"First Brother, hurry!" Slater yelled as he jogged ahead. "Co on, guys! Faster!"
"Daddy, Mommy, hurry!" the twins cried, dragging their parents as they looked back at them. "Uncle Best said if we don’t hurry, we won’t get the best spot!"
But as they were saying that, Chacha almost tripped. Thankfully, Atlas was holding her hand and pulled her up, saving her from a fall.
"Chacha, are you okay?!" Second shouted, watching his sister now floating slightly as their father held her hand.
Chacha blinked and then blinked again, as if trying to process what had just happened. anwhile, Atlas shook his head, his brows rising as he glanced around them. Many other people — families, groups of friends, lovers — were heading in the sa direction as they were.
After all, the highlight of the the park was its magical fireworks. Hence, many were heading to the area, and Slater was hurrying to secure the best spot. But with this crowd now moving along, walking past the four of them, it would only get more crowded soon.
When his eyes landed on his daughter, he wordlessly pulled her, and before Chacha knew it, she was already in her father’s arms.
"Hold tight," he said, making her lock her little arms around his neck. Atlas then squatted down, head turning to his son. "Co here."
Second, who was holding Lola’s hand, nodded without complaint. Jumping onto his father’s back, he clutched his father’s shoulder blades.
Watching this, Lola knitted her brows. In his arms was his daughter, and then his son on his back. It was a sight Lola hadn’t imagined, no matter how wild her imagination could be. Yet, the twins were holding him as if this were not the first ti.
"It’s getting crowded," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "It’ll be troubleso if they suddenly get swept by the crowd."
"Ah..."
"You too."
"Huh?" Lola cocked her head, watching him tilt his head down a little. When she didn’t get what he was trying to imply, the twins pointed at his arm.
"Mommy, you need to hold on to our daddy," Chacha spelled it out, and then Second explained, "He will protect us, and so you don’t get lost."
I’m not going to get lost, and even if I do, I know where we parked.
But Lola kept that natural reply in her head to herself. She darted her eyes between their faces before she reached out, pinching Atlas’ sleeve. But with that hold, he let out a deep exhale.
"Not like that," he said. "Hold tight."
"Like this?" she widened her pinch, but his expression deadpanned. That was when Lola hooked her hand around his arm in panic. "Like this, right?"
Atlas glanced at her hand before a brief smile turned up on his face. It disappeared quickly, though. eting her gaze once more, a look of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
"Just like that."
*
*
*
"This is the best spot!" Slater intoned, stretching his arms and legs wide to claim the space. "Hey, this is my space — step in here and you’ll see hell."
His eyes burned as he hissed at the group of youngsters who were about to approach him. The group of friends looked at the man, but instead of getting upset, they looked confused.
"You..." one of the young ladies narrowed her eyes, pointing a finger at him. "You are...?"
Seeing the curiosity on their faces, Slater gasped and instinctively crossed his eyes. "Get away!" he harrumphed, flinging his arms to chase them all away. But as he did so, he looked aside and even lowered his head.
Damn it! How did they know !? Are they stalkers?! Obsessed with ?
The young group of friends frowned deeply while the man before them was throwing a huge tantrum.
"I guess he’s not him," one of the young ladies muttered. "There’s no way my husband is like this."
"Goodness. How childish." Another one clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes at the older guy. "Did he think he owned spaces?"
"For a second, I really thought he was Slater," another one laughed, walking away with his friends. "Haha! I felt a mini-heart attack."
"Oh, please! My husband is not this childish, duh? He may be a little silly, but he’s cute. Besides, why would he be in this place? Do you think he just goes to these types of places? He would’ve rented out the whole park if he wanted, just like how he did on our first date."
Slater’s face scrunched up in dismay as he watched the group of friends go. Those guys were praising him and bad-mouthing him at the sa ti. Worse, they were comparing him to himself.
"I thought everything was going smoothly," he muttered, reaching for his pocket to wear a face mask. Once covered, he looked back to check for his company.
"Huh?" With Slater’s stature, he could easily see over the people around him. But even with that advantage, he couldn’t spot the four.
"Where did they go?"
*****
Slater, for sure, had secured the best spot for the four of them. However, since he went ahead with such a crowd, it was hard to find him. So, Atlas led them (his kids and Lola) to a spot which might not have been the best angle to see the fireworks, but it was definitely the safest place.
Since Slater had gone ahead of them, they didn’t try hard enough to look for him. Still, their spot wasn’t so bad at all.
Staying on the side of the enormous area filled with people, the twins sat on their parents’ laps. This ti, Chacha was on Lola’s lap while Second was on his father’s. They sat on a tree bench — a concrete seat encircling one of the park’s trees.
There were more people around, but unlike in the middle, it was less crowded.
In the sky was a show of fireworks; each ti one sparked in the night sky, it took people’s breath away. Everyone could literally hear gasps between bursts from the audience.
The twins’ eyes twinkled, their naturally curled lips open in awe as they watched the fireworks spread so wide it looked like they would fall on them. Atlas just stared at them with slight indifference before averting his eyes to Lola.
There, just right beside him, was Lola staring at the sky in utter awe. Her eyes seed to twinkle as they mirrored the beauty above. Her expression was no different from his children’s, as if this was her first ti seeing such fireworks.
"It’s so pretty," she whispered, pursing her lips to stop herself from smiling wider. But then, she sensed a pair of eyes on her.
Slowly, she turned her head from the sky, which she thought she wouldn’t be able to look away from, only to catch Atlas staring at her with rare gentleness.
"Mhm," he humd. "Pretty."
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