A Drop In The Lake

I like control

Alessa

    Thirty minutes later we pull up to Fantasy Island Amusement Park.

    "Ready?" Asks Cameron.

    "Yeah." I reply, feeling a bit more relaxed now that we're actually here, and this is actually happening.

    "We'll go to the amusement park afterwards, but first I want to stop at the Gazebo Grill and get some sushi." He smiles, walking around the front of the car.

    "M'lady." He greets, putting his hand out for me to take.

    A chuckle flies out of my mouth, and I realise then that he's nervous too. "Thank you sir."

    We walk in relative silence to the large, land-living boat. The Gazebo Grill is a small, outdoor-seating sushi place, covered in shiplap and hand drawn signs. The mood of the restaurant screams family-run, building a bubbling excitement in me.

    Cameron and I take a seat at one of the hand-made picnic tables furthest from the ordering window.

    "I've heard the California roll is: chef kisses." Jokes Cameron, kissing his fingers.

    I flip through the menu and let out a nervous sigh, mocking, "You did a lot of research I see."

    "Actually, I just used Yelp, and this guy named Hungry John couldn't stop raving about how good the California roll was when he came here with his college buddies." He affirms, looking over his menu.

    Taking a few moments to look through the menu, I mentally tell myself to calm the fuck down. While Cameron seems to be having the time of his life, I know he's nervous by the way his menu shakes with repressed emotion.

    "Know what you want?" He asks, straddling the bench.

    "Yeah, I'll have an avocado roll and a California roll."

    "Coming right up." Cameron confirms, getting up to place our orders at the window.

    While he's away, I give myself a pep talk, trying anything to calm, the hoard of bees stinging my stomach acid. "It's just Cameron."

    "That's me." Echoes his voice.

    "Shit. Sorry, I didn't hear you come back." I scatter.

    "It's all good. And Alessa, I get it, I'm a bit nervous too, going on a date with a beautiful woman like you. Please, I'm fucking sweating my ass off here. But I really like you, and I really want this to work, so my nerves are the least of my worries." He relents, putting his hands out on the table.

    I take his hands and let out a chuckle. "Okay, but you gotta stop with the smooth taking Casanova, dealing with my own nerves is hard enough, I don't need you buttering me up."

    "Okay, I'll cool down with the compliments, but my Casanova ways will never abandon me." He jokes.

    "Got it." I chuckle.

    For the next hour, we share small details about ourselves while enjoying some fantastic sushi. Hungry John was right.

    When we're finished, we walk, hand-in-hand to the amusement park. It's just past three thirty, and the place is packed with fun loving families, temperamental toddlers and cuddling couples. We walk up to the ticket booth and Cameron buys a booklet of tickets.

    "Where to first?" Asks Cameron.

    "The arcade. Because while I appreciate your 'calm down' talk from before, I don't want to throw up on you." I chip.