Chapter 14: Opening Up

While dancing with David, Faith can't help but be pulled back to that time when she had the best day with the one she truly loves. (Part 1 of 2)

Recap:

Please, just this once, get out of my mind. We started dancing, my hands were on his shoulders while his were on my waist. I tried to focus on David’s face, but all I could see was Steve’s. I rested my head on David’s chest to hide my face, to hide the panic that was clouding my eyes.

Why can’t he just leave me alone. I’m happy with David. I tried to convince myself, but memories of him were really persistent. So I decided to just give up and let myself think about him.

Just this one song… I’m really sorry David. I closed my eyes, a tear falling from them as memories of my unbeatable best day all came back to me.

 

Chapter 14: Opening Up

BEFOREbreakup

                I heard Steve breathe deeply once we stepped out of my house. He just survived one of the tough instances that he would face if he wanted to date me �" getting through my dad. I chuckled as his worry-stricken face started to relax.

                “Your dad’s scary,” he voiced out his thoughts.

                “He’s not always like that. Just when there’s another guy who’s trying to steal his daughter away from him,” I said.

I remembered the first time my dad acted the same way. It was when a classmate of mine who was my partner for a Physics project during my freshman year went into my house so we could start with it. My dad thought that he was a suitor and so he practically tried to scare him saying that we were young and that he doesn’t know a lot about life. My classmate got really scared that he wasn’t able to defend himself. When I got the chance to tell my dad that he wasn’t even my suitor, he just whispered a sorry and then walked out on us. I apologized repeatedly and he said it was okay. But he swore that he wouldn’t ever step inside my house since he didn’t want that traumatic experience to happen to him again.

                “Don’t worry, I’ll try my hardest to win his vote,” he replied then winked at me. I smiled as a blush started to creep on my cheeks.

                “So where are we going?” I asked him as we walked towards his black car. I silently hoped that what we would be doing is just something casual since I didn’t really dress for something extravagant. I just threw in my tight black jeans and my favorite shirt. I had a pair of strappy flat sandals on and a cloche hat. It was already 3 in the afternoon.

                “Can I be honest with you?” he responded when we were already on his car. He still didn’t start the engine.

                “You must,” I teased.

                “Well,” he started then looked at me, face full of hesitation.

                “I don’t really know a lot about dates since I haven’t seriously dated anyone before,” he continued.

                “You just hang out with girls in a bar and then hook up with them,” I supplied the words for him.

                “Yeah,” he admitted.

                “I understand,” I told him while giving him a reassuring smile.

                “I really thought hard last night though. I don’t know where a guy usually takes her girl so that it would make the date extra sweet,” he confessed. I remained silent.

                “So… I decided that I would want to experience something special with you,” he continued.

                My heart started to beat rapidly when I realized what he was talking about. I wasn’t ready for anything as intimate as what he was implying.

                “What do y-you m-mean?” I said, stuttering. He chuckled when he understood why I was being awkward.

                “No, I didn’t mean it like that,” he told me mockingly.

                “Oh,” I mumbled. I let out a sigh of relief. I mentally scolded myself for even thinking of naughty things.

                “Well, I thought that I would like to bring you or show you five different places that are special and close to my heart. I just thought of this when I realized that I wanted our first date to be a chance for me to let you know more about me, to let you see more sides of me. I hope you don’t find any of this cheesy,” he said as he went red on his face.

                My heart swelled up when he told me what he wanted us to do. It made me so happy that he volunteered to show me another side of him, well, sides.

                “Thank you,” I uttered sincerely.

                “Are you sure it’s okay? I mean, you don’t find it too intimate?” he asked carefully.

                “No, everything’s perfect. You’re perfect,” I told him.

                “It’s really great that you’re fine with this. To tell you the truth… I don’t have plan B,” he declared and then laughed. I snickered at his confession.

                The car’s engine roared to life as he turned the ignition key. Few moments later, we were travelling at 60 meters per hour. My heart banged loudly as I looked for a clue as to where we were going. After just a few minutes, 8 to 10 maybe, the car halted in front of a medium-sized building that looked really, really old, as if it was a building from the medieval times. Its cream paint was chipped off at some places and there were cracks of different lengths on its concrete wall. I frowned as I realized that the building won’t probably survive an earthquake of intensity 4.

                “It really was a dumb move to bring you here,” he said as he sadly gazed on my frowning face.

                “Oh no. Please continue. I really want to know everything about you,” I replied rapidly as I tried to replace the frown with a comforting smile.

                “Are you sure?” he mumbled softly.

                “Yes.” I genuinely smiled.

                “Well, this building was my favorite when I was in my primary school. I spent most of my time here whenever I don’t feel like going to class. It may look worn-out on the outside, but it has a homely atmosphere inside,” he narrated happily as we walked towards a white painted wooden door.

                “What is this place?” I asked curiously. And once we entered the door, I got the answer to my question.

                “Arcade games.” He grinned widely at me as he walked a few more steps away from me.

