Chapter 13- "I'm not pregnant. Not with your child!"
SCARLETT POV
A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead as we make our way towards the Ferris Wheel. Heights and I have never been compatible and I don't think it's going to be any different today. If anything, the fear's going to get worse because I am already freaking out!
Nathan looks at me like I've suddenly sprouted another head. I think I'm acting way too weird to not be mistaken for an escaped loon. Plus, the fear has also affected my language. The simile I just used is so cliché that I already want to cry with angst. If anything, Scarlett Woods has a deep-rooted vendetta against anything normal. Which, to be honest, pretty much explains my zany attitude in life.
"Is everything okay, Scarlett?" he asks.
"Not really. No. But I think I'll be fine. Can we just go somewhere else? The line at the Ferris Wheel is pretty long." I reply. I thank my stars that I managed to phrase a comprehensible sentence in my current pathetic situation. I might be mistaken, but Nathan looks pretty relieved as well. I'm glad he doesn't question what is happening because I don't really think I can handle it.
"What would you like to try then? How about I win you a Teddy? Just like every second guy in the cliché bad boy stories you read..!" he jokes. I'm kind of pleased that he remembers my obsession with bad boy-good girl stories despite my disdain for the conventional.
I nod. Nathan's not a bad boy and I'm not a good girl. We all have light and dark inside us, like Dumbledore always says. What matters is the part we choose to act on. Sometimes we act on the dark instincts and sometimes on the light ones. This basically means that the average person has varying shades of gray. So Nathan and I are both manageable good-and-bad people, if putting it that way even makes any sense.
Plus, I like reading those bad boy-god girl books despite the same spin-offs in all the plots. It makes girls appear as some sort of magical creatures who can wave spells on good for nothing yokel-like characters and make them chivalrous in an instant. When you look at it this way, these books are nothing but romanticized versions of magical tales. Except the protagonists never look at it this way. So, I'm pretty sure there's going to be very less people who get what I mean.
Nathan makes his way to the middle of the fair-ground where a fairly deserted shop stands. It's the same shop that Oliver and I used to come to as kids. I blink back a tear. It's been a little over a year since he died and life's never going to be the same. Nathan turns around, beckoning me to come forward. I nod. Nathan deserves to know about Oliver. Only not on our first date.
It's not like I don't trust him. I do trust him a bit; though obviously not enough to share about my twin. Also, there's always the fear that I might have a full-blown panic attack on revisiting those moments. And I don't want Nathan to be around. He doesn't deserve me with my panic-attacks and past-infested thoughts. Only, I'm sure he's not going to see it that way. I'll tell him one day. I'll have to. I'm just going to put the moment off for as long as I can. It's the least I can do to ensure that Nathan thinks I'm sane.
And I don't know why, but lately I really care about what Nathan thinks.
Either Nathan has a pretty good aim in general, or he has a secret ninja life he hasn't told me about yet, because he gets all three coconuts off the rack in a row. He wins me a Teddy. It's pink with tinges of purple on the stomach. I love it. Nathan smiles at how I'm swinging the Teddy and playing with it. He looks pretty pleased that I liked what he chose. Next, we decide to go get some food.
We make our way to the food stalls, engaging in idle chatter. I'm glad that the awkward silence is now history. Nathan is actually a really interesting person to talk to. We order a plate of spicy noodles and a hamburger to start with. Being the gentleman he is, Nate carries the plates over to a tiny booth behind the stalls, almost hidden by the thicket of palm trees towering over it.
I start with the noodles while Nathan nibbles on his hamburger. Occasionally, he takes spoonfuls of my Chinese heaven.
"I know why you brought me noodles." I say, a smirk forming on my face. It's time for some good-natured flirting with Nate.
"And why might I have done that?" he asks, playing along.
"So that you can taste my lips on yours when we both want the last noodle left. Just like you see in most sitcoms or whatever." I say.
"Aw man! I never thought you'd be one hell of a Sherlock!" he jokes. We both laugh. This is one of the main reasons this guy is weeks away from stealing my heart; conversation is just so easy with him! He can make anyone laugh. He truly is worthy enough of my affections.
I start giggling uncontrollably as I remember for the umpteenth time that he's mine. Not yet, but soon. And I'm going to be real selfish with this guy! He's mine. Forever. Gladly, Nathan believes in the concept of Forever. He says it's because he's romantic but I have a strong feeling that "Forever" is something that all Twihards vouch for. Either way, I want to be his forever.
