Cotton Candy Pt. 02

There's no actual dance floor but there's a big vacant area in front of the temporary podium, being used as a dance floor, where a few couples are dancing to the music.

Angie actually invites us to join her but, for some reason, I don't feel comfortable and I deny. We decideanother round of drinks and Beth takes the responsibility to fetch it for us, this time.

We're simply chatting when Merry shares how she loves to dance and Tina immediately gets up and asks her for a dance. Soon, both of them start walking towards the dance floor and I find myself sitting alone but not for long because Beth comes back and inquires about them. I tell her what she missed while keeping my eye on the dancing pair.

There's no way I would've believed that Merry can still dance like that if I didn't seen it myself. Her age may have slowed her a bit but she's graceful. Tina isn't trying to match her but, instead, she's playing the role of the helpful partner by following the lead.

"You found an angel, Oli. Make sure you never lose her," Beth says, all of a sudden.

"Yes, she's gorgeous, I know!" I reply.

"She also has a heart of gold. Look at her, she's clumsy. I doubt she has ever danced before. It takes a lot of nerve to go out there and dance, only to make someone happy, when you know you can't dance and there're people who are checking your every move. She's happy to make a fool out of herself to make someone, who she barely knows, happy" Beth says.

I know that too. She always tries to make others happy but can I make her happy? I need a few drinks, I guess. The cocktails are not that hard, in fact, they taste good and I finish two of them very quickly and start the third one, hoping it helps me loosen up a bit.

"Do you want to dance, Beth?" I ask.

"I'm not good at dancing but I can accompany you until you get a chance to dance with your girl," she says with a smile.

I take Beth to the dance floor and we start dancing near Merry and Tina. We switch partners between songs and have a lot of fun dancing. Merry decides to leave, after a while, and Beth follows her, leaving only Tina and me on the dance floor.

"Would you like me to teach you a few moves?" I ask.

"Definitely!" Tina answers.

We start dancing as I take the lead and she follows me as I try to keep it simple for her. The music changes and a fast track starts. I keep dancing slowly because I don't want to do any fancy moves that might be hard for Tina to follow but she has other Ideas.

She starts to make her own moves and it doesn't take me long to realize she is an amazing dancer. I happily let her take the lead as we dance to three more songs, non-stop, and then, between song changes, a guy turns up and asks Tina for a dance which she softly denies. At the beginning of the next song, another guy turns up and asks me and I deny him as well. During the next two songs, two other guys try their luck to dance with Tina and, when the fourth one shows up, I'm literally pissed!

I don't want Tina to dance with any random guy. I know there are guys who have a problem keeping their hands in their proper place during a dance and I know Tina isn't going to dance with anyone except me. Can't they see she's with me? Maybe they're thinking we're friends and I can't say anything because they are asking for a dance. I hate it! How can I stop them?

I think, if they knew we're a couple, they may stop hitting on her and I know a way. I look at her inviting, red as blood and slightly parted lips. She doesn't move back when I lean into her and I can feel her grip on my back tighten in anticipation. Then my lips touch hers and she closes her eyes as she surrenders herself to me.

It starts as a slow kiss, showing our love more than passion but the moment I feel her tongue against my bottom lip, there's no way I can hold back. I push my tongue into her mouth and start exploring. I feel her hand in my hair and she starts sucking my tongue, making me hotter and wanting more of her. When her tongue overlaps mine and I suck on it, she moans in my mouth and I lose it, completely. We start kissing as if there's no tomorrow. Neither of us tries to be dominant, we're both willing to give.

CHAPTER 41

I'm not sure how long we've been kissing and it may have continued forever if not for a tap on my shoulder. I'm still in a daze but somehow manage to end the kiss and look back. Angie looks a little confused and she speaks.

"Would you two mind stepping out of the away, please? The beauty competition is being delayed because you're blocking the stage."

With that, she starts laughing, loudly. I'm not sure when the others left the stage and the music stopped. I look around and, to my horror, see everyone staring at us.

OMG! I can't believe I kissed Tina, while on the dance floor near the stage, with everyone looking at us. Our first kiss and I guess it can't get grander and more public than this.

