Page 39 of Left of Forever

A couple of hours later, Ellis and I are each at least a hundred dollars poorer, dewy from exertion, and two colossal Care Bears richer.

“Here, hold this for a sec,” I say, handing mine to him. When I pull out my phone, he obliges me with a surly look, mashing the genial bears’ faces against his.

“I can’t wait to send this to Silas,” I say to the picture, snickering.

He lets out a long-suffering sigh. “What do you want to do with our friends here while we go on some rides, Byrd?”

I snort. “Guess I didn’t think this one through.”

“Nah. You were pretty singularly focused on victory.” He chuckles. “Thought you were about to fight that poor kid at the Top-a-Pop.”

“He said two pops got the top prize!”

“Say that ten times fast.” He ducks behind one of the bearslike he expects me to throw something at him before he bumps my shoulder good-naturedly.

I let out a little groan. “I was too intense, wasn’t I? This is why I don’t compete in things.” I’ve told Sage for years that I’m allergic to competition.

“I liked it. Always have,” comes his reply. I can’t see him from behind the neon-pink bear. I bite my lip in a smile.

Ellis and I veer off and hover near the park exit until I see a family with two girls and offer them the bears. They are elated, and their mother is politely grateful. If she’s annoyed to add two more gigantic toys to a clutter of kids’ things at home, she hides it well.

I peel my smile away from the little girls and look back at Ellis just in time for him to shutter a heavy look, slipping his sunglasses back into place. “Is it too early for ice cream before noon?” he asks.

Rather than wonder what that expression was about, I aim for fun some more. “I dole out chocolatey-caramel sin before seven, honey. Ice cream is good anytime.” I shouldn’t have used the endearment. Too bold. His grin over it is downright beatific. “Don’t get a big head over it.”

“Over what? You flirting with me?” I spot his laugh lines fanning out from his sunglasses. He takes a step closer and cocks his head. Lets his arm brush against mine before he brazenly reaches up and tugs on a wild curl. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Byrd. I know it’s not like that.” His eyes are playful, but the silliness is gone, replaced with an invitation. All while he toys with my hair, testing its feel between his middle finger and thumb.

Oh, it’s definitely like that.I see what this is. An exchange. After rounds of games and surrounded by sunshine and cotton candy–scented air, we’re both feeling playful. If I indulge him, he’ll playback. I let my smile unzip across my face. Hope he feels it like a slow, metallic snick in a dark room.

He abruptly drops my hair and straightens with a laugh, then tucks his hands into his pockets. “Let’s go get ice cream. I’ll even let you buy,honey.”

I think I just got teased.

I nod at the Big Dipper after we secure our cones. “When’s the last time you went on a real roller coaster?”

“You mean the hand-cranked brontosaurus ride in the O’Doyle’s parking lot that year didn’t count?” His throat bobs when he laughs. “Junior year. Gandon County Fair.” He looks over his sunglasses at me. “Same night you got the Wrangler.” He watches my reaction to this while he laps at his ice cream, spinning it against his tongue. Heat creeps across my collarbone as I try to laugh and seem unruffled.Same night I got the Wrangleralso equates toSame night we parked and played Just the Tip for the first time.

“You think it’s bad that we never told Sam he drives the car he was most likely conceived in?” I ask, since I can play dirty, too. He chokes lightly at my side, eyes rounding. “That Wrangler has seen some things, am I right?” I lick my vanilla nice and slow, a satisfied grin hooking my lips. “Do you need sunscreen, honey? You’re a little red.”

He recovers himself with a filthy look my way. “Yeah, baby, I could use some SPF,” he says, low and deep. “Finish up that ice cream and we’ll touch up your pretty shoulders, too.” He raises his chin like it’s a challenge.

I raise mine back. Flick my tongue over the tip of my treat. He bites the remainder off of his and smiles with a mouthful.

“Lunatic!” I cry. “You’re gonna give yourself a brain freeze.”

He manages to swallow it down after a beat. “Good. Mybrain is overheating,” he mumbles, throwing his bald cone into the nearest trash bin. “By the way,” he says as he leads us toward the roller coaster line, “I looked up some of those questions.”

“What questions?”

“You said you were planning on bringing one of those lists. ‘Twenty-Six Questions to Fall in Love’ or something,” he explains.

“And you looked them up?!” I laugh incredulously. “Isn’t that kinda cheating?”

He shrugs, all innocence. Entirely unrepentant. “Wanted to get a head start on my answers.”

“Ellis Orion Byrd. Thatischeating!” I squeal.

“Don’t care. Wanted to come up with good ones,” he states plainly. “Besides, I had no way to know which ones you’d go with exactly. Just did some googling.”