Twist of Love (6 page)

“Come on, Blake, pick up..! Where are you..?” The phone continued to ring, but no one answered.

“Hey, it's me, Blake-”

“YES!” Josie jumped in excitement. But her excitement quickly turned into feelings of foolishness as the voice on her phone didn't seem to answer back at her.

“-I'm not picking up right now, so you can just leave a message after the beep.”

Josie wanted to throw the cellphone away. She felt stupid. Why had she even bothered calling him? She sighed. She texted Blake one last time before making her way back to the hospital. It read: “Where are you? I've been thinking about you all day. Are you okay? Pls reply...”

14. A Wasted School Day

Blake could no longer resist the temptation. He stood up and told the whole class: “All right, everyone, class is about to end in 5 minutes. Finished or not, everyone please pass your papers to me. Then you may go.”

The students were relieved after their long, grueling test about Hamlet. All of them went forward and gave Blake their test papers. In a few moments, the class was empty, and Blake was the only one left inside. He didn't like dismissing class 5 minutes before the bell, but he couldn't help himself.

'I know I still have a class at 11... But I need to know if Josie texted me something important.'

Blake made a brash decision. He knew that there would be consequences to this. He knew Dean Pitt would kill him for this, one way or another. But he needed to know. Besides, there were plenty of other teachers who could substitute him just for this one day.

'I'm so dead.' Blake thought to himself as he rushed out of the classroom and walked briskly towards the principal's office. He opened the door and the cold wind from the air conditioner inside the room hit his face.

“Yes, Mister Ingram? How may I help you?” The secretary asked.

“Jane, please tell Candice that I can't attend my class at 11, something important came up. Have someone fill in for me, and I'll make up for it tomorrow!”

Before the secretary could say anything, Blake rushed out of the office and made his way to his car.

'I am not about to miss our third date just because I forgot to bring my cellphone with me!' Blake thought to himself.

***

It was an average day at the hospital. Josie made her usual rounds, and proceeded to check out after a few hours. She couldn't help but take out her phone and check it every 5 minutes.

'Still nothing...' she thought. It was like a monkey she couldn't get off her back. If only she didn't have a job she needed to do, she would've gone straight to his school.

Suddenly, to her great surprise, her cellphone rang. She excitedly took it out from her pocket.

“Please be Blake, please be Blake...” she whispered to herself.

It was from Blake. The message read: “So sorry honey, I left my phone back at the house cuz I got up late today...hope I didn’t worry u 2 much... hoping we still have that date later on..? :)”

“Hope you didn't worry me? You almost gave me a heart attack!” She shouted.

People in the hospital stared at her. She looked around and blushed in embarrassment.

'Dammit Josie, keep it to yourself..!' Josie was still angry at Blake for worrying her. But she couldn't stay angry at the man she had fallen in love with already. She replied: “you really, really worried me! > :( but I cant really stay angry at you honeybun... yes, the date is still on. Meet you later at 3. :)” Josie sighed with relief.

'Now I can finally get back to work...' she thought to herself.

***

Meanwhile Blake had made his way back to his house. Like some irrational teen, he went straight home just for his cellphone. He didn't care if he had just wasted almost an entire school day. He sat on his couch, impatiently waiting for Josie's reply.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated against the table's glass surface as it recited its usual 80's ring tone.

He quickly grabbed the phone and read the message.

“Yes! Great damage control, Ingram! That's one up for me!” Blake said.

He looked up at the clock and checked the time. It was 12:40. The drive from Blake's house to the hospital would probably not take too long, even considering the traffic. He leaned back on his couch and thought to himself.

'Now what can I do in the next 2 hours before our date?' Then like a light bulb that lit on top of his head, it hit him. Blake's lips formed a smile as he went to the bathroom and took a shower. He knew just what to get Josie.

15. The Third Date

Blake checked his wristwatch as he drove away from the mall on the way to the hospital. It was 2:40. He’d make it just in time, as he had estimated. He was excited about giving his gift to Josie to make up for his forgetful act earlier today. ‘I'm sure she'll love this,’ he told himself.

Josie checked the clock on the wall.

'Finally... 2:55... I'd better check out,' she thought.

