The boy ran to the park and hid behind the bushes as he saw his friend sitting alone in one of the twin swings. She had been angry since he'd kissed her three days ago and had refused to talk to him despite his many attempts.
So resigned, he had contented himself by silently observing her as she sat alone in the park, ready to catch her if she fell. He was also making sure that there was no boogeyman around to scare her, although she always claimed that she wasn't afraid of one.
On the other side, the girl was silently crying as she sat alone on the swing, where her Mickey was meant to be with her. She had never sat here alone without him and she was missing her friend a lot. She knew she'd yelled at him and asked him to never talk to her when he transferred his cooties to her but now, as she sat alone in the swing which was meant to be their place, she felt guilty for her treatment to him.
Even yesterday morning, he had come to her with her favorite blueberry muffin and an apology but she had taken the muffin and stormed off to the park without a word to him. In her defense, she hadn't really been upset and had thought that he would follow her to the park. Then, she had thought that she would tell him she was only pretending to be angry and they would eat the muffin together, in this very swing like they always did.
But he hadn't followed her, at least that's what she thought, and she assumed that he had grown angry and tired of her rudeness. Her bottom lip quivered as she imagined Addie never talking to her again. She had no close friends before due to her constant moving. She loved Addie's sister Jade but she was already a teenager and was more interested in playing with her phone. Her little sister Eva and Addie's brother Aaron were too tiny to play with.
"Dear God, pwease let Addie come to me. I will tell him I'm sowy. I will never be angwy with him ever again." She prayed silently, bringing her hands together in front of her, not realising that she was losing her balance in the swing.
The boy widened his eyes as he saw the swing suddenly move unsteadily and he rushed towards the girl to catch her as she started to fall. He had barely reached to the swing when the girl suddenly fell on the top of him. He let out a heavy 'oof' as the both of them rolled on the grass.
Hastily, he got up to check on the girl for any injuries when he heard her sobbing quietly. Horrified that she'd gotten hurt, he frantically rushed to her and started checking her hands and knees.
"Minnie! Are you hurt? Where does it hurt, Minnie? Tell me, please. Tell me, and I'll make it alright, Minnie!" The girl suddenly stopped crying and looked at him, confused.
"You're not angwy with me?" She asked hesitantly. It was the boy's turn to be confused now. "Why would I be angry with you? It's you who is angry with me." Then, he suddenly remembered her words and looked down. "I know you're still angry with me, Eve. You told me not to talk to you again. I'm sorry." He slumped dejectedly, expecting her to walk away anytime.
But instead of another screech or even worse, a pull on one of his ears like she always did whenever she was angry at him, he heard small giggles from her. Daring himself to have a little hope, he raised his eyes to see her sitting there, giggling hard with her right hand against her mouth.
"Why are you laughing now? Did you hit your head?" He frowned at her, looking for injuries on her head this time and sighed in relief when he found no visible ones. "I thought you were mad at me. You have not talked to me." The girl explained, making the boy look at his friend incredulously.
"Why would you even think that I am mad at you, Eve? You were the one who told me not to talk to you again. And you ran away without talking to me when I gave you blueberry muffin!" He cast an accusing glare at her, which soon softened as he saw her bottom lip quivering.
"I thought you were going to follow me. But you did not." She admitted quietly. The boy was still confused so he asked her, "so you're not angry at me anymore?" The girl smiled and shook her head, bringing a huge one on his face as well. Girls are so confusing. He thought to himself.
"I followed you yesterday, Eve. And today too. I was hiding in there." He pointed to the bushes he had came out from. At this, the girl's eyes widened and she looked at him with hopeful eyes. "You were?"
"Of course! How else would I be able to come here so fast to catch you if I wasn't here?" The girl's brown eyes widened and she gave him a wide, toothy grin. The boy thought she looked so beautiful, like an angel his momma used to tell him bedtime stories about and thought that she was his angel.
