rollercoaster || j.b.

chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Justin, where are you taking me?" I asked as he pulled me along the streets of New York. He had blind-folded me when we left my apartment, which was totally unnecessary due to the fact that it was already dark and we were in New York, meaning it's not exactly the best idea to be 'blind' around thousands of people.

"Relax Paisley, we're almost there," he laughed. I found this a little odd at first, because we met literally three days ago. However, I decided to go along with it because I saw nothing wrong with growing this close to him so quickly.

"Okay, you can take your blindfold off now," he said. I slowly undid the knot and took a look around. I was standing in the middle of a small park that was decorated with various lights. There was nobody else there, besides me and Justin.

"How did you find this place?" I asked him as I began to walk around. I ran my hand along the only bench in the park and sat down. "It's beautiful."

"Well, I was walking back from my classes at the University today and I saw a little wooden door on the side of this abandoned bookstore. I guess my curiosity got the best of me and here we are," he smiled and took a seat next to me. I smiled back and looked around again. We spent the next couple of hours just talking. I found out he was from Ontario and had a little brother and sister. His parents were divorced, but he still loved talking to both of them regularly and they were all very close. I also found out that he's claustrophobic and his middle name is Drew. I told him a few things about myself. It was just the basics, but he seemed to be intrigued. At about 11:30, we decided we should head back to our apartments.

"Thanks for showing me that Justin. It was really beautiful," I told him truthfully.

"No problem, I'm glad you liked it," he replied. I nodded my head and let out a little yawn.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Paisley," he smiled and he turned on his heel, walking away. I closed the door and let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding in. I couldn't help but the let a smile engross my face as I got ready for bed.

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Two weeks had passed since Justin had shown me the park. We had gone almost everyday since. We spent almost all of our free time there, like right now. We were currently sitting on the only bench the park had, talking.

"My dad was never really around because of his job, but my mom was always there and she never failed to do anything that would support me in any way possible. It's really hard being away from her, but I think we both needed to learn how to live without each other. Not that being dependent on your mom is a bad thing, but there always comes a time when you need to rely on yourself before anyone else," Justin finished. Neither of my parents had been around that often throughout my childhood. So, of course, when I turned 18 and finished high school, I was out. I wish my mom and I had a relationship like Justin and his mom seemed to have. There was a time when I could've used a rock to rest myself on.

"I think you're totally right, but it's getting late. Do you think we should get going?" I asked as I stood up from the bench and brushed my jeans off. Justin nodded and stood up, leading the way out of the park and down the busy streets of New York.

"You know, I'm really glad I met you Paisley. You're one of the most genuine people I've ever met. I need someone like you in my life." I found myself blushing at Justin's words.

"I'm really glad I met you too, Justin. It's nice to know there still some good people in the world and you're definitely one of them. So thank you," I smiled. He smiled right back and we continued our walk home.

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The next day, I woke up with a killer headache so I decided to skip my classes for the day. I grabbed my phone and sent Justin a text.

Hey sorry, I'm not going to school today. I woke up and I feel awful.

Oh, okay. See you later?

Sure thing!

I put my phone down and decided on trying to shower to relive some of the pain surfing through my head. When I got out, I heard a knock on my front door. Wrapping my body in a towel, I walked out of the bathroom and answered the door.

"Hello?" I glanced around the hallway. Nobody was there. As I was about to shut the door, something caught my eye. Sitting on the ground were a bouqet of sunflowers. I smiled before picking them up and sat them on the coffee table. I sat on the couch and pulled a small note card out from between the flowers.

Dinner at 6? Text me if you're up for it! - Justin.

Chuckling, I grabbed my phone and opened up a new message to Justin.

I'm totally up for dinner! Thanks for the flowers. I love them.

Anytime. I'll pick you up at 6. :)

Walking back into the bathroom, I slipped on sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was already three-thirty in the afternoon, so I decided to go ahead and get ready for my dinner with Justin. Meeting Justin has been one of the best things to happen to me in a long time. I've learned so many new things and seen so many amazing places I never would've seen without his help. He pushed me out of my comort zone, but in the right way. He made me live. He made me love life after only two weeks of knowing him.

I brushed through my hair, letting it fall into its natural waves. I applied minimal makeup and changed into a casual, but slighly fancy dress. I added a cardigan, simply because it was the beginning of February and basically 10 degrees outside. I still had plenty of time before Justin picked me up, so I touched up my hair by adding light curls and making sure my make-up was perfect.

At six o'clock on the dot, there was a knock on my apartment door. I rushed to open it, and found Justin standing there. He was grinning at me, his mouth slightly open.

"Hey," he smiled' "you look amazing Paisley."

"Thanks Justin, you look great too," and that was an understatement. He looked perfect, like always. His hair was perfectly spiked. He was wearing a light blue button-up shirt and khaki pants.

"You ready?" Justin asked. I nodded and Justin took my hand, interlacng our fingers.

"Then let's go," He laughed as a red tint heated up my cheeks. Something told me that tonight was going to be a night to remember.