She took a card from her pocket and inserted it into the machine on the wall. She placed her thumb on the sensor. It said in a monotonous voice “Thank you. Have a nice day.” She took out her card and placed it in her pocket. 'You bet I will...' Josie thought to herself, smiling.

She walked towards the exit and waited at the parking area. She checked her watch and saw the time. '3:00... where is-' Just as Josie was about to look up, the familiar sound of Blake's car horn filled her ears.

“Hey honey! Sorry about earlier! I got you a little something! Come on inside!” Blake said.

Josie couldn't help but smile. She knew she was going to have a great time again, as she always did whenever she was with Blake.

“You're just full of surprises, aren't you?” Josie said as she hurried to Blake's car.

She opened the door and sat on the leather passenger seat. They kissed each other briefly.

“So, what did you get me today, Mister Ingram?” Josie asked playfully.

“Don't call me that! I already get called 'Mister Ingram' too much at the school. I want to at least pretend to be young.”

They both laughed as Blake reached for the gift.

“Here you go.” Blake said as he handed it to her.

Josie had a huge Japanese doll in her hands. It was one of those famous anime' dolls that was popular with most kids. The details on its face and body were spot on, but still had that “chibi” feel to it. Josie's face lit up with happiness.

“Oh my God, Blake... it's so cute..! How did you know I watch anime? And specifically Bebe not Hebe?” Josie asked eagerly.

“Oh nothing, just a guess...” Blake winked at her.

“Yeah right, you jerk!” She punched Blake jokingly on his arm.

“Ow! You've got a mean right straight, lady!” Blake said.

They both laughed again as Blake drove away to the place where they would have their third date.

“So, where are we going to today, Mr. Smooth?” Josie asked Blake.

“Mr. Smooth? Where'd you get that?”

“I dunno. You said you didn't like it when I called you 'Mister Ingram' so I figured I'd just call you 'Mr. Smooth’.”

Blake laughed. “You're one cruel lady.”

“I'm surprised you didn't know that by now.” Josie said.

“Well, Cruella, just like always, it's gonna be a surprise. So just sit back and relax, let me handle the driving. If you feel sleepy, go ahead, get some shuteye.” Blake said.

“Work was a killer... Don't mind if I do, Mr. Smooth.” Josie hugged her Bebe doll tightly as she closed her eyes. Blake chuckled and kissed her softly on the cheek.

“Sleep tight, angel.” Blake said softly.

He turned on the radio and tuned it to 109.7 Double Trouble Radio. He turned down the volume so as not to wake up Josie. Blake loved listening to Double Trouble while driving because they would always play the latest songs. Oddly enough, even though Blake had a very old 80's song as his ringtone for his cellphone, he enjoyed listening to the new pop songs of today. Blake was just the happy-go-lucky kind of guy who didn't really care about what kind of song he was listening to. So long as the song had a good beat and rhythm to it, he'd listen in, whether it was pop, hip-hop, rock, or R&B. It was that, and also because Blake never really wanted to grow old. After listening to numerous pop songs, Blake pulled the brakes on his car. He gently nudged Josie to wake her up. “Honey, we're here... wake up.” Blake said softly, while kissing Josie on her cheek.

“Hmm..? Whuhh..?” Josie rubbed her eyes and looked at Blake.

“Where are we, honey?” She asked him.

“Look outside.” Blake said.

Josie stepped out of the car and suddenly powerful feelings of nostalgia and Deja vu started to overcome her. She was dumbfounded at the sight in front of her and she started to daydream again.

Blake stepped out of the car and noticed Josie was staring into space. He approached her and waved his hand at her eyes. Nothing. Not even a blink.

“Babe... honey... you okay..?” Blake asked Josie nervously. He snapped his fingers at her, which brought her back to reality.

“Uhh..! Blake! Sorry, honeybun! I just... remembered something...” Josie said.

“Don't you like the place for our third date..?” Blake asked.

“Me? Yes! Of course! It's just that... I had a dream... and well, this was the exact place where it happened.” Josie said.

She stared at the large entrance gate of the amusement park. Just the sight of it sent chills through her spine. It was as if everything that was happening in her life now was fitting in like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.