I have worried about other people's opinions of me during my whole life. I don't think I ever dared to show my affection for anybody, in public, not even in my nightmares.

Now I'm really panicking. I take her hand and start running towards the table. I can't look at the people but when I do, I hear an applause, whistles and cheers.

"Once more!" someone shouts.

I'm so ashamed of what I'd done, I blush as deeply as the color of Tina's dress. When we reach the table, I see Merry and she looks as if she's been thunderstruck. Beth also looks amazed by the incident.

"I'm going to get another drink. I hope it helps relieve me of the shock," Beth says.

"Then bring a bottle for me, too, please. I don't think one drink is enough to help me!" Merry adds.

Now I wish I could hide somewhere, maybe under the table or lock myself in the washroom until the party ends but I can't because I also have Tina with me. I know she's a little crazy and doesn't care about others but kissing another girl in front of everyone also determines her sexuality. I'm not sure how she has taken the incident. It's not a great idea. I guess I made a mess, again, so I apologize to her, straight away, hoping she'll forgive me. I don't want to lose her because of this.

"I'm so sorry, Tina. I don't know what came over me to kiss you in front of everyone. I should've never done that. I'd never wanted you to be in such an awkward situation. Please forgive me," I say.

I'm so afraid of losing her that I nearly cry and choke at the end and she can hear it in my voice.

"Hey, don't worry. I don't mind! I was a bit surprised but it's a good surprise. It shows how much you love me and I'm actually happy you kissed me in front of everyone," she answers.

Now I can't believe I'm hearing properly.

"What?" I ask, again, to confirm.

"I said I'm happy you kissed me in front of everyone. It shows that either you're already taken or there'll be a long line of people in front of your counter, Monday, trying to introduce themselves and trying their luck with you after the way you look tonight," Tina adds.

"If I remember correctly, you were asked for a dance by four guys compared to only one for me," I reply, trying to prove that she's the one who's the center of attraction.

"That was a trick. When the first guy approached you and you dismissed him, others must have gotten the idea that they had no chance until I was dancing with you. So, they tried to take me out first, hoping once you were free, they had a chance to dance with you," Tina replies.

I'm not sure what she said is true but I don't argue with her. Beth returns with drinks for all of us and Angie joins us, too.

"As shy as you are, I didn't think you'd actually kiss your girl in front of everyone," Beth says.

"It was a shocker, wasn't it? But I think I know why she did it. She was so jealous that day when I acted like I was flirting with Tina and all of those guys approaching Tina for a dance must've pulled the trigger," Angie replies.

I blush, again. It's true! I always feel jealous if someone tries anything with her. I look at Tina and find her smiling. I'm sure she also knows it very well.

"Aww! That's so cute. It shows how much you love her so don't be ashamed of kissing your girl. You didn't do anything wrong and if anyone has an issue with it, they can go and fuck themselves!" Merry says.

"Or jump from the roof of the mall and commit suicide!" Beth comments.

"I hope they have insurance," Angie adds.

Everyone turns towards Angie. None of us have a clue as to where insurance comes into the picture. She takes some time to realize we are amazed by something but she doesn't understand.

"What?" she asks.

That's enough for the dam to burst and we all start laughing. I'm not panicky anymore and we start chatting normally, again.

CHAPTER 42

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention, please?"

It's Charles' voice that makes us turn towards the temporary stage.

"On behalf of the La Plaza mall workers and shop owners, I want to thank you all for coming here and making this evening special. Now, as you all know, we have a small event and a crown for the most beautiful female working in the mall. The rules are very simple. I'll call the names of the nominated girls, one by one. I want the nominee to stand and wave to others. If you think she deserves to win, cheer for her. Whoever gets the most applause will win the crown. So, people, be ready to make some noise for your favorite contestants," he ends with a big applause from the crowd.

He starts calling the names, one by one. Jane, the girl from the cafe; Sandra, from the book shop; Sumi, the Asian girl from the shoe store and so on. There's a huge cheer when Stella's name is called. I accept that she is beautiful and must be one of the strongest opponents for Angie. I'm intensely waiting for Angie's name to be called. She's a good friend and I'm ready to shout my lungs out for her.

