This Love

Chapter Twenty-One- Fresh Strawberries and Chocolate Kisses

Chapter Twenty-One- Fresh Strawberries and Chocolate Kisses

The next day, I was able to convince Michael to take me home. Finally.

I was feeling a lot better and staying in his house was getting comfortable. It's very bothering.

With a condition though. He asked me to come with him to some place he refused to tell me.

After half an hour of driving, we arrived at an eco-park near the city. I've heard of the place once but I've never been. In my four years of stay in the metro, I never had the time to go sight-seeing. Home, university and club were my only places to be. It's only recently that I've been going around the city. Malls, hotels, exclusive subdivisions and now eco-parks. That' not a lot but still. I appreciated the change of scenery.

Various kinds of trees surrounded the place and flowers were everywhere. Bees and butterflies flew freely around the garden of colorful flowers and several kinds of plants. It was like there was a small shady forest in the middle of the city. The breath of fresh air and the beauty of nature were refreshing. It felt good to be away from all the noise, traffic and pollution. It was so peaceful and quiet in here.

Michael took my hand as we walked farther inside. We passed by a playground, butterfly sanctuary and a biking trail. There were only a few people in the park since it was still early. A guy was sitting quietly by a small fishing lagoon and joggers and bikers passing by the trail. I spotted white-painted pavilions surrounding the picnic area under huge tall trees. I snatched my hand from him to touch the flowers as we pass by what looked like a staircase of flowers. It was a beautiful sight.

"Is this the part where you kill me?" I teased as we walked further.

"Ha ha. Hilarious." He rolled his eyes at me. It was killing me to know what we were doing at the ecopark. Knowing Michael, I'm sure this was more than a walk.

I continued to fill my eyes with small wonders of nature. I followed Michael as we went down the stairs leading to a lake. I smiled at the view. Like I said, I never had the time to go sight-seeing so I appreciate something new to my eyes. The green water was still and it looked deep. Immobile colorful boats were on the sides.

My eyes were busy wandering around until I noticed David carrying a basket and a mat behind us. It took me a second to put two and two together.

"We're having a picnic?"

Yes we are. I answered my ignored question as we stopped about ten meters from the water. The weather was absolutely perfect for a picnic. The sky was clear and the sun was shining but it wasn't as bright because of the trees shading us. The wind was cool and felt good in the skin.

David rested the basket and the mat on the ground and left us. Michael unfolded the checkered mat and he was having a hard time laying it straight. The wind was blowing causing the sides to fold. I volunteered to help but he was still treating me like a fragile vase.

Soon he was able to straighten the mat. He carried the basket into the middle. He helped me sit on the ground before starting to bring out a bottle of sparkling wine, two glasses and food containers from the basket.

He has planned this picnic. Well, I think everything he does is. I can sense his need for everything to be well- calculated. People around him had to do exactly what he said. I guessed that's why he's always worried and frustrated with me. He can't just make me do things as he wished. Well, that was starting to change lately.

I licked my lips with the sight mouth-watering fruits like melon cubes, pineapple chunks and grapes on the first Tupperware. The second one contained fresh strawberries. I swallowed suddenly feeling very hungry. He popped the wine open and carefully filled the glasses.