The Book Of Love

Biting my lip, I looked into the rearview mirror of my truck as I pulled out a loose bobby pin and then stuck it back in its place. I was nervous. I didn't want to say something and make a complete fool out of myself. I was worried things might get awkward at times, too.

But then I decided that I was just going to be myself, nobody else, and if things didn't work out, or if he didn't want be friends with me, then that was fine. Besides, I had made it this far without a single friend, so I could sure as heck keep on going without one. I got out of my truck and heard the door creek as I shut it. Stupid thing, I'm surprised you still run.

I walked about fifty yards until I came to the entrance. I paid to get in, and then I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I didn't know where Aaron was, or if he was even there at all. I looked to my left towards a pavilion then to my right towards the long line of various games, scanning faces as I did so. I didn't see him. Maybe he was way over there by the food. I walked over to the concession stands and looked through a decent sized crowd, but Aaron was still nowhere to be found. I ended up walking around the whole entire fair, but still hadn't seen him. I knew it was too good to be true..

I let a sigh escape my lips, and as I turned around to head back home, I saw him standing there, hands in his pockets, grin on his face. We walked towards each other.

"Sorry I'm late. I got caught up watching an old baseball game with my sister," he said to me. "I hope you weren't about to leave."

I looked down at the ground for a moment before I met his gaze again. "I.. uh. I was actually just about to turn around and walk out of here. I just thought you asked me to come as a joke or something and that you'd be on top of the ferris wheel laughing at me with your friends. But then I found you, err, well, you found me. And here we are now.."

"I'm not that guy, I promise. I don't have the heart to do that to someone," he said as he lightly shook his head. "I just lost track of time and.. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I tend to lose track of time, too," I said, offering him a smile.

"So does that mean I'm forgiven?"

I gave my head a few short nods, a slight smile on my lips. "Yes, you're forgiven."

"You mentioned the ferris wheel before.. Want to ride it?"

"I guess," I stated, looking up at the ride. "It's kind of high, though. I'm not really fond of heights."

"You'll be okay. I'll be right there beside you to make sure you don't fall to your death.. alone," he said, chuckling a bit.

"Oh, how very kind of you," I replied in a sarcastic tone.

He held out his arm, and after hesitating slightly, I looped my own through his as we made our way in the direction of the ferris wheel.

"Hey, do you want some cotton candy while we're passing it?" he asked me as we came to a stop and looked to our right.

"Sure, why not."

I started to dig through my bag for some money, but Aaron put his hand on my upper on, stopping me. "I'll get it," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he reassured me before turning to the man behind the cotton candy booth. "She'll have a pink one, please."

I thanked him as he handed me my blob of cotton candy. We started to walk towards the ferris wheel, and I asked him if he wanted some. After all, he did buy it. He gave his head a few quick nods before he opened his mouth. I giggled at him and pulled some off of the stick. I brought my hand to his mouth and he bit the majority of the cotton candy off. I laughed and started to walk ahead of him in the direction of the ride.

We stood in line and waited our turn before we finally got to go on. It would stop for a minute then move again, only to stop again so more people could get on.

"See, this isn't so scary," Aaron said.

"No, it's not so bad. I thought it was going to be much worse."

We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes after that. I looked out across San Angelo, and I could feel his eyes on me. He wasn't necessarily staring, but rather admiring--that was the best way to describe it. I didn't know what there was to admire, though; it was just me, nothing special.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked me.

"Uh, I.. Are you sure? I might not be good at it."

He laughed a little bit. "What do you mean am I sure? Of course I am. And how could you not be good at kissing?"

"I just don't see why you would want to," I said, and I saw his face fall into a bit of a frown. "I mean, I'm just not pretty like the other girls. They're outgoing and fun and have really nice clothes. They have the blonde hair and tanned skin. They just look good all the time. I'm just nothing like th-"

I was cut off mid-sentence as Aaron's lips covered mine. I didn't know what was going on at first, but then my eyes fluttered shut and I kissed him back. It didn't last long, a few seconds, maybe.

"You're beautiful, Johanna. Don't let anyone ever tell you any different," he said to me, pushing a piece of dark brown hair behind my ear.

I blushed and looked down. He reached a finger under my chin, lifting my head up. "Don't be ashamed of that," he whispered. My cheeks grew pinker, but I fought the urge to look back down again.

"That was the first time I've ever kissed a boy," I bravely told him after a few moments of silence. I know it was a little embarrassing that I was seventeen and still hadn't kissed a boy, but it was the truth.

"You can't be serious?" I gave him a look that told him I was, in fact, being serious. He still didn't think I was telling the truth. "Really?"

"Really," I confirmed.

"I just.. I can't believe someone like you hasn't had guys fighting over you," he told me in disbelief. "But now I get the honor of being the first guy you've ever kissed," he said through a smile.

After that, we talked about the people down below us until it was our time to get off.

"Here, watch this! I'll get you that big tiger," Aaron exclaimed as he ran over to a game booth and pointed to a very large tiger hanging on the wall. He pulled out a five and got five footballs. The object of the game was to throw the footballs throw the middle of a tire. Aaron made all five, and ultimately won me the stuffed animal like he said he would.

"How'd you get so good at that?" I asked him as we started walking out of the fair with everyone else, my tiger wrapped under my arm. It was almost ten o'clock, time for this place to close down.

"I was the quarterback of the Lake View Chiefs all four years of high school," he explained. "Sometimes I use it to my advantage, especially to win a pretty girl a tiger." I blushed again.

"I don't know a thing about football," I admitted.

"I'll teach you one day," he promised. "So about that ride I didn't take the other day..," Aaron began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you think I could get one tonight?"

"Sure," I replied with a smile.

We made our way to my truck and got in. It was fairly warm out, so we left the windows down as we drove. He turned on the radio, and some God awful country song came on. He hummed along, seeming to know it. We didn't speak a word unless he was giving me directions back to his house. It wasn't that we didn't know what to say or that things felt awkward, it was that we were just enjoying each other's presence, I suppose.

The drive was a short one, about five minutes. It was a reasonable walk into to town for him, too. The door squeaked as he got out of the passenger side. Then he walked around the front of the truck and folded his arms on top of each other and rested them on my partially-open window. "Would it be okay if I called you sometime?" he asked me.

My eyes widened, he was asking me for my number! I calmed down and answered him. "I would give you my number, but I don't have a phone, not even a house phone," I explained as I watched his eyebrows raise in surprise. "No friends, remember?" I lightly laughed.

"Oh, yeah," he frowned. "Not even family, though?"

"No, I haven't seen or talked to them in years. It's just me and my dad."

"I'm sorry about that," he said before lightly clearing his throat. "You know where Sealy Flats is, right? That diner around the corner from the book store?" I gave my head a few nods. "Meet me there at noon?"

I smiled at him. "Okay."

He took a few steps back from the truck, a grin on his face, as well. "Goodnight, Johanna," he said, tipping his hat down.

"Goodnight, Aaron," I replied before putting the truck in reverse and heading home.