I'm awestruck when, all of a sudden, my name comes up out of nowhere. I didn't nominate myself and the nomination window ended yesterday evening, so nobody could nominate me now and I don't think there's any person who might think I can win it, except...I look at Angie and she has a cheeky grin on her face.

"It's an open nomination process you know. You can nominate anyone," Angie says.

Now I want to kill her. I don't want to stand in front of the crowd, especially after the kiss on the dance floor because I'm not sure how people are going to react. They may comment harshly but there's nothing I can do now that my name has been called.

I feel a little squeeze on my hand. I look at Tina and she nods, smiling at me. That's all I need, an assurance that, whatever happens, she's here for me so I stand up. My legs are still shaking but I manage to look at the crowd and say hi. I never expected the crowd to go ballistic like this and I blush. They continue cheering after I take my seat.

"I think I can go back home, now. It's already decided who's going to win the crown," Angie remarks with a smile.

I blush even deeper. It's true, neither of the other girls received as large of an applause from the crowd.

"She looks far better than you, tonight, Angie. It's a fair competition," Beth says.

"Yes, I know but I may have a chance, if she plays fair, but no chance if she cheats. Purposefully kissing Tina, on the dance floor, was surely a master stroke as it made the guys go wild for her!" Angie replies.

I'm shocked. I didn't know my name was nominated and I didn't kiss Tina to get more attention. I'd never cheat against Angie, who is such a good friend of mine. I want to say something to Tina and Angie but I'm not sure what. I start to panic but not for long as everyone starts laughing, loudly, and I realize it's only a joke. Angie also receives a huge cheer from the crowd but not loud enough to beat me and the contest soon ends.

"Thanks to all of the beautiful girls who participated in this contest and also thanks to everyone who cheered for the participants because, without you, this event wouldn't be successful. The word beauty has a different definition to every person and, I believe, every one of you is beautiful in your own way but, as this is a competition, we can choose only a single female from all of you and, I believe, it's not hard for anyone to guess tonight's winner. So, without wasting any more time, let me present this year's winner of the Miss La Plaza crown to...Miss Olivia Jones!" he finishes.

I stand again and wave to the crowd, a little more confidently now, as they applaud me. It's not unexpected, after the huge cheer, but now I'm more confused about what to do. He told us, previously, to stand and wave. That's ok with me but now what? Do I walk up to the podium or stand here and wait? I'm not sure what to do.

"Would you please come up to the stage to accept your crown and the small bonus we have for you?" he adds.

It's understandable that they want me to be on the stage but it'll be very embarrassing if someone asks me about the earlier kiss in front of the entire crowd. Tina doesn't look panicked at all when she smiles and signals me to start walking.

Mrs. Hilton, the owner of the mall, crowns me and Charles gives me a small envelope, which must contain the 'little bonus', and then he gives the microphone to me to say something. I'm not sure what to say but I think I should thank them.

"Thanks, to everyone who cheered for me and everyone who believes that I deserve this because it's your voice that makes me the winner tonight. I also want to thank Angie, my friend, who nominated me, without my consent, because she had faith that I could win. I also want to thank Tina! Without her support, I wouldn't have been here, tonight," I manage to say and get a nice round of applause from the crowd.

When I get back to my seat, Angie is the first one to open the envelope and there's a cheque for one thousand five hundred US dollars. Not a small amount for me but I think it's Tina and Angie who deserve it more than me but I also know there's no way I can offer any. That'll only hurt them.

We chat for another fifteen minutes, Merry decides to leave and I check my watch. It's almost eleven pm so we also decide to call it a day. After saying our goodbyes and good nights, we start walking towards the nearby block where Tina had parked the car.

CHAPTER 43

Tina takes my hand as soon as we start walking, I think she really likes to hold it or maybe she's afraid of losing me and doesn't want to let it go. Both of us stay quiet, enjoying the silence of the night and the closeness of each other.

I hear a noise but I know Tina hasn't said anything so I stop and look at her and she blushes. I'm not sure what the sound was but I doubt Tina has anything to do with it and then I hear it for the second time.

