It is Labor Day weekend, with the Taste of Madison happening at the Madison Capitol square. I meet Denver on the corner of Mifflin street as we follow the crowd. Denver is wearing a black and white shirt and a short with tennis shoes. He smiles big when he sees me, and his energy is radiating. I start sweating with the high temperature, but I don't mind. I like it when it is warm, and walking never gets boring.

Denver tells me he needs to grab some cash, so we head to the nearest ATM.

There are plenty of tents serving all types of food. The smell of tacos mixed with Asian and burgers fill all the corners. I don't even know what direction to take it, and I have to trust Denver on that.

"I can tell Madison is a very diverse city. I love pasta."

"Isn't Seattle the same?"

"I guess so."

"So, what is your favorite type of food?"

"Pasta."

"Here," he points to the tent across from us. I don't resist to get an alfredo linguini and a glass of white wine. I grab my cash from my pocket, but Denver doesn't let me pay it. The girl smiles as she places my Alfredo pasta in a plastic bowl. We can barely walk with so many people in front of us.

"I love Thai food, too," Denver tells me as he eats his chicken alfredo. The truth is that I'd never tried any Asian food that is not Chinese. My parents used to take me to a Chinese buffet until I got sick with allergies. Besides that, I'd eaten California sushi in the past since I can't stand the smell of seafood, let alone raw fish.

"What about some empanadas?" He offers. The man inside the food cart is frying fresh ones when he faces Denver and me approaching. "Hi, bro. What's up? What do you want for today?"

"Plantains."

"One or two?"

"Two."

The man places them on a bowl with a few napkins and handles it to Denver. "New girl?" He looks down at me with a grin.

"I wish." He smiles, and I remember I'd seen this movie playing before with Denver last week. "Plantains are awesome." He affirms.

"Hope you like it," the man smiles at me. "They are fresh."

We stop at the corner, but there is no place to sit.

"They are great," I tell in surprise after giving the first bite. However, they are too hot, and I have to be careful not to burn the tip of my tongue. I see the smoke coming from inside as I almost let it go my piece. I take a swallow of whatever is left of my wine and then wait a few minutes before eating the rest. Denver had finished him in practically two bites. I throw my plastic wares in the trash, along with our bowls and used napkins.

"What about some tiramisu for dessert?"

"Oh, I can't resist that."

We go back to the Italian tent as there is a huge line of people getting tiramisu. Then more wine. But Denver and I don't mind waiting. Every step, Denver gives in. He seems to know someone in this city.

We walk toward the band playing on the other side of the corner, holding the last tiramisu piece. The band is playing rock and roll with people hearing and dancing. Some folks sit on the sidewalk while others dance like crazy, bouncing and moving their heads to the side, jumping and bumping in each other.

"Look." I point indiscretion to one of the guys jumping. "Isn't that crazy guy from the camping trip? The one who drinks pure vodka from the bottle?"

"Yes, that's Dan."

"He seems to be drunk again."

"Ah-ah, I'm not surprised." Denver let a laugh escape from his lips. He places his hands over mine as we walk, but I move away, my entire body screaming to be placed away from him.

Dan is too busy to realize we are there, so Denver and I keep walking, pretending we don't know him. His peers act as crazy as he is.

"What would you like to do?" Denver offers.

"Walking is fine."

"What about going toward the lake?"

"You really like the lake, don't you?" I ask him, remembering the first time I'd met him in that Bunker place. He invited me to a walk in the lake. I thought it was weird.

"It is the place that brings me peace of mind. So, I will say yes to your question. Besides, we will find fresh air we won't find in this crowded place."

"I have to give one hundred percent credit."

"I'm glad classes are starting this week. Are you?"

"I'm a little bit nervous, though," I confess. I almost bump into a bride and a groom taking pictures with a photographer on the sidewalk. "sorry," I apologize, a hint of embarrassment in my expression.

"Don't worry. I am worst than you do."

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

"I have an attention deficit, and things have gotten worse since my sister left. She was the one managing pretty much everything for me."

"Like what?"

"She used to help me a lot by setting up my medical appointments, dentists, school meetings, etc."

