"What the hell, Brandon?" The small stones of the gravel crunched under the tires as the car came to a halt.
Before Brandon could even turn off the engine, Cherry already had one foot outside, keeping her balance with the crutches. Gasping with saucer eyes as she beheld the scene in front of her.
A crowd of people disappeared into a magical entrance with a bounce to their feet and laughter of excitement. The next batch left the place with infectious smiles and souvenirs as black mouse ears snuggled on their heads.
She took only one sniff, and her mouth was watering as she recognized the warm scent of churros and buttery popcorn. But the one thing that made her giddy like a child was the distance sight of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, its spires glinting under the sun, beckoning you deeper into the magic.
"You took us to Disneyland!? Freaking Disneyland!?" She already wondered why the place he was planning to take them took one and a half day to reach. I honestly thought that he was planning to kill me and drop my dead body in a desolate place at some point.
"Yep," he answered proudly, the 'p' popping with extra emphasis as he stepped from the car.
"Why!?" she screeched, not able to wrap her mind around what's happening right now.
"Because I knew you would like it."
"But a casual date would have been fine. You know, a normal candlelight dinner with some spaghetti and meatballs where we would eventually unknowingly slurp at one spaghetti string until we kiss— not like I want to kiss you or something." She quickly corrected herself bashfully.
"Uhu." His hand sneaked into her sweaty one, giving it a tight squeeze. "That's exactly my problem. I don't want to create a date that's just "fine". I want to blow your mind with something unforgettable. Something that makes your day."
"This does more than that. This makes my whole year." Her mouth ached from the grin splitting her face from ear to ear.
"Each of our future dates will be something like this." His words caressed her ears, hard-coding the promise in her brain.
"Watch out. You're raising my standards. What if normal dates don't do it for me anymore?"
"Good. This way, no man would meet your standards except for me."
They walked to the ticket booth, and Brandon flashed the e-tickets on his phone to the worker. Curious about something, Cherry threw a glance at the ticket, and it made her eyes jump out of their sockets.
The worker wishing them a good day didn't even register in her mind as she busily tugged at Brandon's sleeve, forcing him to bring his ear closer to her.
"You got us fast passes!?" she whisper-yelled.
"Of course. My wife deserves the best."
"I'm deceased." With a dramatic flourish, she placed the back of her hand on her forehead, tipping her head back with the smallest incline as she sagged through her knees as much as her crutches allowed her.
With a playful roll of his eyes, Brandon wrapped his arm around her waist, the sweet, floral perfume of his wife filling his senses as he guided her deeper into the park, cutting short her dramatic display. "Come on, let's visit some attractions."
"Wait." Something flashy caught her eye and Cherry planted her heels on the pavement, refusing to budge. She pointed her index finger at a souvenir shop.
"Let's get those." The sparkles in her eyes made Brandon nervous, but he still dared to follow the line of her arm, and once he saw what she was pointing at, his smile froze solid.
Not those damn ears. A low groan escaped Brandon's lips. Cherry pointed at the Minnie and Mickey Mouse ears hanging on a rack display in a souvenir shop. Brandon wasn't the type to willingly cosplay, and he wasn't planning to become one either.
"Cherry, I don't think-" he trailed off as he faced the pleading eyes and the protruded glossy bottom lip of his wife. This is one of the few moments that Brandon was experiencing something daunting to the point of taking a step back.
Don't look at me with those pretty eyes. He begged her silently. "How about we buy only one? You can wear it for both of us-" He wanted to offer her a different solution, but once again those eyes stole his breath again.
She took a step closer, widening her heart-wrenching gaze, and Brandon swore he saw tears swimming in them. "Please Brandon? It would be more fun if both of us wore them. Hmm?" Her jutted-out bottom lip now quivered, and Brandon felt his heart squeal for this sly woman.
He sighed. The conclusion was inescapable. I will never win against her, will I? "Fine. Let's get those stupid ears."
