4 "Ruthie - A Date With Carlos"

I was clinging tightly to the strap of my sling bag as I approached the fair. My palms are sweating from nervousness. How would Carlos react when he sees me in this red dress?

I am always in ponytails, pants, and t-shirts, both at school and home. Only for today, I put on make-up and dressed beautifully to leave a good impression. I hope I look as stunning as Dyrroth is describing earlier. I desperately want to make this work, have new friends, and live a normal life.

"Ruthie, is that you?"

I looked up at the tall guy who suddenly appeared at my side. My heartbeat became faster when I saw that it was Carlos. He wore a blue checkered shirt teamed with a pair of jeans that fit him perfectly. He looked cool.

"He-Hey! Carlos! Have you been waiting for me?"

His lips parted as his coffee-brown eyes scanned me from head to toe. He looked surprised and pleased.

"Wow! It is really you! I almost didn't recognize you! You look amazing tonight!"

I covertly bit my lower lip while holding back a smile.

"Geez! You are flattering me too much... So, have you been waiting for a while?"

He smiled broadly, exposing his deep dimples. Now I see the culprit of why girls are abnormally attracted to him at school. He is cuter up close.

"I did not wait that long. Maybe just a little. I was too excited, so I came here a bit early," he said sheepishly.

I felt happy to hear that he was excited. I wanted to say that I felt the same, but I was too shy.

"O-Okay. That's good then," I replied.

"Come on, let's go in. I already bought our tickets."

I smiled and nodded. "All right, let's go."

As we walked inside, my eyes shone at the pompous and colorful decorations and sparkling lights inside. I could hear the screams and loud laughter of people having fun. It was festive and lively. I have never been to this kind of place before. I feel like I am Alice in wonderland.

I clenched my fists to contain the over-excitement I was feeling. I did not want to look too naive and ignorant.

"Where do you want to go first?" Carlos asked as we passed the entrance.

My eyes were sparkling as I turned my head left and right, not able to decide where to go. I felt like a child again. I hope I am not being too obvious.

"I think anywhere is okay! As long as we check out everything!" I answered cheerfully.

He grinned, obviously amused by the reaction on my face.

"Since it looks like it's your first time here, I'll make sure for this to be an unforgettable night for you."

I can not help but blush. "Thank you..."

I smiled gratefully at him and followed his lead. Carlos seemed kind. I see no arrogance, and he is gentlemanly.

We wandered around first while chatting so we could get to know each other better. We told many things about ourselves. We discovered we had a lot in common, and that made us more comfortable with each other.

We only talked for less than an hour, but it felt as if we had known each other for a long time. Most of all, I confirmed Dyrroth’s false suspicion that Carlos was fooling around with me. I could feel his sincerity and his pure intentions toward me.

After our little tour, he bought me ice cream and fish balls. We ate a few snacks and then talked some more. When we finished resting, we went to where the rides were and tried to ride all of that. I screamed badly on the mini roller coaster and the horror train. I hope I did not look weird when I shrieked. We also tried riding the carousel. It was sweet.

After two hours of spending time with him, I quickly became familiar with Carlos. He is not difficult to get along with, and he is funny. We instantly became close friends. I was smiling the whole time. My jaw and cheeks are already getting numb from laughing too much, but I do not mind. I am having a lot of fun.

We sat on an empty bench to rest our legs. Carlos stared at me for a couple of seconds and then spoke.

"I'm happy to see that you are enjoying my company."

I smiled softly with a bit of sadness in my eyes.

"I have never been able to visit a place like this because I don't go out too much. Home, school, and the grocery market are the only places I have been to. Oh, and the park near our place. I go there sometimes."

"Why? Were you not allowed to go somewhere else?"

"My mom did not allow it ever since the rumors about me started. And even if I do, the people give me weird looks. Like I am something disgusting and scary."

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean to put you in a bad mood."

"You're fine! I'm used to it anyway."

"Uhm… Then, does it mean your mom trusts me? She allowed you to go out with me."

I chuckled. "She was hesitant at first, but then she allowed it. Besides, I'm eighteen now."

"I see..."

"How about you? Are you enjoying my company?"

His gaze became a little intense. He waited for a few seconds before answering.

"If you were dating your crush, wouldn't you be happy?"

I felt my cheeks suddenly heat up. Did I hear that right?

"Crush?"

He chuckled. He did not answer, so I was not sure if I heard right. Then he suddenly pointed at something.

"Let us go there."

I looked and saw that he was pointing at the Ferris wheel.

I nodded happily. "Yes!"

We wasted no time and headed there. The queue at the ticket booth was not very long, so we boarded right away.

"Carlos, thank you for not being afraid to make friends with me. And for bringing me here. I'm really happy! I will never forget this," I sincerely said a few seconds after we sat, facing each other.

Those are words from my heart. This night will definitely be one of the happiest memories of my life, no matter what happens between us after this.

Carlos shook his head slowly while he stared at me with gentleness and sincerity.

