CHAPTER 24
[ SONG PLAY: 4MINUTE - CREATING LOVE ]
It's a cool beautiful night out. The moon shines brightly in the clear dark sky. The air smells crisp and clean as Yaya strolls along the sidewalk admiring the wonderful nightlife as she makes way towards her destination. Her hands tuck tightly into her cardigan sweater. The cool breeze brushes against Yaya's cheek but it doesn't bother her. She's feeling wonderful tonight for some odd reason. It's something she couldn't wrap her fingers around.
A smile ease onto her face as she arrives at her destination-- the boardwalk carnival. Her face lit up seeing all the rides and bright lights. It's been a while since she's been to a boardwalk carnival like this. She froze immediately as she spots Nadech from a distance. He's exactly where he said he'd be-- waiting patiently for her by the entrance. She inhales heavily, feeling her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. Her smile stretches from ear to ear.
Why is she feeling this way? She ask herself as she slowly makes her way towards him. Something inside feels different. But a good different.
Nadech averts his attention to the left, automatically noticing Yaya from a distance. He smiles, feeling his heart flutters with joy. Something about her seem different. She looked even cuter than usual. Is it the way she dressed? Or is it the way her hair falls perfectly into place? Perhaps the way his heart warms when he sees her? Maybe it's her precious smile? Whatever it may be, he couldn't help but feel the knots inside his stomach tighten with nerves.
He clears his throat, "You made it..." He stands up straight, adjusting his posture with a big smile.
Yaya smiles from ear to ear, "I'm here..." she brushes the hair from her face, "Sorry for making you wait." she chuckles shyly, feeling as though she's meeting a stranger for the first time.
He chuckles, "It's okay." he stares at her shyly.
Yaya looks up at the entrance into the boardwalk, "Wow..." she chuckles, "It's been ages since I've been to the boardwalk..." she says, "What are we doing here anyways?" she ask him curiously.
"Well..." he smirks, "I just thought
we should explore something different for once." he shrugs, "You ready?"
We? she ask herself, giving him a perrplex look, curious of his intentions. However she keeps her questions to herself.
"Shall we go see what's inside?" she raise her eyebrows.
"After you..." he bows his head, gesturing for Yaya to go first. She chuckles and walks through the entrance first.
Yaya's eyes lit up in awe. The bright lights flashes before her, bringing back happy memories of when her father use to take her. Endless sound of laughter rings in her ears. Screams of joy and excitment could be heard in the background. Not to mention the sound of the rollercoasters and carnival rides. The smell of food lingers in the air. Vendors of carnvial stands align the boardwalk-- cotton candy, hot dogs, caramel apple, lemonade and popcorn. Even musicians perform along the boardwalk.
"Ahh..." Yaya sighs out loud, "This place brings back so much memories..." she laughs, staring at Nadech, "Reminds me of when I was younger. My father use to take me all the time." She pauses, "All the rides... all the sweets and food we'd eat..." she laughs, "I miss it all..." she exhales deeply.
"Should we do it?" he arch his eyebrow at her.
"Huh?" She stops immediately, confused by what he's asking.
"Do everything that you and your dad use to do?" he smirks.
"Oh..." she scratches her head in embarrassment, smiling shyly, "Sure... why not..." she grins.
He held out his hand, staring at her with his brown eyes, giving her a big smile, "Let's go."
Yaya's eyes widen, taken back by his gesture. She gaze into his eyes then shift to his hands. Her heart pounds violently against her chest. Stomach flutters with nerves but she carefully place her hand into his. Everything around her slows down and suddenly her body's feeling at ease. A warm feeling takes over her.
"Okay..." she utters, staring at him with smiling eyes.
Hand in hand, they casually stroll along the boardwalk, admiring the performers and musicians. Smiling and laughing as they watch on. They bought food from the vendors, sharing it with one another. Making sure not to miss anything good, covering as much area and space as possible. They went on as much ride as possible-- the merry-go-round, bumper cars, rollercoaster. Anything they could possibly ride they did so without any hesitation.
