not for food," I replied.
"Good," he said, beginning to walk. I followed him out of the park and back to his car. He drove us to the city, to 3rd Avenue. After successfully parallel parking on the street and paying the meter, Sean led me to a store that I had only ever step foot in once in my life: Dylan's Candy Bar.
Dylan's Candy Bar is a shop that's a bit like a mix between Honeyduke's from Harry Potter and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. So basically, it's amazing. There are all sorts of different kinds of candies in there: lollipops, chocolates of all sorts and flavors, gum, cotton candy, hard candy, soft candy, liquid candy, solid candy, powder candy. You name it. It was in there.
"I'm going to get so fat..." I muttered when we stepped inside. Sean chuckled.
"Where do you want to start?" he asked.
"I am going to get so fat..." I repeated, as I looked around me at the bright colors and sweet smells that surrounded me.
"You're not going to eat the whole store," Sean said.
"Oh, says you," I scoffed. He laughed and tugged my hand, pulling me over to those circuluar rainbow colored lollipops.
"Oh my goodness! I ate these all the time when I was little!" I exclaimed, picking up a very large one that was nearly the size of my head. I looked at Sean and lightly punched him in the arm. He laughed, rubbing his arm.
"What?" he asked.
"I've never gotten a cavity before," I told him.
"And your point is?" he asked.
"I'm totally going to get my first one," I said, eyeing an enormous gumball machine.
We ended up not buying too much candy. One, because I was trying to exercise restraint (I really just wanted to buy the whole store from the owner) and two, because the place was quite pricey. We decided we would come back after we ate dinner to get ice cream from the cafe area.
"So Central Park playground and Dylan's Candy Bar," I said once we got back in the car with our bags of candy. "What are you playing at, Parker?" I asked.
"You'll have to wait and see," he said, reversing the car out of his spot and into traffic. "Want to get dinner now or later?" he asked once we were on the road again. I shrugged.
"Your choice. I'm just along for the ride," I answered. He smiled at me.
"No, it's your choice. Let me know and we can do whatever," he said. I smiled back at him.
"Let's eat, then. It's getting a little late anyway," I said. He nodded. We drove to the Upper East Side, where my aunt lived. I began to panic slightly as we drew nearer to where she lived. I remembered the events of earlier that day and groaned.
"Everything all right?" he asked.
"I just remembered something unfortunate," I told him.
"What's wrong?" he questioned, glancing at me.
"My aunt wants me to be permanent," I told him.
"As her secretary?" he asked. I nodded. "What's so bad about that? I thought she liked you now," he said.
"Please. It's all an act. She went in total witch-mode on me today," I said.
"I think you're being dramatic," he said.
"I think you should agree with me," I responded. He chuckled.
"Well, think about it this way. If you're permanent, at least for the rest of this year until you go to college, then we'll be able to see each other more often," he pointed out. I bit my lip. He had a point.
"This is true..." I mumbled. He laughed.
"Here we are," he said, pulling into the parking lot of John's Pizzeria, a famous pizza place that was well-known to not only New Yorkers, but tourists as well.
This was yet another place I visited in my childhood, when I was apart of the girl scouts. Our scout leader would often take the girls out to eat pizza and she would always take us to John's, since it was closest. Also, this was a favorite place for me to hang out even when I got into middle school and high school. This is where all the kids used to come and eat after school or after a school game. In the past few years, though, I had stopped going there. Now I wondered why. The pizza there was beyond amazing, and it was reasonably priced, too.
"Ok, so I think the theme of this adventure is childhood memories," I said when we were seated inside the warm restaraunt. He shook his head with a sly grin.
"That's part of it," he said. "But keep trying," he added. I frowned.
"What if I don't figure it out by the end of the night?" I asked him.
"Then I guess you won't get the grand prize at the end," he replied.
"And what might that be?" I asked.
"That," he paused, opening up the menu that was set in front of us, "is just another part of the surprise," he finished.
"You're impossible," I said.
