❤︎ Anjali ❤︎
I get busy with school after our first date, and the winter break is just around the corner. When we can't see each other, Leo calls me several times a day. Ananda is already tired of me because he is all I talk about, and she thinks there is no good medicine for a fool like me.
Leo tells me to leave the night open for New Year's Eve. He definitely wants to spend the New Year together. It is a great sign that he also wants to spend next year with me. I ask Ananda what she thinks about it. She screams at me.
"Oh my God! You are eating my brain! That's how real Indian would say. You just won't stop talking about him!"
"You really have to figure out how to convince your parents about Leo! When they find out, shit will hit the fan!"
New Year's Eve arrives, and I go to see him at Lone Star. He is about to finish his early shift and tells everyone, 'Happy New Year!' before leaving the establishment. We walk out of the bar, and a cold wind hits us brutally. New York's winter is unforgivingly cold, especially the wind that blows between the tallest skyscrapers. It's only two hours before midnight. I ask him where we are heading. He responds.
"I will take you to where you have never been before. Didn't you have a good time on our first date? Then trust me!"
We take the F train to Brooklyn. The subway passes Jay Street in downtown Brooklyn. He sits on the bench while holding my hand. We talk about what happened while we couldn't see each other. We pass Prospect Park, but Leo shows no sign of getting up from the bench. So I keep talking about my studies at the university.
The train finally arrives at the last stop, Coney Island. I guess we are celebrating our New Year at Coney Island. I remember coming here when I was a little girl with my parents. I tell Leo.
"I have been here before when I was little!"
He scrunches his face and tells me.
"Oh no! I wanted to surprise you with a ride! I forgot that you are a native New Yorker! Well, that's too bad! We are going to ride the Wonder Wheel for the New Year! We will be at the end of a long line. We made it just in time for the last rides."
While waiting for our turn to arrive, Leo holds me from behind to keep me warm. Coney Island feels colder than Manhattan. He asks me.
"Did you tell your mother that she doesn't need to wait for you to come home this evening?"
"I already texted her. She thinks I am with other girlfriends. Luckily, Ananda went out to a party with our friends, so she thinks I am with them. I feel guilty, but I wanted to be with you. I guess it is a sign of growing up. Sometimes you have to lie to do what's right. I know my mother is overprotective. She still thinks I am her little baby."
After waiting for an hour, our turn finally arrives. He helps me get into the moving cage, and we sit side by side. He is holding me in his arms as the cart slowly moves up. It slides from front to back, and the cage shakes violently.
When it shakes, Leo holds me tighter as if he is protecting a precious jewel. I love being held by him. It makes me feel so special. We go up in the air and can see the dark, still ocean ahead of us. Everyone is screaming down below. The Wonder Wheel keeps slowly turning clockwise, and we keep going up higher.
I see the entire amusement park down below, and a tall tower in the distance starts to change the color of its lights. When we are on top of the world, the crowds below us start to count down.
"Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four. . ."
It will be a new year in a few seconds. When everyone cheers Happy New Year, the fireworks explode from the beach below! Leo grabs me in both of his arms.
"Happy New Year!"
He kisses me on my lips. He is kissing me for the longest time while fireworks explode in the air. Leo's love intoxicates my heart, and my head explodes into millions of pieces like the fireworks we are watching. I can't think straight anymore, and I am the happiest girl alive.
This is how my New Year starts. It is supposed to be the best year of my life.
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Lãng mạn"Remember me." "When I come back to you, please remember me." While Leo is waiting for his bride at the altar, Beth has a car accident on the way to the church and dies whispering some mysterious words. They just graduated from high school in Weath...
