I am pretty brave

I stopped my bike in front of the amusement park parking area.

"Get off, I'll go and park the bike," I said to Jose.

"What are we doing here?" he asked.

"First, get off," I commanded him and he listened this time.

I came back after parking my car, and Jose kept on looking at me expecting an answer to his previous question.

"What? Stop looking at me like that," I said to him.

"Tell me now, why are we here?" he asked again.

"Didn't you say, that you have not been to the amusement park for a long while too? We had time today, so I brought you here," I told him without looking straight into his eyes.

He smiled at me, looking really cute.

"You are caring for me," he bent down to say this while looking into my eyes.

"Stop being silly," I turned away from him and started walking towards the entrance of the park, "Follow me if you still want to go, otherwise you can go back."

"Coming," he came running behind me trying to catch up with me, still having that silly smile on his face.

He had been behaving like a small kid from the time we met today, I feel like a mom taking care of her son.

We purchased the tickets and went through all the checking before entering the park. The park was really beautiful, I did go to an amusement park with my parents a few years ago, but it was not this one.

"Is it your first time in an amusement park?" Jose asked me after watching me curiously looking around.

"No, I came with my parents a few years ago, but it wasn't this one. It is pretty here," I told him.

"Even when you are saying that it is pretty, it feels like an insult. Can't you smile a little if you are happy?" he said to me.

"Don't I look happy enough?" I said with a grim look.

"Forget it, you are happy, I lose," he shook his head and moved forward with a deep sigh.

We then walked forward, wondering which ride to go for first.

"Let's go on the roller coaster ride," he said to me.

"That's so childish, huh," I said with a smirk.

"You are scared of it?" he played reverse psychology and it worked.

"I am not," Well, maybe I was but only a little.

"Then, let's go," he moved towards the entrance and I followed.

"This is so unexciting," I said leaning to the railings at the onboarding area, crossing my arms, trying to look cool.

"Come on now, you brought me here," he said.

Throughout the ride there were two sides you would see, Jose was screaming with happiness and excitement and I was numb, that happens when I am extremely scared. My face had turned pale, and my stomach felt light when we got off the ride.

"You, okay?" he asked worrying about me after looking at my face.

"Yeah, I am, I am okay, totally fine," I said to him without changing my facial expression and showing him a thumbs up.

And he believed that, as he was too busy having fun.

He took my hand and rushed to the pirate ship ride.

"We have to go on this next," he said looking at the ride. His eyes were shining as he spoke. Just how much, he might have wanted to visit this place.

I wanted to refuse to go with him at first but then I also did not want him to feel ignored.

So, I went with him, and the ride started.

"I am not scared; I am not scared..." I started murmuring to myself to feel less scared, while on my left Jose had his arms in the air, and he was enjoying the ride.

He noticed me murmuring after a few seconds.

"Are you okay?" he asked putting his arm around me.

"I am fine," I said with my eyes closed.

He knew I was dying on the ride, so he did not take his hand back from my shoulders.

We got off the rid, and I felt like throwing up but luckily it didn't happen.

"So, you are scared of these rides," he laughed mocking me.

"No person is perfect, I can also have some things that I am scared of," I knew that I was busted, so I did not hide it anymore and accepted that I have a fear of such rides.

"Finally, found something that can tame you, wait a minute," he went away after making enough fun of me and came back with lemonade drinks one in each hand.

"Here, have this, you will feel better," he said handing me one of the glasses.

"Thank You," I had a few sips and now I felt I little better.

"So, let's go back, I don't want to kill you before returning home," he said to me.

"No, how can we go back? There are still many rides left to try," I said.

"You are still thinking of going on rides, in this condition," he said with a worried expression.

"What condition? I am totally fine, I am so fine that I can hunt a tiger alone," I said standing up from my place.

PS; I love animals.

"Talking about hunting a tiger, when you almost threw up after a pirate ship ride," he mocked me again.

"Stop mocking me," I sat back down crossing my arms and making a grumpy face.

"Tell me, which ride?" he asked.

"The bumper car," I told him with a big smile, " I and Simon always did that whenever we came to the amusement park."

"Okay, let's go," he stood up holding my hand, and even picked my bag for me.

"I can take the bag," I told him but he refused and walked together to the bumper car ride.

It was a lot of fun, the ride. But there was something weird all the time, he kept on looking at me all along. I wanted to ask but I let him be, as long as he enjoyed.

"What next?" he asked after we got off the ride.

"The carousel," I pointed my fingers excitedly in the direction of the carousel.

He started laughing.

"What now? Why are you laughing?" I asked him.

"I didn't know you could be this cute," he said still laughing at me.

"Who is cute?" I frowned and looked away.

You know what he did, he patted my head, as if I were a kitten. If I really was one, I would have left him with a mark of my paws on one of his cheeks.

How am I cute? Huh!

"You are going with me," I said to him, leaving him speechless.

"No, I am not going," he said looking embarrassed.

"You said you would say yes to whatever I say today," I made him remember the deal we made.

"I don't want to learn to ride a motorcycle anymore," he said turning his head away.

"Once a deal is made, I don't let anyone terminate it," I took him dragging to the ride.