Aside from the rides, they had a blast playing the games. From ring toss to shoot games to basketball. Anything that seem worth playing, they tried it. Nadech tried all he could to win prizes for Yaya. And after endless efforts, he finally won a prize for her-- a huge stuffed bear, pratically a lifesize bear.
"This is for you--" He hands it to Yaya. She couldn't stop from smiling as she takes the bear from him, barely able to carry it on her own.
"Thank you--" she could feel her cheeks blushing, unable to look him straight in the eyes. She's feeling giddy inside. It's the first time anyone's won something for her, aside from her father.
"You're welcome," he smiles at her like it was nothing.
They continue to walk the boardwalk. Silence takes over them as they walk. They cover just about everything the carnival had to offer.
"Whoa...." a little girl utters, "Check that out!"
Nadech and Yaya stops immediately, noticing a little girl admiring her stuffed bear.
"Now that guy loves his girlfriend...!" the little girl shouts out loud, pointing to the bear in Yaya's arms, "Look at the size of that bear!" She pulls the arm of the little boy next to her.
Yaya's eyes widen, stunned by what she's hearing. Her heart skips a beat, as she stares at Nadech in disbelief.
"I wish I had a boyfriend who will win me prizes!" she shouts.
"Please! I could win that for you now!" the boys shouts back.
Nadech glances Yaya and lets out a soft chuckle. He could see her face turning red but he keeps to himself, not wanting to embarrass her.
"Uh..." she chuckles uneasily and turns her head a different direction before quickly walking away.
"Oh my gosh..." she screams in her head.
"How could she say something like that..." she could feel her cheeks flushed red.
"Yaya..." She could hear his voice from a distance calling her. She slows down, letting him catch up to her.
She stops immediately and stares ahead in a daze. They covered all the rides except one-- the ferris wheel. Nadech noticed Yaya in a daze, smiling to herself.
"Last chance for rides!" The man operating the Ferris wheel shouts, "Last chance!"
Nadech clears his throat, "Do you wanna go on one last ride?" he points to the ferris wheel.
"Huh?" She snaps back to reality, unaware that she had dozed off, "Oh..." she chuckles, staring at the ferris wheel, noticing that no one was riding it.
"We still have 6 tickets left-- enough for Ferris wheel ride..." he gives her a half grin, waving the tickets in the air.
She stares at the tickets in his hand, "Sure..." she glances into his eyes, "One last ride." she smiles.
"Okay..." he rest his hand behind her back as they walk towards the ferris wheel. They set the bear aside and got on the Ferris wheel.
The ride takes off slowly, startling Yaya a bit. She grips tightly to the rail, staring out into the dark night. She inhales the crisp air and slowly closes her eyes, "It's such a beautiful night...." she utters, feeling the breeze brush against her arm. She slowly gets go of the rail, hugging herself slightly to warm her body.
Nadech stares at her in awe, thinking how beautiful she look at this very moment as the moon shine brightly down on her as if she were heaven sent.
"Very beautiful..." he utters, feeling his heart thumping louder and louder.
Yaya opens her eyes and slowly glances over her shoulder at Nadech. "What was that?" she ask.
"Oh uh..." he quickly glances away, unaware that he was staring a tad bit hard. "Nothing-- it's nothing." he smirks.
"Oh..." she mouthed as she stares out into the darkness, "Thanks Nadech..." she softly utters.
He freezes, slowly glimpsing at her from the corner of his eyes. "For what...?" He utters with a smile.
"For this beautiful night." she beams tenderly, "I haven't had this much fun in a while..."
"I'm glad you had fun." He says, inhaling deeply.
Yaya sighs out loud, staring down at the people below. She noticed an elder couple hand in hand. It broughter a bigger smile to her face, seeing how sweet and happy the old couple walking together. "Places like these makes me happy..." she says to Nadech.
