Save me.

“Ow. May!” I yelled. The hot curling iron touched my scalp and burned.

“Sorry!” She said, unclipping the curling iron to my hair. Out came a springy curl. The LAST one. Thank God.

I looked in the mirror and started smoothing my hair.

“Don’t so that!” May slapped my hand, “That’ll make it wavy.” She studied my outfit up and down, “Okay, nevermind, make it wavy.” She handed me a paddle brush, and I started brushing my hair. “You look great.” May smiled.

“Thank you?” I pulled my gray ‘Illest’ crewneck over my head.

Michael walked into the room, “You ready yet?”

I was about to say yes, but May interrupted me, “Don’t you know you’re supposed to knock? She’s not ready yet.” She pushed Michael out the door.

“But—” He began to say. May shut the door on him.

“May!” I said.

“What? You need a new outfit.” She opened up her luggage. May rummaged through them.

“Any time now?”

“Hold on.” May pulled out a ruffled floral tank top. “Wear that with your jeggings.”

“Are you crazy?” I grabbed it, “It’s forty degrees outside. You can’t expect me to wear this.”

She threw me a cardigan. “Do you wanna look pretty for your date or not?”

I flinched at the word ‘date’. Michael and I have never really went on a date. We’ve hung out, but really, we’ve never ever been on a date and it’s been four months. “Do you know where he’s taking me?” I said, pulling the cardigan on.

“It’s a surprise.”

—

“Finally.” Michael stood up and kissed me multiple times.

I giggled, “Hi!”

“You look so pretty.” He hugged me from behind, his arms nearly crushing my waist.

“Thank you!” I stepped out of the hotel first, Michael trailing shortly behind me. “So, where are you taking me…?”

“It’s a surprise.” He smirked.

“You know I hate surprises!” I whined, “But you WILL tell me in a few seconds… Right?” I made a puppy dog face at him and looked him deep in the eye.

“I won’t tell you!” He said, laughing.

“You hate me!” I teased.

“No, not at all.” He lead me around the corner, and walked in front of me. He stretched his hands behind him, and I latched my hands on to his.

“What, are you gonna blindfold me now?” I giggled.

“You know, I was gonna do that, but Zach said you had a bad sense of direction, and I didn’t want you falling in a hole or something.”

“HE WOULD SAY THAT!” We turned another corner and I saw Rockefeller Center. One of my favorite places.

“Get your ice skates ready.” Michael kissed my cheek.

“You’re taking me ice skating?! I can never ice skate, Michael! Didn’t Zach tell you that?!”

“Of course he did!” He gripped my hand tightly.

“I’m scared!” I put on my ice skates.

“Don’t be.”

I wobbled in my skates as I entered the rink. The air from the ice immediately shocked my face and seeped through my cardigan. “It’s cold.” I huffed, and white air appeared in front of me.

“Oh, obviously.”

I wobbled even more when I stepped on the ice. Michael grabbed my hand, “Hold on tight.” And he started skating around. At like.. one hundred miles per hour.

“Michael!” I yelled, scared.

He finally stopped, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Did you get scared?”

“WELL, OBVIOUSLY. DON’T EVER FUCKING DO THAT AGAIN.” I said angrily.

“Okay, fine, I think we should stop ice skating now.”

We exited the rink, and took off our ice skates.

—

“It’s getting dark, should we be getting back?” I shivered in my thin cardigan and tank top.

“Nawh. It’s like four.” He checked his phone.

Michael and I just kept walking around. Just the two of us. I liked it that way. Then we could just… talk. No interruptions.

“I love you.” He tilted his head, and it touched the top of mine.

“You say that a lot.” I smiled. “But I love you more.”

“That’s such a lie.”

“No, baby! It’s super duper true.”

He shook his head, “Nope!”

I laughed, “NO!”

“Continue being stubborn then!” Michael grabbed me by my ankles and threw me over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” I started laughing.

After ten minutes, he finally put me down.

“I feel light-headed now.” I said.

He kissed my forehead, “All better?”

“Yes,” I smiled.

“You’re so cute.” He put his face right in front of mine. We were so close, I could smell his mint gum. The only thing between us was the air.

I giggled, “No.”

“Yes,” He smiled and kissed me.

It’s been four months and I still feel butterflies when he kisses me.

He ruffled my hair, “And I still have to take you out to dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.” I looked down.

“Then I can… take you shopping?”

“You’re gonna get so bored, Mikey!”

“I know where to go.” He ran as fast as he could until we reached Central Park.

“Central Park!” I gasped. “Oh my goodness, Mikey! There’s the horses!” I felt like I was five again.

“Wanna ride around town in them, babe?”

“I don’t know… Wanna walk around Central Park?”

“Sure.”

—

For the rest of the night, we walked around Central Park, talking about life. “I miss being back home.” He said.

“We’ll be back soon. Trust me.” I squeezed his hand.

—

While walking around the park, we realized nobody was there. Mainly because it was almost two in the morning. It was only the street lights, and us.

That’s when he kissed me.

Again.

And I felt the butterflies.

Again.

He also said “I love you.”

Again.

I smiled at him, and started to sing, “Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you.”

He smiled and bit his lip.

—

When we got back to the bus, we snuck in. Everybody else was asleep. Zach and May fell asleep with X-Box controllers in their hands. May had her feet up on Zach.

They were so cute.