                An old smiling man then came out from somewhere behind me and walked towards Steve giving him a hug.

                “Steve, you’ve grown so tall,” he exclaimed as he released Steve from his wrinkled arms. Fondness was written all over his face.

                “I’m a growing man Robert,” Steve told him, smiling.

                “It has been years since you last visited me. It was your freshman year, right? What made you visit this place again?” the old man asked.

                “I just wanted to bring my girlfriend here,” Steve answered as he walked towards my left and then placed his right hand on my right hip.

                “Wow, is she your first girlfriend? This is the first time you’ve brought a girl here,” Robert uttered amusingly. Knowing that I was the first one that he brought here made me smile widely.

                “Technically not the first, but I want to consider her to be,” he admitted shyly, refusing to meet my gaze.

                “Hi, I’m Faith,” I introduced myself while extending my right hand for a shake.

                “Nice to meet you, Faith. I’m Robert. I’ve been Steve’s old friend, so I know a lot about him. Don’t hesitate asking me about his dark secrets.” He winked at me as he received the handshake that I offered.

                I heard Steve groan beside me.

                “I want to hear all about it,” I exclaimed. Robert let out a small chuckle before he cleared his throat.

                “Go enjoy yourselves you youngsters,” he said bitterly. Steve and I couldn’t help but laugh at his tone.

                Steve then grabbed my hand and pulled me to a game machine which flashed the words “Tekken” on its screen. I am not a fan of this kind of games, but Steve’s enthusiasm was surely infectious. He looked like a 10 year old boy who was introduced to the world of arcade games for the first time.

                “Play with me?” he pleaded with his puppy-dog eyes.

                “Try and beat me,” I challenged him while wearing a silly grin. I acted as if I was a nerd at this game but I was actually clueless about the buttons that I should press. However, I was still fired up.

                “You bet,” he said cheerily.

                He inserted a coin in each of our machines and then operated them both rapidly. His movements were really fast that after a few seconds, the screens already showed a list of characters that we should choose from. I moved the joystick as I looked for a beautiful female character. I pressed the Select button once I saw Lily. She looked beautiful and sexy. I grinned at the reason why I chose her. Steve chuckled beside me when he saw who I chose. I looked at his character and giggled when I saw a very big masculine man. He looked really scary.

                First round was then up. I randomly pressed one button at a time as I tried to figure out what each of the button does. But Steve didn’t give me a chance to learn anything since his character started beating mine up. He was smashing his fingers on the set of circles on the machine. Before I knew it, Lily already lost without even landing a single punch on the big scary man. I pouted and glared at Steve. He just laughed at my expression.

                The next round, I decided to follow his moves �" just smash your fingers everywhere. He landed the first kick on Lily making her scream. I then started pounding my fist on the buttons and pressed random buttons at the same time. I saw my character throw a series of punches and kicks. But then, as I continued pressing random buttons, Lily pulled off a special move. I squealed in delight at my newly found amazing move. Luckily, I remembered the combination of buttons so I then pressed them over and over again. Steve’s character couldn’t counterattack to my special move and so it was knocked out after a few more hits.

                I grinned triumphantly while bobbing my head smugly.

                “That was totally unfair,” he grumbled.

                “There are no rules mister,” I retorted.

                “Fine, I’ll definitely beat you the final round,” he uttered confidently. I smiled teasingly.

                The final round was really nerve wracking. I continued using my special move, but he also found a move that would counterattack mine. So the lengths of our characters’ lives were almost equal at every point, until both of our characters had a single line of life on them. I shrieked excitedly. He threw the first kick but I dodged by a few millimeters. I jumped towards his back, catching him off guard, and pressed the famous combination again. I jumped in glee as I saw his character lose. I stuck my tongue out to him. He laughed at my childish gesture.

                “Great game,” he mumbled after he moved towards me and hugged me from behind.

                “But I demand a rematch,” he added before I could even brag about my victory. I smirked at him.

                We played it over and over again until we decided to just leave it to a draw, 2 wins each. We also played the other games until we were tired. I looked at my watch to see what time it was and found out that we have been playing for an hour and a half already.

                “Ready for the 2^nd place?” he asked me after we bid goodbye to Robert and the place.

                “Always am,” I replied happily.

                We then entered his car and drove again for another 20 minutes. We stopped in front of the city’s cemetery. This cemetery, however, is far from being spooky. It exuded light and hope. I know. It really sounds inappropriate.

                I threw Steve a questioning look, but he just flashed me his stunning smile. We slipped out of the car and he immediately grabbed my hand as we made our way to our destination. After a few moments of walking comfortably in silence, he stopped on his tracks in front of a tombstone which had the name “Greg Grant” engraved on it. I deduced from the numbers below the name that it had been two years since he died.

                “Grandpa, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Faith.” He broke the silence. My heart started thumping loudly again when I realized what he was doing.

                “Hi, uhm… grandpa, I’m Faith, and uhm… it’s r-really nice to meet you.” I struggled to find the right words.

