Chapter 11
When I woke up the next day, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I really was at Erik's apartment, in my very own room, where I was welcomed very much. This was too good to be true. One day I was camping out in the back room of my business and the next I'm in a lavish, expensive, apartment building with a very handsome bachelor. Speaking of the bachelor, Erik walked into the room to see me sitting there looking around. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Have a good rest?" Dear god! He called me 'Sleeping Beauty'.
"Yes I did, my prince." I replied. Wish you would have woken me up with a kiss though. "How did you sleep?"
"Good, I guess. Hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast is waiting." He smiled at me and left the room. Hearing the word 'breakfast' made me get up and ready for the day quickly. As soon as I put on my makeup, I was out the door and into the kitchen. A plate stacked with pancakes sat in the middle of the table. Sitting down, I added three of them to my plate and drenched them in syrup. Erik came into the dining room with a glass of milk and sat it next to my plate.
"That was quick." he said. "How do they taste? I've never really made them before." I took a large bite of them and chewed slowly, savoring the taste. After I swallowed, I took a drink of milk.
"They are amazing, Erik. I swear, you should be a cook for some famous person." Erik chuckled and sat down next to me with a newspaper in his hands. We sat there in silence, well, mostly silence; there was the sound of me stuffing my face with the pancake-y goodness, but that wasn't all too loud because I didn't want Erik thinking I was a starved little pig. When I was finished, I stretched in my chair and looked at the clock. It was six-thirty and I had plenty of time to get to the store. "Thanks for breakfast. It was the best I've had in years. Now, if you'd excuse me. I have to get to work."
"But it is Sunday." Erik replied putting his newspaper down. How could I forget!? The shop is closed on Sundays. "Hyacinth Corner is closed today."
"Oh yeah... I forgot. Silly me." I laughed nervously. "Well, that just ruined my plans for the work day. They can wait until tomorrow, though." He looked at me strangely and I shifted my gaze from him to the window. His fiery stare held all the passion in the world. I feared if I looked into them, my soul would catch fire and I would burn to an ash pile. The sound of his chair being pushed back made me turn back to him. Erik came and stood next to me, looking out the window.
"How would you like to go out on this fine day?" he asked. "I have somewhere in mind, but if you're not up to it..."
"Oh stop it, Erik!" I slapped his arm playfully. "Of course I'd love to go with you. Where are we gonna go?"
"That is a surprise, my dear. Now go get your jacket and put on some tennis shoes." Erik grabbed his jacket off the rack by the door, and grabbed his keys from the counter. When I returned, ready to go, he opened the door for me and we left to wherever he had in mind.
...
"Coney Island?! No way!" I said, gazing at the park around me.
"I remember you saying that you had never been, so I thought it would be a good idea to take you here." Erik looked at me. "So, what do you want to do first?" An ear to ear grin spread across my face. Best. Day. Ever.
First, we went to the New York Aquarium. When we walked through the shark room, I held onto Erik's arm tightly. One of my biggest fears was sharks. I know it is odd for an adult to be afraid of sharks, but hey, what was I to do? Just get over the fear? When Erik realized how I was acting, he wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder protectively. After that, I didn't even realize the sharks were in the room anymore.
Next he took me to the amusement park. Much to his dislike, I made him go on all the scary rides with me. A few times, in between going on the rides, we would play games. Erik won me a giant stuffed bear at a ball toss game; he had insisted he give it to me, so I eventually caved, and accepted it. I had my face painted like the mask Erik wore. When he realized what I was doing, he laughed and shook his head. A lot of cotton candy and corn dogs were consumed during our escapade around the park; most of the food was eaten by yours truly.
After that, we went to the beach and walked along the shore. I had taken my shoes off and let the water lap at my feet. Erik walked a distance up from me, clearly not wanting to get wet. I had attempted to get him to walk right by me, but he wouldn't budge. Once I had enough of the water, I sat down in the sand and buried my feet in it. Erik was laying down next to me, gazing up at the sky, when a thought came to my mind. Picking up sand in my hand, I began lightly sprinkling it on his chest. When he noticed, he sat up quickly and told me to start running, and I did. I ran from him, giggling like a mad woman.
Lastly, he took me out to dinner at a small diner. The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries and Erik had steak. While we ate, we talked about our favorite parts of the day and shared many laughs. When we finished, he paid the bill, like a gentleman, and hailed a taxi for us to go back home. I had almost fell asleep on the way back, but forced myself to stay awake so Erik wouldn't have to wake me up or carry me to get inside. As soon as we were back in our apartment... I like how that sounds. Our apartment. Erik and I's apartment. The apartment that both Erik and I live in. I fell asleep on the couch a few minutes after I had sat down, drifting into a sleep full of sweet dreams filled with Erik and I.
