(Orion Ligh)
Is this what people mean when they say that food made with love is delicious? Everyone here is happy, well, that is an understatement. I never knew that a festival hosted in the back of a small town could be this fun. There are so many games and foods to taste. Each is made of one single key ingredient, strawberries.
"Slow down, we still have a lot of time to enjoy ourselves, plus there's a final celebration later at night."
I turn around to look at Colton. For someone who hates strawberries, he sure knows a lot about what is happening today.
"And just how do you know this?" I ask, sarcastically.
He whips out an event schedule and waves it in my face.
"You know, there are such things as event schedules, you could have gotten it if you weren't so focused on eating every strawberry insight."
I took it from his hand with a grunt. I look at the schedule and notice the final event is a dance. That seems fun. I need to find a dance partner last minute.
Where can I get a dance partner? I am going to regret this, but it's only a dance, and well, I never got to dance with anyone, a slow dance. Not even in high school or at prom, didn't have anyone ask me out.
"Hey, Colton, can you umm...help me with something please?"
"Urghh! I'm so going to regret agreeing to this, but why not? Sure, what is it?"
Shuffling closer to him, I point at the last event that is going to be held later tonight. That causes him to stare at me as if I've grown a third head. Well, there goes my last attempt at dancing ever with anyone. It's kinda sad.
"Look, Orion, it's not that I don't want to dance with you."
He stops mid-sentence and stares at me, rubbing the back of his head as if contemplating telling me what is on his mind.
"I'm not that good of a dancer, let alone dancing with someone else, I'm sorry, but you'll have to count me out."
Ouch, why does that hurt so badly? I shouldn't have expected something different. Well, there goes my little dance. I can't let it show that I'm sad. I can just mask it like always and pretend that I am alright, just like prom.
"It's alright, Colton. It was a stupid idea anyway, so don't mind. I think I saw a trawberry plushy. I'm going to try and win it. Catch you later."
Whatever I said made him look hurt, but I didn't have time to digest it. I needed to get out of there fast. I don't know where I was going, I just kept walking till I reached a bench in a quiet place far away from everyone and the festival.
I think I acted like a jerk, I asked him to help me, and when it didn't go my way i left making him fell hurt. I need to apologise. That was a jerk move. I mean, i just wanted to be selfish for once. I just wanted to experience what a dance was all about.
I don't want to go back, its embarrassing. I shouldn't have acted like that, but seriously how does he not know how to dance anyway? Maybe i'll just stay here the sun set is quite nice today.
Dry leaves crunching catches my attention, and I notice that I'm alone in the dark.
"Do you realise how hard it is to find you?"
Colt appears from behind the trees, the last light of the day illuminating his silhouette.
"I didn't know you were looking for me?"
He plumps down on the seat next to me.
"The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?"
As I stare upwards, the sun slowly setting beyond the horizon paints the sky in a breathtaking palette of oranges and pinks. At the same time, the full moon ascends gracefully, its luminous glow illuminating the evening sky with a soft, silvery light. The scene is a mesmerizing blend of day and night, each celestial body creating a stunning contrast that captivates the senses.
"Yeah, it is isnt it," I reply.
We sit together in the dark on a warm summer night. The cicadas buzz loudly around us. Colton moves closer to me. For a moment, I forget he is a CEO. He acts a bit cheesy, but it feels sweet.
"So I waited for you during the festival dance. You were nowhere to be found," he turns to me and I see the hurt on his face, but it's directed at me, " I wanted to dance with you, you should have seen there were so many clumsy dancers."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, so umm about that dance, would you want to?"
"What?"
"Look, little Kitten, I'm trying here, okay, it's quite hard for me to dance. It's not that I don't know how to dance, it's just that I don't know how and I've never danced."
"You do realize that you don't have to explain anything to me, though, right?"
"Yeah, but I just wanted to."
Sweet, when was the last time anyone ever did something as stupid and sweet as this? I think I might have forgotten what it is like. I've noticed that most of the time, I'm just comparing Colt to my past experiences, which isn't fair to him as a person.
"So about that dance, want to have it now?"
"We don't even have music to dance to?"
"We have phones, you know."
As if on cue, the 'A Thousand Years' song track begins playing from his phone.
"Did you search for this song, just waiting for this point to bring it out?"
"What can I say, I owe you a dance, you know, so may I have this dance?"
I placed my hand on his, and he held it gently, as if it were fragile. He stroked the back of my hand, his touch warm and calming, offering silent comfort. This made my cheeks flush with warmth, and I felt a soft blush.
Time seems to stretch and slow as he gently pulls me to my feet, the world around us fading into a soft blur. His arm wraps securely around my waist, drawing me closer until I can feel the warmth of his body next to mine. The rush of emotions fills the air between us, igniting a connection that feels both thrilling and comforting. I can sense the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, mingling with my own, as we share this precious moment. I don't want this moment to stop at all. The music fades in the background, and all that's left is just us together, surrounded by little fireflies.
"Have you ever wanted a moment to last forever?"
"Yeah, and every time you..."
I don't know who leaned in first, but it happened in the blink of an eye, it felt as if time had paused. His lips brushed softly against mine, warm and inviting, sending a rush of unexpected electricity through me. The moment was so intoxicating that I hardly noticed the world around us fade away.