I'm not really full after eating the noodles but a rumble in my stomach that has nothing whatsoever to do with hunger, reminds me to stop. I want to eat as less as I can because this sure won't be in my stomach if I go up the Ferris Wheel. Heights don't only scare me; they also scare my pyloric sphincter into opening up and spilling my gut contents for everyone to gawk at.
It's an acrophobic thing.
Nathan and I make our way towards the concession stands and hand back our plates. They guy managing the eatery says that our food cost about $20. Nathan immediately reaches for his wallet and removes two $10 bills. I stop him.
"Hey, you're not paying for what I ate. We'll split it. I'll pay $10. You pay $10." I say.
"Nah. I might be a cheeky jerk but I sure am a gentleman too. There's no way you're paying for this food, milady." He says.
"You use the phrase 'milady' as if you were a knight in the late eighteenth centuries. Which, clearly you're not. So, let me pay!" I assert.
"For the second time, No. And yes, I'm a knight. Am I not your knight in shining armor? Didn't I save you the embarrassment of being in the same class as Jonathan?" he jokes.
I blush and I'm thrown off my game long enough for him to thrust the money into the shop-keeper's scrawny, dirty fist. The bald man pockets it and waves Nate away before attending to another customer. Nathan grins.
"Why didn't you let me pay? I want you to treat me as an equal, Nate. We're in the 21st century now." I say, fake-pouting. To be honest, I'm secretly pleased that he paid. According to Cosmo, when a guy pays for everything on a first date, it's a sign that he takes you seriously. Only, I know Nate is such a gentleman that he'd do it even if he were out on a platonic trip with Allie or Adrian. So, I press the topic, eager to hear him say he likes me.
"I wanted to have the pleasure of being the guy who gets to pay for you, princess." Nate says. For a moment, I think he's pulling my leg, but his expression says otherwise. It is genuine. I blush again. I let the topic go, fearing that my cheeks may just burst open with the amount I've blushed.
"Shall we go to the Ferris Wheel now? I hear that the view from the top is spectacular." He reminds me. I shudder inwardly. He's asking me to do the very thing I've been planning to avoid since we reached the fairgrounds. But I guess, I'll have to do it if he wants to. He looks at me expectantly and I have a hunch that he might just not want to go have a round on the Ferris Wheel either. But I shrug it off. He wouldn't have brought it up again if that was the case.
I merely nod in response. I'd better get this over with as quickly as possible. Embarrassing yourself is a given when you're a nerd like me, but seriously, I had never imagined such a perfect scenario to make a fool out of myself in front of a guy I adore.
We make our way to the Ferris Wheel which is actually on the other side of the ground. It's almost deserted now, so it's clear that my previous excuse is completely useless. The operator looks Italian and grumpy. Italian because of his olive skin and grumpy, I presume because it's dinner time. Nathan leans forward to pay the guy and buy two tickets. Just as he's about to pay, I clear my throat awkwardly.
"I'm not really sure I want to do this just after dinner. I might throw up." I say. And then I mentally face-palm myself. Normal people do not throw up because of heights. Only acrophobic people do.
"Nah. Research suggests that you only throw up on riding curvy, round-about rides. You're really safe on this." He says, rather half-heartedly. Only, I'm not sure if he's reluctant to ride it like me or reluctant because he doesn't get to ride it all.
"But Nate, I don't really want to risk it. Those noodles were delicious. Besides, the seats are dirty." I protest rather lamely.
"C'mon. It'll be fun. Loads of fun. And I know dirt doesn't bother you. I've seen you enjoy picking grass in the school grounds when you pretend to be injured during football practices." He replies. I blush. I'm rather pleased that he's noticed so much about me. I'm about to protest again, when the operator butts in.
"Hey, either pay up or leave. I ain't got all night." He says in an American accent. So I was wrong about the Italian origin but clearly right about the complete lack of cheer.
I pull Nathan away. I don't want the operator to ruin our night. And I guess, it's better to deal with Nathan knowing about my acrophobia than risk everyone else on the fairground knowing about it as well.
"Why did you pull me away?" he asks, pretending to be annoyed.
"Look, Nathan, I have a confession to make. Which is like way more important than seeing an aerial view of Chicago." I reply.
"Couldn't it have waited till after?" he asks, genuinely curious now.
"I'm afraid not. Which is why I pulled you here. And I'm sorry if my pull hurt you or something." I say.
"Hardly. Your pull is like a caress compared to how Lauren hits me. And okay, tell me." He jokes and demands at the same time.
