“What kind of things?”
She was quiet for a long moment, staring at the ceiling. “Normal things that people my age have done. I’ve never been to a concert. Never gone camping. Never had a sleepover that wasn’t about studying, well, that was until last night.” She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “I’ve never even been to an amusement park.”
“An amusement park?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“My parents thought they were frivolous, a waste of time and money.” She turned to face me, and I could see years of missed experiences reflected in her expression. “I used to check them out on social media, and I’d see people laughing on roller coasters, eating cotton candy, winning stuffed animals, and I’d wonder what that felt like.”
I reached for her hand, intertwining our fingers. “What else?”
“I’ve never been to a drive-in movie. Never had a picnic in the park just because I wanted to. Never learned to ride a bike properly.” Her voice got smaller. “Never kissed anyone until yesterday.”
The trust it took for her to share this with me wasn’t lost on me. I squeezed her hand gently. “Can I ask you something?”
She nodded.
“What do you want? Not what your parents want, not what’s expected of you. What do you actually want to do?”
She was quiet for so long, I thought she might not answer. Then, barely above a whisper, she said, “Everything. I want to try everything I’ve missed. I want to know what it feels like to be spontaneous, to do something just because it sounds fun.”
I felt a smile tugging at my lips. “Everything, huh?”
“I know it sounds silly?—”
“It doesn’t sound silly at all.” I turned onto my side fully, facing her. “It sounds like you’ve spent your whole life living for other people. Maybe it’s time you started living for yourself.”
Her eyes searched my face. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Well,” I said, my smile growing wider, “lucky for you, I happen to be an expert in fun, frivolous activities.”
“Really?”
“Really. In fact, I’m thinking we could start with something simple today.” I traced patterns on the back of her hand with my thumb. “There’s this farmers’ market downtown I heard about, and they are open on Saturdays. There’s live music, local vendors, and the kind of atmosphere where you can just wander around and discover things. Very low-key, but I bet it’s still an adventure.”
Her face lit up in a way that made my heart skip. “That sounds wonderful.”
“And then maybe next weekend, if you’re up for it, I’d love to take you somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“I’m not saying. It’s a surprise.” I couldn’t help but grin at her enthusiasm. “And if you’re feeling really adventurous this evening, there’s also an amusement park about an hour outside the city. Nothing too intense, but they have roller coasters and funnel cake and all those things you’ve been missing. We can visit there from the farmers’ market.”
She bit her lip, but she was smiling now. “You’d really want to do all that? With me?”
“Princess.” I brought our joined hands up to press a kiss to her knuckles. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than watch you experience all those things for the first time.”
The look she gave me then was so full of wonder and gratitude.
“But what about today?” she asked. “What about class?”
I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was already past nine, and our Tuesday class had started an hour ago. “I think we can afford to miss Professor Doug’s class,” I said. “Especially if it means starting your list of new experiences.”
She looked scandalised and thrilled all at once. “You want us to skip class?”
“I want you to choose what you want to do, instead of what you think you should do.” I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “So, what do you say? Ready for your first taste of spontaneity?”
The smile that spread across her face was radiant. “Yes. Yes, I want to.”
“Good,” I replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead before slipping out of bed. “First spontaneous act of rebellion, breakfast in bed.”
