Thankfully, the time spent in the arcade was far more enjoyable than the time on the death traps this park called rides. Helen was clearly lacking in experience when it came to arcades, as for the first few seconds after we entered, she was in total shock. Trying to come to grips with the number of people, noise and lights present that seemed to increase in intensity the moment we stepped inside. But after barely a moment, to my surprise, she appeared in her element, jumping from one place to another with the most infectious smile I had ever seen. By the time we finished, there wasn't a single game we hadn't played. Air hockey, basketball, racing, shooting, we played them all. Even to my embarrassment, a dancing game that Helen all but begged me to play.
I loved it, not the dancing game, mind you, that I vowed to never touch again for as long as I lived, which was to say not very long, but spending time with Helen, laughing, joking around, and even flirting, or at least my attempts at flirting. It was amazing. And it was during this time that I came to a decision. That before this date came to an end, I would ask her out. Realising I wanted her to be more than a friend to me, and me more than a friend to her.
After we finished in the arcades, out of breath and sweaty, we walked back out into the now chilly outdoors, the sun having descended flat against the horizon, barely able to be seen through the colossal rides that surrounded us. We decided to go on the last few rides we hadn't tried before, to call it an end. Rides, which to my relief, were far more relaxed in design. However, still not wanting the day to come to an end and having come up with a plan to actually ask her out, I quickly spoke up.
"Hey, before we leave, why don't we go to the gift shop real quick?" I asked nervously, pointing to the gift shop only a few metres away.
"That's perfect. I was just about to say the same thing. Seems like we're really in sync." She replied. "How about we split up and meet back up at the exit?"
Doing just that, we quickly split up. I proceeded to quickly scour the shelves for something I could give to Helen. Something that she would not only enjoy but that was romantic as well. A difficult task for someone with as little romantic experience as I had. I thought about maybe a stuffed toy, but decided against it, thinking that Helen didn't seem like the type to want such a thing.
Eventually, my eyes were drawn to a myriad of snow globes that littered one of the shelves. One of which was of the ferris wheel located in the middle of the park, which I thought was perfect. As I grabbed it and headed to the checkout counter, I realised I would need to get something else, in case she wanted to see what I got. I quickly grabbed the first semi-interesting thing I could find, a colourful mug with some tacky writing that I would say was a gift for my father. As we met up and began leaving the park, both of us with our gift shop bags in hand. A sense of nervousness started to build within me at the thought of what I was going to do.
"Hey." I started, "If it's ok with you, would it be alright if I walked you back home, what with it being dark and all that?" I awkwardly asked, glancing off to the side, despite the sky being plenty bright with the sun not having fully set.
Thankfully, it seemed I wasn't the only one who didn't want the day to end, as with a light blush, she gave me a small nod. "Sure. I would like that."
The walk to her place was different from the day we had just spent, our chatter more calm and relaxed. Our shoulders constantly brushed against one another's with each step, yet neither of us made an effort to move further away. As we walked, I did my best to move as slowly as possible, wanting the walk to last as long as physically possible. Something which, if Helen noticed, she didn't mention. Unfortunately, nothing can last forever, and so, to my regret, we found ourselves coming to a stop directly in front of a beautiful two-storey house, lined with head-high hedges and miniature porcelain statues of all different types. If I weren't so used to seeing Sam's mansion-like house, I'm sure I would have been floored by its scale and grandeur.
"This is my place." She finally said, fidgeting with the bag in her hand and breaking the silence between us. All I could do was nod, unable to say the words I had been planning during the entire walk here, my mouth adamant in its refusal to move. However, upon seeing that she looked ready to leave, drawing on the small dregs of courage I possessed and in a fit of urgency, I thrust the gift bag towards her, making her freeze in surprise.
"Here, I, er… got this for you." I somehow got out. My eyes shut closed as my face burned up in embarrassment while I prayed in my mind that she would accept it.
A moment later, the sound of Helen's laughter could be heard, and for a heart-shattering second, I believed that laughter was directed at me. That was at least until I reluctantly opened my eyes and, to my shock, came face to face with an identical gift bag being held towards me. I looked back at Helen, who was shyly smiling towards me.
"It seems we're more in sync than I thought. I got this for you." Before my brain could even register what was happening, I dumbly took the bag from her hands as she did the same with mine, my mouth agape throughout the exchange.
"Alright then, I guess I'll see you later." And with that, she started turning away towards her house.
Realising I was going to miss my chance to say what I had been wanting to for the past hour, without even a single thought, I reached out and grabbed her arm, accidentally pulling her towards me until there was but less than a foot of space between us. However, I barely even realised, my attention instead focused on what I was about to do as I took a deep breath before looking right into Helen's eyes. Eyes that were wide open in surprise from what had just happened.
"I like you." I blurted out, forgetting the poetic words and speeches I thought of not even an hour prior. "Would you like to go out with me?"
The moment I confessed, I wanted nothing more than to shut my eyes in fear that she would say no. But I didn't. I kept my eyes wide open, staring directly into hers as I waited for a reply with bated breath. The only sound I could hear was that of the blowing wind and more loudly that of my thumping heart.
Just as I began to prepare myself for the worst, to my complete and utter surprise, I watched as Helen quickly closed the distance between us, her head heading straight towards mine. By the time I realised what was happening, her lips were already locked against mine before she just as quickly she pulled back, leaving me motionless as I stood there gawking in surprise. The only thought passing through my mind was how amazing that kiss was and how I wish it hadn't ended.
"Sure." She replied with a beautiful smile, breaking me out of my train of thought before she quickly scurried up the steps to her front door.
"Talk to you later?" she asked in a giddy excitement.
"Absolutely!" I all but shouted in response, unable to control my jumbled emotions.
Flashing one last grin my way, Helen closed the door behind her, leaving me standing alone as I processed what had just happened, pinching myself constantly to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Seeing that I was awake, the largest smile I had ever had appeared on my face as I all but jumped into the air in celebration before I merrily began jogging back home, the sun having completely set by this point. It was only after I was halfway home that I was able to focus on anything besides the kiss Helen and I had just shared, as well as the fact that we were now dating. It was then that I realised I had left the gift I had gotten for my dad with hers in the bag I gave. A thought I quickly threw away as I once again thought back to the moment she said yes with a gigantic smile.