Renee’s friends said to just be herself, reminding her that when he saw her for the first time she wasn’t putting on an act or behaving like a child.
She met him in the lobby, both of them smiling and eager to start their day. She was nervous and trying to calm herself as they got in his car and he started the engine, stealing looks at him from the corner of her eye. Stop acting like a love-struck teenager, for god’s sake. She quickly knocked the immature emotions away and took a breath, but remained internally giddy at the thought of spending the day with Christopher.
“So aside from the hockey game, I really didn’t have any plans for today. I was thinking we could get lunch, if you’re hungry, and then play it by ear. Unless you have something you’d like to do.”
This wasn’t something she had been warned might happen and she didn’t know what to do. They hadn’t even made it out of the parking garage and the only thing she knew for sure was that she couldn’t eat without the fear of her nerves making her throw up on his shoes. She said, “I’m not really hungry right now.”
“Too nervous to eat?” he teased.
A little embarrassed, Renee again pushed the unwanted juvenile emotions away and cleared her throat, remembering that he already knew what kind of person she was. “Being alone with you makes me nervous. I don’t know why, but it does.”
Christopher turned to her with a smile and held out his hand. She trusted the sincerity she saw in his eyes and cautiously took his hand, her jumpiness slowly receding, but her lips apparently couldn’t decide whether to smile or not. He leaned into her, his face so close to hers that she could feel his warm breath on her lips as he whispered, “I’m a little nervous myself.”
***
Their day began with spending time at a small amusement park where they played miniature golf, which she wasn’t very good at and obviously didn’t enjoy, but she played with a smile on her face and focus in her eyes. They raced each other in the go-karts and afterward headed over to the batting cages, where Renee astonished Christopher with her accuracy and tenacity when it came to making the baseballs fly across the cage. She hit every ball that came at her, each one categorically being hit harder and faster than the previous. He must have spent fifty dollars at the cages just to stare in awe at her persistence.
Afterward, they found a small diner on the outskirts of the city where they ate lunch and began getting to know each other. Because she felt completely comfortable with him, and because he was the only one she could really talk to about the world she grew up in, she told him everything she could possibly think of. When Christopher spoke, she was very much interested, locking eyes with him and intently listening to every word he had to say.
“You don’t have the life of a typical sixteen-year-old,” Christopher noted.
“I’m not your typical sixteen-year-old,” Renee replied.
Hiding a smile behind his glass, Christopher asked, “Where did you learn to hit a ball like that?”
“David is a huge baseball fan. He introduced me to batting cages and the rest is what you saw me do. David has always been a big believer in me being able to defend myself. You should see my right hook.” She smiled and he couldn’t help but laugh.
By the time lunch was over, the conversation was flowing freely and she never wanted to leave his side. As they drove away from the restaurant, Christopher questioned her on what she wanted to do next. The answer came to her instantly: her favorite place in the world.
They walked through the botanical gardens as Renee narrated its history, pointing out different features and educating him on everything they saw. They entered the Isle of Lilies—her sanctuary—and she stopped walking to watch Christopher take it all in, the hopeful smile never leaving her face. The lilies were caged by a tall hedge with only one entrance and exit; the circumference comparable to that of a grain silo with a circling path just big enough for two to walk side by side. It was filled with lilies of different colors, and a fountain of marble in the middle of it all, adding to the relaxation and peace a person could find just standing there for a few minutes.
He smiled and turned to her with awe. “It’s really beautiful.”
Her smile grew bigger as her eyes focused on the bench situated in an alcove—the best place to get the full aroma of the flowers and just secluded enough to hide someone from the world. She nodded at the bench and they sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the garden and wondering what he was thinking.
Finally, Christopher broke the silence. “I wanted to meet you the night of your party but I didn’t think it would be right since we work together. I watched you though. You were very beautiful that night.” Her cheeks were quickly warming as he gently took her hand in his. “You’re beautiful right now. I’d like to spend more time with you and am wondering how you feel about that.”
Her heart was racing and she felt an electric shock running through her body just from him holding her hand. She knew what she wanted as she looked him in the eye with complete certainty. “I would like that very much.”
Christopher slowly leaned in, kissing her gently, which she happily returned. When the kiss ended, they locked eyes with each other and Renee felt a twitching smile coming forward.
“Do that again,” she said, and he did. The kiss began slowly until Renee leaned into him and parted her lips, the tip of her tongue brushing his upper lip and giving him permission to kiss her however he wanted. He placed his hand on the back of her head in an attempt to pull her closer to him and she began to tremble. She placed her hands on either side of his face as their tongues explored each other’s mouths for the first time. Renee could think of nothing else in the world except kissing Christopher as often as she could. She now knew what she had been told about a first kiss was true, except that she never imaged she would feel the electric sparks run through her body and want to be with him forever.
She couldn’t say how long she felt like she was floating before Christopher broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes. Her breathing was rapid, her face was flush, her smile was still twitching, and the look in her eye couldn’t have been anything but bliss. He wrapped his arms around her and inhaled the scent of her hair while she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. There were no words either of them could say so they stayed where they were until they heard someone approaching the sanctuary of the lilies. Quietly, they left hand in hand, and from that moment on, would forever belong to each other.