There's a Park Somewhere

Keeping her promise for her second Valentine, Erin had made plans with Louis to come to the park. It was a neat place she hadn't been to before, but she enjoyed a little bit of adventure. It didn't take her very long to arrive, bundled up in warm clothing, looking around for her friend. She hated that she had to make the plans the day after Valentine's Day, but she had had so much to do. Today had to do. With a smile on her face and getting distracted by watching her breath float away, she sat down on a park bench and waited for Louis to arrive.

Louis was probably the happiest student at Beata Academy as he walked to the park. The tall blonde almost felt like skipping but needed to look cool. The crisp breeze nipped at his ears as he reached the park. Looking around, he spotted Erin and gave a friendly wave. Remember, act cool. He took a deep breath and walked over to her. "I'm glad you could come!" He said with a warm smile. Yeah, he was a bit upset about her having other plans on Valentines Day but pushed it aside when he realized he was glad to have her presence at all.

As soon as Erin heard Louis's voice, she turned around and her face brightened. "Hey!" she replied with a smile as he walked up to her. "Glad you could make it as well!" She was excited to hang out. She still owed him another trip to the game lounge, after all. Tucking her hands into her jacket, she simply continued to grin. "Thank you so much for the Valentine's gift, by the way. I love the rose! It's so pretty! I will let you know that it has a loving home in my room in a beautiful solo cup because I don't have a vase." She laughed.

Louis sat down on the bench next to her and listened. "Your welcome. I'm glad I have someone to give a rose to this year." He replied, so glad she didn't think it was lame. He hadn't really thought about what the two should do while at the park, although it was one of his favorite places in Roseburry to be. She seemed pretty excited and that made the Summer happy. "So, how was your Valentines Day?" He asked, trying to start a small conversation.

"It was good!" she exclaimed. "Did a lot. Got a lot done for classes. I was falling too much behind in English..." She couldn't stand her classes. They seemed like such a time waster. She already knew a lot of the material so she normally sat there bored out of her mind, but homework still had to be done so she'd at least pass. "I also admired the rose a lot. How about yours? I'm sure you had a fantastic day!"

Louis was glad to here she had a good day, despite classes not being the most exciting thing. His heart skipped a beat when she said she admired the rose and he gave a warm smile. "Oh, my Valentines Day? Well, it was really just school, nothing spectacular." He said rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't gotten a valentine from anyone and Erin was really the only person he wanted to see.

"Oh, come on! I'm sure you did something fun! You don't have a lass you took out somewhere?" she asked him, pretty oblivious to the fact that he really only wanted to see her for Valentine's. The thought didn't even cross her mind. She grinned at him, waiting for an answer. Surely, he wasn't alone all day yesterday. That would have hurt her heart.

Pathetic. Louis couldn't believe he'd have to tell her that he was alone on Valentines Day. "Yeah, I didn't really have anyone else to hang out with. And I don't think sticking around my sister would've looked any better." He replied with a sigh. "But anyway, enough about Valentines Day." He wanted to change the subject that was starting to make him feel bad about himself. Who wants a timid boyfriend anyway? I'm not assertive enough. "So, I was thinking we could have some lunch," He grabbed the small picnic basket that was sitting next to the bench and put it on his lap. "And go from there?" The blonde hoped it didn't sound to boring of a date for Erin.

Erin nodded quickly, her excitement reinstated when she looked down and saw the basket. "That sounds wonderful!" she squealed, beaming at the idea of having a picnic. It was a fantastic idea. They got to eat and enjoy the outdoors! The two best things in life rolled into one! "After this, if there isn't anything else to do, we can go back to the game lounge. I still owe you another visit so I can kick your butt!" she teased lightly. She didn't think she could kick his butt at everything, but she was going to try.

"Ya! That'd be fun!" He replied. He couldn't wait to go to the lounge again. He opened the basket and started shuffling through it. "I brought a fruit salad, pulled pork sandwiches, homemade cookies, and water." Louis hoped what he brought was sufficient. One could never know what a girl's taste in food was.

She nodded in agreement about how a visit to the lounge would be a lot of fun. She already missed it a lot. However, her attention quickly returned to the boy as he began shuffling through the basket, naming off all of its contents. She thought it sounded really good and was impressed with everything he brought until she heard him mention pork. Immediately, her eyes lit up as she moved closer to him, trying to sneak a peek inside to see the sandwiches he made. They sounded so delicious! Surely he couldn't have known that she loved pork, but she was excited that it was what he made. "That sounds amazing!" she exclaimed, trying to hide her excitement. "I love pulled pork! It's one of my favorites!" Without another thought, she quickly sat down ready to eat. She couldn't wait to try what he had made.

Louis gave a chuckle at her enthusiasm. "I had no idea you liked pork sandwiches! I kinda just guessed." He laughed, passing the food to her and putting the small fruit salad bowl in between them. The two ate in silence for a few moments before Louis swallowed and drank some water. "You know, this is really nice. Thanks for coming." The blonde started. "I hadn't planned anything else for this week and now, I'll have something to talk about!" He was truly glad for the time able to spend with Erin. Louis had never really felt "true love" but when he was around Erin, it made him happier than usual.

"It's not just like!" she replied, sticking her tongue out playfully before she dug into the food without much hesitation. As she bit into the sandwich, she let out a "Mmmm..." from how delicious it was. It was very different from what she was used to back home, but unlike most foods, the Americanized version was really good. It was so tender and the sauce was tangy. When she thought about it, though, it was the United States where barbecue originated. Well, it wasn't native to Ireland, that was for sure. After a few minutes of enjoying the food Louis brought, she paused when he began to speak. Her mouth was still half full, so she quickly tried to chew and swallow to answer, but there was still that awkward pause thrown in there. "My pleasure!" she responded with a smile. "Thank you for inviting me! This was a great idea! I'll have something to talk about too!"

Louis wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a drink of water. He would've loved to stay in the park all day, but didn't want bore Erin. Besides, he was here for her. "Well, would you like to go?" The tall blonde put his water bottle in the small basket and grabbed a few more bites of fruit salad. "I can't wait to play all the games we didn't get too!" Louis had never really enjoyed video games but we honestly excited to go back to the game lounge.

Erin thought it for a moment as she finished her food, almost saddened that it was already gone. She took a few sips of her water to clear her throat as she continued to ponder for a few more moments before she looked around. The park was clear and there was no snow left on the ground. The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day even if it was a little chilly. "Maybe we can do that in a little bit?" she asked. "It's a beautiful day outside! Maybe we could play in the park for a little while!" she smiled as she motioned towards the swings not too far away.