Closure

2. Fresh Air

My parents sat in stunned silence until I realized, that they were surprisingly good at acting. So good I started to laugh.

"Ok you got me! Joke's over. I can't believe I actually thought it was true," I was caught in hysteria while my parents gave me confused looks filled with sadness.

"Son..," My father began.

My mother shook her head. "It's not a lie."

"I admit it, you had me there. But that's enough. You don't have to keep going," I countered. "I'll get you back good, just wait! Now where are my pancakes?" I went to the kitchen.

"They're on the counter," my mom answered.

I took the plate and sat at the round table. I got the buttermilk syrup and let it drip onto my perfectly smooth pancakes.

That joke had scared me so bad. How can parents be so evil to play a prank like that?

Once I finished my stack of pancakes, I took it to the sink and rinsed it.

"I'm going out for a bit. I need some fresh air," I said to my parents.

"Okay," was all they said.

I went to my room to get my jacket, keys, and phone. Then I pulled a water bottle out of the freezer.

Outside the doorway, I pulled out my earbuds from my jacket pocket and untangled them. I plugged them into my phone and jogged to a nearby park.

I passed people walking their dogs and other joggers. I jogged for about 20 minutes until I decided to take a break. I took my seat on a bench. I chugged my not-so-frozen water bottle and almost spat it out when I saw who was at the park.

Anne May wore a light sweater with leggings. I saw her panting in the distance, and her eyes met mine. I blushed, but then she smiled and waved at me. And get this: she began to jog over to me!

"Hey Tanner! Mind if I sit with you?" She inquired in a breathy soft voice.

"Not at all," I smiled and made space for her.

She sat down and took a drink from her bottle.

"So what brings you here this fine morning?" She asked.

"Nothing much, just getting some fresh air."

"Yeah, same here."

"I didn't expect to run into you," I laughed nervously.

"Oh no, am I bothering you?" She looked at me with such a worried expression, I wanted to cup her face in my hands and kiss her.

"No no! Actually," I looked down and to the left. "I'm glad you came." I hoped my blushing wasn't obvious on my creamy beige skin. But of course it was.

"Hmm," she giggled softly. "I'm glad too."

My heart skipped a beat. I mustered the courage to finally look up.

I gazed into her gentle shining eyes. Somehow, I felt that she was hiding back sadness. Sadness that you could only see if you looked closely into her eyes, since her smile erased any evidence of that. But what she would be sad about? I had no idea.

Suddenly, her cheeks turned pink and her eyes went wide. Her smile faded as she covered her face and looked away.

"I forgot, I'm not wearing any makeup!" She blurted.

It struck me strange that she would be embarrassed about such a thing. Usually she wears natural makeup, so this time all I noticed was that her eyelids weren't so metallic-looking.

"You look beautiful even without it," I pointed out.

"Do you... really think so?" She peeked from behind her fingertips.

I nodded. She removed her hands and shyly looked down.

"Well," she started, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Jean's having a party on Friday. And I was wondering if..."

She looked up and her eyes met mine. "If you wanted to be my plus one?"

"I'd be delighted," I answered, unable to hide the smile rooting from my heart.

"Great! I'll text you the address," she grinned back.