Park Bench (Prinxiety AU)

Chapter 8 - Roman

October 21

     It did not feel good to go the whole day without him. I was unforgivably careless and ended up showing up way later than I should have. It was nearly 6:45 when I reached the bench, and pitch-black out. Of course he went home. Who wouldn't? I wanted to make it up to him today though. 

     I was carrying a bag with me. I got to the park extra early, at 4, with my plan already falling apart. Somebody was sitting at our bench. "Oh, come on," I said aloud. I couldn't believe it.

     An angry feeling sprouted in my stomach. I practically stomped over to the bench and sat down next to the girl that was there. Without a second thought, I ripped my phone from my pocket and opened Spotify. Soon, The Circle Of Life was at top volume. The girl shot me a funny look and stood up. I giggled as she walked away, and turned down the song without turning it off. It would practically be sinning to stifle such an iconic bop. I was satisfied.

     As the song played, I got to work. Honestly, I had no clue what I was doing. Not a part of me knew what he would take as an apology. I just knew I had to try.

     By the time it was 5, my nerves were becoming weirdly active. I wasn't one to get nervous too often, so I don't know why I was feeling this way. Especially when he came into view. I stood up proudly, but not-so-deep down, I was terrified. He froze when he saw me, so I motioned for him to come closer. His hesitation was clear as it registered in his head. He walked up slowly. "How long have you been here?" he asked once he was close enough. I shrugged nonchalantly. We sat down together on the bench, which was strung with battery-activated purple Christmas lights. I had my portable speaker playing Paramore.

     He was looking away from me, taking in the park. "I'm sorry," I said. He glanced at me, but I could tell he wasn't planning on speaking up again. "I was at a friend's house yesterday, and I lost track of time. I didn't get here until nearly 7, and you were already gone, so... I truly do apologize."

     I let him think for a moment. His eyes wandered the park. The colour of the lights seemed to dance in them. "It's cool," he said. I frowned. That was it? All this for that? I took a deep breath. "I mean, it sucked. A lot. But this was really... nice of you. So it's cool." There was my smile.

     "Thank heavens. I thought I'd have to get down on one knee," I joked.

     "I want to see that, actually. Is it too late to retract my forgiveness?"

     "Oh, shush."

     He looked over at me, fully this time. I stared at him for a few seconds.

     "I've made up my mind," I said. He tilted his head and I smiled. "Purple is totally my favourite colour." I'm not so sure that was a true statement, but with the way it looked on him, I wholely believed it.

     My favourite part about today, though, was when he started singing along quietly to Misery Business. Now that was something incredible.

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     After around an hour, we took down the lights and turned off the music. He looked like he wanted to say something, so I paused before I could bid farewell. "Could I..." he started, awkwardly fidgeting with his sleeves. "Walk you home?" I grinned.

     "I would very much enjoy that."

     We started our way up the street, making quiet back-and-forth about random things. "All I'm saying is that Disney movies usually have darker messages than what you're seeing," he said.

     "Well, all I'm saying is that you're indubiously wrong." I crossed my arms with a frown.

     "Indubiously," he mocked.

     "Just let it go, Charlie Frown."

     We stopped in front of my house. It was quite large, and I watched him examine it in something like awe. I hoped. "You live here alone?" he asked. I nodded, confused.

     "Is that... bad?" I asked, looking up at the building.

     "No, just," he shuffled a little. "You wanna talk to me about lonely."

     I shrugged and set down my bag. "I still feel bad," I confess. "Do you... want these?" I pulled out the string of lights. He grinned and nodded. He reminded me of a kid whose parents asked if they wanted to go to Disney World. I handed them to him happily, trying not to think of the way our hands brushed against each other. He certainly didn't seem to notice. "Thank you for walking me. It was nice. Even with your... contrasting opinions on Disney."

     "I still enjoy those movies, I just like diving deeper," he sighed. "I mean, I never said you were wrong."

     My eyebrows involuntarily raised a bit. "You... didn't?"

     "No." He was laughing. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow." He was walking off before I could respond. I sighed with a smile.

     My smile lasted all the way until I got inside. After what he said, I did feel really small in my house. Maybe I could get, like, a roommate. Or a dog, or something. That sounded nice. I could get a dog.