Chapter 8 Merriment

I might be suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

Does Stockholm syndrome cause a person to have wet pants?

No?

Doesn't it?

So be it.

I once read that Stockholm syndrome takes several weeks to manifest. But only one day has passed.

Oh, my god. I'm experiencing terrible Stockholm syndrome.

Or perhaps I'm just nuts.

"Oh, shit!" What do you have in mind? Are you fantasising about Alex?

It took me a second to realise it. "No!" Sharon gave me a blank look, and I squealed.

I turned around to see Alex purchasing two glasses of milkshakes from Dan, a frail boy with brown hair. After I didn't respond earlier, he made the decision to eventually visit the neighbourhood park.

He manages to shut all my systems down, with the exception of my reproductive system, which works really hard whenever he is there, so it's obviously not my fault.

Sharon said, "I can see you undressing him with your eyes, Olivia," and I turned to stare at her with my eyes closed.

I have a lot to tell you. I swayed. Now not. Later."

"When is it?"

I paused before saying, "Um..." Not certain. I'm being taken to the park by him.

What park? That is the dullest location on earth. What will you two be doing there? Kites to fly?" She inquired while displaying shock.

"I'm not sure. What exactly is wrong with kites in flight? I yelled at her in a whisper while occasionally checking on Alex to make sure he wasn't listening in. Eyes rolling, Sharon said.

One second after nine, I won't be here. By then, I'll be bolting my way out of here. Be sure to arrive before nine. I grinned in response to Sharon's request.

"Yes, ma'am." I gave her a salute, and as I did so, Alex turned around and grinned at me.

Oh my god, nuggets! He's going to consider me strange. He won't ever speak to me again. He'll throw me out of his house through the highest window, and in a week I'll be begging for money and sleeping on the streets.

My God, "Your loverboy is coming." Sharon sang as she retreated from me. I made an effort to block out all the crazy ideas that were racing through my head as Alex strode towards me. As soon as he handed me the milkshake, he instinctively reached out and grabbed my hand, holding me close. Sharon waved a happy thumbs-up at me as we exited the bakery quickly.

I was on the verge of hitting my forehead. I hoped Alex didn't see that. I twirled to look at him, smirking amusedly at Shira.

Crap, he saw that.

He smiled at me and pulled me closer to him. He appeared pleased. "Good. You talk about me with your friends. That's an improvement."

I blushed and looked down. I could hear his quiet laughter. He moved away and reached for the car door. He opened it, gesturing for me to go inside, and I did, blushing tremendously. Once inside, I made myself comfortable and tried to calm my nerves. He let go of my hand, and I missed the warmth it gave me.

The car shook as he came in. He reached for my hand again, holding it as he positioned it on my lap.

Burning. Burning. Burning.

Soon, we were driving across the road, and I turned the radio on to avoid all the tension.

"Tell me about yourself." He said it after a while, and I looked at him, pursing my lips.

"What about me?" I asked, and he narrowed his eyes at me before turning towards the road.

"Your life. Your childhood. Your dreams. Your goals." He said that, and he looked at me expectantly. My heart warmed immediately when he asked me about my dreams. "Your bra size."

And he was back.

"Douchebag," I muttered under my breath, smiling, and he chuckled lightly at my cursing.

"Tell me." He urged me on.

"Can we start simple?" I asked, fidgeting nervously before looking at him. He angled his head, studying me as if he were trying to figure out what I was thinking.

"You don't trust me." He pursed his lips. He seemed hurt for a second before it was gone. "That's OK. I will build it."

Suddenly, I wanted to tell him everything about myself. Every single event-my childhood, my dreams, my objectives, and my goals. Frowning, I bit my lip and hastily shifted the discussion. "I enjoy the colour red. I have aquaphobia, fear of water, and ophidiophobia, fear of snakes.

"You won't be afraid of my snake, for sure." He added in between. If I were drinking water, I would have coughed it out.

"Um..." I dragged, not knowing what to reply, and he chuckled again, savouring my mortification. "I love Olivia." I added. "You have to ask me questions. I'm running out of things to say."

He carefully considered his question. Your favourite sport?

"Soccer."

You're crush?

The phrase "no crush" As I replied, a smile tugged at his lips.

"Status of the relationship?"

"Always single."

"Not for very long." Again blushing, I bit my lip to keep from grinning as he winked. The question, "Are you currently happy?"

"Yes." He grinned bigger when I grinned.

Do you consider love at first sight to be real? He questioned, suddenly sounding serious, and the gravity of it nearly made me shudder.

"I was instantly in love with Kitkat. So, yes." He laughed once more when I responded. He took a moment to take his hand from mine and then reached for the gear. He quickly descended while driving. His hand soon returned to me, tightly clutching my hand as he unintentionally ran his thumb over my flesh. I tried to keep my emotions in check because they were starting to drive me a bit crazy.

His fingers slid into mine in a way that resembled two perfectly placed puzzle pieces. There wasn't a void. It consumed all of the spaces, filling them. like figuring out how to get home and getting back whatever was taken