"But you love it," he said, winking at me. I blushed and decided to take a look at the menu myself, mostly so that I could shield my face with it so he wouldn't see the color in my cheeks.
We decided to share a pineapple and cheese pizza. Sean had never had pineapple pizza before and I insisted that he try it.
"It's like an orgasm in your mouth," I explained, to which he burst into a fit of laughter. I blinked at him, confused. "What?" I asked.
"N-nothing," he managed to get out between his laughter. "It's just-it's just you're so-s-so cute and when you said that-hahahahaha--" he attempted to explain I rolled my eyes at him, but felt another rise of color take over my cheeks.
It turned out, he really enjoyed the pizza.
"Wow, new favorite kind of pizza," he announced as we walked out of the pizzeria hand in hand about an hour later.
It was almost 9:00 now. We had been out for almost four hours now. It seemed like a lot longer, because I was having so much fun. But I knew that the night wasn't over yet. I still had to figure out what the puzzle was.
First he had taken me to a park and we played tag with little kids. Then he took me to a candy shop, where we shopped for a variety of delicious sweets. And just now he had taken me to a pizzeria that had been a large part of my life before.
Our next destination was...Fifth Avenue. Apparently, we were going to window shop and try on ridiculously expensive clothes and pretend we were rich kids.
"I'm so confused," I said, as we walked into Barney's.
"Just wait a bit," he replied.
The woman in the store eyed my outfit. As she took in my garments, I was surprised to see her look pleased. Thank you, Jaque. After modeling numerous dresses and outfits for Sean, we hit up a guy's store. We laughed endlessly as Sean pretended to strut down an invisible runway for me in ridiculous outfits that I had picked out for him.
"You could totally be a male model," I told him, when he came out of the fitting rooms wearing a pair of white skinny pants, a striped blue and white polo and a fedora.
"You think?" he asked, posing. He did the most amazing hat-trick with the fedora.
"Oh my gosh! Teach me how to do that!" I cried. He laughed and for the next few minutes, he tried to teach me how to do the intricate hat-trick he had just done. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't do it. He laughed as I failed the fifth time.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" I asked.
"A TV show I like," he replied. Then he disappeared into the fitting rooms to change back into his normal clothes. We walked out of the store empty handed, but our souls feeling elated. I was having a really amazing time.
"Now where are we?" I asked, as he led me inside a cozy little cafe.
"I thought we could use some coffee. We've still got a lot to do," he replied. I eyed him curiously, wondering if this was apart of his grand adventure. If it was, that would mean that he had taken me to five different places. From what I was gathering, it was almost as if he were taking me through the places I had fun at in various stages of my life.
When I was a child, I loved the playground and the candy shop. The pizzeria was almost like a transition from my childhood to my pre-teen years. And then the shopping definitely defined my late middle-school to early high-school interests. And now we were at a cafe. Coincidentally, I had just taken up drinking coffee. I realized I would need to get used to it once I got to college, since I would probably be staying up all night some nights studying or just hanging out.
"I think I have an intelligent guess as to what this adventure is about," I said.
"Don't tell me now. Wait until I tell you to tell me," he said to me. I pouted, but agreed.
After getting out coffees, we were on the road again. Sean drove me to a place that was completely foreign and forbidden to me: a club.
"I'm not of age," I said, once we were standing outside of the building. I could hear the loud thump-thump-thump of the club music inside.
"Neither am I," Sean replied.
"Then how do you suggest we get in?" I asked.
"I know the owner," he said, shrugging. He walked up to the big, burly bouncer and greeted him.
"What's up, Pete?" Sean asked.
"Hey! It's little Sean Parker! How old you now?" the guy named Pete responded.
"I'm 18. This is my girlfriend," he replied. The guy looked at me. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet under his beady gaze.
"She looks like a keeper," he said. Sean simply chuckled at this. "So what brings you here?" Pete asked.
"Well, you see, we're on a date and my girlfriend has never been inside a club before, not even an underage one. So I just wanted to show her what the inside looks like so she can see one before she gets to college," he explained.