His mind was still thinking about his angel so he nearly lost his balance when the girl suddenly flung herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. He smiled widely and wrapped his own arms around her tightly. At that moment, the little boy vowed to himself that he would never let his angel go away from him.
The girl slowly pulled away and looked up at him with a wide smile but soon shrieked when she saw a small cut on his right forearm. "Addie! You're hurt! Look, you're bweeding!"
He looked at where she was pointing and indeed, he had a small cut near his wrist, from where blood was seeping out. He hadn't felt it before, but now that he had seen the wound, it suddenly started hurting.
Before he could say anything, the girl had gotten up on her feet and dragged him to her house with his uninjured hand. They quietly tiptoed around the kitchen and sighed in relief when they saw that it was empty. Their parents, especially their mothers would have a fit if they saw any of them injured.
The girl climbed on a stool and took out the first aid box, grinning in triumph as she managed to take it out without falling flat on the floor. She had seen her mother tend to so many of their wounds they'd gotten while playing and told herself that she could do it as well.
She remembered her mother's actions and started cleaning his wound and applying antiseptics. Then she applied her Minnie Mouse band aid over the wound, as Addie had all the Mickey's ones.
The boy huffed at seeing a girly band aid but stood frozen when the girl placed a small kiss over the band aid. "See! I've kissed you better now. You'll be fine soon." She exclaimed happily but then frowned as she remembered something. "Oh! Did I give you cooties, too?"
She looked thoroughly worried as she said that and the boy hurriedly tried to comfort her. "No, Minnie! You did not give me cooties. And neither did I."
"But... you kissed me! And I kissed you!" She said in confusion. He didn't know what to say. "Uh... it doesn't work like that, Minnie. You won't get any cooties if you only kiss one person." He said, trying to appear confident.
The girl looked at him skeptically but since she couldn't tell he was lying, slowly nodded her head. "So that me we won't get cooties if we only kiss each other?" She asked, her eyes brightening at the thought of being the only one able to kiss him. That way, no other girl would kiss him ever. She didn't like Julia, who always found a way to cling into her Mickey.
The boy's eyes brightened as well as he thought of being the only one who would kiss her. Suddenly feeling possessive of her, he wanted to make sure that it would remain this way forever. So he held his pinky to her.
"No, we won't. But we have to promise that we would only kiss each other. Eve, I promise I won't kiss anyone except you. Now, your turn. Do you promise that I will be your only kiss?" He asked her, for a second feeling like he was asking her to marry him. The thought left a funny feeling in his stomach and he suddenly wanted his friend Nate to return soon so that he becomes the pastor who will marry him to his Minnie.
The girl gave a toothy grin as she linked her pinky to his, placing another kiss to their entangled fingers.
"I promise, I'll never kiss anyone except you."
***
Now what do you think was the first thing I did after seeing his message?
No, I didn't hurl my phone into the wall. Because let's be practical here, why would I damage my phone and my wall for him or anyone? I didn't call him back to give him a piece of my mind either. And if you've really known me well after everything, you'd never think that I'd run around my living room, squealing at that stupid message. If you do think I did that, then I've got no words to tell you. Period.
Anyways, I didn't do any of those things. No. The first thing I did was what I'd been meaning to do since a long time. I changed his stupid contact name on my phone. Now that was a relief.
"Did the weird doctor ask you to marry him?" Allie asked, making me choke again. I composed myself and glared at her. "No! Why would you even think that?" I looked at her weirdly and she shrugged in response.
"Well, your reaction was that scary and I wouldn't put it past him to do that." She snorted. I shook my head at her and resumed my pizza feast, hoping for the impossible that she'd leave the matter at that.
But like I said, it was impossible. She started inquiring about the message as soon as we finished eating. Reluctantly, I showed her the message resulting in her squealing around like a freaking teenager. And she didn't limit her excitement to my apartment. The woman ran out to the elevators squealing and came back after five minutes. Still squealing.
Thankfully, she stopped talking anymore beyond her squealing after a begrudging promise from me to tell her everything about tomorrow. From the trailer to the climax. Her words. She didn't even ask if I was going. Good for me.
