Samantha jumped up, almost smacking Locke in the face. “Father!” She started to blush from embarrassment. “I…...uhhh….it’s….just….Oh man…..Forgive me Father.”
A Man only a couple of heads taller than Samantha walked over with his arm around a giggly girl with a body that did not match her older looking face. He took in a deep breath.
“What’s with that father shit?!” He Laughed a hardy laugh. “Now, what did I tell you?” Samantha look at her father surprised like he hadn’t even seen the near kiss.
“Uhhh…. Oh! yes dad.” Samantha managed to spit out.
“That’s my girl!” Her father spurted patting her on the head. Lock stood up and straitened his shoulders to make himself look stronger than.
Samantha’s dad dropped his arm from the girl and walked over to Locke, looking him up and down. He looked like he was judging him to see if he was fit for his daughter.
“Mr. Wilks, I can assure you that Sammy……” Locke was cut off by the little man’s hand that flashed in front of his face to silence him.
Samantha’s father held his hand there for a bit to make sure Locke wouldn’t speak, and then he moved his hand down to chest level for a handshake. Locke smiled and shook the smiling man’s hand with force.
“Trust me by the way I saw you with my Samantha, I knew you’re alright boy.” Her father said with a hint of laughter in his voice. Samantha gasped.
“You’ve been watching us?!” She almost screams at her father. The man just laughs.
“Of course I was watching you, Sam-man. After I saw the boys with the water guns, I knew you were in for a long day, but, oh what was your name, Locke again? Well, I could just tell that he would keep an eye on you.” He gives a little wink to her. Locke cleared his throat.
“Sir, I never told you my name.” Locke stated as politely as he could. The stumpy man just shoots him a smile and wagged a finger.
“Didn’t have to, my boy. I have ears like a hawk.” Samantha made a small grunting noise.
“The term is eyes like a hawk, dad.” She said softly.
“You don’t say?” The man said scratching his red hair.
Locke noticed that it was dulling with age but his hair might have been as red as Samantha’s when he was younger.
“On a more serious note, here are the keys Sam-man, to the house. You know how to get back, I trust.” Samantha nodded her head.
“Good girl. Now, Jessica and I are staying out all night with friends. I don’t care who comes back with you, just clean up the house before we get back at noon tomorrow.” The man came over and hugged his daughter tightly.
“See you two tomorrow!” He said walking away with his arm around his girlfriend again.
Samantha and Locke watched them disappear into the crowd before turning to each other again. Locke took a deep breath.
“Daddy’s little girl huh?” He asked. “Sam-man?”
Samantha looked up at Locke embarrassed.
“He has this joke that he wanted a boy not a girl so, Sam-man got started.” Samantha said with a shrug.
Locke could tell the change in attitude she had. He slowly reached up and placed both hands on either shoulder, reassuring her.
“You have no idea how lucky you are to have a dad like that!” Locke told her, cheering her up.
“It’s only fair that he teases you like that, really.” Samantha gave him a shy smile before taking a step forward and resting her head on his chest.
Lock was taken back at first but then he wrapped his arms softly around her shoulders in a hug. Still gripping onto her Locke laughed.
“So, I get to see your place huh?”
At this Samantha made a little chocking noise and buried her face further into his chest. Locke laughed and gave her a bear hug before lifting her chin up with a gentle hand and kissed her. Samantha seemed to melt into him with his kiss. He wrapped his arms around her again to hold her up, as her knees buckled from under her. After the kiss, Lock looked into her eyes and smiled his famous crooked smile that seemed to burn its way into Samantha’s memories, though she didn’t have a problem with that.
Something seemed to hit Samantha like a train wreck in her head because she jumped at a sudden idea. She grabbed Locke’s hand and stared walking fast back the way they had come a while before. The sun was now starting to set, and as they moved in and out of booths and people, music started to play for the fireworks show. Samantha quickened her pace as the music started until they came to a little clearing on a hill in the middle of the park. Samantha let go of Locke’s hand and walked a little ways down the steep hill until she picks a spot in the cool grass and seems to fall down. Lying sprawled out on the grassy hill looking up at the sky.
