Chocolate milkshake

cotton candy and responsibility

I hated first dates.

I mean, they have always been very awkward and awful for me. Two people expected to venture into a romance, forcing smiles and laughs, but this seemed...different.

"Do you know what I love?"
Q's right eyebrow was raised as he continued filling his mouth with the cotton candy, of which we had gotten only moments ago.
"Sunrises"
"Oh really?" He laughed, and I knew he wanted an explanation.
"Yeah, I mean, there's the sun, right?"
"Yeah?"
"And everyday, it wakes up, and sets up the day for everyone. Could you imagine having that responsibility? I mean It's a very cool thing to do"
he looked at me like I was the curious child I truly am, and simply laughed at my thoughts.
"Responsibility, huh?" He asked
"Yeah, it's a big one"
"Gotta love responsibilities, right?"
"Yes Q, like the responsibility of buying all the cotton candy at a fair, and not getting any of it!" I playfully pushed him as he quickly surrendered the treat, it was then I realised I felt different around him, more natural and happy, like a lonely child finding a friend.

We had spent a long day at the local fair for our first date. It had been full of snorting laughter and telling embarrassing childhood tales that were perhaps meant to be un said.
"What do you wanna do now?" He asked, a tub of popcorn in his left hand, and my knee in his other.
"I'm not sure" I replied, swinging my legs off the pier.
"You're like a kid, you know that?" He said pointing to my swaying feet,
"So are you!" I exclaimed, in a playfully hurt manner.
"am not!"
"What's that then?" I pointed to his superman tattoo, and suddenly became aware I was touching his skin for the first time.
"It's therapy to me, a thing from my childhood"
I causally laughed off his explanation, much like he had done to mine, and became aware again that i didn't know anything that important about him.
"What do you do for a living?" I asked suddenly.
"I'm on a TV show, and I do podcasts, nothing as cool as you"
I blinked a few times before slightly choking on my own spit.
"A TV show? And you think being a vet is cooler?"
he pulled his fingers through his hair and looked at me with those chocolate milkshake eyes, two pupils I had grown to certainly love.
"Yes, a vet is way cooler. You get to work with cats!"
"Yes, but you're a celebrity. I can't believe you only just told me!"
"You only just asked?"
I rolled my eyes at him, not for the last time too. "Okay, fair enough"

I remember that day very well, he walked me home while we hummed our silly favourite songs. I remember the way his face looked, kind of like the sun when it needs to say its farewell. He kissed me goodnight my cheek at my doorway, he will tell you today that was a corny thing to do, he'd laugh about how silly we used to be and why we acted so childish even though we weren't kids.