It was the Children’s Play Day and it opened that Saturday morning  without any hitches.

The vendors were able to open their booths right on schedule, the circus performers made it on their call time and were out and about in their extravagant costumes by the time they opened the grounds to a big crowd that had been waiting since six in the morning. 

“How are our ticket sales looking?” Andy asked when he was able to grab me on my route to checking on vendors.

I glanced down at the clipboard on my hand and grinned. “We’re over our projected sales by at least twelve percent. If we keep going at this rate, we’d have tons of money at the end of the day without counting the solicitations.”

Andy beamed and patted her back. “Awesome news, Ali. I can’t believe it’s actually become such a big hit. We’ll have to keep doing this every year now.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ask me at the end of the day when I can fully say it’s officially a success.”

“Oh, loosen up, Ali,” Andy said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “As far as I can tell, we did a terrific job and we should enjoy the rest of our hard work. We’re getting together at Bart’s later after the clean up committee has restored this field to its former glory. Drinks are on me. I expect you to be there.”

“I’ll try!” I yelled after he started jogging away in the direction of the music booth. 

“Hey, Ali!” a familiar voice called out and I turned around and saw Vivi with Amanda and Don at the smoothie stand that they have bravely volunteered to man last night during our final meeting. They beckoned me over. 

“What would you like?” Amanda asked as she pulled a plastic cup from the stack. “We have a line here but I’ll make you whatever you want.”

Don laughed. “Amanda has since discovered the joy of making edible smoothies. She is obsessed.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “It’s the first type of food I can make without involving a microwave and people slurping it down without cringing or pretending to choke and throw up. I’m proud of it.”

“She called a German company this morning to order a one-of-a-kind blender,” Vivi added with a smirk. “She said she’ll start an all-smoothie diet.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Well, I’m impressed. I’ll have a strawberry-banana.”

“Have you seen Seth around?” Vivi asked as I waited for my drink.

I nodded. “Yeah, I saw him earlier. He’s still at the solicitation booth with Patrick and Chris. Those three are working their charm, that’s for sure.”

“If only Seth can start working his with you,” Don commented with a meaningful smile. 

I shrugged. “We’ll see. When the smoke clears, we’ll try to figure it out.”

“I hope you give Seth a chance, Ali,” Don added, this time with a more serious expression. “You mean a lot to him.”

I thanked Amanda for the smoothie and started making my way back but before I did, I winked at them. “I appreciate it guys but as I’ve said before, I need to hear it from him.”

I was still slurping through my smoothie as I continued on my route and made a couple more stops to check with our vendors when Seth, out of nowhere, fell on a step next to me.

“How’s it going?” he asked with a faint smile. 

“Good,” I answered casually as we walked. “How’s the booth?”

“It’s doing better than expected,” he replied with a nod. “I never knew Chris has the slick sales talk of a used car salesman.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise. “I guess I can’t really complain.”

“Thanks for letting them come along,” he said, shoving his hands into his front pockets. “I was worried you wouldn’t take them seriously when they volunteered.”

I smiled and shook my cup a bit. “Hey, I’ll take any help we can get. And Amanda made me this and it’s delicious. She’s found a new culinary talent.”

“I’m just a little worried about Pat now,” he said with a smirk. “I imagine  he’ll have to drink every concoction she comes up with.”

I giggled. “He’ll have to console himself with the fact that at least Amanda has some potential in the kitchen. Just baby steps for now but at least she’s heading in the right direction.”

We were laughing when we stopped in our tracks as Katherine, clad in a dark blue summer dress, strode in our direction in surprisingly coordinated steps despite her six-inch high heels digging into the grass and dirt.

“I’m gonna go, okay—“ I started, taking my cue and angling to a different direction. 

“Ali, wait,” Seth grabbed my wrist and pulled me back gently to his side.

I stood still as Katherine stopped in front of us.

“Really?” she asked in a haughty tone, a hand resting on her hip. She looked at Seth then me and then back at Seth. “You’re still at it? I thought that by now you’d be back to your senses.”

Seth didn’t smile or move. “I never lost my senses, Katherine. They’re quite intact. They’ve always been where they’re supposed to be.”

Katherine narrowed her eyes and inched forward in my direction. 

“What else do you need to see?” she asked in a disdained voice. “A sex tape—“

“Okay, Katherine. That’s enough,” Seth cut in, his voice suddenly thunderous. His hand tightened on my wrist as if he wanted to pull me away from the scene but I stood my ground.

I raised a brow at her, emboldened by the anger in me and the strength of Seth’s touch.

“What? You’re going to film a sex scandal with you and some guy and plaster Seth’s face over his?” I asked dryly. “You know that once you’ve cried wolf, no one’s going to believe you again, right?”

Her lips pursed in an almost ugly frown. “Who do you think you are?”

I narrowed my eyes and smiled. “Someone you apparently find relevant enough whether you like it or not.”

If smoke can come out of person’s nostrils, it would out of Katherine’s. “You’re going to pay for this.”