Seeing her fall, Locke panics a bit and quickens his pace to catch up to her. He walks over to her and sits down to her right. The speakers placed around in bushes were announcing that the “sky lights” show will begin momentarily. Samantha snorted a laugh.
“Shy lights?” She chucked along with Locke this time. “They might as well throw lit Christmas trees into the air.” She says nervously, trying hard to make a joke.
Locke chuckles politely, looking sweetly into his eyes. Still not getting used his looks, Samantha blushes and turns away looking to the sky again. “I’m sorry…..It wasn’t really that funny.”
Locke slid down in the grass so that he was laying on his side, his left elbow propping him up as he continued to stare at her. Even in the dimming light of the sun he could see the pink high across her cheeks. The brightly lit pathway lamps, stated to flicker off one by one as the sky grew a dark purple color. The music stopped and there was a loud PUUFFFTT……in the distance. Samantha opened her mouth to say something when there was a loud crack like thunder. The sky being lit by a gigantic ball of fireworks. Samantha screamed at the loud noise that startled her and she seemed to roll over into Locke’s arms for comfort. Locke laughed, but he was unheard as a second big ball erupted over their heads.
Despite the loud noises that shook you to the bone, Locke simply took his free hand and stroked Samantha’s hair. He knew if he tried to talk to her she wouldn’t hear so he let his actions talk. Locke slowly took Samantha’s chin in his hand and tried to pull it up. But she quickly covered her face with her hands and seemed to sink into the ground. Worried, He placed his hand now on her shoulders. He felt her shaking. Panicked he brushed her hair from her face and forcefully pushed her up so he could see her crying face. But instead he looks into the face of a beaming young, red headed girl who was covering her mouth to stop from laughing, which caused her to shake. Locke sighed in relief which in turn caused Samantha to bust up laughing.
He could barely make out her high laugh over another crack of the fireworks. He chuckled along with her but not because she was laughing, but because he fell for her crying act. He instantly reached over and started tickling her around her slender waist. This caused Samantha to laugh harder as she tried to scrape his hands away from her sides. They struggled for a bit, play fighting with each other in the grass while the fireworks show still boomed overhead. Locke finally stopped and rested his hands around her waist and looking into her eyes longingly, his mood completely changing.
Samantha calmed down almost instantly, like Locke’s calming mood flowing from his hands and into her body. She blushed again and placed her hands on his chest as he pulled her closer into him. They laid there in the grass of a theme park staring into each other’s eyes, and instead of the bright exploding balls in the sky. Samantha looked down and made a motion like she was giggling. Locke pulled her into a big hug then let her go. Samantha sprawled out again in the grass, her hands behind her head this time.
Locke just looked over at her, still not once looking at the sky. Samantha pointed to a dark green ball and started talking. He watched her slender pink lips moving and yet, being this close he still couldn’t hear her. This made him smile. He kept watching her as she laid there looking up to the sky. She just kept on talking to herself now. He could tell she knew he couldn’t hear her, which to him made it cuter for some unknown reason. She stopped talking and looked over at him again. Looking into his eyes her face seemed to draw a blank like normal when she looked at him. Her mouth fell open as she seemed to lose control of her actions.
Locke smoothly moved his hand up to her face until his fingers lightly shut her mouth. Then he cupped her face and brought it over to his. His eyes closing just barely as they kissed. He could feel her heart pounding threw his fingertips, which made him blush a bit himself. After holding the kiss for a while Samantha parted her lips and her tongue ventured inside of Locke’s mouth. He wrapped his arms around her more and pulled her a bit closer. He matched her curiosity as he playfully moved his tongue around hers.
Samantha wrapped her arms around Locke’s neck as she broke away from the kiss. She was blushing even more than before. Locke smiled and noticed the red covering her face was probably as red as her hair. As they lay there in each others’ arms, the booming light war raged on far over their heads. Samantha finally pried herself from Lock’s arms and sat up, smoothing out her skirt with her hands. Locke sat up also and looked up to the sky, smiling. He noticed that this was the first time he even looked up at the sky since the show started. He glanced over at Samantha again who never took her eyes from the sky, as if she had been watching the fireworks the whole time. Locke blushed and looked up again.
“My Sammy-girl.” He said out loud to himself. He smiled his cheeky sideways grin. He loved the sound of that. “Maybe she will too.”
