Prank Date [✔]

Part 25

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"So what about before Patrick?" Lisa asked after a while. I shook my head.

"No other long-term relationships?"

"No." I replied.

"Really? Don't tell me you're the one-night-stand type."

"I'm not." I hesitated, then decided to be honest with her. "Patrick was my first and only relationship."

A seagull let out a piercing cry.

"Wow," Lisa murmured and shook her head back and forth. "That's just... wow."

I studied the horizon, aware of how unusual having had just one relationship was at my age. I searched for an explanation, then realized that Lisa wasn't waiting for one. The look in Lisa's eyes was accepting, not judging. I relaxed my tense shoulders.

"What a jerk," Lisa said. "To be your first and only lover and then ..." She shook her head. "Patrick didn't deserve you."

We sat side by side, just listening to the sounds of the waves and the seagulls for a few minutes.

Finally, Lisa got up and walked closer to the ocean. "Wait here. There's something I want to show you." She climbed over several large rocks, then stopped and bent to pick up something.

Shells?

A wave hit the rocks, and a spray of water rained down on Lisa.

"Be careful!" I called. I leaned forward and watched Lisa on the slippery rocks. "You'll fall in!"

"Don't worry. I'm careful." Without looking up from the ground, Lisa continued down the beach. Sometimes, she picked up an object and looked at it before throwing it into the ocean.

After a while, she returned and settled back down on the blanket. She held out her hand. "Ever seen one of these?" She held out a milky-white stone. The pebble shimmered in the sunlight, looking almost like a clear opal.

I took the stone from Lisa's hand. My fingers grazed her palm, making my breath catch. "I don't think so." I rubbed my thumb over the stone. Its surface had been smoothed by the ocean until no rough edges remained. "It's beautiful."

"It's a moonstone," Lisa said. "The ancient Romans thought they were created by frozen moonbeams. And the Greeks wore it as a talisman. They believed moonstones could help you find true love."

"Oh." I stared at the stone in my hand. The swirling white patterns in the stone looked as chaotic as my emotions.

Lisa searched my face. She looked embarrassed. "Pretty lame, huh?"

I just shrugged. Something told me that I would hurt Lisa's feelings if I said yes. Lisa had sent me flowers, read romance novels, and prepared a picnic on the beach-she seemed like the romantic type. Normally, I looked down on sentimental people. I didn't believe in superstitions, romantic legends, and love stories. My world was ruled by facts and figures.