Saturday morning finally arrived after what felt like an eternity.
I got ready as fast as I could while still putting extra effort into making myself look as attractive as possible. I tuned my guitar before I left and made sure I wasn't gonna be late this time.
I printed off directions to the park that Sam wanted me to come to and gave them to my mom. I tried to contain my eagerness as I hurried my mom into the car.
"What's the big rush, Raiden?" she asked as I did all but start the engine for her.
"Oh, you know...I just like to be punctual."
"Since when?" she sounded skeptical.
It was about a 20-minute drive to the park. I could barely contain myself the whole time. We pulled in a few minutes before 11 and I got out of the car, looking around.
And then I spotted her.
Sam was sitting over on a bench under the shade of a big oak tree, a book in her lap. My heart practically tripped over itself at the sight of her. Had I forgotten how beautiful she was?
I turned back around to my mom. "There she is. You can go if you want."
She seemed hesitant but started the car up again. I'll be back in a couple hours."
"Kay. Thanks for the ride."
I quickly headed over towards Sam, taking a deep breath to calm myself. She looked up when she saw me approach and her face lit up in a huge grin.
"Hey you," I said, returning the smile.
She said nothing but instead stood up and threw her arms around me. I laughed in surprise and hugged her back, reveling in how perfect she felt in my arms.
"Did you miss me?" I asked, giggling.
"I did," she whispered in my ear.
I felt my pulse quicken. Slowly I released her and picked up my guitar case, which I had set on the ground a moment before. "So what do you wanna do?" Please say make out, please say make out...I mean what? I shook my head to clear it.
"Hmm...do you want to go for a walk? And then later we can sit down and you can play for me?" she said, eyeing my guitar and smiling adorably. I felt my chest swell with pride a little. I knew this skill would come in handy one day.
"Sounds great," I looked around the park. I needed to do something with my guitar if we were gonna walk around. I didn't want it to get stolen...but there weren't very many people around. I locked the case and hid it under the bench where Sam had been sitting a moment before.
"All set?" she asked.
"Mhmm."
She began walking along the sidewalk that ran around the park and I fell into step beside her. My hands fidgeted by my sides, unsure of what to do. I had a completely overwhelming desire to just reach out and hold her hand but I couldn't muster up enough courage to do it. After a few moments I couldn't stand it anymore. Trying to be sly, I took her hand and lifted it up, pretending to examine the ring on her finger. "That's pretty," I commented softly. She smiled like she knew what I was trying to do. I grinned sheepishly and looked at my feet as I slid my hand into hers and intertwined out fingers. I felt a pang in my heart as I remembered the last girl's hand that I'd held, but I quickly put it out of my mind. Today was about Sam. And her hand did feel wonderful in mine, after all. She was what I wanted to focus on.
Walking side by side with her, hand in hand, felt so easy, so right. We didn't say much, but that was okay with both of us. Just being together was enough. Neither of us felt the need to fill up the silence with chatter. We just enjoyed each other's company. It just felt perfect, knowing she was next to me, her hand soft and warm in mine.
We circle the park a couple of times, people-watching and soaking up the sunshine. It was a beautiful day. When we returned to the bench where I had left my guitar, I sat down and she sat down next to me. I unlocked the case and pulled out my guitar, setting it on my lap. "All right," Sam settled in her seat and smiled. "Amaze me."
"Hmm," I thought for a moment before deciding what I should play. Eventually I went with something that I had written myself, hoping that would impress her.
I began strumming the familiar tune, concentrating but at the same time trying to be confident and relaxed. After a few minutes, her eyes widened with what I hoped was admiration. I grinned as a played the last few chords and finished up the song.
"That was gorgeous," she said softly. "What's it called?"
"I haven't really come up with a name for it yet."
"You-you wrote that?" she asked incredulously.
"I nodded modestly. Sam beamed.
"Really?" That's amazing!" she exclaimed, scooting closer to me. I gulped nervously. "Thank you."
"You are very talented," she said, reaching for my hand. "It was beautiful."
I closed my hand around hers and looked into her eyes. "Not as beautiful as you," I whispered.
Her eyes locked on mine and I felt like I was losing myself in them. My heart began to race as I leaned in to kiss her.
Our lips moved against each other softly and perfectly. It only lasted a few moments but it was one of the most romantic kisses I'd ever had. The world melted away, seeming as if nothing else mattered. It was just me and Sam. For a few moments, we were the only people on earth.
When we broke the kiss I took a deep breath and looked down at my hand, still holding hers. "That was nice," I said softly, running my thumb against her skin.
"Yes it was," she whispered.
I looked back up at her and smiled. Was this really happening? I never thought I'd meet a girl so wonderful again. I said a silent prayer that I wasn't gonna get my heart broken.
In a few minutes a saw my mom's van pull into the parking lot. I quickly let go of Sam's hand and stood up. "My mom's here," I said dejectedly. "I gotta go."
"Alright..." She stood up and looked at me, unsure of what to do. Knowing my mom was watching us, I gave her a friendly-looking one-armed hug and packed up my guitar. My back turned to the car, I winked at Sam and turned around, heading toward the parking lot.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Michael, that very well might have been the best date of my life."
The first thing I did when I got home Saturday afternoon was call my bestfriend. He was absolutely ecstatic for me. I gave him every detail and was giddy with excitement as I relayed the fact that we kissed.
"That's awesome, Raiden. I knew you'd like her."
I laughed happily. "Well I definitely do," I said. "A lot."
