Carousel

"A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ears."

-Edmond Rostand.

"Make me immortal with a kiss."

-Christopher Marlone.

"Do not fall in love with people like me. I will take you to museums, and parks and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth. I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people."

-Caitlyn Siehl.

Okay, so just to clarify things. Luke chatted Anna up early in the morning and asked her out on a date. I hope that makes sense now. Cool.

I will be dedicating this chapter to Wattpad AOG_Community Dhimeji7 Blessing_smile Sharpmouth shattonken sekerportakali- Nozie08

The song suggestions for this chapter are carousel by Travis Scott, Ferris wheel by Tory Lanez, and finally, a roller coaster jam called love by Rapsody.

__

"Anna darling, I'm afraid you look just like your mother. I've watched you grow into this beautiful young lady just like your mother did." Mom said with a smile quoting granny Abigail. My paternal grandmother

"Thanks, mom. But this gown seems uncomfortably tight for me. I think I will be needing some oxygen pipe else I might pass out during the date." I whined and stretched out the leather body con gown from my stomach to feel at ease. Then I released it, and it slapped my stomach while I groaned in pain.

"You see that mom, it a real pain in the stomach. I need something comfy. I can go with joggers and sneakers and let you do the whole make up thing." I pleaded while she shifted her cool gaze to me.

"It a pity you can't rock this outfit. It is my latest design and you are the one wearing the first print. It just because you aren't slim enough. Eat more veggies and.."

"Water. I have heard that like a million times. If we keep arguing about this. Then I won't be able to go for the date." I informed and raised my hand in exasperation while she sighed in frustration.

"Fine. Get dressed in your signature joggers and sneakers and I will personally do your make up. I better go check out what I'm cooking." She divulged and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute. You are cooking?" I chocked in disbelief with my eyes and mouth wide open.

"You had better close that mouth of yours before a fly perches in it. And yes, what is wrong with me cooking?" She blurted out with nervousness evident in her tone.

"Mom, you can't cook. You don't cook so why now?" I probed with a chuckle.

"Yeah, the perfect way to rob it in my nose. I cook. It just that I have had so many failed attempts. But no matter what in life." She remarked pointing at me. "You don't give up. So change immediately while I bring to you my good day fluffy pepperoni pizza." She added with loud laughter and wink and exited my room.

In case you haven't gotten it yet, it is Saturday afternoon and I'm preparing for my date with Luke. Mother is so excited that she wants to personally do my makeover herself. It the first date I have ever been invited to. And I feel excited. I wanna know what it feels like to go on a date. Plus, luke is good looking, and he is a family friend. I have this weird intuition that mom set us up together. But irrespective of that, I'm going out to have fun.

The smell of smoke or a burnt thing strongly drifts around my room as strongly as an incense stick. At first that what I think it is until I saw mom holding a burnt offering and standing by the door.

I traced the burnt smell by sniffing the air continuously and finally found myself in front of my mother who looks very calm.

"What were you trying to cook? Charcoal?" I asked with disbelief and coughed when I have inhaled too much smoke.

"I really don't know Anna, seems like it." She agreed wholeheartedly and nodded vigorously. A chuckle escaped my lips. Before finally becoming a peal of full-blown laughter.

"Stop laughing at your mother. I cook.."

"It just a failed attempt. Tell that to someone else." I taunted and laughed more before she finally joined me laughing. "Rest in peace, dearest pizza." She silently muttered.

_

The car stopped right in front of the Victoria Gardens. The amusement park is set up at Wollman rink in central park, manhattan.

Luke walked to the other side of the car and opened the door for me.

"Thanks." I appreciated with a small smile and stared at the environment.

"Anything for the pretty lady on purple." He replied with a smile that flashed his white set of teeth and he linked our arms together while we walked in.

He is clothed in a black tee-shirt that has a faux leather biker jacket wrapped on it. He paired it with a black jean and white suede boots and a black hat. He looks breathtaking, to be honest.

While I ended up wearing a black cropped tank top, purple high waist joggers, black leather boots and finally a black sunglass that shielded my eyes from the harsh rays of the sun.

I stared at the numerous fun places to stop by. Like the Ferris wheel, haunted house, log ride, swinging pirates ships, psychic tents and lots more.

Little children ran around with their parents having the best memory of their lives and contributing to the screams, laughter, chanting, cheering, chugging machinery, fries sizzling in vats of oil and pinging sound of a game target that reverberated all around the place.