OMG! Now I realize we didn't have dinner and the sound is the growling of her empty stomach and I also feel hungry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask.

"I was so excited during the whole evening, I didn't realize I was hungry until we left," Tina replies.

I think she's right. I forgot, too, but there's no way I can let her go home and sleep with an empty stomach.

"Fine. I know we haven't planned on dinner, or anything, but we need to have some food and, since I won the contest, we'll go to a restaurant and have some food and drinks and celebrate! And I'm going to pay for it, no debating on that," I say.

Tina looks very happy about the proposal and she nods immediately but then she suddenly looks worried about something.

"What?" I ask.

"I have to drive the car and that's the reason I only had one cocktail but if we go out to celebrate, I'm not sure I'll be able to drive you home and return to my place as well," Tina replies.

I guess I must've been too drunk to think of this. I don't want her to drive when she's drunk so we can settle for only food but that isn't the real celebration I'm looking for. I frown, disappointed with my luck. Tina must've seen the look on my face and she knows I really want to celebrate and she comes up with a plan.

"I can leave the car here, we can get a cab to the restaurant and then, when we're done celebrating, we can call a cab, drop you off at home and then the cab can drop me off at my flat. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I can come down here anytime, tomorrow, and pick up my car," Tina says.

Not a bad idea. I really want to celebrate the win and it also prevents her from driving when she's drunk. I'm not sure it'll be safe for her to travel back to her flat after dropping me off but I think I can make some arrangement so she can stay at my flat for the night if we stay out too late.

"Is it okay to leave your car here?" I ask.

"Yes. Why not? Let me call the cab, first, then we'll go and check the car to be sure it's locked properly and then take the cab," she replies.

She calls the cab but there's an issue. The driver wants to know the location of pickup so we decide I'll wait at the bus stop for the cab to arrive while she checks the car and then meets me at the bus stop. If the cab arrives first, I can always make it wait for a few minutes.

I start walking towards the bus stop and see a few big vans parked there on the opposite side of the road. There are a few cars and cabs passing by but the bus service has stopped for the day so there's not a single person waiting for it. As I get closer, I see a lot of people on the opposite side of the road and they seem pretty busy with something.

I wonder what they're doing here so late and, to my amazement, when I reach the bus stop, I find there's some kind of photo shoot taking place. There's lights and cameras and also a few models and they seem to be super busy.

I've seen photo shoots before but only in studios. I've never seen an open photo shoot before so I continue watching what they're doing, intently, until my eyes meet with one of the photographers. He's looking at me, not through the lens but directly, and I feel ashamed. He must be thinking I'm prying into their job so I turn my face and look towards the main road.

I don't have to wait for long before the cab arrives but Tina has yet to come back so I make him wait for a few minutes until she finally comes, nearly running, and we set off for our new destination.

CHAPTER 44

The journey doesn't take too long. We chat but Tina is also busy with her mobile so I don't disturb her. I guess it must be about something very important. My heart sinks as soon as I get near the main entrance because there's a long line of people waiting for their turn. I enter the restaurant and, to my surprise, the few empty tables have reserved signs on them so I walk to the counter.

"Hey, can you arrange a small table for two or tell me how long it may take you to arrange the seats?" I ask.

I'm hoping they can arrange it because it's only the two of us but what he tells me is horrible.

"I wish I could arrange the seats for you but, as you can see, most of the seats have been reserved for the night and, with the limited few seats available, it'll take two or three hours, at least, for us to provide you a seat."

Now I'm in trouble. I don't eat out often and that's the reason I don't know very many good restaurants. When my father was alive, we often visited a particular restaurant which was owned by our very good neighbor but, after father's death, money has always been tight.

The first time I visited this restaurant was for Mrs. Thompson's fiftieth wedding anniversary. They provided good Italian food at a very reasonable price so, on Meg's next birthday, I booked a table for us. Mom loves Italian food as much as I do and, for the last consecutive three years, we've come here on Meg's birthday but I've never seen them as busy as they are today! Now I have no Idea what to do next.