"You know you're underage and I can't let you in there," Pete said.
"I know, Pete. But we won't be long. I promise. Just one look and then we're out. Give us ten minutes tops and we'll be out. You can even keep time," Sean said. Pete looked at him, uncertainty written all over his face. Then, he gave in.
"All right. But you have ten minutes. If you're not out by then, I'm sending someone in to get you," he said, opening the door for us, blasting us with a wave of sound.
"Sure thing, Pete. Thanks a lot," Sean said with a friendly smile. He winked at me and took my hand, leading me inside the club.
The sound was a hundred times more magnfied inside than it was outside. I could literally feel the music within me, sending vibrations throughout my whole body. I could barely see it was so dark. There were dozens of flashing lights that made the bodies look like flailing shadows. To be honest, I felt a little nauseous.
"Sean!" I shouted over the noise.
"What?!" he yelled back.
"Can we leave?" I asked, my voice loud.
"Not yet!" he shouted back. "Stay here a minute," he said, letting go of my hand. I was terrified in the expanse of sixty seconds that Sean was gone. I felt like guys were looking at me in their drunken stupors. My mind flashed to every bad club scene I had seen in movies and I felt fear encompass me. Then I felt Sean's hand back in mine.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his lips at my ear. I nodded stiffly, glancing at a man that was leering at me. I stepped a little closer to Sean.
"I don't like this place!" I shouted to him over the noise.
"Just wait a second," he whispered in my ear. I nodded, deciding to trust him. Whatever crazy rave music that was playing ended and the DJ took the mic.
"All right, all right! We got a request from a young gentle-man that's with his lady tonight. He asked to play 'dis next song for 'da girl he's with. This one's for you, TORI!" the DJ shouted.
I was go glad it was dark inside. My cheeks were on fire.
"Come on," Sean said, taking my hand and leading me to the dance floor. I heard several girls ask their dates why they weren't as sweet as the guy that requested the song.
♫"Turn around, turn around and fix your eye in my direction, so there is a connection. I can't speak. I can't make a sound to somehow capture your attention. I'm staring at perfection. Take a look at me so you can see how beautiful you are..." ♫
I smiled at Sean as we swayed to the slow song.
"You didn't have to do that," I said to him. He shrugged.
"I wanted to," he replied. I smiled at him again and rested my head against his strong chest, closing my eyes and letting the music and lyrics go through me.
♫"I'm confident, but I can't pretend I wasn't terrified to meet you. I knew you could see right through me. I saw my life flash right before my very eyes and knew just what we'd turn into. I was hoping that you could see. Take a look at me so you can see..." ♫
The song continued and Sean and I danced slowly to it. I realized that if I had the choice to stay in that very moment forever, that I would take it. It was blissful. It was amazing. It was perfect.
♫"You call me a stranger..." ♫ the song ended and we drew apart. I leaned up to kiss him, but he put his finger to my lips.
"Not yet," he said with a gentle smile. I frowned, but he was already turning away, taking ahold of my hand and leading me out of the club, back into the chilly autumn air.
"See? Told you we'd be quick," Sean said to Pete.
"You're a good kid, Sean. Take care," Pete said. We waved to him and got back into the car.
"Now what?" I asked him.
"You'll see," he replied, putting the car in drive.
He drove us to a church.
"Umm...Sean?" I asked, as we sat in the car.
"This was the church my parents got married in," he explained, not looking at me, but at the enormous and beautiful white church that towered before us.
"Why are we here?" I asked. He shrugged.
"It's apart of the adventure," he replied. He turned slightly to face me. "Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted a big church wedding like my parents did. And when I find the right girl, this is going to be the church we get married in," he told me. I smiled at this.
This piece of information was the only thing I really knew about Sean's personal life. I wanted to ask him more. I wanted him to tell me about his family, what school was like for him, what colleges he was looking at, what he wanted to do in the future. There was so much I wanted to know about him, but I didn't know how to ask. I just wished he'd tell me himself. But I guess since he hadn't, he wasn't ready yet.
