To: Dylan O'Bae♥, 10:04am
Gooood morning babycakes
Morning, sleeping beauty. I wish I could sleep in as long as you do
It's like 10am
Yeah and I've been up since 7
I missed the part where that's my problem
Rude
Sorry. What r u doing baby???
Currently kicking some ass in SSB
Whoops ok, text me when ur done
What? Why?
Don't want u to lose bc of me
So Anita... there's these things called pause buttons... I'd like to think they were invented so I could talk to beautiful girls like you
Awwww, sometimes I can't handle that much perfection
I don't know, you seem to handle yourself pretty well
asdfghjkl; can I come over like right now??
I wish, but I have to go to leave for work in like ten minutes
Make dat monaaayy B) $$$$
Right... so I get off at 6 and after I change, I'm coming to get you
Where are we going??
I'm taking you out
What like on a date??????????
Yes.
Omg okay!!! ((((: Where r we going?!
It's a surprise :)
How am I supposed to know what to wear?!
Don't get fancy. Just be your usual cute self
I don't think I've ever started a day this wonderfully in my entire life. It's been a long time since I've been this excited about... anything, really. My boyfriend is at work now, leaving me to do nothing but look forward to tonight.
I don't bother to change out of my pajamas before going downstairs to the kitchen. I carry a tall glass of strawberry lemonade and a bowl of cheerios with me into the living room.
Channel surfing, channel surfing, I decide to pollute my mind with trashy reality tv. It's just too addicting. This one about former porn stars breaking into the retail and fashion business is particularly interesting. During a commercial break of my third episode, my dad walks into the room from the back door.
I look up at him, "Oh, hi. I didn't know you were home."
"Well you know, I was out at the fields," he says taking a seat on the couch next to me.
"Do you have much work to do today?"
"No, in fact I'm letting everyone leave in half an hour, at one. We're doing inventory tomorrow which will take hours, so."
"How nice of you."
He squints his eyes at the television screen when the show comes back on, "What are you watching?"
"I really have no idea, it's just entertaining."
"Please don't tell me your plan for the entire day is to stay inside watching crappy reality tv."
"No, I'll have you know that I am going out tonight."
"Thank goodness. Out where?"
I smile, "On a date!"
"A date? Oh, right, with Dylan. Is this the first date for the two of you?"
"Yeah, dad, it's my first date ever in my life!"
He nods, "That explains the eagerness. Where are you going?"
"I wish I knew."
"Ooh, surprise dates are the best of them all," dad pauses a moment before changing the subject entirely. "So I'm going to get a Christmas tree next week, do you wanna come with me?"
I totally forgot about Christmas, honestly. It's just thirteen days away! Wow, I've already been in California for three months. I have to go Christmas shopping too!
"Yes!", I exclaim. "When have I not gone with you?"
"When you were in the eighth grade."
"Hey, that's because I had the stomach flu."
"Right, well we'll go on Wednesday when you get home from school, alright?", he says which I nod to as he stands up. "I gotta go relieve everyone of their duties, send 'em all home. I'll be back later."
"Okay, dad."
"Okay, Anita."
I love that guy.
There are still five hours remaining until Dylan gets off of work, and I want to be productive with my down time. I venture up to the attic and produce our three large boxes filled with Christmas decorations. I spend the next two hours adorning the different rooms on the first floor with snow flakes, snowmen, Santa Claus's, and pretty Christmas lights. The house looks pretty festive once I'm done.
After returning the now empty boxes to their home, I trudge to my room and flop on my bed, dialing Naomi's number.
"What up, squirrel friend?", she answers her phone in a funny voice.
"Hey, girl," I reply with a small laugh.
"What do you want?", now she's using her fake rude voice.
"Wow, fine, I guess you don't know wanna know what I'm doing tonight..."
"Tell me this very second!"
"I'm going on a daaate," I sing.
"Whaaat?!", she exclaims. "Your first ever!"
"I know!"
"Aw, this is gonna be so cute! Where is your man taking you?"
"That's the thing, he said it's a surprise. All he told me was I don't have to dress up all fancy."
"Hmm, well now we have to speculate where you could be going."
"Naomi, there are so many things it could be."
"Okay well answer me this," she says. "Where do you hope he's taking you?"
"I don't know, but I've always imagined my first date being on or near a beach," I confess.
"You and beaches, I swear. But I can see it, I can see it."
"Either way, he knows me well so I can't imagine him taking me somewhere I wouldn't like."