"I'm the one who should thank you for coming with me. I was surprised when you replied to my text and that you also wanted to be friends with me. You're always alone and in the corner, so I was a little hesitant. I thought you would reject me. I thought you wouldn't want to be friends. "

I laughed softly, then shook my head.

"You thought I was a loner? That's not true. I don't avoid people. They do. You know the gossip about me, right? It's hard for me to make friends."

He shrugged. "Yes, I know. I heard people talk about it. But I don't believe in that."

A sad smile shot through my lips. "Good for you..."

"Don't think about them too much. Other parts of our village are still remote, so there are still a lot of superstitious people."

"Yes, but still. It's giving me a hard time."

"Shame on them then. If those people see what I see, they will love you. Well, I guess that's the point of being a hidden treasure."

I blinked at Carlos with a confused look.

"Me, a hidden treasure?"

"Yes," he replied with a serious face.

I almost burst out in laughter.

"You're funny!"

"What? But I'm serious."

"Then what would that make you? A treasure hunter?"

He laughed. "No. I'm no one. Just a lucky guy."

I giggled. Honestly, I am the one who is lucky here to be noticed by a great guy like him.

"All right, fine. I'm a hidden treasure. You better take care of me."

I am feeling good and confident. I am getting a lot of compliments today.

"I'm just a little worried," he added.

"About what?"

"Hidden treasures are bound to have traps around them."

I grinned. "Or monsters."

We both laughed and continued to joke and chat. Carlos's flatteries are endless. I wish everyone would think like him about me. I am glad. Even though he knew about the rumors, he still chose to get close to me. People will gossip about him after this, but he doesn't seem to care. He was just happy we went out tonight.

His courage and kindness make my heart flutter. He continues to be more handsome in my eyes.

Err... It's still too early for you to fall, Ruthie! There is nothing good about being fragile!

I repeatedly scolded myself in my mind. I could not believe I was romantically thinking about Carlos after only spending a short time with him. I know I was only like this because it had been so long since someone had shown interest in me. It made me excited and hopeful. But I should not be too rash.

"Ruthie, look outside."

Carlos pointed out the window. I quickly looked. I almost dropped my jaw in amazement at the beautiful view from above. I had never seen anything like this before.

"Wow! Look, Carlos! People are so tiny! They look like ants! There! Look at that! That's where we bought ice cream earlier! That's the vendor! Look there!"

I feel like a child who just got out of the house for the first time. Carlos laughs at me as he watches me point my fingers at everything I see. Then he sits beside me and joins me. This Ferris wheel instantly became my favorite ride here at the fair.

I open my eyes widely as I etch in my mind the bright and colorful scene below. The whole area was full of life, and there seemed to be no end to the fun. The full moon is high in the sky, but the night looks like it has just begun. I can feel a pinch in my heart. I shall carve this in my memory.

I smiled wryly at the sudden thought. I became more and more aware of how small and limited my world was. There are so many beautiful things in the world that I have yet to see. I really need to go out of my shell and stop those rumors about me. If I had not gone with Carlos tonight, I might not have seen or experienced this. Someday, I will leave this place with my mom and live more freely.

We rode the Ferris wheel one more time because I insisted. I could not get enough of it. After that, we hung out in a corner to rest and continued chatting about our lives. The twenty minutes chatter felt like five minutes. Time indeed gets shorter when you are having so much fun.

"It's late. I'll take you home," Carlos said after looking at his wristwatch. "Your mom will get mad."

I looked at my cellphone to see what time it was. I secretly bit my lower lip. I did not want to go home yet. I felt like being woken up from a sweet dream.

"Oh, you're right. I didn't realize... Time went too fast," I said.

"Yeah. It felt too short."

I pouted my lips. "Yeah..."

"This fair announced they will open again. Friday next week. If you want, let's come here again."

My eyes twinkled at him. "Really?!"

"Yes. I'll treat you."

"All right! Thank you, Carlos! You're really kind, you know!"

"No big deal."

His cheeks blushed slightly. He seemed embarrassed as he touched his nape.

"Uhm... Ruthie, can I call you later?"

My heart can not help but beat faster. The tone of Carlos's voice and the expression on his face is too adorable, almost like a puppy. I thought of the possibility that he might want to be more than friends with me. That thought made me nervous, but I also felt curious. Why not? He seemed like a good guy.

"Text me first before you call," I replied in a calm voice so that it wouldn't be too obvious that I badly wanted him to. I am actually losing my mind with so much excitement.

"I will. Uhm, let's take a picture?"

I nodded quickly. "Absolutely!"

He pulled out his cellphone and pointed the camera lens at us. We both smiled brightly. Before he took the picture, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I did not mind. We looked like a young couple in that photo. I can not wait to brag about this to Dyrroth.

Because Carlos was a real gentleman, he walked me home to the mansion. He said he wanted to personally apologize to my mother because we stayed up late. And he also wanted to know where I lived because he promised to pick me up the next time we went out.

The pleasure of feeling that you are treated specially by a man like him is fantastic. I feel like my feet are in the clouds. I can not wait for our next date next Friday.