Emery flutters his eyelashes. “Thank you, my little pookey bear. I’ll treasure it always.”
“You guys are weird,” Reid points out, though his eyes glimmer with obvious amusement.
“You’re just not on our level,” Emery retorts.
The three of us move from stall to stall, playing games and checking out the various booths.
I beat them at every game, even when the bastards try to cheat and distract me.
Emery purposely brushes against me, eliciting a fresh round of goose bumps, or Reid grazes his fingers against my thigh.
It’s totally not fair, and I vow to myself that they will never, ever win against me. Ever.
The only stall we skip is the kissing booth, with Emery loudly exclaiming, “No way in hell!”
I can’t help but chuckle as the boys herd me away.
Once we finish playing most of the games, we set out for the rides. There aren’t a lot, considering it’s a high school fair, but we manage to spin around on teacups and sway back and forth on a pirate ship. When we reach the line for the Ferris wheel, I notice Emery’s face is unusually pale.
“Aren’t you afraid of heights?” I whisper to him, remembering our conversation from just a couple of hours earlier.
“Nah.” Emery tries to wave away my concern, but sweat drips down his forehead, belying his words. “I’ll be fine.”
“Em.” I give him a reproachful look. “Don’t be silly. Why don’t you wait for us over there?”
“You won’t be upset?” Em sounds genuinely concerned.
“Of course not.” I take his hands in mine and give them a squeeze. “How about afterwards we go on a ride, just the two of us? Maybe the teacups again?”
Emery still appears indecisive, before he finally nods, relief evident on his face. “Yeah. Okay. Yeah.” He leans forward to plant a chaste, gentle kiss to my forehead. “I’ll meet you afterwards.” He turns towards Reid and gives him a challenging stare. “Keep an eye on our girl, okay?”
“Always,” Reid vows with a solemn nod.
I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the fluttery sensation in my stomach.
I don’t need anyone looking after me, but… But sometimes it’s nice.
Emery ducks under the rope line and races towards the game stalls. I wonder if he’s going to practice them in an attempt to beat me at a later time.
I snort.
As if that would ever happen.
Reid and I stand in companionable silence, so close that our fingers brush. When we finally reach the front of the line, a strange, prickly heat has pervaded my body. I feel flushed and hot and desperate, and it’s all because of his pinkie caressing mine.
The attendant—a bored-looking man who’s probably a teacher or a parent—volleys his gaze between the two of us. “Two?”
“Yes, please,” I say, and Reid simply grunts.
When the Ferris wheel comes to a stop, Reid helps me settle in the swaying seat before sitting beside me, his thigh flush against my own. The attendant places a bar over our laps, reminds us not to rock the seat, and then starts the ride once more.
Up we go, the twinkling stars blazing beacons above. Everything is so beautiful, so peaceful, so surreal.
“Wanted to talk to you,” Reid rasps out, and when I glance at him, his head is lowered, red in his cheeks and on his neck. “Alone, I mean.”
I chuckle and gently nudge him with my shoulder. “We’re alone now.”
“Yeah.” He distributes his weight, unintentionally causing our tiny cart to sway.