"I don't think he would either. But hey, I have to go to dance now. Have fun on your DATE! Stay bomb and make sure to text me as soon as you possibly can, because I need to know everything that happens tonight."
"Yes, ma'am. Go shake it at dance!"
The line goes silent.
I start getting ready at half past four, because I can't stall myself any longer. I take an extra long shower that leaves me smelling like warm cherry blossoms. So good.
I go back and forth with myself about what to do, makeup wise. I decide to keep it as simple as possible. Hair hair hair, what to do with you? I try a few things and none of them quite look right. I end up going with my old standby, half ponytail. I look good.
But now what to wear?! I'm sure I'm not the only girl out there who prefers to know what the day's agenda is so she can plan what to wear, accordingly. He said to be my usual cute self, which is super adorable, but it tells me close to nothing.
I take his words to heart and go with a favorite dress of mine that I've actually never worn before. I just like to look at it and it's my favorite because I think it's so freakin amazing. I've been saving it for a special occasion: today.
I'm all ready to go five minutes after six. These past few hours seem to have gone by so incredibly slowly. I guess that's what happens when you're looking so forward to something. Luckily, something else comes along to consume my attention for a while; a text from good old Michelle.
Anita! What are you doing next Saturday, exactly seven days from now?
Um, nothing I think. Why?
Come to my Christmas partay (:
Sure! What exactly kind of party is it gonna be?
A totally laid back one, real casual. I'd like if everyone came dressed in Christmas sweaters. We're just gonna eat nice food, watch Christmas movies and have a little contest or two. They're fun.
Hahaha okay! Sounds like a lotta fun.
Yay! I'll text you the details when they're final.
Coo B)
I get lost in my thoughts, wondering what exactly a Michelle party would be like. One thing for sure is that it won't be affiliated with any drugs; she incessantly talks about how much she hates them. Not too sure about the alcohol aspect though. I don't have too many worries about it though, Michelle is super nice and really laid-back.
At 6:21, finally finally FINALLY, I hear a knock on my front door. I switch off the television and practically fly out of my seat to the door. Pausing to take a breath, I pull it open and there is the boy I've been waiting to see for so long. Look at him in his cute little blue button-up, ugh.
"Hiii," I muse with a large smile.
"Who's ready for date night?", he grins, opening his arms wide.
"I am!", I run to him as we embrace.
He kisses my forehead, "You look so pretty."
"And you look absolutely charming, as always."
We start walking towards his car as he speaks, "Okay, one thing about the place we're going to: it'll take us forty-five minutes to drive there. Is that a deal breaker?"
I shake my head vigorously, "Not at all. I'm certain it's worth it, you'll just have to make sure I stay awake."
"I can do that," he grins again, pulling the passenger door open for me.
~
"How about strawberries?"
"Better," Dylan nods. "But what you really want would be raspberries, fresh raspberries. Seriously, with the molten center it's just... pure bliss."
We've been talking about different food combinations for the past fifteen minutes. It's a topic he's very passionate about; he seems to have a lot to say, and it's quite amusing.
"Now... you know what strawberries taste best with?", he asks.
I shake my head.
"Your classic New York Cheesecake. Can't go wrong there, especially when you let them sit with sugar to extricate all the juices. You've had that right?"
"No, I've only had Cheesecake with caramel sauce."
"You're joking!", he exclaims. See what I mean about the passion? "Okay well when I do cook for you, I will make you that for dessert."
"I so look forward to it. I honestly think I'd eat anything you'd put in front of me, knowing you made it."
"Aw, even a pile of eggshells?"
"If I got a kiss afterward," I rationalize.
"You're crazy!"
"What, you wouldn't do the same?"
"Never, they're freaking eggshells, Anita."
I cross my arms and look out the window, faking a pout. I hear him chuckle before I feel one of his hands take mine. They lay on the console in between us, clasped tightly around one another. A catchy song is playing softly, the cracked window blows a bit of wind through my hair. I still can't tell where we're heading.
"I'm glad to know you can drive with one hand," I tell him at one point.
"I can do a lot of things with one hand," he blurts out, seemingly automatically.
I turn my head to face towards him with a large smile on my face. He purposely keeps his wide eyes on the road while a laugh escapes me.
"That wasn't supposed to sound as suggestive as it did," his voice is quiet and it's so cute and hilarious.
"Are you sure? Because that was really suggestive."
"I just meant like... chopping onions or playing video games."
"Mhm, I see," I say, still smiling profusely. "And so, is it this hand I'm holding right now that does the onion chopping?"
