They drove to the park, stepped out of the car, and smiled at each other. Halfway down the path, they started talking. She asked him how he knew her best friend, Marie.Alex began explaining that last year he went to the lake with his friend, who had a girlfriend — and it turned out Nicol knew that girl. She smiled softly and said, "Well, Marie texted me that she knows you and thought you were Vietnamese."Alex laughed, "Vietnamese? Me?"Nicol giggled, "Yeah, but you don't look like it at all."He smiled wider. "That's the first time I've ever heard that."She laughed quietly. "Yeah, it's kind of silly."
Then Nicol asked, "Did you forget to bring your drink?""Oh, right," he said, "doesn't matter.""We could still go back to the car for it," she offered gently."Nah, forget it," he replied with a smile."Alright then," she said, returning the smile.
They walked along the path, both looking around at the calm park. Suddenly, Alex started laughing out of nowhere.Nicol laughed too. "What are you laughing at?"He grinned, "I'm just thinking about that — that I supposedly look like a Vietnamese guy."She smiled, her eyes soft. "Don't worry about it. You don't look like that at all."He looked at her for a moment and smiled again.
"I haven't been in this park for like half a year," Nicol said. "Last time was in summer, when there was that concert. I came with my best friend, Camila.""Yeah, I remember hearing about that," Alex said. "I haven't been here for a while either. I don't go out much.""Why not?" she asked curiously."Didn't really have time," he said quietly."Oh, I see," Nicol smiled softly.
They were getting close to the pond with benches. Nicol slowed down, and for a moment memories rushed through her — how she once sat there months ago, thinking about what would come next. She smiled at the thought."Let's sit here," she said."Sure," he nodded."Or do you want to sit in the shade?""Yeah, that's better," he agreed.
They walked a little further and sat on a bench facing tall trees, where rabbits ran through the grass."Look, a rabbit," Nicol whispered."Yeah," Alex smiled.She turned to him. "So, what would you tell me about yourself?""Well, I already told you almost everything in our messages," he said."True," Nicol said, smiling."And what about you?" he asked."Same here," she laughed. "You already know most of it."
For a moment, silence fell between them — soft, not uncomfortable. Then Nicol started laughing."What's funny?" he asked."It's just this awkward silence," she giggled."Alright," she said playfully, "what kind of movies or shows do you like?"They started talking and realized they had so much in common.
Then they noticed two rabbits in the distance. Alex stood up."What are you doing?" Nicol laughed."I'm gonna try to catch one," he said, stepping quietly onto the grass.Nicol burst out laughing. As he got closer, he suddenly started running — and the rabbit darted away."Nice try!" she called out, laughing loudly."Too bad," Alex grinned as he came back."You wouldn't have caught it anyway," Nicol teased.
"Wanna go for a walk?" he asked."Yeah, better than just sitting here," she said."Let's go to the 'sea,'" he suggested."The sea?" she asked, smiling."That's what they call it here.""Oh, right! I've never been there.""Really? Then I'll take you," he said softly."Okay," she smiled.
After a short walk, they arrived."Wow, it's beautiful here," Nicol said quietly."It really is," Alex replied, his voice calm.
Nicol took out her vape and sighed. "Ugh, it's not working again.""What's wrong?""It just won't hit.""You can use mine," he offered kindly."No thanks, it's fine," she said with a little laugh."Alright then," he smiled.
They walked slowly along the path, the world around them quiet and golden. Then suddenly a little boy on a bike rode past, shouting something at them. The silence broke, and both burst out laughing."What was that?" Nicol laughed."No idea," Alex said, laughing too."I bet he'll come back and do it again," she said.A few seconds later, the boy rode past again shouting, and they laughed even harder.
"Let's sit here," Nicol said when they reached a row of benches."Sure," Alex agreed.
After a while, Nicol noticed his tattoo."I see you've got a tattoo," she said softly."Yeah, I got it in Portugal. I went there with my friends," he said, telling her how both of his friends fell in love with Slovak girls.Nicol laughed, "And what other tattoos would you want to get?"He showed her some pictures."They're nice, but I think they'd look better without that red color," she said gently."Really?" he smiled."Yeah," she nodded.
They kept talking, sharing stories and little memories. After a while, Alex said, "We should probably head back.""Yeah, sure," Nicol replied with a smile.
They chatted on the way back, then got into the car. Alex started the engine and turned on some music."So, are you really not going to lend me your vape battery?" Nicol asked playfully.He smiled, "Alright, sure," and handed it to her."Thanks," she said softly.
They drove in silence for a while. Nicol looked out the window, thinking how much she actually liked him — how kind he was, how easy it felt to be with him. As they got closer to her town, she started singing along to the music. Alex laughed and joined in, and soon they were both singing and laughing together.
When they reached her house, Alex stopped the car. They looked at each other — a quiet, tender moment. Nicol wanted to kiss him, but thought it might be too soon for a first date. So she smiled shyly, got out of the car, said goodbye, and hurried home, her heart still warm.