I sighed. Allie had gone back to hers after mini panic attack when she remembered she had a project due tomorrow. Now I was alone sitting on my bed with my stuffed Mickey Mouse as my thoughts drifted from him to Adrian and back and forth between them. Allie was right in her way, but I couldn't shake that guilt of breaking my promise.
I was lost in my thoughts when my phone pinged with a message. I had an inkling as to who it was and the name displayed confirmed that. I let out a small chuckle and snorted at the new name I'd assigned him.
Damn you, Stone: It's been two hours and I haven't got a response from you. So being the gentleman I am, I'll take your silence as a yes.
Damn you, Stone: And before you reply, I'd like to state that your no means a huge yes with a 'let's do it one more time' for me.
That arrogant... Damn you, Stone!
Thinking better against sending him a reply, I simply turned off my phone and let my sleep take me away to la la land, deciding to leave everything for tomorrow.
*
Well, this tomorrow came faster than usual. It was now 4 PM and I'd spent the whole day doing some works for tomorrow and lounging around lazily on my couch. I always felt like my couch was more comfortable than my bed but then again, I spent most of the time on my couch so maybe that's why it earned my favor.
My doorbell rang suddenly, distracting me from my couch or bed dilemma and I scrunched my eyes in confusion. Adrian was supposed to be here at 5 and I was supposed to ignore him until he went away. Allie had her work thing so she couldn't be here. And those two were the only ones who'd been here.
I shrugged. Maybe Allie came back sooner to remind me of my promise. Little did she know that I wasn't going at all. I smirked evilly to myself and went to the door. I opened my door and almost lost my breath when I saw the arrogant devil leaning against it. My remaining breath came out as a strangled gasp as I saw what he was wearing. Because as much as I wanted to curse myself to the pits of hell for admitting this, he looked... beyond handsome in his casual yet formal look.
He was wearing a casual white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and light blue pants. It was the first time I'd seen him in anything other than black and while black enhanced his high cheekbones, sharp jaw and electric eyes, this white outfit gave a soft warmth to his eyes, giving off a friendly, next door neighbor vibe. But his rugged features contraindicated the easy going look as well.
I heard a clearing of throat and a very distinct smirk from the damned devil, making my face flush in embarrassment. I scolded myself for my lack of morals and tried to compose myself in front of him. I shrugged and looked at him coolly sweeping my eyes along his form with my arms crossed.
I raised my eyebrows at him as I made a move of looking at my wristwatch. "Aren't you a little too excited to see me? Or is your watch an hour early?" I smirked as I repeated the same words he'd used to me when I'd arrived 2 hours late at the celebratory party.
"Well, I did tell you to be ready at 5. But as far as I know you, you would've stayed lazily around your apartment the whole day and ignored me when I came at 5." Then he bent a little and put his arms around my shoulder. "I have a reputation to maintain, you see. What would people say if I'm found pounding on your door for hours and being ignored in return?"
I rolled my eyes at him and went inside, trying to hide my irritation at his true words. The devil saw right through my plans. Damn you, Stone!
I was so busy cursing him in my head that I jumped a little when hot breath suddenly blew in my left ear, followed by a husky voice. "Now, Evelyn, as much as I love seeing you in a comfortable dress, I'm afraid you wouldn't want people to see the CEO of Eva's and Co. going out with Adrian Stone in those. So please be a dear and get ready. You have 25 minutes." He whispered in my hair and stepped back, keeping his hands inside his pockets.
I narrowed my eyes at him, opening my mouth to kick him out but he raised his hands in surrender. "You were the one who said I need to work for your friendship. I'm just doing my part now. Or do you already give up?" He said, raising an eyebrow at me.
Damn him and his eyebrow raise! I mentally cursed him and stormed off to my bedroom, leaving him there.