“Really? Wow... well, you mentioned that you had great memories of an amusement park you used to visit with your family... so I figured this would be the best place to have our third date, right?”

“Definitely.” Josie said. She wrapped her arms around Blake and closed her eyes.

“Come on, I'm sure you're pretty hungry from the trip and your work today.” Blake told Josie.

16. Dreams, Rollercoasters, and a Kiss

“What's this?” Josie asked Blake, looking at the burrito-like food that he had just handed to her.

“It's called a 'Shawarma'. This food originated from India, or somewhere Middle Eastern. Maybe Turkey. Trust me, you'll love it.” Blake said.

'I'm not sure this is so good.' Josie thought to herself.

Josie's cautious nature began to kick in. Her being a doctor left her a little too careful about eating anything and what it could do to her body. It was clearly a somewhat obsessive kind of behavior. But she would try anything for Blake.

He took a big bite off his Shawarma and smiled. His mouth and lips were now colored white, as it was full of mayonnaise from the Shawarma. Josie giggled and took a napkin from her pocket, and wiped it around Blake's mouth.

“C’mon! Twy it!” Blake said, his mouth still full of food.

“Hey, don't talk while your mouth's full!” Josie reprimanded Blake.

“Just twy it out!” Blake said, still chewing.

Josie looked at her Shawarma. It was full of beef, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mayonnaise, and was wrapped around some kind of white burrito-like white bread. Filled with feelings of uncertainty, she took a bite off of the Shawarma. She chewed the bits of beef and mixed vegetables around in her mouth. The flavors combined in her mouth to make a pleasing, savory taste that erased Josie's doubt about the meal.

“Well? What do you think?” Blake asked, after finally swallowing the food in his mouth.

“Thwish ish pwetty goob!” Josie said while chewing up the beef.

Now her mouth was full of mayonnaise. Blake laughed and took a napkin from her pocket and wiped it over her mouth.

“Now, who's talking while eating?” Blake said.

After eating their Shawarmas, Blake took Josie for a walk around the amusement park. It was 6:01 and the sky was getting dark. The amusement park was actually very beautiful at night, as different flashing lights from different rides lit up the night sky. The park could even pass for a strip of Vegas to the casual and very generous observer.

“Where do you want to ride first, honey?” Blake asked Josie.

Suddenly, the feeling of Deja vu hit her again. Her answer slipped right from her mouth.

“R-roller coaster...”

Blake chuckled. “I was kind of thinking more on the lines of the Tunnel of Love... but the roller coaster sounds fine.”

Josie didn't know it, but subconsciously, she didn't really want to ride the roller coaster. She knew that she was already too old for rides like that. What she really wanted was to recreate the feeling and the moment she’d had in her dream a few days ago.

“Two tickets, please.” Blake said.

“Here you go. Thank you and enjoy the ride.” The ticket attendant said to Blake.

One of the crewmen escorted them to the cart. They sat on the plastic seat in the cart and strapped on the seatbelts just as they were instructed. A leather pole was horizontally positioned against them to ensure they would stay in place throughout the entire ride. Josie's heart was pounding with excitement. Feelings of Deja vu were starting to overcome her again.

'This is exactly how it happened...' she thought to herself.

“Wow, I can't believe this is actually happening...” Josie said with strong feelings of exhilaration.

“Pace yourself, Josie.” Blake softly kissed Josie on her cheek. She blushed.

“I love you, Blake...” Josie said softly.

“I love you too, Josie...”

Then it happened. Just like in Josie's dream, Blake kissed her lips gently. It was a soft yet passionate kiss. This was literally a dream come true for Dr. Josie Steele.

With this moment, Josie realized that Blake really was the one for her. Blake was the only man and the person in her entire life who had actually made a dream of hers become a reality. If there’d been any doubts in Josie's mind before, the kiss had completely erased them all.

17. He's a Heartbreaker

Josie looked around at the hospital cafeteria for something to eat. She settled for the tasteless grilled sausage with some potatoes. It was her usual lunch at this time. But Josie didn't mind. For her, everything was different. Even food this tasteless had a life of its own because now she had Blake.