He stares at her, noticing her eyes were fixated on something. He spots an old couple holding hand in hand.
"I wonder how long they've been together... or how they met... " she turns to Nadech, a smile still on her face, "Seeing couples like that gives me hope..."
He doesn't answer, all he could do was smile at her. The truth of the matter is he just isn't sure what to say.
"I bet it's unconditional love..." she rambles on, imagining all the possible scenerios of how their love came about. She continues to watch them as they disappear out of her sight.
"Ahh..." she chuckles to herself, realizing she's babbling on about nonsense things, "I'm sorry." she scratches her head, "I don't mean to ramble on like this..." she exhales.
He smirks, "It's okay.. I'm use to it." he says with a grin.
She smirks at him but turns her head.
"Odd..." Yaya thought, as she stares at him,
"He's acting extra strange tonight..." She thinks back to earlier tonight with the hand holding to the sweet gestures.
Is there something going on between them? she ask herself. She shakes the thought from her mind.
Can't be. It's not possible. He's just being nice. Her heart's beating faster and faster at the thought of something more than a friendship.
She swallows hard, slowly averting her attention towards him. Instantly, their eyes met. Nadech swallows hard, feeling his heart thumping out of control. He gently leans in closer to her, hand slowly reaching for her face. Yaya doesn't flinch as her eyes fixate on his hand. She could feel the lump in her throat, feeling her stomach turning sour.
What is he doing? she ask herself, feeling his hand caress her cheek. Chills runs down her spin at the touch of his hand. His hand caresses her jawline, slowly brushing the her hair behind her ear. She doesn't flinch-- too afraid to move actually. She could feel his warmth slowly making a move towards her. His face slowly leaning in closer to her. Yaya held her breath, dreading what will happen next. But suddenly the Ferris wheel moves clockwise, winding down to the end of the ride. Nadech, quickly pullls back, glancing over his shoulder.
Yaya exhales with relief.
Saved by the ride, she thought. She quickly gets out of the ride but being careless of her footing, she slips and lets out a soft cry. Luckily Nadech grabs her by the hand just in the nick of time. He held Yaya close to him-- body to body, nose to nose. They gaze into each other's eyes. She swallows hard but quickly pulls back from his embrace.
"I'm-- I'm fine..." she avoid eye contact with him, "We-- We should go..." she blurts out, quickly walking out.
Nadech laughs to himself, thinking how cute it is to see her act so shy. He watches as she clings onto the bear for support. He walks behind her, moving closer to her ear, "Let's go..." he whispers, startling her a bit. He chuckles at the sight her flinching.
They walk along the boardwalk in silence. There's so much Nadech wanted to say but he isn't sure how to say it. All he could do was walk side by side with her in complete silence. The world around them busy as can be while he and Yaya walked ever-so-slowly along the boardwalk.
Yaya, on the other hand, felt strange. Questions ran through her mind. She isn't sure what to think or say. What can she possibly say? Should she bring up the weather? No. She always brings up the weather. Should she thank him again? Naw. she does that all the time. He might be tired of her thanks. Then what else is there to say?
They made it to the front of the entrance-- the longest silence of their life and the longest walk too. The tension in the air was awkward. They stopped walking and smile at one another.
"So--" They said at the same time. They both laugh.
"You first--" Nadech smiles at her.
"Well..." she hugs her bear tightly, "I guess this is it." she smiles, "I should get going."
"Where did you park your car?" Nadech ask.
"Oh-- " she pause, "I didn't bring my car tonight. I thought I'd be better to walk." she smiles.
His eyes widen, "I'll give you a ride to your apartment then." he smiles.
"Huh?" She's taken back by his words, "No-- No-- it's okay. I'll walk--" She smiles.
"Nonsense--" he interrupts, "It's late and it's dark. You don't wanna walk here at night time...I'll give you a ride home. Don't worry about it." he gestures for her to walk towards his car.
"No really--"
"I won't take no for an answer." His tone of voice suddenly changes.