It is a very lovely place that has a lot of crowd having fun. The smell of Cigarettes, cotton candy, grease, sugar, hot pavement and oiled machinery wafted around making me reminisce on my childhood memories of when I visited the amusement park. It is always fun and this smell is what makes the memory evergreen.

"I didn't know any other place that will be fun. So I thought bringing you here will make a perfect date." Luke blurted out scratching his neck as his voice sounded nervous.

"To be honest, you made a perfect choice. C'mon, let go get something to eat before we start riding wheels." I said with a smile and dragged him along while we walked towards the snack stalls.

At the top of the Ferris wheel, the musical roar of the carnival dimmed with fresh air gushing along. Letting in the sound of Luke's excited giggles and the crinkle of paper from the rolled-up bag of popcorn he held tightly in one tight fist. We shared a grin as I kicked my feet out at the open air and took a large bite from my burger. I loved the moment. It official that my first date was a bomb.

After the fun ride, we are taking a stroll around the park. I squinted my eyes and looked around when I heard the sound of camera flashing.

"You looked so cute, so instead of staring all day, I decided to take a picture." He admitted sheepishly with a smile as he held out his phone for me to see the picture he had just taken.

I smiled in return and stared around awkwardly since I didn't know how to react or what to say. I'm used to being tough, sarcastic, saying comebacks, I'm used to dealing with bullies and bad boys. So having a cute and sweet boy compliment me is new. To be honest, I'm lost for words.

We sat on an empty bench where thick silence hung heavily.

"Uhm.." He started and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You have crumbs of food next to your lips." He finished off, nodding vigorously.

"Really? Which side?" I queried shooting him a sharp look of anxiety.

"By the right side."

I tried to wipe my lips furiously while he chuckled at my actions.

"No, you are spreading it around your face." He said with a smile. "Here, let me help you." He offered and used his handkerchief to wipe my entire chin.

"Okay, that perfect." He affirmed as his cool gaze rested on my face while I could feel goosebumps surface in my skin.

A machine drove in front of us and left particles of dust floating in the air. We both coughed and I tried to fan the dust away with my hand. The dust settled on the ground, yet Luke kept on coughing. No, it looks like he is suffocating and struggling so hard to breathe.

"Are you okay luke? What wrong." I queried worriedly as his eyes began turning to red and his breath became laboured.

"Omg! Luke? Somebody help." I seemed for help with my brain running haywire with confusion and panic set in. I simply had no idea what to do.

I kept screaming for help while I patted his back. He suddenly brought out an inhaler and inhaled it twice before sighing in a deep breath and breathing hard.

"Thank goodness, you gave me a scare to last a lifetime. What happened to you." I probed standing hands akimbo as my nostrils flared in exhaustion.

"I'm so sorry about that. It an attack. I'm asthmatic and things like dust tend to trigger it sometimes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It is my biggest shame I have to live with and the fear of dying anytime soon is heartbreaking. So my whole life is an eggshell that can get smashed any time soon. Sorry for the scare. I guess I have ruined the date." He gurgled with his adam apple bobbling in nervousness and his head hung limply in shame.

I sighed deeply trying to digest it all. It seems so surprising. I touched his hand, squeezed it tightly then finally brought it closer to my lips and kissed it. He instantly looked up in awe probably wondering if I sprouted horns all of a sudden.

"Regardless of how long or short life is, death is a natural part of life and it is inevitable. You didn't choose to be asthmatic so you shouldn't let it be your Achilles heels." I offered with a smile while the look of confusion finally cleared from his eyes.

"Achilles heels?" He asked.

"Yes, someone's weakest point. When I look at you, all I see is a sweet, gentleman with high hopes and expectations. Chase happiness and kick out sadness from your life because life is too short to be sad. Stay optimistic and positive because even difficult time will lead to better days." I reiterated. While a small smile broke from his face and he pulled me in for a hug.

"C'mon, let go make memories because this date just got even better." I stood up and dragged him along to a place teenagers were crowded. We pushed and manoeuvred our way to the front with the usual "sorry." And "excuse me." Till we reached right in front of the podium.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the adult game club." The speaker began with his microphone.

"So, we are not playing the game. We will just stand and watch others play. Is that okay with you?" I asked luke while he nodded in positivity.