                “Relax,” he said soothingly while tightening his grasp on my hand. A few seconds of silence followed.

                “Please tell me more about him,” I whispered as I looked up to him. I shivered as a cold gust of wind enveloped my bare arms. He wrapped his arms first around me before he started telling me their story.

                “He was the closest person in my life,” he started softly. Few seconds of silence followed, but I didn’t attempt to talk. I waited for him to be ready to tell me, and when he was, he cleared his throat.

                “The time when my dad broke up with my mom was the lowest point of my life. It was three years ago. I decided to rebel against my dad. I despised him so much that I wanted him to suffer the same pain that I was feeling. I broke all the rules a normal teenager don’t go against. I have done things that I am not proud of.” He swallowed a lump on his throat as if he was trying real hard not to cry. A tear fell from my eyes as I saw hurt, regret and sadness replace the sweetness and innocence in his eyes. I hugged him tightly wishing that it would be a means of transferring the burden he was feeling onto me. But that small gesture of mine was his tears’ cue. They started falling silently.

                “It was my grandpa who laid the right path in front of me. He listened to my complaints attentively and he gave me advices that made me realize that I was just destroying my life. Right then, I knew he understood me. Although, it didn’t reach to the point that I forgave my dad for what he did, still, he made me feel so much better.” His voice was hoarse and it cracked at some points. Tears were still overflowing from his clouded eyes.

                “He was, in a way, my Superman,” he squeaked as a pleased smile formed on his face.

                I cried at the intensity of the emotions that he shared. My heart felt for him. I hugged him tightly as if he was my life. As if I’d die if I’ll be separated from him. My tears flowed in sync with his, and after a full minute of silence, I slipped out of his arms and I reached out my hands to touch his wet cheeks. I gently caressed them, hoping that it would convey the brimming love that was filling my heart fast. I cupped his face, and slowly tiptoed. The world revolved a thousand times slower than it normally does. Every breath felt like it took hours. I stared at his vulnerable eyes, and another tear fell from my left eye. I blinked it away for a second and started to move my face towards his. He closed his eyes slowly, waiting for my lips to touch his. I closed mine when I was an inch away from him and finally crossed the remaining distance between us.

                It was the sweetest kiss that we have ever shared. It symbolized a new connection that we have just established. It was as if it was the only way for us to understand each other. My heart throbbed painfully inside my chest. It felt like it was ready to burst. My eyes never ceased crying, and I could also tell that he was also experiencing the same. Enchanting, my head screamed.

                When we ran out of breath, I slowly moved away from him, eyes still kept shut. A touch on my cheek made me jerk back to reality. My eyes flew open, and so I met his soulful gaze.

                “He’s always looking out for you, Steve. He’s still here,” I said as I pressed my right palm on his left chest that was pumping real hard.

                “I know,” he uttered and I smiled at him.

                “And Faith…” he continued.

                “Yeah?” I answered gently. He leaned forward and whispered words on my right ear.

                “You’re my Wonder woman.”

Author's Note

Chapter 14 - done! :))

I really had fun writing this 2-part flashback, so I hope you like it.
Oh, and if you're starting to hate this flashback thing, just say it to me below! Haha. And don't worry, wheels will start to turn faster after Chapter 15. :)

Reviews

[Tai Ryens]

I loved it. This was silly and giddy, but still heartfelt. I really like that moment in the arcade, you described tekken so wonderfully, haha. It's nice that he didn't go to the cemetery first, it would have probably ended badly. Wonderful chapter! Keep it up!

[Sylvia E. Lioness]

It was sweet and touching. Very well written.

[No name]

i like it and it was so sweet... great book so far

[Emily Weaver]

This is my all time favorite thing that I have ever read in my entire life. Like, it is so sweet! I just kept thinking, "Lord! This is his first time taking a girl out? NICE!!" ha ha but oh my gosh! Steve is so sweet! But, I still can't forget about David...
But, Steve is awesome!! Oh gosh, I just don't know who to pick!!! (:
But, that's how a great writer does it!!! Suspense and romance all in one!! OH my goodness! Write some more, woman!!
By the way, when I read the "You're my Wonder Woman." part, I felt a part of me die inside. It was the sweetest thing I have ever read!!!! My heart was like aching for Faith and Steve! Ok, I better calm myself down. Ha ha. Love it, great work, and keep it up!! Write more, missy!! (:

[Jasmine Thousand]

Cute! yeah, I'm getting sick of this whole flashback thing, I just want Steve to get back with Faith! >:( Yay! Wheels turning faster.......
~Jasmine Thousand~

[Dove]

Lol I loved this chapter!! can't wait to read the next one.

[Nish...]

LOVED IT! It's soo romantic! And sweet! And beautiful! (though I must say that for some reason, I think I like David more....) Anyways, can't wait for the next chapter!!

[BloodyMary]

"Your dad is scary". LOL. I loved it!

[KT]

Great job! I really enjoyed it. :) You really get the emotions going when you write! Can't wait for more! :D

[EMF]

Lady, you just get better and better with each chapter