"They aren't stupid." She glowered. "Those ears belong to one of the longest-existing cartoon couples in history."
"Huh? Aren't they divorced now?"
"Lalalala I don't hear you!" Cherry promptly covered her hears with her hands, walking away from Brandon and making haste to the shop.
...
"Here, wear this."
Coming out of the shop, Cherry offered him the Minnie Mouse ears. His eyes burned with anguish at the bright crimson ribbon, its white polka dots a stark contrast against the black ears it partially hid; the vibrant color was almost painful to look at. The skin between his brows puckered. "Aren't you supposed to wear that?"
"See it as a punishment for your attempt at destroying my childhood dreams." With a playful smirk, she retorted, "There," she placed the fuzzy ears on his head and then quickly put on her own. "Aren't you a pretty little thing? Let's take a picture."
With a mischievous grin, she suggested a selfie and, before Brandon could protest, she snuggled close, her arm linked through his, her head on his shoulder, as she took the photo.
She laughed once she saw the picture. There she playfully hugged Brandon's arm, throwing up a peace sign and winking wickedly; her smile was bright and full of life. In comparison to that, Brandon looked like he wanted the earth to split open and swallow him whole; with his expression disgruntled, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I'm going to send this to April." Again, he could barely get a word out, and the picture was gone.
Not a second later, April read her message and replied with something that made Cherry laugh in a way that reminded him of a villainess. "April said that she loves the picture, too."
I'm sure she does. Brandon thought sardonic as he rolled his eyes until they locked onto Cherry's face.
While she typed an answer back to April, Brandon took his sweet time to trace the delicate curve of her lips and the eyes sparkling with mirth.
Other visitors from the park walked past them; occasionally brushing against him, but he couldn't feel it. Only the tresses hit by sunlight, stirred gently by the breeze, could send tingles across his skin.
Noticing his intense gaze, Cherry looked up, meeting his eyes. Her brow arched questionable at him as she wore a smirk. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Don't know." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I just love seeing you act so childish after a long time. It makes wearing these dreadful ears worth it."
He saw her smug smile disappear as her cherry-coded lips partly opened, sounding out a hesitant "oh". Her luscious cheeks flushed pink, and her lips trembled slightly as they drew back the air they lost in secrecy.
If Brandon had the right, he would gladly supply the air to her himself; mouth to mouth. Have his hands snuggle comfy in her waist, pulling her close to him and have her body hum under his touch.
"U-um B-Brandon."
A squeaky voice pulled him out of his thoughts, only to find himself in a precarious position. Her dainty hands trembled slightly as they pushed against his chest as he leaned in impossibly close; their faces almost touching. Cherry arched away, but his hands on her waist kept her from leaving.
He blinked out of his haze. When did this happen? It seems his body acted on instincts during his daydream.
"Can you, like, maybe… let me go?" Her face turned crimson. Her eyes darted in different directions, catching the curious looks of the onlookers who were wondering what was going on. The vibration of her words resonated through his body, each word a delicious tremor against his skin.
His eyes darkened with desire. Wanting to ignore her pleads; to taste her, take a sample of what will eventually be his, but-
"Of course, princess." He regretfully let her go, watching how she took a step away from him, brushing an invisible strand of hair behind her ear whilst avoiding his penetrating gaze.
Clearing her throat, she said, "Don't think that this will lessen your sentence. You'll still have to wear those ears for the rest of the day."
Brandon understood what Cherry was trying to do and thought it was cute. If anything, it made him want to tease her more.
"It was worth a try, right?" However, in contrast to his hidden desires, Brandon played along with her, not wanting to scare her off with his direct approach.
"Let's go," Cherry mumbled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him further into the park while keeping her head low. Praying no one paid attention to them.
"Brandon."
"Hmm?"
"Please don't do that kind of stuff in public."
Brandon hummed pleasingly, surprised. The corners of his lips pulled into a knowing grin. So it's fine as long as we are alone?