A WINTER DATE

He read the address again.

'21, Regal Street'

Yup, that was it. Though he still couldn't believe she really lived here. The house had a lush green lawn and a stone pathway leading down to the door. The white oak doors and the French windows spoke for themselves. Those vines hanging from the balcony above looked magnificent. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that she would be this rich.

He checked himself on the polished door frame. The blue t-shirt matched well with the denim. He finally checked his watch.

'10:00'

Assured, he rang the bell.

'Ting...tong....'

Immediately, he heard her voice. She was right there standing in the balcony.

"Hey. Just a moment"

He waited nervously playing with his fingers. He wanted everything to be impeccable today. He remembered the first time they met, it was sheer coincidence. But since then, their relationship has developed over Whatsapp. It started casually at first, but in the last couple of weeks, they have been chatting every day. And today, it was supposed to be their first date.

He had allowed her to select the place, and she came up with ice-skating. He hadn't done ice-skating before, yet he didn't deny her and agreed to pick her up. If all went well, he planned to propose her later.

"Sam and Riya", it did have a certain vibe to it.

The door knob turned as the door opened slowly. He was lost in his thoughts to notice her coming out. Even the light tap on his shoulder startled him. He fumbled with the words and finally managed to say,

"Wow."

He was lost for words to describe her. She looked the same as in her pictures. No makeup, no fuss, nothing. She owned the real beauty. Her green top highlighted those shoulder length ginger-red hair even more. Eventually, her laugh broke his trance. She was giggling looking at his situation as he came back to reality, complimenting her again.

"You look beautiful!"

"Thanks", she said in a girly tone.

He held out his hand as if asking for a dance, which she eagerly grabbed. They started their walk towards their destination.

At the park...

Many of her memories were linked to this park. Memories, which she wanted to cherish all her life; and yet forget them the same. The times spent with someone dear. Maybe that's why, when he asked for a place to go out, she didn't hesitate a moment to choose this. Surprisingly, even he didn't argue. This date of theirs had been fascinating so far. It seemed as if their talks didn't have an end. There was not a moment's silence over the walk up to the park.

But since they had entered the park, she couldn't help but notice how he had gone silent. Like he was hiding something. Though, it didn't take long for the truth to reveal itself. Immediately after putting the skates on, he said in a sheepish voice,

"I don't know how to skate"

She almost burst out laughing again but controlled herself to avoid embarrassing him.

"Well then, let's learn to skate"

With this, she held his hands and got him up. But he couldn't balance and was down that very instant, pulling her as well. She was on top of him and they both started laughing. After half a dozen more attempts, he was finally able to stand, still clutching her hands tightly. She can't decide if he actually didn't know to skate or was just teasing her.

But whatever it was, it was having its effect on her. That closeness and the constant holding of hands was moving her feelings. She only felt like this earlier with someone special. She tried hard not to remember those moments today, but they just came flocking into her mind.

Pushing those aside, she started skating once again. It was very slow, pulling him with her. Many times he would hold her tight for the fear of falling. And many times they fell, rolling over each other in the process. And again they would stand up and start it all over again. They were enjoying their little game with each other.

Sometime later...

The evening had gone far better than he had imagined. They had walked around, chatted, teased and skated. Now, they simply sat by each other, his arm around her waist, and her head on his bosom, breathing in his scent. When she turned to say something, their faces came so near, he couldn't resist the urge. His lips touched hers and the kiss just happened.

When the kiss broke and their lips parted, she could just bring two words out of her.

"Oh, Dave..."

It was so softly spoken, he almost didn't hear it. And even after hearing, he took a bit of time to notice what had just happened. When he realized, he bolted upright with a look of astonishment and hurt on his face.

"Who's Dave?" his nostrils flared as he asked.

The expressions drained out of her face as if she had seen a ghost. The realization dawned on her, that she had unconsciously taken the name Dave. In that moment of ecstasy, she forgot that she was with Sam.

He asked angrily again, "Who is Dave?"

Nostalgia filled her. Dave was her ex-boyfriend. No, not ex, he was still her boyfriend. But he had flown out of the country for further studies, leaving her alone. They still talked, but not that frequently. This long distance relationship was killing her a little. She still remembered that first day when they had met in this very park; and then; their first kiss. This park was a witness of many of her moments with Dave. And so when that kiss happened today, she felt as if it was her Dave back again.

She had no other option now but to speak the truth.

He couldn't bear it anymore. They were on a date, they were kissing, and she was thinking of someone else? How could she? She started to explain, but no; he didn't want any explanations. He just turned and started walking back. Surprisingly, she didn't make any attempt to stop him. Guess, she knew it was no use now.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and took out the ring he had brought for the evening. Looking at it, he could just laugh. For a date that started so well, this should never have been the way to end. 

***

"Not all that starts well bring on a happy ending."