Finally he took out the earphones. And after a few seconds the blind fold slipped off my eyes.
We were on a boat with water lillies planted into a path on deck. Between each lily there was a candle and rose petals coloring the deck. Fairy lights were hanging and draped over the edges. Everything was perfect.
Two gardenias appeared in front of me. He held them to me and still stood behind me.
"Gardenias. They're my favorite. How did you know?" I asked and turned to face him.
He didn't answer. He just looked at me... Into my eyes... At my lips...
"It's beautiful, Trevor. I love it. Thank you," I said, reached up and kissed him with my arms around his neck. His arms flowed around my body holding me closer.
"Come on, I want to show you something," he said and dragged me to the front of the boat. I couldn't stop staring at the stars. I guess I never really took the time to look. I had to keep busy. To keep working hard... for Mom... for me...
Trevor had taken us out to sea. The water was still and the night was quiet. All you could hear was the flapping of the water against the boat. I held onto the railings. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, relaxing his chin on my shoulder. His fingers made circles on my stomach. Each circle gave me shivers.
We stayed like that for a while and then he whispered, "Dance with me." I looked at him over my shoulder. I don't know how to dance. Well, club dancing... But dancing with a partner... No can do. But how do I tell him that?
"What?"
"Dance with me," he said and slid his arms away from me. He turned me around gently and took my hands. "Trevor, I can't," I said. This is so embarrassing.
"Why not?"
"I, uhm, ahem, I don't know how," I explained and tried my best not to make eye contact with him. So, I kept my focus on one lilly. The pink on that lily is really coming out.
"You don't know how to dance?" he asked. Thanks for making me feel more self-conscious about it.
"Well, I never had the money to go to prom or a normal school dance. No one ever taught me. So, yeah, I can't dance..." It didn't matter to me. Look how far I've come since the teenage girl who nobody liked and said bad things about to the young woman standing here... Someone who's almost graduated and with a full-time job.
Like the idiot I am, I stepped towards him, held his one hand to the side and took my other arm around his waist. He looked down at me and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I thought we were dancing."
He laughed at me. I can't do this. I'll only be making a fool out of myself. I turned away to go back to the railing.
"Hey," he said and caught my hand. "Here," he said and took my arms and placed them around his neck. I gasped when his hands took the form of my waist. He pushed a button on his smart watch and then music began to play.
He really is a sucker for romance. Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum was playing.
"Now what?" I asked. He smiled at me and whispered, "Now, we just sway. Slow and easy."
My feet were a complete mess from nerves. I looked down at them trying to give them my you-need-to-stop-that-now smile.
"Amabel? Keep your eyes on me. I'll take the lead. All you have to do is relax."
Never once did he take his eyes off of mine. This entire evening was like magic. Piksi dust in his eyes and wings that made me want to fly. What is this feeling? I am so happy I feel like crying. I feel so safe, it's like I can never be harmed. Most importantly, I don't feel like an outcast to have to hide everything. I can be who I am. I belong. I belong here. I belong with him.
After our many, many dances we had dinner. Nothing fancy and also my favorite... Chicken burgers and fries! And then to finish it all off, a double thick chocolate milkshake. This has always been my favorite date. Not that I had any. But this is how I imagined it. It's perfect!
"You're not like most girls, Amabel," he said as we ate. I was really hungry and stopped in the middle of my bite of my burger. "What makes you say that?" I asked quickly before going on.
"Well, other girls might expect a fancy dinner and all that other stuff. They will definitely not order a burger and when they do, some eat them with a knife and fork. But you, you're free. You're eating a burger the way it's supposed to be eaten."
I stopped chewing. Does that mean I eat disgracefully? It was like he saw the confusion in my eyes, because then he said, "I understand they want to show manners, but they can cut it in quarters like you and then with your hands. Guys like it when you eat like that, but there's a limit." He chuckled.
Why is he talking about the way food is supposed to be eaten? Is he trying to tell me something? I stopped with the burger and headed to the fries. I poked at one with my fork and dipped it in my small bowl of ketchup. He looked at me and chuckled.
"What?" I asked.
"You got a little something here," he said, rubbing a few inches away from the corner of his lips. Oh no! I've got ketchup on my cheek! Oh, shoot me now... Just shoot me!
I grabbed my napkin and wiped it off. He stood up and came to stand next to me. Then he bowed down next to my chair, took my legs from under the table and moved them toward him. I was facing him now and damn, he's on his knees.
He took the napkin from my hands softly and said, "Here. Let me." There's something about his touch. There's always been something about his touch. After he wiped the ketchup from my cheek, I felt like a kid.
He stopped and said, "I just mommed you, didn't I?"
"Yeah," I whispered and nodded.
I started blushing from embarrassment. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I can't let him look at me like this. He tilted my chin to make direct eye contact with me and said, "I love it that you're blushing whenever you're around me."