Write a story beginning with:
"It was quite late when I reached the park and I...."
It was quite late when I reached the park and I could barely see a thing. It was hard to make out the park benches and children's playground in the dim glow of twilight. The Sun dipped low below the horizon, leaving streaks of pale iridescent colours that faded to dark blue, covered by the cloak of darkness that Night swept along with it.
Above my head, hundreds of twinkling stars were scattered across the sky, illuminating the world with a soft, silvery glow. The Moon that had deigned to show itself stood out from the inky blankness and infused the night with an almost magical feel, as shadows swept along the paved path, then dissapeared in the darkness.
Along this path I walked, carefully as not to trip and fall, searching for Giles. The very thought of him caused my heart to beat happily, near bursting out of my chest. Slipping my fingers into the front pocket of my jeans, I felt the note that he had sent me. Scrawled in his messy handwriting, the note read, "meet me at the park at dusk? I have to show you something." Forget roses and poetry, this note was far more romantic.
Smiling with the joy I felt in my bones, I drifted back to the time when I first met Giles. Back then, he had been the new kid in town, causing the school halls to be filled with girls when classes ended, because they all wanted to see him. His flock of admirers soon dwindled to half when they realised that he was a very reserved boy. The other boys maintained a friendly distance while the school bullies discovered that the new kid could match their strength with his own.
With that cool demeanor and blue eyes so piercing, people likened them to ice, he exuded enigma like no other. Silly girls who fancied themselves in love with him followed him around, acting like lost puppies. Little did they know how much he hated it, for the poor Giles Ross was an extremely shy boy. He held attention in distain, prefering to blend into the crowd where he could mingle with the people he was comfortable with. Socially awkward and unsure as to how to behave, he found the perfect friend in my twin brother, who always knew what to do and say.
On the second day of school, my twin brother and I had been talking in class. The teacher got upset and seated Giles in between the two of us. As Mr. Morkinson turned around, I wondered if my brother realised that a girl at the back of class was asleep and if it was too risky to pass a note through a stranger. However, the more I stared at the sleeping girl who had her mouth open, the more I realised I couldn't not tell my brother about it. So I passed the note to Giles who smiled shyly at me once he had given it to my brother. Embarassed, I looked away and refused to meet his eyes until the end of class. When the bell rang, I looked down at my desk and saw a perfect little origami fish, its flippers raised happily. My brother was fascinated with it and the two of them became fast friends as Giles taught my brother how to fold an array of shapes. Giles began to spend a great deal of time at my house because of my brother and throught that, I got to know the true Giles, falling for the sweet shy boy he was beneath that cold exterior.
I adored the way his untameable brown hair fell in waves, lending him a somewhat rougish look. I spent hours staring at his smile, that if bottled and shipped to the other continents, could make me a fortune. I loved how his brow would furrow and how he would grumble when he didn't understand something. In short, I developed a mega huge crush on him and in my more fanciful moments, when he looked me in the eye, I imagined his icy blue eyes softening and melting.
Call me cliche or whatever, I fell for him hard and wondered if he would ever see me as more than his best friend's sister. While the more popular girls in school walked up to him and complimented him on how good he looked without a shirt when they spotted him on the beach, I admired him quietly, hoping that he would realise that the ugly duckling had turned into a swan.
A scuffling noise noise broke me out of my reverie. Looking around, I spotted three figures, dark in the shadows. For some reason, they looked menancing and I began to inch backwards silently.
"Twack!" The sound of the branch that had snapped caused them to whirl around in my direction. I recognised their faces their instantly - they were part of the neighbourhood gang that intercepted school students as they wlked home from school and demanded for money, beating up people and destroying the school property. Adrenaline seeping into my veins, I took off running towards the entrance of the park. Behind me, I heard their footsteps grow closer and I began to panic while terror fueled my legs. I didn't know what they wanted, I just knew that anthing involving them didn't turn out well.
My breath came in short pants and my lungs felt like they were on fire. I wasn't going to be able to run much longer and I closed my eyes, praying for some divine intervention and cursing myself for coming to the park, wondering if the note was some kind of sick joke or if Giles had forgotten about me. What if I was the only other person in the park and no one would come save me until the new day dawned?
Fear that coursed through me at the thought caused me to stumble. I fell forward, prepared for the jarring contact with the ground and for the horror once the gang members found me. I encountered rock hard muscle instead and when I looked up at the person who had caught me in his arms, I saw a mixture of relief and anger swirling in the beautiful depths of Giles' eyes.
"Are you alright?" His warm voice enveloped me in security and intense gratitude, making my knees give way. I managed a shaky nod and he pushed me gently aside, then turned towards the gang members. With strength born from fury, Giles punched a guy in the stomach so hard, he collapsed. Another guy raised his arm to hit Giles in the back of his neck. Whirling around, Giles caught the guy's arm and flipped him over, slamming him into the ground with a jaw-breaking thud. The hesitated then fled the scene, running. He knew strength, but more importantly, he recognised rage and was aware which of the two was more dangerous.
With the last guy retreating into the shadows, Giles looked down, bewildered, at the two unconcious boys on the ground. He looked so lost that I went over, brushing the hair out of his face. He gathered me in his arms and I rested my head on his chest, waiting for our heartbeats to slow down. We did not move until the two boys started to stir. Pulling my hand, Giles led me to the fountain near the entrance of the park where we sat in companionable silence.
Suddenly, I felt Giles move and he put something in my hand. When I looked down, I saw a red origami fish and written on it, written in gold, was one word "Girlfriend?"
My lips parted in shock. I had expected that he wanted to show me a new camera or something like that. "Before you answer, I just want to apologize for the horrible venue. I didn't know that it could be so dangerous at night." A short pause then the words came tumbling out. "I truly truly like you. A lot." He laughed self conciously. "I've been an idiot to take this long to realise what an amazing girl you are and I hope you know how much you mean to me," and when he looked down at me, he didn't look at me like the reserved boy I saw in school. He didn't look at me like my brother's best friend would. He looked at me liked a boy who saw in me, what I saw in him. Throwing my arms around him, I exuberantly whispered "yes!"
He laughed into my hair and hugged me back. I turned my head into the crook of his shoulder and breathed in the clean smell of soap with a tinge of snadalwood. "I really thought you were going to show me something new you bought or anything like that," I whispered. Chuckling, he loosened his hold and pointed up at the sky. "I did have something to show you."
Streaks of light burned down the night sky, plummeting towards the distant horizon, as shooting stars lost their battle against gravity and fell to the earth. Like fireworks, they lit up the sky with glaring beauty, emitting light before they burned out. Against the dark sky, the contrast between the two was painfully beautiful and I couldn't help but utter, "oh my God."
With a blissful laugh, Giles clasped my hand in his and quiped, "no, it's just me." I leaned against his shoulder and thought about how Giles was more than enough.
