22

Chapter 22

We both lie frozen, our eyes wide from shock. In that fleeting instant, a shocking realization dawned on me: Richard and I just shared a kiss!

"Get out of the way you damn lovebirds!" yelled an irate biker, his words jolting us back to reality. Crude language but I appreciate the wake-up call. I quickly regained my composure and rushed to help Richard up.

Clearing my throat, I mumbled, "I'm sorry. " my thoughts spinning. Uncertain whether the unexpected kiss was real or a figment of my imagination, I chose to dismiss it for now.

"No need to apologize." Richard replied casually.

"Thanks again for saving me back there."

"No problem. Consider it paid when you decided to kiss me back then."

I felt my face flush. So it wasn't just my imagination. Richard chuckled, clearly enjoying how embarrassed I was right now.

"Your expression says it all. It's cute how flustered you get."

My cheeks grew even warmer.

"W-what?"

"Carl, relax. It's fine. Don't stress too much about it."

"I'm not stressing!"

"Come on. It's written all over your face. But don't worry about it. I liked it too." he placed his hands on my shoulder reassuring me that everything will be alright.

I jerked his hands away and moved the bicycle out of the way. It's ironic though because I remembered when Robert, my old mentor, criticized me for having an expressive face that revealed my thoughts too easily. Perhaps that's why Richard enjoys teasing me so much.

Ignoring his banter, I regained my composure and acted as though that nothing had happened.

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing toward my face. "You're not fooling anyone." he added with another hearty laugh.

I simply stared at him.

"Hey Carl."

"Yes?"

"Are you pretending that nothing happened back there?"

"That I don't know how to maneuver a bike? I'm well aware of that." I replied, pushing the bike and walking away from him.

"Don't try to deny it."

"Deny what exactly?"

"That you kissed me and you liked it."

I stopped on my tracks and rebuked his statement.

"I didn't kiss you! It was an accident!"

"Aha! So our lips did touch."

He decided to make things awkward again by making us acknowledge the fact that our lips touched for a second there. Annoyed, I lightly punched his chest and grabbed the bike. "I'm returning this." I said.

"But we're not finished yet." Richard protested.

"I'm done." I retorted, feeling frustrated.

"Don't be a coward. You still can't ride the bike."

I closed my eyes briefly trying to calm myself. He knows me very well that I do not like being taunted.

"Ugh. Fine! Just don't make this awkward please."

"I can't promise  you that." he chuckled.

"Can you at least promise not to laugh?"

"I'll do my best."

I tried my hand at riding the bicycle again, and by the end of the day, I had managed to explore the entire park on my own. As the sun began its descent, we decided to head to the county fair, situated in the heart of the park, where you can find an array of games and amusements.

"Feeling hungry?" I asked Richard when we sat on the park bench to rest.

"I doubt they offer what I'm craving here." he replied with a smirk.

"Just a simple yes or no will do. I'm getting us some corndogs." My treat cause at least I can afford it.

"Fine. And I'll have some cotton candy too." he added.

"See? Not so hard, was it?"

Leaving him seated on the bench, I made my way to the food stalls to purchase our snacks. From a distance, I watched with amusement as he awkwardly engaged in conversation with an elderly lady who had approached him. By the time I returned with our treats, the lady had moved on.

"Thank goodness you're back," Richard muttered as I handed him his snack.

"So what did you and that charming old lady talked about?" I inquired as I sat beside him.

"She said I was handsome and even suggested that I meet her granddaughter." he chuckled.

"And?"  I asked, curious about his response.

"I declined. I told her my heart already belongs to someone else." he replied with a smile.

"So, you simply lied to that lovely old woman just to get her to leave you alone?" I teased.

"I wasn't lying though." he replied casually.

I decided not to press further and we ate in silence until our meal was finished. I checked my watch and realized that we still have a couple of hours before the fireworks display starts. I suggested we take a ride on the Ferris wheel, to which he agreed.

As we waited in line, it became evident that we might have underestimated the wait time. Despite spending over an hour in line, it seemed like the line was barely moving. It is too late now to back down and the only thing I can do is to hope that we'd make it just in time for the show.

I wanted to view the display from the lake, so I anxiously checked my watch every now and then. Before I could even consider leaving the line, we were finally called forward.

It took them ages to get everyone in the ride because each carriage was being filled and emptied one by one.

"Finally." Richard murmured in relief the moment we got in.

The wheel started to turn slowly until it abruptly stopped which is unusual. Concerned murmurs about malfunction filled the air until the dark sky erupted in a burst of color, signaling the start of the fireworks display.

We just got lucky to have the perfect vantage point for the spectacular show. My eyes were fixed on the explosion of colors when I felt Richard wrap his arm around my shoulder. I never complained about it but I welcomed the gesture instead since the night is starting to get chilly.

The display went on for about fifteen minutes before the sky went back to normal and met the applause from the crowd.

"That was incredible wasn't it?" I asked Richard.

"Yes, truly spectacular." he answered weakly and it's obvious that something is bothering him.

"Are you okay?" I inquired when I noticed his conflicted expression.

"It's just..." he began, his face tense and nervous, inching slowly closer to mine-

Another explosion interrupted us, marking the unexpected grand finale. I turned immediately to watch in awe as the sky was filled again with vibrant colors . I heard the crowd cheer for the pleasant surprise.

It went on for about a minute before the speakers announced the end of the show, thanking everyone who attended the event.

As the wheel began to descend, I tried to resume our earlier conversation.

"What were you saying again?" I asked Richard, eager to continue our discussion.

"Nothing. It's just that the height is giving me dizzy. I'm fine now."

"That's good. That's good." I replied. It's more like to assure myself that I had the wrong idea because for a second there, I thought that he was going to kiss me.

Which is absurd because why would he kiss me in the first place? I brushed off any lingering and inappropriate thoughts about a kiss and instead focused on exiting the carriage.

Richard was the first one to be freed from the seatbelt and he bolted ahead, visibly shaken, while whispering obscenities to himself. I had to jog my way just to catch up with him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him again just to confirm that he is not in distress because he looks really nervous as if he was having a mild anxiety attack.

"I am. I just need a moment."  he replied, taking a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure.

I gave him his personal space. Observing from a distance, I waited until he approached me

"I'm alright now. Let's head home." he said, his voice steadier.