"My parents got married in Vegas," I said.
"Seriously?" he asked. I snorted.
"No. They got married outdoors on a beach in Spain, where my grandparents live," I said.
"You're Spanish?" he asked. I nodded. "Wow, I would have never guessed," he said.
"I'm only part Spanish. My dad's mother is a native from Spain, but his father is American. He's fluent in Spanish, though, and they both live in Spain. My mother is like, 100% Irish I think," I explained.
"Multi-cultural," he commented. I chuckled.
"I guess. But I didn't inherit any of it. I just look like a typical American child," I said.
"Well, I wouldn't say typical," he said. I smiled shyly at his off-hand comment.
"Can I tell you my guess now?" I asked.
"We have one more stop. Then you can tell me," he said. I sighed and agreed.
We drove to Dylan's Candy Bar, remembering briefly that we were going to get ice cream, but it was closed. So instead, we went back to Central Park. Instead of taking me to the playground, we just went to one of the winding paths that people walked or ran on.
Sean took my hand in his, entwining his fingers with mine. I liked the feel of his hand in mine. He had soft hands, but not too soft. They were strong and masculine, but gentle at the same time. His thumb drew little circles on the back of my hand.
We walked in step silently for a few long moments. There weren't very many people out at this time. It was past 11. There were a few teens out and several adults. They were just walking, though, like Sean and I, as if they were just on dates. We passed an elderly couple that was holding hands and hobbling on down the path. I couldn't help but smile at them. They must have been together for a really long time. I could tell by the way they were walking in a comfortable silence, completely calm and at peace next to one another.
"All right, tell me," Sean said as we walked past the couple.
"Ok. I'm pretty sure I'm right," I said.
"I'm sure you are, too," he said, nodding.
"All right. I think that the puzzle was that you were taking me through different stages of life, and more specifically, different important stages of life. We started off with our childhood, playing in the playground and then eating candy. And then transitioned to the teenage years with the pizzeria. Then the teenage years was spent at the mall. The club was for the college and early twenties. The church was marriage. And now this..." I trailed off. "This is the rest of life. Being together with the one you care about in a place that once held so many memories," I finished.
Sean grinned down at me.
"I knew you were a smart one," he said. I laughed and pushed him slightly. He chuckled and drew me close to him. We stopped walking now, just facing each other on the side of the path.
"So, what's my grand prize?" I asked.
"Do you really want to know?" he questioned. I nodded my head vigorously like a child. He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ears. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.
This kiss was different than the last one we shared. While that one had been more curious, this one was full of certainty. Our lips moved slowly against one another, lengthening the kiss. I wound my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer to his body with his hands. As we drew out the kiss, I felt a dull aching in the pit of my stomach as I realized that I hadn't had this passionate of a kiss ever. This is what a kiss was supposed to feel like. This is what real fireworks were.
After what felt like an eternity, we pulled away, both of us breathless and starry eyed.
"I was really hoping for a pony, but I guess that was good enough," I said to him. He cracked a smile and we both started laughing, our voices echoing into the night air, going up, up, up into the night sky.
When we settled down, we looked at each other, smiles plastered on our lips.
"What's the verdict on the date, then?" he asked. I shrugged.
"I mean, it was all right," I said with a shrug. He chuckled and pulled me in for another kiss.
"Change your answer?" he asked, after pulling away. I smiled up at him, pecking his lips with mine.
"I guess," I said with a smirk. He laughed lightly, kissing the tip of my nose. We linked our hands again, and walked back to his car.
When I got to my room that night and settled in for bed, I knew that that night was full of those moments that I would tell my children and grandchildren about.
It was perfect.
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A/N: SURPRISE! I updated early! You're welcome!
Damn, this was a long chapter. I better get LOTS and LOTS of votes on it. And a few comments would also be appreciated. I worked my butt off coming up with the idea for the date.
Speaking of which, did you think Sean was creative with his idea?
Who else wishes they were Tori and could have an amazing guy like Sean? I know I do.
You know what to do: comment and vote!
XOXO