Terms and Agreements (on hold indefinitely)

The Peculiar Search for a Baby, Unanswered Questions, and a Trip to Holy Grounds

                                                                            10

The park was busy, considering it was a bright, sunshiny Saturday afternoon. There were kids running all over the place, and people playing with their dogs, and one couple was pretty much doing it with their clothes on. So pleasant.(Please note the sarcasm)

Flynn and I disembarked from my vehicle and starting walking around, searching for a baby. This was so weird. Usually there were tons of babies everywhere, but of course the second you start looking for one, they're all gone.

There was a band playing under the gazebo, the lead singer crooning Frank Sinatra, much to my contentment. There were couples dancing on the grass beside the gazebo, and families picnicking together as they enjoyed the music.

A cool breeze stirred the trees, sending brightly colored leaves scattering across the clear blue sky and skipping along the grass and pathways. Robins hopped around searching for worms. It was a very wonderful day, though a bit on the chilly side in my cold-natured opinion.

"So," Flynn said after we walked around for quite sometime, "who's Alan?"

"Shut up." I said simply, and tried to walk away from him. But of course, since he was a lot taller than me, his long strides caught up with me quite quickly.

"I wish you would tell me," he muttered.

I laughed. "You'll just have to wait. I waited. Now it's your turn. Patience is a virtue, my dear fellow."

He scoffed. "Yeah, a virtue I don't have."

"Oh get over it, I'll tell you who Alan is after we find a baby," I said, then shook my head. "That's such a weird thing to say."

"I know. I mean, who goes looking for a random baby to kiss in a park?"

"Apparently we do," I said seriously. He burst into laughter, laughing so long and so hard his cheeks started turning pink.

"Are you quite finished?" I asked about two minutes after he'd plopped down on the side of the fountain to laugh at my statement. "It's not funny."

"Yes, yes it is," he insisted giddily.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Can we just go get some hot chocolate or something? I'm kind of cold."

He stopped laughing and looked up at me from where he sat. "Why didn't you say so before?" He asked, and with this he slipped out of his coat and held it out to me.

I looked at him with disgust. "You're seriously going to go for a swim in a public fountain? You'll get arrested, and get a cold. Dummy."

He snickered. "What?! I'm not going swimming in the fountain! I'm giving you my coat to wear 'cause you're cold. You're the dummy!"

"I don't need your coat," I said, my nose in the air as I folded my arms over my chest.

He stood up. "Fine, have it your way." He slipped the coat back on and then asked, "so, where's the hot chocolate?"

"Follow me if you please," I said, and turned down a path that led through a small wood to one of my favorite haunts, the tiny coffee/sweet shop on Main Street, Holy Grounds.

~

When Flynn saw the name of the place he had another good laugh, then said it was made for me. Yeah, I guess it was, considering it had a name like that.

I got my hot chocolate, just normal, plain chocolate, steaming with a dollop of whipped cream atop it. That's what I always got. It never changed, no matter how many times people tried to get me to order something else. I suppose I'm a bit weird when it comes to eating out, because for different restaurants I have different, specific things I order at each one. But it's easier to already know what I want when I get there, I guess.

Flynn got coffee and a piece of chocolate cake that I pretty much stole from him.

"Look, if you wanted your own piece, you should've just ordered one, and not eaten all of mine!" He complained, but I just laughed as I scraped the small glass plate clean with my fork.

He sighed as I pushed it away from me, empty, very much unlike my stomach. "Fine, I'll just get me another one...." He scooted his chair back and went back to the counter. I watched him order and then the older woman joked about how he needed to watch his weight.

He laughed and said, "not me, her," he turned and pointed me out, and I turned away, "she ate all of my piece, so I have to get a new one."

The woman chuckled. "I see."

A moment later when he received his new dessert, I heard her tell him that next time, he should just go ahead and order his girlfriend one in advance.

My eyes widened, and fuming, I turned my flashing deep browns toward the counter. Flynn was laughing, and then I heard him say, "she's actually not my girlfriend."

I turned back to the table, satisfied. But he said something in a low voice to the woman which provoked a laugh from her, and I wanted to know what it was.

When he dropped back into his chair, I asked him, "what did you tell her?"

"Huh?" He was feigning innocence, I just knew it, as he brought a forkful of the delicious cake to his lips.

"What did you tell that lady?"

"That you ate all my cake and that you weren't my girlfriend."

I glared at him. "After that." God, I hated his teasing.

He smirked. "I'll only tell you if you'll tell me who Alan is."

I groaned in frustration. "Fine. Alan's my brother, who is in college and rarely gets time to visit."

"Oh, so that's all," he mused, resting his chin on his free hand.

I grinned maliciously. "Oh, were you jealous?"

"No!" He retorted, too loudly, too quickly. His cheeks started turning pink again.

"You were! You were, admit it!" I laughed, pointing at his face.

He shook his head, stuffing his mouth with cake. I decided not to tease him about it anymore so he'd tell me what he told the lady.

"Okay, so I told you who Alan is, now you have to tell me what you said," I told him, leaning back in my chair and waiting, expecting an answer.

He finished his cake, fending off coordinated attacks from my fork, before he finally spoke. "You'll have to wait."

"What?" I exclaimed, springing into an upright position. "Are you serious?"

He smirked, eyeing me with pure elation, at the success of his teasing, if I had to guess, "patience is a virtue....my dear girl."

I scoffed, folding my arms and turning to glare out the window. And he just laughed. Mr. Hot Stuff was really getting on my nerves. But I was stuck with the jerk for the rest of the day.