I took a step closer to her. “No. You’re going to stay away from me and Seth and if you try anything like this again, I will ruin you. You do not scare or intimidate or even bother me, Katherine. You’re simply a waste of my time. If the guy doesn’t want you, have some self-respect and accept that because nothing looks more pitiful than a girl clamping on a guy’s leg as he drags away trying to kick her off. I hope all this dressing up and vanity isn’t for the dream of becoming a doormat.”

Her face quickly grew red and I could tell she was seething. Her fists were balled on her sides but her pedigree was holding her back from completely losing it.

“And you think he sees you any differently?” she asked, casting Seth a scorching glare. 

I smiled and shrugged. “I don’t. But it doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t, I’ll move on. There are worse things than not having your feelings returned—like knowing whatever you get back, you schemed to get. You want him to give you his heart for all the right reasons. Only then will it make you really happy and secure.”

“Ali,” Seth started softly, his fingers catching mine. 

I looked up and smiled at him. “It’s okay. I understand better now. I really do. I can’t ask you to feel the same way but I won’t settle either. So take your time. I’m ready whenever you are.”

I turned to go. A couple minutes later, I heard him catching up behind me.

“Ali, wait!” He caught me by the elbow and spun me around gently. “You, lady, have a very bad habit of walking away from me. You make me chase you all the time.”

I exhaled sharply. “Sorry. I was starting to feel silly lecturing Katherine. I didn’t mean to.”

“I’m sorry too. But you don’t have to worry about Katherine. I told her how I really feel about you. I told her there’s no one else I want but you.”

I looked at him with a wry smile. “It’s ironic how you seem to tell everyone but me how you really feel.”

He stared at me for a minute before smiling crookedly and shaking his head. “Is that all that you want to hear from me?”

“Yes.”

He gazed upwards to the heaven, as if to mutter a silent prayer, then took both my hands in his. “I don’t want to just say the words and leave it at that, Ali. I want you to know, through everything I do, how much I love you.”

I dreamt of the moment I’d hear the words—the declaration that would fill my soul with music—but I came to a standstill and my eyes blinked up at him as if I wasn’t sure I heard him right.

He smiled. “Ali, did I really have to tell you to convince you I wasn’t kidding around?”

The words came out of me in an awkward stutter. “B-but I... I asked you... at the villa. You didn’t—I was...”

He squeezed my hands. “I have to admit—I was really annoyed at the lack of trust. I thought I was getting through to you but in that conversation, it still came down to you not trusting me to be capable of something as serious as being in love with you. I didn’t want to just tell you because you had to hear it or that it would end the fight. If you couldn’t trust me to give me five minutes to explain, then I decided I wasn’t going to bother.”

“Then why are you telling me now?”

He sighed and smiled as he reached up to touch my chin tenderly. “Because I realized that my ego was getting in the way of you and me. I understood that you needed assurance and you had reason to require it. I’m crazy in love with you, Ali. I can’t lose you and if I have to tell the whole world how much I love you, I’d probably do it because pride can’t fix a broken heart.”

I don’t know how long I stared at him like a lovestruck fool but I offered no resistance when he pulled me close, his arms wrapping themselves loosely around my hips.

He smiled and gently pressed his forehead against mine. “It’s a very rare and amusing experience to find you unable to speak for once.”

I finally dissolved into a grin. “What do you expect me to say after a declaration like that?”

He smiled wider but his cheeks were gaining a faint pink color. “That you love me too.”

“Oh.” I blinked as if a lightbulb suddenly switched on in my head.

Of course. I never told him. 

I yearned, demanded and fought to hear the words from him but they’ve never left my own lips.

“Sorry if I’m a little awkward at this,” I told him, my own cheeks warming as I put my arms around his waist. “But I love you too, Seth Wallace.”

The kiss that followed was the kind that made you see fireworks behind closed eyes and played a music you could only hear between you two.

The world faded around us—the crowd, the tumultuous past, the promising present and the elusive future.

I don’t know why it took us so long to realize all we needed was a little less pride and a lot more honesty. 

This admission was easy and comfortable and exactly the missing piece of the complex puzzle we’ve slowly built together over time. It made everything make sense. It left no questions except for how in the world did Seth Wallace fall in love with me.

That’s okay. That’ll eventually find its way in another chapter of this book. 

For now, I’m in love for the first time on my life and it’s something else entirely.

“Look up,” Seth murmured after we pulled away.

I looked up and found the blue skies filled with colourful balloons and streamers all saying “Seth loves Ali”. 

My jaw dropped and I looked around to find everyone looking up in as much awe as I am. 

“Finally! Thank God!”

We turned around and found Shawn pumping his fist in the air as he joined the group of his friends by a nearby booth. They all had big grins on their faces.

Seth and I both laughed and I playfully poked him on the chest. “You didn’t need to tell everyone, silly. Just me.”

He smiled and pressed another kiss on my lips. “It doesn’t matter. Whether I tell just you or the world, it all means the same: I love you.”

And this is where the rest of the story begins.

***

Hello! Thanks for reading. This was supposed to be the first of a short series but I haven't had the chance yet to rewrite the rest of it. It may be a while before I can update it because I'm focusing on other writing projects for now.

If you like my work, please check out my current stories: The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield and Virtue and Vice. Both are posted in Wattpad and await your opinion.

XOXO! - Ninya