Pinky Swear

Chapter 39: A Picnic To Remember

The park was almost empty at this hour, just an old couple sitting on a bench, feeding seeds to birds and a middle-aged man taking a stroll left.

The trees’ green-colored leaves were turning orange and some brown before falling and covering the walkways and grasses. It was almost difficult to even see them, only dried orange leaves forming a carpet above them. And maybe because it was evening and the sky was also colored in orange, but it all seemed so beautiful.

Or maybe it was because my object of attraction was standing in the middle of it all, standing tall and confident with his left hand in his pocket and his right holding a blue rose between his fingers.

I hesitantly came down from the car, my eyes fixed on him, and the scenery before me. A picnic blanket was laid on the floor beside him, a picnic basket placed on it, an insulated cooler, some flatwares, and a bouquet of blue roses. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion, taking it all in before glancing back at him.

Was this all for me? Was this why I had rarely seen him at school? But what about Jenny? I had seen him grab her hand and walk away with her.

He had a nervous smile on his face even though he seemed confident as he watched me from afar, beckoning me to come closer with his eyes.

“Yo, Adams! Thanks for the card. Now, I’m gonna go get myself some meat with it.” Alex yelled from her car, waving a credit card at him. Now I understood where she got the money to pay for this dress and makeover.

He sent a small smile at her before snapping his eyes back to me.

“My work here is done, gotta go. Oh, and here.” She threw the tiny box I wrapped for Ryan’s birthday at me, and I quickly caught it. “You might need that.” She suggested before revving up the engine while I stared at her in disbelief, holding the tiny box. I thought I had left that at home after we went home from school.

“What? Don’t look at me like that.” She shrugged. “Not to worry, I’ll inform your parents you’re on a date.” She winked at me before driving off.

I slowly turned back to Ryan, whose eyes were now roaming around my figure, taking in my outfit. I took one step at a time towards him, trying to seem composed, but his eyes were making it difficult as they roamed my bare legs. I could feel goosebumps forming on my thighs and legs at how intense his gaze was before they snapped back to my eyes.

“What’s all this?” I asked blankly, trying not to show any emotions as I gripped the box tightly in my hand. I was still mad about all that Jenny stuff, but secretly throwing a party in my head because of what I was seeing.

He was quiet for some time, just gazing at me, and I, him. The wind blew around us, making the trees dance, and some strands of my hair fluttered about my face too. He quickly reached out to pull them behind my ear, still gazing intently at me, making my cheeks tinge pink. Why did he have to be so darn cute?

He had on a pair of grey track pants and a black shirt with black and white trainers on his feet. His dark hair in a side fringe almost covering his eyes, and his left hand adorning a wristwatch retracted back into his pocket while the other still held the blue rose up to me.

I reached for it plucking it off his finger, remembering the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. He had used a tulip then, and I had thought it sweet then since it meant true love.

“I tried looking for flowers that would match your eyes, but found none. So I had to settle for dying white roses. They still, however, aren’t as beautiful or bright as your eyes.” He whispered between us, his eyes never leaving mine.

His compliment was making me blush the more as I diverted my eyes to my feet, trying to hide my red cheeks. I forgot how good he could be with words. I only started to see that side of him after we started dating.