Chapter 64. Second Date /Part 2
Jackson Johnson
"I want you." Those simple three words made me angrier than ever. Her big, dark eyes awaited my reaction.
"Tell that to someone who doesn't know you, Arya. You're good at lying. What makes you think I'd believe you after all these years? You never loved me; I was just a toy to you. You hurt me more than you can imagine."
"I know that's why you've never married or had a girlfriend..."
"How do you know?" I got even angrier knowing she knew part of my life.
"Jack, I've been keeping track of what you do and don't do for years, but..." She furrowed her brow. I stepped forward to stand in front of her, glaring into her eyes with anger.
"Stay out of my life." I felt a hand on my stomach and realized it was Lilly, pushing me back, standing between us.
"Miss, please. Not today." Arya looked at Lilly in surprise and slowly nodded. Then Lilly turned to face me, cupping my cheeks and moving my face to look at her. I was trembling with anger, my hands clenched into fists. Seeing Arya again had thrown me off balance, and not in a good way. "Breathe," she whispered. I found myself focusing on her brown eyes. "Breathe..." I felt the anger slowly subside within me. "Let's go." She lowered her hands and gently tugged me towards the car. Before closing the door, Lilly smiled at me. "Our date isn't over yet, Mr. Johnson." She winked and shut the door. My gaze stayed on the tinted window, watching Arya's figure as she turned and crossed to the other side of the street. My heart slowed down from its rapid pace moments ago. I heard the door close beside me, and it was Lilly. She took my hand and said something to Richard. The car started moving, and soon we were caught in the evening traffic.
"Thank you." The words slipped from my lips as I caressed her hand intertwined with mine. "I don't know what came over me..."
"Don't thank me. I understand perfectly that our past can throw us off balance sometimes..." I looked at her.
"It was her," I whispered. Her brown eyes widened more than usual.
"The one from school?" I nodded slowly, noticing her expression change. "I thought it was just another failed date, like with Georgina Vans. If I'd known it was that woman..." She clenched her jaw, her face transforming with contained fury.
"No," I said immediately. She turned her face towards me. "It's my past, and I'll deal with it." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm herself.
"Alright," she replied, settling in as she had on the way to the cinema. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to my side, and kissed the top of her head. I was surprised by how she had handled the situation, calming me down just by looking into her eyes. The anger had vanished in moments. How was that possible? I closed my eyes and tried to think of something else. The car stopped in front of a place I had never seen before. I rolled down the window, and the smell of the sea filled the air.
"What are we doing at the beach? Are we at... Coney Island?" I looked in her direction, and she smiled.
"Get out," she ordered with a big smile. I slid out of the seat to get out, and my eyes widened. "Our last stop... is Luna Park."
I was speechless. I couldn't describe what I was feeling at that moment. I tried to suppress the feeling of excitement.
"Lilly," I called, looking in her direction. Her brown eyes met mine. "How did you come up with this? You surprised me..."
"Come on, let's go." She pulled my hand to cross the street. I looked at Richard, who smiled.
"Are they not coming?" I asked my boss, who looked surprised. "Come on, let's all go, it's an order. I might need you inside..." I let out an amused laugh at their reactions. The other car had parked behind us with two men from the security detail, who got out and kept their distance as we entered the place.
"Look!" Lilly exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a stall with colorful cotton candy. I just watched her, captivated, as I ordered for everyone. I felt like a kid experiencing an amusement park for the first time. I saw the rides, the food stalls, the ones with hanging stuffed animals. I saw many people having fun, and a few throwing up after getting off the rides. "Do you want to try?" Lilly made me turn my gaze from one of the brightly lit rides to look at her. She extended a kind of "hot dog" for me to take a bite.
"No, no, no, you eat it," I said immediately.
"Come on, you need the full amusement park experience." Her response was very logical, so... I leaned in to take a bite. She smiled triumphantly. I ate and raised my eyebrows, it tasted delicious! I took the rest and had another bite, and she let out an amused laugh. We continued walking through the place, looking at the stalls with easy games, until one caught my attention. "Target Shooting" the sign said.
"I want to try," I told Lilly, and she nodded.
"Go for it." I sat down and paid a dollar for three shots. The man on the other side of the stall explained what I would win if I hit one of the metal figures, until he showed me the silver one and pointed to the big plush bear. I aimed and missed twice.
"Again..." I kept going until finally, on the sixth round, I hit the silver-painted figure. I let out an ecstatic shout, stood up, and jumped with Lilly. We looked like two kids about to receive our prize. The man on the other side, smiling, handed me my trophy. "Thank you." The adrenaline rushed through my veins. I looked at Lilly and handed it to her. "It's my gift to you."
"What? Thank you!" Richard approached us.
"We'll carry it for you, Miss Bradley." Lilly thanked him. I took her hand, and we kept walking. I was excited, having fun like I never had before, until she stopped in front of a wheel full of flashing lights.
"Let's get on." I shook my head, seeing that those seats didn't seem safe.
"No. It's not safe to get on those chairs..."
"Come on, don't be scared." She leaned towards me. "If you're scared, you can kiss me at the top."
"Lilly..." I tried to make her understand that no ride was safe, but she pulled my hand when the man at the entrance of the ride invited us on with a couple of tickets.
"Just the two of us." She handed over the tickets and sat down. I couldn't see anything that confirmed we wouldn't fall, and I started to shake my head, but Lilly insisted I sit next to her. "Come on, sit." Hesitant, I sat next to her. Only a metal bar in front of us at the height of our abdomen. I let out a gasp as it started to move, other people sitting in another seat below our feet.
"My God, this isn't right, it's not safe..." I began to say, and Lilly took my hand and placed it on the metal bar.
"Relax, enjoy the view." Another gasp as we rose higher until we were at the top. What I saw from that place... was beautiful.
"It's beautiful." I ignored the cold and the tension in my stomach from the insecurity of where we were sitting. "You can see everything from here..." Lilly moved a bit to get closer.
"If you're scared... kiss me." I turned my gaze from the lights to look at her. Her eyes grew darker.
"I'll kiss you, but not because I'm scared. I'll do it because you've made this second date one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life..."