"The game we will be playing today is popularly known as devil basket. It is a sort of blend between truth and dare and musical chairs." The crowd roared, cheered, wolf-whistled and clapped.

"There are numerous cards with various dares and questions in this red box. So the participants only have to close their eyes, dip their hands' in the box and do whatever the card instructs. Is that understood?"

"Yes..." The crowd cheered again and wolf-whistled. The atmosphere smelt of various colognes and sweat from different individuals standing close by.

"Alright, so the rule is this. I will pick ten people from the audience. The ten people will pick a partner each from the audience making the participants twenty in number. And they will be paired with whoever they pick." The microphone announced and music began playing.

The man held the microphone and cleared his throat and instantly the music died down.

He began pointing at random people one after the other and the audience roared and cheered higher.

"This looks like it is going to be fun," Luke whispered in my ears while we both chuckled.

"And the tenth person I will be picking  is..." The man said into the microphone while the crowd chanted "pick me!!"

"The girl in purple joggers. The one that looks like a tomboy over there." The man said pointing at me while I looked back hoping to see another tomboy in purple joggers.

The crowd began chanting "Tomboy, tomboy!! Up the podium!!"

"Looks like you are the tenth participant," Luke said excitedly while I shook my head in negativity. "No, no! It can't be. I'm not here to participate." The crowd didn't stop chanting as the began to crowd me and push me towards the podium while I moved reluctantly and kept turning to stare at luke.

"Awe! Is tomboy shocked? What the name?" He asked and passed the microphone to me.

"I didn't expect it so you sent a volt of electricity to me through the microphone I must admit." The crowd laughed at my bluntness.

"Alright, so it is stage two. It time to pick a partner, dear participants." He announced in a sing-song voice.

Everyone began picking who they wanted to get paired with while Luke kept casting disapproving glance and telling me not to pick him because he is shy.

When it got to my turn, kindly do the honour and guess who I picked to be paired with, ladies and gentlemen?

Our dearest luke. Now we are both chuckling on the podium at how fast the tables turned.

"Alright audience, let get the show started." The man hollered into the microphone and more people screamed in anticipation and anxiety.

The first pair picked a card and read out aloud. "Sniff your partner's armpit." The crowd burst with laughter and I shook my head for the poor innocent girl. After several reluctant stances, she sniffed the armpit and collapsed on the floor.

The ninth pair were dared to peel a bunch of bananas using only their feet and toes. They kept falling and tripping till they completed their task.

"Alright, the tenth participant, pick a card from the box." The man said while I said a quick prayer in my mind.

Kiss your pair passionately was boldly written in the card while I gasped in surprise.

"So, what are you waiting for? Kiss Anna." The man challenged loudly.

"Kiss Anna!!!" The crowd began chanting and clapping while we stared on in shock.

"Kiss me in sweet slow motion

Let's let everything slide." The song, this kiss by Faith Hill began playing heightening our confusion.

The crowd kept chanting, the music got louder, the man chanted in the microphone, people stamped their feet while chanting.

Luke touched my waist and dragged me closer leaving voltage of electricity to run through my skin. He pulled me closer dramatically making the crowd roar even harder. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and caressed my face tenderly. He licked his pink lips and stared deeply into my black pupil. His cologne hit me deep in the nostrils as he smelt of lavender and cinnamon.

He gently removed his hat, placed it beside our face to shield the audience from seeing us. Then he moved closer and touched every corner of my face. How long we stayed like that? I can't tell because the instruction was to kiss passionately.

We finally broke out of our reverie. The crowd wolf-whistled cheered, screamed, clapped. To the world, it looks like we had a long passionate and sensual kiss but to us, we knew nothing happened.

But the real question is, who will explain that to Ralph and the guys who just walked in and stared at us like they were ready to murder us?

~~~Wheew!! And that is a wrap, guys. I have been waiting for so long to write this chapter and to leave you in the first cliff hanger~~~

~~~Who is a fan of luke? Because I'm beginning to fall in love with his personality~~~

~~~Favorite moments and Why?~~~

~~~Who are you shipping?~~~

~~LUNNA OR ANNALPH???~~~

~~Okay, I agree I'm not that creative with ship names, so you can create yours and comment. Let me see how creative you can be..~~

~~I'm also opened to book covers and I will appreciate anyone~~

~~Have a good weekend while I think of how to rewrite the next chapter~~

~~And lastly, this book hit 13k reads today. Yay!! I'm so excited peeps~~