Her Choice

Chapter 12

Cameron

From the walkway to the lake, the whole place is beautifully decorated with candles, balloons, and roses. Around the lake at every corner is a lit candle. There are like a hundred butterflies and even fireflies out tonight.This place really looks magical. And the best part is that our date is a simple picnic in the middle of the daisies.

Laroi takes out all the contents of the baskets as we sit down. He didn't pack much. He remembers that I don't eat much. He sets out plates, cups, cakes, fruits, and sandwiches. Everything looks so nice.

We have the sandwiches first, while the wine is already served in our cups. The sandwiches are really nice.

"Did you make these?" I ask, wanting to break the silence. His eyes leave the picnic mat as they are now directed at me.

"Yeah, I made the sandwiches. But I had to buy the rest. You do know how bad I am at baking." It's true, once he almost burnt the kitchen while trying to surprise me with a birthday cake.

"The sandwiches are really nice."

"Thanks." And the silence returns. I don't get it thought. Did he bring me here just to feed me?

"The place looks really beautiful." I'm not giving up on starting a conversation. We can't just eat in silence.

"Thanks, Cam. It was really tasking to decorate this place." The silence returns yet again.

"Really?" I can't control the sudden anger I'm feeling. I'm dropping the sandwiches I'm eating onto the plate and rising to a standing position, ready to walk away.

"Wait, Cam. What's wrong?" He looks at innocent. Like he's done nothing wrong.

"What's wrong? Really?" I don't even know why I'm angry. What I'm I to tell him now. What is wrong?

"Did you ask me on a date just to feed me? You won't talk to me. You're just looking down and sitting in silence." Now he's looking away. This is exactly what I'm complaining about.

"I know. You asked me out simply out of pity, right? I broke Cameron's heart. I hurt her, so I should try to make it up to her." He doesn't try to defend himself, so I keep going.

"You should have left me alone. Better still, you should have asked Mishael to go out with you. I'm sure she would agree in a heartbeat. So why did you ask me to go on a date with you?" Laroi still isn't looking at me. What's his problem? Why won't he answer me? He won't look at me.

"Laroi, can you at least say something." I'm practically begging him to say something, but he still remains quiet. At least now he's looking at me, but at the same time, he's not looking at me. This is frustrating. I shouldn't have agreed to this date.

"Thanks for the sandwiches." I start walking away. This is exactly what I feared, I would agree to this, and it would blow up in my face.

"Camerom." I stop dead in my tracks. The way he called my name sends shivers down my spine. I want to leave, but I'm rooted in my place.

"You've said all you wanted to say. Won't you wait for me to speak as well?" Shivers run through me. I turn around, my eyes focusing on his. There's anger in his eyes, and it's obvious that he's trying to control himself.

I'm not a stranger to Laroi's anger. I've seen it a million times to know what he can do when angry. In all our time together, I'm aware of the fact that Laroi's anger is like a ticking bomb. It could go off at any time. Even with all these, I'm not scared of him. Yes, a lot may have happened, but I know that Laroi would never hurt me physically.

"I asked you out on this date, Cameron, because I wanted us to start over. I felt so guilty about my actions, but I don't have any feeling of pity towards you."