Eternal Moon

CHAPTER 7

I’m a nervous wreck, sitting on my living room sofa in this fancy tuxedo, waiting for Meryl to swing by in her flashy red Ford Mustang. My heart's pounding like a drum solo, and my mind's racing with all the what-ifs.
I keep glancing at the clock, hoping she'll arrive any minute now. The anticipation is killing me, but I'm hoping this night will be worth all the jitters. My mind is plagued with thoughts. Thoughts about if I’d embarrass myself at prom. I didn’t want to dance. I was terrified, out of my mind.

Hearing a car pulling up in my driveway, I quickly jump up and rush outside to catch a glimpse of Meryl. She was in her car. My heart racing, I can't help but feel a surge of excitement as I see her stepping out of the vehicle, radiating elegance in her prom dress. Of course, it was a deep red, just like her hair and lips.

Meryl’s hair was curled like a Victorian princess, a breathtaking style that made my stomach feel like it was going to ache from how perfect it was.

Taking a moment to compose myself, I approach her with a nervous expression, ready to embark on a memorable evening together. She held her hand out. Meryl was wearing black lace gloves.
It made her look elegant.

Reluctantly, I slid my hand into the grooves of her palm, getting a feel of her hands over the gloves. They were firm and strong, and they could probably tear my arm off if she put in the strength, or that’s what I thought. But, I could tell that something held her back, that she was being gentle with me. It was an unusual type of touch. In a way, all of this made me feel a tinge of embarrassment.

She was doing everything, and, well, I felt like I was doing nothing. At least I had the courage to give her the rose bouquet that I picked out beforehand. I had it behind my other hand the entire time. Meryl noticed, but I hoped it would be something friendly, like a peace treaty between us. As I sat down, and buckled myself in, Meryl checked the back of her car. Once she came back and settled in the driver's position, I presented the bouquet.

"These are for you." I hesitated. My voice felt like it was going to crack.

"Roses? How did you know that I liked them?" Meryl sort of joked around, but she did look quite happy with the presentation. They weren't just roses, but other flowers which I had no knowledge on. She took the flowers from my hand.

"I didn't. I just guessed." I rested my hand on my thigh. Meryl went silent, and just had a slight smile on her lips. She smelled them, and put them off to the side.

"They're beautiful, Jason. Thank you." She latched in, and turned the car on. I felt a bit of internal relief, seeing that things weren't going downhill for once in my life.

Meryl moved out of the driveway, and drove down the street that took us to school. This time, she drove quite slow. The horizon got darker each second, and it provided a quiet and comfortable space. Being around Meryl wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was getting sort of comfortable with her.

We both kept silent through the entire ride, not really saying anything to each other. I liked it that way, and Meryl seemed to naturally be quiet.
It didn't take too long before we were in the school parking lot. I spaced out as Meryl was parking. I didn't even realise that we arrived. As realisation dawned upon me, I felt a sudden rush of fear. The truth was, I'd never done this before. I was socially awkward. I didn't know how to do this. Meryl must've noticed my expression.

"You're trembling." She gave me a brooding side eye glance, as if she could see through me as easily as glass.

"I'm sorry. Can we just sit here for a second?" I found myself mumbling. Meryl pushed her back against the car seat, a patient sigh escaping her lips.

"Don't say sorry. Take your time." Meryl grabbed the bouquet, and ran her fingers across the roses.
We both went silent again, for what seemed like an eternity. The only sound I could hear was my own breath. I don't even think Meryl was breathing. It freaked me out at first, but then again, she might've just been very quiet.