The VIRGIN STRIPPER

18

**** LISA MICHAELS ****

I snapped my eyes open as I heard noise from all around the car. Shifting my gaze to Dave, he slowly let go of my hand and turned his attention to the road. The sunlight was streaming in through the window and I squinted my eyes to see what was happening outside.

"It's a love festival," Dave explained just as a young girl  pressed a balloon on the window.  "They have one every second last week of spring."

So he brought me here knowing full well there was a love festival going on. Did I totally forget to tell him that I was allergic to love?

Leaning on the seat, I closed my eyes and ran a hand over my face trying to wake myself  up since for a second after I woke up I thought I was dreaming. The car slowed down and we came to a complete stop as the crowd seethed on the road carrying flowers and teddy bears.

I was just about to comment how ridiculous I thought the whole thing was when I heard Dave speak through the window to a woman on the other side.

"White teddy bear?" he asked turning to me and I rose an eyebrow. He only wore a patient look as the lady leaned over to assess me.

"We also have flowers ma'am. You are going to enjoy your honeymoon here." To that Dave smiled and looked at me as he pulled his lips inward to muffle a laugh or something.

"I don't like teddy bears." I told her and leaned back on the seat.

"It's okay, how about a panda bear or a minion doll?" the nerve of these business ladies.

"How about the dog? It looks good." Dave offered as he reached for the huge doll. It was a brown furred doll in shape of a dog with large brown eyes and a cute black nose. Looking at the both of them,I sighed and nodded nonchalantly.

"Do you have roses?" he asked just as he pulled a few dollars to pay for the doll. You'd be surprised how much the mess of fake fur cost. Enough to fuel a car for two weeks straight!

"Yeah," the lady jumped at the question and I winced inwardly. Why the hell was he buying dolls and roses for?

The road cleared just as he was about done with the payment and I exhaled inwardly. Thanking the lady, he took both the items he'd purchased on his left hand and turned the steering wheel with the other.

"I will park the car near the town's exit toward the lake then we can have a little tour of the town. Is that okay with you?"

My first instinct was to tell him a straight no and lean back on the seat praying that this nightmare would be over soon but then the sun was burning so bright and the people from all around were making such a buzz and Rosepines was just a whole new place I wanted to check out so I nodded and sat up straight, watching the fleeting shadows and figures till the car slowed down and stopped.

"It's really hot outside, maybe you should take that off." he advised and gestured to my sweater. Obliging quietly, I tagged at the edge of my sweater and pulled it up only to freeze when his fingers grazed my skin at the waist as he pulled my top down so that it didn't ride up once I pulled the sweater over my head.

Shifting uncomfortably under his touch, I heard him sigh and not long after his other hand was pulling the sweater off me. "It's okay." I told him as I pulled the sweater over my head and my hair fell on my face and I huffed only for him to smile ever so amused.

Raking my fingers through it to at least look humane enough I reached for the door.

"Here." he told me handing me both the doll and the flowers. Eyeing him I regarded the two items and then back at him.

"Leave them in the car." I said and climbed down.

The heat immediately engulfed me and I looked around. Everybody looked so happy.

"You don't seem impressed." He said quietly walking beside me as we went back the same way we drove.

"Your idea was to bring me to a love festival?" I asked him apathetically as I checked some bangles on a stand ahead of us.

"Not exactly," he told me casually and went ahead of me to the bangle stand. "How much?" he asked the girl seated behind it.

"Thirty dollars."

Oh fuck!

Rolling my eyes I walked past the stall but Dave pulled me back and asked  me to choose a color.

"Pink." I said uninterested and the girl eyed me for a second. "What?" I asked as my eyes narrowed in confusion.

"It's a color code," Dave explained as he ran his thumb through his brow, "Pink is if you are lesbian, Blue is for gay and Red is for you and me."

The last part he said softly and I gave him a look before turning to the girl. "Give me something my size." Eyeing my wrist she searched through the bangles and finally gave me a red one with the words FOREVER written on it.

"Thanks." Dave said as he took out fifty dollars and handed them to the girl, "Keep the rest."

"I can't believe you," I said once we walked away from the stand. "Thirty dollars for a bangle? What's next? A two hundred dollar sm-" I was shoved out of the way and soon I was on his chest before I was done with my outburst.

"Even the folks here don't want you complaining about my spending." he said with a huge grin on his face and I pulled away completely and walked ahead without a word.

"I'm tired." I told him after a moment of walking. I wasn't even that tired I just wanted to get away from all the people and the noises and the happiness that seemed too contagious. If I stayed here long enough I might have forgotten how much I faced just to wake up another day.

"Time for the other surprise," he said clapping his hands.

"I hope this is where you take me home." I told him.

"Far from it." he said taking my hand and paving way through the crowd towards the car.

*****

THANKS FOR THE READ....

FOR A MOMENT I LISTENED TO  'REWRITE THE STARS BY ANNE-MARRIE AND JAMES ARTHUR' AND I WAS LIKE LOL THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO LISTEN TO AT A LOVE FESTIVAL... THEN THERE WAS IN THE NAME OF LOVE BY MARTIN GERRIX FT. BEBE REXHA AND THEN I WAS LIKE OMG THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO BE LISTENING TO WATCHING THE SUNSET DURING THE LOVE FESTIVAL... OKAY ENOUGH WITH THAT...

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK AND WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THOUGH THE BOOK IS ALREADY PLANNED MAYBE YOU COULD CHIP IN...

THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A BIT WARM AND I JUST WANT THEM TO BOND SO... MIGHT DECIDE IT TO BE SOONER... THERE IS TOO MUCH TO HOLD YOUR BREATHE FOR SO HOPE YOU LIKED THIS...

STAY SAFE...

LOVE, ELINE.