I let out a little giggle, compose myself hastily, and continue "Okay, look, I know it's not much of a big deal and most people wouldn't even really care about it or whatever but I care. So I don't want you to laugh or anything. The thing is: I'm acrophobic." I finish. I can't believe I just said it comprehensibly and give myself a pat on the back.
"You're what?" Nathan almost screams.
"I'm not pregnant. Not with your child! There's no need to scream! I'm acrophobic. Heights scare me." I reply.
"I know what acrophobic means." He says. And then he breaks out into a laugh. It's infectious. I laugh along a little too. But then I wear a serious expression. I'm confused.
"I don't think my comparison was that hilarious now, was it?" I retaliate.
Nathan pretends to wipe away a tear. Then, he looks at me and says, "No. You don't understand. I didn't laugh so hard at the joke, although that was pretty funny too. It's the irony of the situation that made me laugh." He says.
"I don't understand." I press on.
"I'll explain. The thing is: I'm acrophobic too." He says.
I gasp. A million things run through my mind. Relief is leading, while confusion trails. When I finally thank my stars that I don't have to ride the awful Ferris Wheel, I summon up the courage to ask him, "Then why the Ferris Wheel, Nate?"
He bites his lip, then ruffles his hair and says shyly, "Well, the thing is I really like you. And I read a lot of books in which the hero asks the heroine to be his girlfriend in a romantic manner. Most of these happen on places such as bunks on Ferris Wheels. I wanted to do the same. And I was ready to face my fear for it. It's no big deal, actually."
"Are you kidding me? Ofcourse it is! And Nate, I'm really honored that you were ready to do this for me. It's touching. I really like you too." I say, really, really taken aback.
The smile that spreads on his face is pure joy. It's too big for his face. But at the same time, really amazing to look at.
"Okay, then Scarlett Woods, will you be my girlfriend? Will you be the enzyme to my substrate? The Yes to my No? The Yin to my Yang? The See to my Saw? The Chips to my Fish? The Ketchup to my Sandwich? And the Oreos to my Milk? I like you a lot. I just want you to be mine. I want to date you. Not like this. Officially. Will you be mine forever?" he asks.
I let out a laugh. "There's no need for so many comparisons. I will. I like you too, Nate. Only, I'll be the milk. You have a mild case of lactose intolerance. Lauren told me." I say. And then I immediately want to hit myself for revealing that I talk about him. It's kind of embarrassing, really.
One might think that it's really early to be going out with someone despite having gone on just one date. But I disagree.
I had so much fun today that I don't want to hesitate to take this a step further. I don't want to keep going on dates, when we are not exclusive to each other.
I don't want to lose a potential relationship just because I was too scared to say yes.
Also, it's just a relationship. Not that it's not important to me; it is. It's just, I think, after losing both Oliver and Jonathan, losing Nathan can't hurt all that much, can it?
I sure hope it doesn't.
He grins. "Okay then, girlfriend. Today, the 13th of November shall be our anniversary." He announces, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I inwardly whoop with joy. I realize yet again how much it means to be Nathan Cullen's girlfriend. I can only hope that Adrian and Ricky worked out as well. Although, I do have a hunch they did. I smile back.
"Yes, Yes. It will be. November 13th. One of the best days of my life." I say.
"Mine too." Nathan replies, rather shyly. He grins his trademark grin and I just find myself falling for him again. Not completely. But I think I just scraped my knee falling for this cutie!
"Hey, you forgot one comparison!" I say.
"What?" he asks.
"I'll be the acrophobic to your acrophobia!" I joke.
Nathan laughs, takes his hand in mine and whispers, barely audible, "I'm so glad we're both acrophobic. I'm so glad I did this on the ground, with my sanity. Not up in the air, hyperventilating. I'm so glad I have you. You're one of the best things to happen to me." I almost let out an Aww but restrain myself.
"You're one of the best things to have happened to me too." I say.
"Oh, and I will be yours forever." I add on. I don't know where I suddenly summoned up the courage to confess my feelings in front of the very guy I'm crushing on. All I can say is that I'm extremely glad I did.
And then we walk back home, leaving the Ferris Wheel, which acted as a catalyst in our relationship, far behind in the distance.
A/N:
So, you guys should be shipping them now!
I know I've said this a lotta times before. But I'm really short on time. Sorry. Also, there won't be an update next Tuesday (13th Jan.). I may update later on in the week or straight away on the 20th.
Sorry. But that's what exams make me do!
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