Girlfriend

16. Flower Crowns

I picked a few flowers from the bushes in my backyard and contemplated the decision I was thinking about making. The only obstacle in my way was how she would react and what she would say. If she said no I would be so embarrassed. I picked a few more flowers and hoped maybe they would influence her to say yes.

"Hey, Michael," LaToya greeted, skipping to my side. "What are you doing?"

"Toy, can I ask you something?" I inquired not even acknowledging her question.

"Sure."

"Well, you know I really like Cathy Jean, right?"

"Yep."

"And she likes me," I added. "So I was thinking about asking her out on a date."

LaToya gasped. "Really? That's great!"

"But I'm scared to ask her," I added.

"Why? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm afraid of rejection," I explained, arranging the flowers so they looked decent.

"Don't be. You're a sweet guy. And if she likes you, why would she say no?" LaToya smiled at me and stole a little flower from my bouquet.

"Hey, Mike, that girl's here," Randy announced from the back porch.

But I'm not ready.

"I'll go get her for you," Randy called, running back inside.

"Randy!" LaToya ran after him to prevent any accidents that might occur.

I tried to think up some words to say at the last minute but nothing good enough came to mind. Nothing's good enough for Cathy Jean. She's perfect.

"Hi, Michael."

Before I knew it she was on my porch. LaToya winked at me and closed the back door so we were all alone. Wonderful.

"Hi," I replied, hiding the bouquet behind my back.

She trotted down the steps and basically threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her back with one arm, making sure to keep the flowers hidden.

"How are you?" I asked, when we pulled out of the embrace.

"Oh my god, Michael, dance was so good today. There was this teacher who was actually nice and..."

She went on and on about this dance teacher, Ebony and how happy she was at dance for once in her life. It was exhilarating to see her so passionate about something. She seemed happy which is highly unusual for her.

"I'm happy you had fun at dance," I said smiling.

"Yeah."

She laced her fingers with mine almost absentmindedly. I glanced at her but she averted her eyes to the ground. My cheeks were on fire. Maybe I would have a chance.

"So, can I ask you something?" I decided to skip the introductions.

"Sure."

"Ok, so, I really like you and I want to get to know you better so I was thinking maybe you and I could go out...on a date." My hand got extremely sweaty all of a sudden.

"Really?" she asked, unable to process the request.

"Yeah. Here." I handed her the flowers.

"Oh my gosh. Of course I'll go out with you." She blessed me with another hug and squeezed me 10 times harder than the first one. "And these flowers are beautiful."

"I grew them," I beamed.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

My smile grew into a stupid grin as I struggled to keep my composure. Cathy Jean smelled the flowers and flicked her beautiful eyes up at me, making my
grin even bigger. She looked back down as soon as she looked up. I took her hand in mine again, missing her touch.

"Do you know how to make flower crowns?" Cathy Jean inquired, plopping down on the grass and taking me with her.

"No."

"I'll make you one."

"Do you need scissors or something?"

"Nope."

She took the two longest flowers and snapped them, separating the stem from the actual flower. She wrapped one of the stems around my head.

"Wow, it's perfect," she said. Cathy Jean ripped one of the strings from the fringe on her sweater.

"What are you doing?" I cried.

"Shh...it's okay. If my mom can buy silver silverware, she can buy me another sweater." She winked at me and tied the string around the stem to make the headband part of the flower crown. She did that a second time for her own crown.

She then proceeded to show me how to tie the flowers around the headband. Every so often, her hands grazed mine while she was assisting me which made it hard to focus. I snuck glances at her a couple times because she affects me that much.

"Oh, yours looks great," Cathy Jean said, finishing her crown up a little after I finished mine. "Put it on."

We placed our crowns on our heads at the exact same time and I was blown away by what I saw. She looked beautiful.

"Is it okay?" Cathy Jean asked, adjusting the crown.

"It's beautiful," I sighed.

She nodded and focused on the grass. I didn't ask how mind looked because I'm pretty sure I looked ridiculous.

"So where are we going on this date?" she asked, raking her hands through the greenery.

"Wherever you want," I simply replied.

"We can stay here. It's beautiful in your backyard."

"Are you free this weekend?"

"Of course."

"Saturday at seven? The backyard will look better when it's dark," I explained, thinking about how I would decorate the place.

"Sounds good."

"And maybe you'll smile for me?"

Cathy Jean raised an eyebrow at me and I burst out laughing. I'll have to wait for a smile.

"You'll have to do something totally out there to make me smile," she said folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes confirmed that something supernatural would have to occur for the corners of her mouth to turn up.

Lucky for me, I'm dedicated to her. I'll make her smile or die trying.

A/N: helllooooo!!!! Hope you enjoyed this. I decided to post a sort of happy chapter to drown our June 25th pain😞 I barely made it...but remember after the 25th is the 29th!!! More soon❤️