Nearly a week later, another meeting was forced down my throat. 

Someone new had joined the group. Her name was Samantha, and she explained her emotional meltdown during school the previous day. 

Once again we went around the circle introducing ourselves. 

When I returned home, I decided to sit in the living room and binge watch “America's Next Top Model”. Though it might not of been a comedy, weirdly, it made me laugh.  

A sudden ring cut in the middle of a girl’s voice. Toby was calling. So I picked up. 

Me: “Toby?” 

Toby: “Hey troublemaker! Come out onto the porch!” 

I listened to him and walked out onto the porch. He stood completely still, with his arms dangling to his sides. 

He brought his hands above his head. “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Esther is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be not her maid, since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green and none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love!” he went on. “William Shakespeare.”

I held my hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter. “O Toby, Toby! Wherefore art thou Toby?”

“Quit making fun of me!” he said. 

Before I shuffled off, I told him, “Dork!” 

I decided to put on a pale yellow dress that my aunt sent to me months before. And these my pure white sandals. I actually wanted Toby to acknowledge me. I brushed my hair and attempted to hide as much of my acne as I could. I found myself out there a little later. 

“Wow.” Toby’s eyes popped and his jaw dropped low. 

I tucked the wild strands of my hair behind one of my ears. “What, you’ve never seen a girl in a dress?” 

“I have, I've just haven’t seen one this beautiful.” 

I smiled as he touched my hand to hold it. My cheeks turned into plump pink roses. My stomach was full to its rims with butterflies. 

Surprisingly, we didn’t drive anywhere. We walked. We placed ourselves inside an ice cream shop called Graeter's. Toby ordered a strawberry sundae and I got vanila and chocolate. We sat side by side on the bar stools in the back of the shop. 

Eating a bite of ice cream, Toby said, “You’re probably wondering why you’re here.” 

“I have thought about it.” I answered him as I played with my plastic spoon. 

“Well, my book group is hosting a Corn Roast tonight and I wanted to take you but there is somewhere I wanted to take you first.” 

“Well, you already won me over with the Shakespeare scene so I might as well join you.” I smiled, continuing to eat. “So, when are you leaving for London?” 

“Monday.” he answered. 

We finished the ice cream not to long after that, we whipped ourselves down with napkins and used the bathroom. 

This trip we had to drive for. Passing different stores I had never actually seen. There were open ranches where cattle grazed over perfect green grass. 

Toby’s pale knuckles were clutching steering wheel with immense determination. His eyes were straight ahead. There was a taut in his neck and shoulders, helping his biceps flex. 

The car stopped and turned into an unfamiliar dirt drive with a small home sitting at its peak. Once we excited the car, Toby gripped my wrist and dragged me pass the house. 

“Who lives here?” I asked, my voice vibrating. 

“My uncle.” he answered. 

Far behind the home was an open field. It was full of daffodils and dandelions and daisies and a sun setting behind the tall, pink bud-filled trees. A small herd of horses laid at the horizon. And in the middle of the field was a blanket, it was white with blue stripes. 

Toby yanked me down as he sat. “I love coming here to watch the sunset.” he said. 

“I can tell.” I commented. 

We were only inches apart now. 

The sun was now dipping behind the horizon, its streaks of light painted the sky, leaving in glory, putting out a red and orange carpet for the stars. 

“It’s so beautiful.” I said. 

“Not as beautiful as you.” he told me, staring straight into my eyes.

Toby looked at me and I looked straight at him. His hand touched my cheek, and his neck stretched. He was leaning in for a kiss. I wanted to kiss him so bad, but I couldn’t, I would only cry. My hand pressured his chest, repelling him. 

He looked so disappointed. “S-Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.”

❤

 

The celebration was big and bright. Loud screams from children, loud ringing from various booths, blasting music. It was odorous too; the smells of distant foods. 

Toby and I did millions upon millions of things, we snacked on foods I never even heard of, like funnel cake, and even turkey legs longer than my head. We participated in this water squirting game. There was even an old man standing on top  of a chair with a bullhorn. 

Toby had earned the cutest blue stuffed bear. “For you, troublemaker!” he handed it to me. 

“Thank you cowboy!” 

We commenced to play dozens of more games, we even helped a couple little kids play this game with rings and soda bottles. We both traveled around to different stations, and then we came to a complete stop when we got to a stage where people were singing karaoke. 

Toby snatched me over to the rows of chairs in front of the stage. “Sit down!” 

I did as he said. 

Toby pulled himself up onto the stage, where there was an older man sitting behind two massive speakers, a small computer, and a small rectangular desk. I could see Toby hovering over to him, mumbling something in his ear. 

When he moved away, he stepped to the edge of the stage and shouted, “It’s a Corn Roast, so someone has to have a guitar!” 

A young girl ran onto the stage. She held a bright brown guitar in her hands, that she gave it to Toby. The people who were supposedly working the mini fair, put out a wooden stool. And the man behind the computer handed Toby a microphone. 

“This song goes out to a girl I’ve had a crush on for a while now!” he called. 

Toby opened his mouth, and nothing but beautiful music escaped his lips. For a boy, his voice made everyone speechless, it made them gap with their jaws to the floor. He was singing one of my favorite songs. Paradise by Coldplay. Gently strumming the instrument as the words rolled off his tongue. The small audience roared with applause. 

Toby stood tall and bowed. He came down to one knee and stretched out his hand to me. “Troublemaker?” 

My face was on fire. I took his hand and let him lift me. “Cowboy!” 

He wrapped his arm all the way around my torso as I softly gripped his jaw and turned his head so I could meet the tenderness of his deep violet-blue eyes. “You’re such a dork.” I said. 

“I know, troublemaker.” 

It felt like silence around us, everything frozen in mid-air. Just us. I thought to myself, who kisses someone in front of so many people. But I didn’t care. Before I even knew what was happening, we were kissing. It felt like it lasted hours. And when I pulled away from Toby, I realized we were still on the same stage. Toby stared at me with wide eyes while I stared at the floor. And even then, the people in the plastic chairs started clapping. Some whistled, some just shouted. 

“YOU GO TOBY!” shouted a red-headed girl from the back of the crowd.  

God, I was in love but I didn’t want to admit it. I couldn't. Because, the sam holding back my emotions would only crack.