His face was a masterpiece of embarrassment. I laughed so much looking at his face while he sat on one of the horses. I clicked about a hundred pictures of his face. He looked so adorable and funny at the same time.

When we got off the ride, I showed him the pictures that I took of him on the carousel. He rushed to take the phone away and delete it, but I kept on running away.

He gave up and sat down on a bench, but I went and got us some cotton candy. There is an unspoken rule, that if you go to an amusement park you can't not eat cotton candy.

I gave him one and sat down next to him. We both were panting heavily as we ran so much. He gave me a bottle of water that he might've bought when I went to get the cotton candy.

"Delete those pictures," he asked me.

"I won't show them to anyone, don't worry," I told him.

"I don't even want you to look at them yourself," he said while sulking.

"Why they are so funny, I will look at them to cheer myself up when I am having a hard time," I told him.

"Just give it to me already, let me delete them," he again tried to snatch my phone from my bag that was kept on the other side.

He came so close to me that I couldn't resist it. I kissed him on his cheeks.

He got startled and instantly forgot about the photos. His face and ears turned red. He looked at me still close to me.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" I asked him back pretending I did nothing.

"Stop playing dumb," he said.

"I am not, I am going to ask you to be my boyfriend. I take responsibility for what I do. You cannot refuse, we made a deal and..." before I spoke anything more, he leaned forward and gave a peck on my lips.

"I agree," he said looking at me from so close up, in a slow voice.

I moved away, slightly pushing him, and sat back straight.

"Good, then," I said trying to not feel shy, and still act coolly.

"What? You are red," he said looking at me, "I just made you blush, that's epic," he smiled feeling shy himself.

We were sitting awkwardly for quite a few minutes, just smiling for no reason.

"Well, then when did you start liking me?" he asked me.

"I am not telling," I said still avoiding his eyes.

"If you tell me, then I will also tell you anything you ask," he wanted to make a deal this time.

"Okay, anything you said," I am not letting a good chance go.

"Anything I said, so tell me, when was it?" he asked again.

"It was back in middle school, I used to have a crush on you. That is why, Jennie always tried to have a conversation with you, so that you notice me. Well, she was just trying to help me," he listened carefully as I spoke, "But after Jennie was gone, everyone turned bitter to me, I was being bullied, and you were also cold to me. Then I thought that I would never like you again. But things turned out in such a way, that we got entangled and I ended up with feelings for you again."

"There was such a story. If only I knew you liked me back then," he said looking at a distance, "By the way, you hid really well. But I think I like you more, I have never stopped liking you, for a single day since middle school."

I turned to him in surprise as he said this.

"You are lying, you didn't even look at me in middle school," I cannot believe him.

"It's true," he said, "don't you remember? My first day at middle school, you gave your lunchbox to me, because the other kids spilled my lunch. From that day on, I have had a crush on you."

"No way. If so, then tell me why did you become cold after Jennie was gone?" I asked him.

"That was because, it seemed like you changed. I did not like, how you became so aloof and you hardly smiled. Kristen who was your once best friend, you started fighting with her every now and then," he explained to me his side of the story.

"I think there are a lot of things, that we might've misinterpreted," I said to him rubbing my hands to make them warm. It was still autumn but it was windy.

He grabbed onto my hand. I tried pulling it away. After trying a little I stopped resisting his gesture and let it be.

"Now you have to tell me what I ask?" I said to him.

"Can't you let it go?" he tried fleeing my question.

"No," I gave him a side-eye.

" You are scary too. Did I ever tell you this?" he said trying to evade.

"I know, that is why you have to keep your promise. Tell me now, why did you cry in the prop room that day," I am extreme and I know.

"I knew it. I knew you were going to bring this up. Just let it go now, it's an ugly past. I cried in front of the girl I like," he tried evading the question again.

"Leave my hand then," I said with a cold look on my face taking my hand away from his.

"Okay, don't do this, I will tell you," he finally got his senses back.

"Tell," I indulged him.

"I told you that day, that my mom and real dad divorced, and then my mom remarried," he started.

"Yes, and you also said that now you have a stepfather and a stepbrother," I added.

"Yes, but I did not tell you why they divorced. My real father was a drunkard. After his business went down the drain, he came home drunk every night. He would hit my mother and if I tried to stop him, he locked me in a closet," he stopped and sighed, then looking at me he said, "It was really dark in the closet every time."

Suddenly I felt that maybe I shouldn't have asked him about it. I felt guilty.

"I am sorry, I shouldn't have asked," I said to him looking at the ground.

"No, actually it's good that you asked. I know very well that you are a person who would be fake if you cannot curb your curiosity. And thank you for caring about me crying or not," he said grabbing my other hand as well.

After a few minutes, I spoke again, "We have to keep this a secret from those big mouths."

"Jake and Richa?" he asked.

"Who else?" It was an obvious thing.

"But why are we hiding it from others?" he asked me.

"Because we are still in high school. What more reason do you want?" I said rigidly.

"Okay," he said while sulking.

"Stop sulking, are you a kid? You kept on sulking all day," I said to him making an annoyed face.

"I bet you sulk more, Ms. Duckling," he smiled sillily.

"Stop calling me that," I said.

"I won't," he kept on teasing me all the time after he heard Simon call me that.

***