"Stop it," he says, but he doesn't remove his hand.
"I'm just wondering which hand you use for business, its--"
"SO!", he exclaims, cutting me off. "How about this song, huh? It sounds pretty catchy."
"Okay, I'm leaving you alone now," I laugh and he does a little too. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this.
Thirty minutes later we come to a stop in front of a long line of hotels.
"We're here!", he announces cheerfully. It's getting a little dark by now.
"You're taking me to a hotel?", I ask in a joking manner, though at the same time I'm not so sure. "Anything I imagine we'd do here, we could have done at your house."
"What the-- first of all, no, we could not have done the same things at my house because my mother is home today. Second of all, a hotel is not what we drove fifty minutes for!"
"Okay, I was joking!", I giggle. "So... where is it?"
"A seven minute walk away, now let's go!"
We exit the car and walk down the sidewalk hand in hand. There are a lot of people out which isn't too surprising; it's Saturday evening in Southern California. I look around as we walk, the city lights and buildings are so pretty.
Based on the signs in various areas I gather where we are: Santa Monica. I've never been here before, I've never even heard of this place before, to be honest. Santa Barbra, yes. Santa Claus, yes. Santa Monica? No. But I like it so far.
Suddenly it gets a million times better. We turn right and cross several streets in that direction until I see it. The beach. The beach! But that isn't all, there's also a gigantic pier! On one side it holds what looks like a miniature fair. It's the coolest thing ever; there are roller coasters and I think some games and a gigantic Ferris Wheel with pretty lights reflecting in the water.
The other side of the pier is home to a few restaurants, souvenir shops, and there are a few musicians and artists trying to make money. There's a fair amount of people here and they all look so happy. This is an even better first date setting than the one I've always imagined. It's perfect.
As we get closer, my smile gets wider. A giant blue and white sign tells me we've reached Santa Monica pier. So our first date is at Santa Monica Pier... I haven't seen this place in its entirety yet but I've seen more than enough to know that it is pure perfection.
We walk with a crowd of merry strangers towards the actual pier, down a hill. The view of the water is absolutely amazing from this point. The golden sunlight spilling onto the crashing waves as it sinks lower and lower, clouds painted in blue pink and purple behind it.
Suddenly my boyfriend stops walking, halting me as well, as his hazel eyes look down and over at me, "Does this look okay?"
He looks so nervous, aw!
"Dylan," I say, continuing to look around. "This is, like, my favorite place ever and we just got here." I turn to look at him. "I love it."
He relaxes noticeably and grins with a squeeze of my hand, "Great, you have no idea how happy that makes me."
We continue walking down then, and I bring his hand up to my mouth to kiss it, "You're cute."
"Stop talking to yourself, captain obvious, people will think you're crazy."
"Aw, why do you always have to do that to me?"
He grins, "Do what?"
"Take the compliments I give you then turn them around and make them about me!"
"Because it's so easy."
This is why I love him.
We eventually walk into a decent sized restaurant with a lot of people inside of it. 'Nothing fancy', Dylan says as we walk in. 'Just American food'. Nothing wrong with that. After waiting behind a couple other hungry people, we speak with the hostess at her almighty podium.
"Hi, folks!", she says in a cheery voice. She has nice cheekbones.
"Hi," my boyfriend returns. "We have reservations for two at seven thirty?"
HE MADE RESERVATIONS.
The hostess presses a few things on her computer before asking, "Bruce?"
What? Bruce?
Dylan nods, confirming, "Yeah."
What?
Hostess smiles, grabs a couple menus and starts to walk into the forest of tables, "Right this way."
Once we've been seated, the hostess leaves and we're greeted by our waiter. He's a boy who can't be more than five years older than us, named... I can't remember, but he's nice and brings us Root Beers before leaving us to look over the menu.
"So...", I start off, looking at my companion across the table from me. "Bruce?"
"Sometimes I like to pretend I'm Batman."
"Wait, so, like, Bruce Wayne?", I can't stop the smile I feel overtaking my face.
He nods with a small smile, "It would've been better if she'd asked for a last name, but no."
I let out a laugh, "You are so ridiculous sometimes!"
"Hey, you knew what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to be my girlfriend."
"Exactly," I smile.
We converse as we eat our rather amazing American food and sip Root Beer through plastic straws.
"Can I ask you a question?", I ask him at one point.
He raises his eyebrows in response. I gotta remember to stop asking him that.
