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“You got separated from your friends before, right? I don’t want that to happen again. I’d feel terrible if you got lost a second time.”
I feel a flutter in my belly at the prospect of touching him at all, but I can’t pass up such a rare opportunity. If Angelique and Tiffany saw me now, they’d be so jealous that they’d go home and give themselves bangs after downing a bottle of wine.
When he takes my hand, I feel a surge of electric curiosity that takes me far away from the nightmare that this night has been. All it takes is for our skin to touch, and I’ve been delivered from the hellish cycle of torment that I knew I’d be subjected to for the duration of the night.
“Thanks for doing this, really. I’m so embarrassed that I thought you worked for the fair. I mean, you’re dressed very nice today,” I say, trying to speak over the tension rising in my chest.
He laughs a little, maybe out of a combination of politeness and genuine amusement.
“This is what I look like every day of the week. Once you’ve done it enough, it doesn’t feel quite as special,” he replies as we step around a puddle of water in the middle of the dirt road.
As we move around it, our hands come apart, and I panic momentarily until he grasps for me again. He really doesn’t want me to get lost again even though I’m not his responsibility. He can’t be that bad a guy.
Up close, away from the toilets, he’s even more attractive than I thought he was. The downward facing light of the flood lamps didn’t do him any favors, but now I can see a well-constructed jawline and cheekbones under a layer of stubble.
As I study his features, I can gather without much trouble that he values his appearance more than he would let on to the average person.
And it’s really,reallyworking for him.
I try not to stare at his body too much. I already feel creepy and invasive enough as I examine his facial structure, but I have to admit that any attention from someone like him piques my curiosity. There has to be a catch. Why would he even look in my direction?
“What brought you out here tonight? I’m still really curious about why you’re dressed in a suit for the state fair. You look kind of like a secret agent,” I say, tempted to slap myself for my glaring lack of subtlety.
He hesitates before answering, which strikes me as odd.
Theremustbe a reason. How do you forget why you chose to overdress?
“I’m a businessman. I don’t work for the fair, but I’m networking with other business owners in the area.”
I don’t know much about business, but this seems like the wrong place to find new partners,especiallyconsidering where I found him.
Unless he’s in the business of portable bathrooms, which seems unlikely.
“Oh, that’s awesome. I really admire people who can make a living for themselves,” I reply with increasingly obvious stars in my eyes.
He’s just trying to help you find your friends. Don’t get in your head about this.
I sigh to myself, considering the possibility that he sees me as nothing more than a lost girl. How humiliating for me. I should have just stayed home.
“Hey, I don’t know for sure, but I think that might be what you’re looking for,” he says, pointing toward a huge phallic structure, packed to the gills with terrified fair-goers.
My stomach drops as I watch the riders fall from the very top of the structure, and they scream together in a unifying, dissonant harmony.
“Do you see any of your friends over there?” he asks.
I scan the riders first, then the base of the ride near the lines. I don’t see a single familiar face, but at this point, that comes as a huge relief.
The more I think about it, the more I’m nervous that my friends will mock me in front of this man. I don’t know him, but I’m attracted to him, making the prospect of humiliation far worse than if he were a little old woman.
“Yeah, I don’t see them anywhere,” I admit. “Thanks so much for helping me find the ride though, I appreciate it a lot. I thought I’d be wandering alone for the rest of the night.”
He cracks a slight smile, gently letting go of my hand now that we’ve found our destination.
Feeling him pull away from me stings a bit, but I recognize that he’s fulfilled what little responsibility he has to me. I can’t hold it against him if he doesn’t want to babysit me for the rest of the night.
We approach the back of the line, and my guts begin to twist around themselves once again. My friends aren’t here, which sucks, but I’m also happy that they aren’t. I wish I could convince this man to stay with me for just a few more minutes.
Maybe then I could feel a little more worthy of kindness.