Damn you, Stone! I cursed him once more, cursing myself too in that process. I'd walked right into this. I'd already taken a shower a couple of hours ago just to kill time but now I was wishing I hadn't so that I could stall this for a little longer. But knowing the devil, he would've dragged me out at exactly 5 ignoring whatever state I was in. Groaning loudly, I rummaged through my closet to find something suitable to wear. I didn't know where we were going but seeing him dressed casually, I decided to go with casual yet a little elegant.
I put on a gray-greenish pencil skirt that reached up to my knees, a gray comfy top and matching long sweater.I paired it up with a thin belt around my hips and my brown comfortable heels. I left my hair as it was with a few brushes. There was no reason for me to pay extra attention to my looks. I was only fulfilling my end if the bargain. Nodding to myself, I applied a single layer of mascara and light pink lipstick. With that, I was ready.
I checked myself once more in the mirror and grabbed my purse and phone as I came out, closing the door behind me. Adrian was flicking through the channels on my TV when I came out but suddenly froze on seeing me. I smirked at him, enjoying my turn watching him checking me out.
I cleared throat and he jerked suddenly, seemingly snapping out of his daze. I could feel my plan being backfired as I felt myself being flushed again under his gaze but I saw a little hint of pink on the tip of his ears, making me feel satisfied.
"So... are we actually going somewhere or are you planning to keep looking at me all this evening?" I teased again, rejoicing the one chance of seeing him flustered. He simply nodded and asked me to follow him as he stepped out of my apartment. I shook my head at him and locked my door as I stepped out. I walked into the elevator to find him waiting inside and I rolled my eyes. What's with him waiting inside the elevator?
The elevator dinged in the heavy silence and he led me to his car which was parked in my driveway. I quickly let myself in the passenger seat before he had a chance because I always felt uncomfortable when he opened the door for me. It somehow felt more intimate to me. I saw him frown from the corner of my eye but he said nothing and sat in the driver's seat.
We mostly talked about work during our ride, with me trying in vain to let him spill our destination. That man might think he was being oh so secretive with me, but I only found him as a cliche guy. He was doing a really bad job in bribing me so far with his not so cool secrecy, the elevator waiting and everything. The only positive thing he'd done was by dressing a little casually.
I was making a mental list of the things that didn't impress me when the car suddenly came to a stop. I looked around to see that we were in the middle of nowhere. Like literally. All I could see around me was plain grass. There wasn't even another living being here. Except grass if you count it.
I looked at him suspiciously. "Are you planning to shift into a cow here and show your skills of eating grass? Because if that's your way of convincing me to be your friend, I'm done here." He rolled his eyes at that, but I saw a corner of his mouth lift up unconsciously.
He quickly got out of the car and opened the passenger door before I could reach it. I glared at him as I got out. He put his hand on the small of my back and gently led me somewhere. I was only half joking about the cow thing and with every second now, I was beginning to be suspicious.
I hadn't been paying much attention to the surrounding so when I saw where we arrived at, I gasped. There, in the quiet, deserted area, was a park. There were flowers everywhere, cute little colorful butterflies flying around. The whole area was surrounded by cherry blossoms. In the middle, there were two twin swings, a slide, a seesaw and a chin-up bar. Right in front of the swing was a small pond and a fountain, it's water running down to the pond. The whole place was so beautiful and by the way no one was there, I figured out that only a handful knew of it.
I was suddenly hit with a memory of my childhood when I used to spend hours in a similar park with him. I hadn't realised how much I'd miss those moments until I saw this. I was suddenly grateful to Adrian for bringing me here. Because even unknowingly, he brought me to one place my heart was yearning for.
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Okay, so... I had originally written a different flashback which was supposed to be the last one but I wanted one more chapter of these cute kids so I decided on this one. Tell me what you think of it and the rest of the chapter. And btw there's gonna be one more flashback after a few chapters which would officially be the last flashback for their story. You've been warned. Don't yell at me later.😅😅
Anyways, don't forget to drop a vote and your comments on this chapter. See ya in the next one! Hope you guys are enjoying this story!🥰❣💝