I continue, "Why Santa Monica Pier?"
He swallows his french fry, "Well I obviously wanted to take you somewhere you'd like, and you always talk about how much you love the beach. But I didn't want to go to just some beach, then I remembered coming here a couple times when I was younger. Always loved it here, but it's been about fives years since I've been here. I thought it would be a good place to take you. It's okay?"
"Yes, Dylan! It's more than okay, I told you it's already like my favorite place," I grin at him. "You really know me, O'Brien."
"I like to think so," he grins. "Because promptly after this dinner we are going to go round and round... and round."
I giggle, "Does that mean we're going on the Ferris Wheel?"
"It means we're going on the Ferris Wheel and the roller coaster."
"Um, so the thing about roller coasters for me is..."
He leans across the table a bit, looking surprised, "Don't tell me you're afraid of roller coasters?!"
"It's not that I'm really afraid of them, I mean I'll go on it, but just know I'll be screaming like the whole time."
"Aw, it's not even that bad."
"I'll be the judge of that," I finalize.
Let it be known that I managed to eat practically every bite of my Chicken Freshcado. It was really good, but I mostly just ate it all because my boyfriend said we weren't allowed to leave until I did. I wouldn't wanna waste my money either.
He also said that if I didn't let him pay that he would give me the silent treatment for the rest of the date. I didn't believe him, but I didn't wanna take any chances.
~
Turns out the roller coaster isn't really all that bad. It doesn't have a ton of loops or go upside down a lot or anything super crazy. Most importantly, it doesn't seem to last very long. We wait behind lines and lines of excited people, many of them our age or even several years younger. If they can do it, so can I. My boyfriend demands we sit as close to the front as possible, so with a determined face, we clamber into the second row.
The man running the whole operations and mechanics board asks if everyone is ready, to which the crowd of people respond with cheering and whooping. Dylan is as enthusiastic as everyone and as he turns to face me, he's smiling with his mouth wide open looking like an exact replica of the ":D" emoticon.
I would be laughing at his adorable expression, but my nerves are creeping up into the back of my mind. I don't hate roller coasters I'm just not the best with heights, especially when we're moving this fast. Paranoia tells me the tracks are going to crumble and break beneath the weight of us all, which is such an unpleasant feeling.
Everyone starts counting down from ten to our "blast off" or whatever, and I wish they wouldn't; I don't want to know when my doom is coming. I squeeze my eyes shut as they reach seven in an attempt to calm my nerves which only helps a little bit. What helps a lot is when Dylan takes my hand in his, holding onto it tightly.
Oh they've reached one, now we're taking off, OKAY! We lurch forward and I inhale sharply before realizing we're only going slowly up an incline. I'm safe... until I realize what will happen once we reach the top of the incline!
Okay, Anita, just imagine you're driving in car with no windows. A car that takes some crazy twists and turns but it's just a car ride. The whole car thought helps me for a while until OH WE'RE GOING DOWN.
Everybody starts screaming or cheering wildly, and then there's me. I thought I would be screaming my head off, but I'm so focused on trying not to throw up from this odd sensation inside of my stomach. I've never held onto someone's hand so tightly before.
My arm shoots into the air suddenly, for Dylan is laughing like a maniac and raising his arms high above his head. Squinting my eyes and still trying to prevent myself from upchucking dinner, I start to focus on him instead.
And it works. The way his dark hair is fluttering in the harsh winds, his hazel eyes crinkling at the side while his perfect white teeth smile in the most captivating way. The dimples from his smile, all the adorable, perfect little moles on his face and the effervescent sound of his laugh...
He's the perfect distraction, and for the next few moments I can't think of anything else; any troubles I could have thought of before are non-existent now. He is the perfect distraction.
Before I know it, we come to a halt with a minor jerk that sends my hair and upper body flailing forward. We finally return to the loading and unloading station where I should feel infinitely safer. But it's then that I realize that I felt safe the entire time, thanks to Dylan.
We walk down the many stairs and continue until we're standing under a tall tree.
"Was that awesome or what?!", my enthusiastic boyfriend exclaims.
"It wasn't as bad as I was expecting," I admit with a smile. All thanks to him.
"Aw, see, you did it babe!", he smiles so widely, his adrenaline must be pumping right now. He gives me one of his incredible hugs and kisses me on the forehead.
"If it wasn't for you, I'm sure I'd be shell shocked right now."
"What would you ever do without me?", he grins as we walk with his arm around my shoulders.
"Get a new boyfriend," I say jokingly.