"Can't you do that on your own?"

"Yes, but it can get confusing. I tend to forget things."

"Oh...you didn't forget to meet me today."

"No, not like that. I wouldn't forget about you. Ever." He affirms. "It is like sometimes my brain is foggy. It is too much to handle everything at once."

"I feel the same way."

"Yes, but because you are a millennial. Not because you have ADHD."

"So, shouldn't I worry at all about myself?"

"Everyone has a bad day once in a while. And t is okay to forget things and make mistakes. But it is when you have an Attention Deficit, it feels like the world is against you. I can work twice as hard as another individual who hasn't ADD, but all I have to do is keep going. My brain never shuts up."

"You are different, but that doesn't mean you are stupid. It is just like we live in a world filled with narcissistic people who don't give about anything."

"That makes it even harder."

"You said that you love music and playing a few instruments."

"Yes, and I do what I love the most. It just doesn't bring any money, that's for sure."

"Do you know that the best artists in the world failed many times before becoming successful? Think about Thomas Edison and how many times he attempted to invent the light bulb. More than 10,000. The best authors were rejected more than 100 times by literary agents. Even Oprah Winfrey had their unlucky days."

"But I am not them."

"I don't know too much about ADD, but I believe you can be the champion of the world."

We arrive at James Park. As I look for the bench, I sometimes sunbathe during the day. Almost the same spot I was sitting with Maroney yesterday before things got ugly between us. The bench is empty, so sit next to him. There are some children running around and more brides taking pictures a few feet away from us. Why are so many people getting married today?

"So, what were you saying?"

"When things go wrong, I try to meditate." He stares at the water, a few ducks floating by the shore. "That's how I cope with things. You?"

"I write sometimes. Just write, plain and simple."

"I have so many things to figure out in life. Most of them I haven't figure out yet. That's how I feel."

"Same here. What are we going to do about it?" I ask.

"You tell me." His dark eyes bore into mine, and my entire body freezes. Denver kisses me before I can say anything else. He kisses me hard and never let me go. His breathing was so warm that I could smell his fragrance while his tongue sought mine. I couldn't believe I was tasting such an arduous kiss, something so intense. I guess I didn't have the time to think clearly, and Denver had caught me off guard. I couldn't deny him even though I perfectly could have said no. My senses felt powerless as his heart beat faster than mine. I could sense his fast pulse as he touched my skin, electricity of emotions floating through the air. That's nothing I could hear and touch outside of this dimension that could make me escape.

Before he could move away, his arms were still wrapped around mine. It took forever to stop, and I didn't want this moment to stop even though I had it too. His insisting lips were strong on mine, sending me tons of messages through my entire body like my blood traveling through my vessels passing through my heart and brain.

I finally pulled apart from him, his face and eyes irradiating happiness. He breathed deeply before I heard his voice escaping from his lips. I might have heard him wrong. I was completely dizzy.

"I want you in my life, Cassidy."

"Sorry, I can't. I can't have anything serious."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure what happened in my life. Remember you haven't figure out your life yet? Same here, but ten times worse. It is not an ADD brain in my case. It is me being me. I do things I don't want to do, and then I regret later."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you knew...but I can't even explain. I am not ready for a serious relationship. Maybe I want to figure out some things in life." I didn't know what to tell Denver. Maybe with Maroney had been easier. Deep down, I knew things with Maroney were at a dead end. Denver's expression showed signs of pain, but he never let go of his arms around my waist.

"I'm willing to wait for you. Until you figure things out."

"Why me?"

"Because I know you are the one for me. I just fucking know it." And then, just like that, he kissed me again. I allowed myself to be wrapped in his arms, his lips slowly traveling down my neck. Somehow, I felt like a frog coming out of the water. I didn't know where I belonged. I think amphibians are confused between their life between earth and underwater at some point in life. For me, my life was between here and Chelan - if I could ever go back there.

"Cassidy?" I hear a voice behind me. It must have been a dream.

I open my eyes and see Maroney right in front of me. In his hands, there is a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolate. He'd come all the way here to apologize.