Yaya sighs out loud. She knew she had no choice. "Okay fine..." she gives a half-grin.
They walk to Nadech's car. She noticed that he isn't driving his sports car this time but a SUV.
Weird. Yaya thought. It's almost as if he knew that he'll be bringing back a huge prize. She ignores the thought and lets Nadech put her prize in the back of his car. She gets into the car and sits quietly. Nadech drives off. The car ride to her apartment was a silent one, yet again. Why is she nervous all of the sudden? What's this strange feeling taking over her? How could she can't swallow her saliva correctly? Questions continue to weave in and out of her head. She couldn't control her thoughts. All she could do was stare out the window. She's feeling like an alien in the car. Could feel his eyes watching her like a hungry predator but she couldn't get herself to do anything. She's on stuck mode.
Nadech pulls into the parking complex and parks.
"You-- you don't have to park--" she tells him, suddenly getting anxious.
He smirks, "It's okay-- I was gonna walk you to your apartment." he smiles.
She swallows hard, "Oh no--" Her palms suddenly sweaty, "You don't need to-- I can walk up there--"
"It's the least I can do for inviting you tonight." He gets out of the car quickly before she tries to argue with him.
Before Yaya could stop him, he was already out of the car and by her side, opening the door. She gradually unbuckle her belt and gets out of the car.
"I'll carry this up for you." he smiles at her. All Yaya could do was smile and nod her head. Together, they walked up to her apartment. Once again, silence consumes the atmosphere. The walk to Yaya's apartment was slower than ever. Her heart's pounding viciously against her chest. Her breathing suddenly grows heavier. As if she's lacking oxygen, unable to breath properly. At last, they reached her apartment. She lets out a loud sigh of relief, thinking this was the longest walk of her life.
They stop in front of her apartment. She smiles at him before reaching into her purse for her keys. She fidgets with the lock, feeling her hand shaking with anxiety. Finally she gets it unlock. Before she enters her apartment, she turns to Nadech.
"Thanks again Nadech." she says, "I had a great time tonight." she brushes her hair from her face, putting her keys back into her purse.
"You're welcome and I'm glad you had fun." he smiles, putting the bear down beside her.
"Have a goodnight and drive safely." she tells him, turning around to grab the door knob.
"Yaya wait--" Nadech stops her, grabbing her by the arm.
She flinches, staring at his hand then back up at him. "Is-- is something wrong?" she ask, staring at him, seeing the distress in his eyes.
"Uhm..." he clears his throat, slowly leaning in closer to her. His hand rest up against the door.
Yaya's eyes widen, her back pressed tightly against her door. "Nadech...?" she utters his name softly, swallowing hard as the knots in her stomach tightens.
"Yaya..." he softly utters, leaning in closer to her, "I just .... wanna..."
She blinks severely, staring into his brown eyes. Her palms sweatier than before. She swallows hard, feeling the lump growing bigger in her throat. Her heart beats faster and faster with each passing second. All she could do was hold her breath and stare deeply into his eyes.
Suddenly, a surge of chills ran throughout her body as his lips touches her lips. His hands cups her face. Her eyes widen to herself as his warm tongue slips into her mouth.The sound of her heart beat speeds up 10 times faster. Her eyes grow heavier and she's forced to close them. Knees suddenly growing weak, feeling as though it could crumble at any second. Her stomach flutters with butterflies as his kisses becomes passionate with every passing second.
The sparks has finally been ignited and the fireworks burst in the air for a spectacular moment.
Nadech slowly pulls back from the passionate kiss and stares down at her with a smile on his face. She's completely stunned, hands covering her mouth in disbelief.
"You... you..." she utters, blinking her eyes, wondering if they've been deceiving her.
"It can't be..." she says to herself, feeling lightheaded as she touches her lips. She's floating. Walking on clouds . With a blink of an eye, she gasp for air at last. But suddenly everything around her turns pitch black.