He gives me a sad face, which, even though I know it isn't authentic, makes me feel guilty, "You don't mean that."
"I really don't!", I assure him. "I don't want anyone but you." I creep up on my tiptoes and place a kiss on his cheek which wins me my favorite smile in the world.
We plan to go on the Ferris Wheel once, but then we actually go on it. The ride to the top and the random stops are fun and excitement-building. When we get to the top though, my mouth literally opens in awe.
The sun has lowered into disappearance, letting the moon have its time to shine. The water looks darker now and it sparkles beautifully in the light of the moon and the colored lights on the Ferris Wheel.
I want to take a photo of the view, but it's one of those things where you know a photo of the thing will not do the actual thing any justice. I sit and take in the captivating view instead and I imprint the image in my mind for memory.
We head back down all too soon but luckily we get to go around again. We don't talk much the entire ride, but afterward the pair of us collectively decide that once was definitely not enough times.
The two of us opt to go on a second time. This time, we make a (what I would consider genius) game out of the spontaneous stops of the wheel. Every time we come to halt, one of us has to kiss the other nonstop until we move again. The one on the receiving end isn't allowed to smile.
Let's just say it doesn't take me very long to lose at all. To be fair, he always has longer turns. I'm not bitter though, if there's one game I'm willing to lose gracefully, it's that one.
The game is over when we reach the top. This time our stop up there is a bit longer, which makes me happy. I take the opportunity to move over and sit on the same side as him.
I would complain about the seat being hard, but I'm sitting on him rather than the bench, so. His strong arms wrap around my midsection as I lean back into him. The journey back to the bottom is quick, almost too quick.
If I really had my way, I think I would move my bedroom to the top of that Ferris Wheel, but that's in a whole other universe. When we got off the second time, we opt to walk around the boardwalk hand-in-hand, admiring the various artwork people are creating and selling.
A band comprised of only two people playing an acoustic guitar and the drums is singing a song about a dragonfly. They sound really nice, really soothing, and I feel charitable so I give them five dollars. As we walk, I see a man selling caricature art, a woman who makes dream-catchers, and a clown doing tricks with his white dog, who, a bit sadly, is painted with rainbow stripes.
Dylan informs me that clowns frighten him and I would probably tease him about it, but I can't say I blame him; clowns give me the creeps, too. Because of this, we take a detour, heading in another direction down the boardwalk until we turn and have the most glorious view of the Ferris Wheel.
It looks even better now that the sky is dark, and the various colored lights seem more vibrant. I lean against the wooden railing admiring the view while my boyfriend hugs me from behind.
"As a first date," he asks. "How have you liked it?"
"I've loved it," I tell him truthfully, my eyes lingering on the lights reflection in the water. "Tonight has been amazing."
"Good! I've had a great time with you, Anita."
I turn around in his arms to face him with an effortless grin plastered on my face, "Thank you."
"For taking you out?", he questions, holding my sides a little more tightly.
"Yes, but not just that. For first and foremost being my best friend, and on top of that, my boyfriend. For making me smile effortlessly in every moment we're together. For being with me."
He pulls me closer to him and places his warm lips on mine, letting them linger a moment before speaking with a grin, "Thank you for allowing me to do all those things. I can't imagine ever being without you."
We embrace in a hug and stand there in one another's embrace for a while. I want to tell him that I love him. I want to tell him so badly, but... I don't know if right now is the right time. Wouldn't on a first date maybe be a little weird? I honestly don't know... I'm choosing to wait a bit.
Walking back over to where all the various rides and games are, we stop at one of those games in which you play skee-ball in order to move your horse or whatever. The two of us play against six other people and a tall man with no hair wins the prize.
Next, my boyfriend wants so badly to play the ring-toss game where I tell him that I'm terrible at ring-toss. He plays by himself and gets every. single. ring.
Now I see why he wanted to play so badly; he's amazing at it. Needless to say, he gets a perfect score and wins big, at which point he tells me to pick something out. I get a giant black and white penguin. I smile widely when the man hands it to Dylan who passes it to me. It's only a foot shorter than me.
My freaking amazing boyfriend and I head back to the car where I would like to hold his hand, but I desperately need both of mine to hold this penguin up. On our way home, I decide to come up with a name for my new, giant, stuffed companion.
I cleverly choose the name Bruce, and when I tell Dylan, he laughs for a good amount of time. After twenty minutes of minimal conversation and soft music, I fall asleep using soft Bruce as a pillow.