"How long does this thing go for?" She asks Aaron as he starts to pinch the soft and fluffy cotton candy, slowly melting and sticking to his fingers.
"About thirty minutes."
"Woah, that's a long time, isn't it?"
"Yep."
He continues eating small pinches of the cotton candy while she looks at his dorky face.
She observes him as he gobbles down on the snack. His uniform, with his thick rounded glasses, green-plated braces and neatly slicked-back hair makes her smile. He isn't too bad, she thought.
He takes a big bite out of the cotton candy stack in front of him. His face furrows as he gobbles the big chunk down.
"That was too sweet, yeesh!" He exclaims in disgust. She chuckles at his reaction.
"Are you okay?"
"I am, don't worry." He smiles, coughing, trying to clear up his throat. "How about you, are you feeling better now?"
She nods, showing her dimples. "I am, and I am extremely grateful for everything you have done for me."
"I'm glad to hear that." He smiles as he tiptoes, trying to look at the windows of the Ferris wheel. "Look, the people look so tiny from here."
She looks to her side. "You're right! I'd never imagined myself to see everything from this perspective. I guess we really are a small wonder to a bigger universe."
"You're right. It serves as a reminder that no matter how big your problems are, you're always bigger than them." He proudly grins as she chuckles at him.
"Sure, sure, got it." She grins back.
"By the way, I remember that thing that you said earlier, you know— that thing."
"What thing ?" She asks in confusion.
"You know, the thing you wanted to eat, the all-you-can-eat buffet,"
She chuckles. "Why, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to treat me to one?"
"Why not? It seems like this amusement park also has an all-you-can-eat buffet."
Her grin widens. "Really?"
Aaron smiles. "It's my pleasure."
***
A feast appears in front of them. Desserts of sweet, jam-filled donuts, iced-cakes, fruit plates, and frozen yogurt are all within their reach. Main dishes like roasted turkey, seafood, steak, and crispy chicken flood their plates. Both of them walk back to their respective tables, taking two whole plates. The buffet is a premium restaurant with a historical Chinese-royalty theme. On its centerpiece is a huge koi pond with a red, mandarin bridge in the middle. The restaurant is painted red, with its entrance, a giant pagoda arching over another more prominent bridge with an even bigger pond below it with significantly more koi fishes.
"Thank you for this, I really appreciate it."
"It's nothing, really." He says as both of them grabbed a seat. Picking up her fork, she rolls it on the soft and scrumptious pasta on her very plate. She smiles as she slurps the extended tips of the Italian delicacy.
"How's the food?"
"It's very delicious. It's just like how my mom makes it." She smiles as she grabs another bite. He slices the steak and pours in a gravy-like sauce full of spices. He holds his fork and hands it to her plate.
"You should try eating this, it's kind of their best dishes." He asserts, smiling.
"Thanks." She smiles back as she grabs a bite. "It's very delicious! What is this?"
"Rosemary steak and gravy with spices."
"I don't know what that is, but thanks anyway." She says, as she continues eating.
He chuckles at her reaction. Both of them continue to eat until they finished the very last piece of shrimp on their plates, the last drip of tomato sauce, and the last round ball of grapes. He finally slides his plate over, signaling that he's full.
"I'm stoked!" Aaron touches his protruding stomach.
"So am I."
Both of them chuckle. They look at their faces and stare at both their eyes. They smile timidly.
"Hey, you've got a bit of sauce on your lips" She says, pointing at him.
"Is it here?" He tries to wipe his left lip clean.
"No, the other side."
"Ah," He wipes his right lip with the nearby napkin. He then puts down the napkin, giving her an asserting look.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She awkwardly smiles.
"You know what, let's do all the other things you've said on the rollercoaster ride."
"All of that?" She chuckles, her dimples furrowing over her face. "I don't believe you."
"Really, let's do all of that. I promise."
She chuckles at him in disbelief, offering her pinky finger in the meantime. "Really, it's a promise, okay?"
"I promise." He says as he locks his pinky finger to hers. Both of them laugh again. She looks at him in his geeky outfit while he looks at her with her ponytails slipped through her pearly-white uniform. She grabs his hands and looks into his eyes.
"Look at me." She orders him firmly. He follows suit. "I want to ask you something and please answer honestly. Is it okay with you?"
He nods, not breaking eye contact with her.
"What if—" she blinks her eyes as she tightens her grip on his hands. "What if someday— perhaps tomorrow, or next week or next year— I'll change into someone else, someone completely different. Would you still look at me the same way you look at me now? Would you still look at me as a friend?"
Aaron is taken aback. He squints his eyes. "Why are you asking me this—"
She shakes her head, looking at Aaron directly in the eyes. "Just answer me."
He nods his head, staring straight into her pupils. "Sure, I'd still look at you in the same way I look at you now." He puts up his pinky finger and smiles. "I promise."
She smiles. Finally for the first time in her life, she was feeling friendship. Real friendship. Amidst all the drama she told him, he still decides to stay— at least she thinks so.
Out of nowhere, her phone rings, and she opens it promptly. Aaron looks at her, as her face slowly furrows. She continues to stare at her phone for a few moments and puts it back on her bag. "Is it okay with you? I have to go. Thanks anyway, uhmmm..."
"Aaron, Aaron Miles. But please call me Aaron."
She smiles. "Thank you for everything, Aaron. I hope we can do this again."
"Me too." He smiles back.
"Goodbye, Aaron." She says as she grabs her bag, cleans her mouth with a tissue paper, and bolts off to the exit. Aaron grabs his bag and follows suit.
"Wait—" he shouts at her back. "I never had the chance to know your name."
She smiles as she stops and turns around to him. "I'm Jude. Jude Elaine." She smiles for one last time and rushes off again. After a few steps, she swivels her hips, looking back to him again. "Nice meeting you, Aaron, and thank you for everything! I'll never forget this day. I had fun."
He nods. A black motorbike arrives, waiting in front of the buffet. She quickly hops on it. Aaron tries to follow Jude and sees her back hopping onto the black motorbike. The rider in the front of the motorbike looks at who was chasing Jude and sees Aaron, stopping to stare at him for a few moments. Aaron catches a portion of his face while the rest of his face is covered by his helmet.
Aaron drifts back to reality as Jude's arms grasp on his shoulders.
"If you finish that sentence, I'll also finish you, right here, right now." Jude eyes at him, as he goes head to head with her, his uniform fisted by Jude.
Aaron tilts his head as his eyebrows furrow, his mouth opening due to his sudden realization. He stares at Jude for a few moments while his eyes squint. Memories flow back to him as he recognizes the black motorbike guy— Mark.
He then stares at Jude in her outfit as he remembers her ponytails from a year ago. He remembers the volleyball, the amusement park, the rollercoasters, the cotton candies, the wheel and the promises.
He nods in frustration and disbelief as his mind boggles over the details.
Who is this person in front of me? Is this the real Jude? What about the other girl? Was that fake? Which was real? Which was the alter ego?