Page 134 of Silent Damage

Jason laughs too, and we bump into each other, cracking up before meeting each other's eyes and stopping.

We stand there, me holding the bear, and Jason looking at me with those incredible blue eyes.

The world stops spinning for a moment, the two of us alone in the universe, then Jason snaps out of it and asks, “You hungry?”

“I could eat,” I say, trying to mask my disappointment that the moment is over.

“My treat.”

“No, you got the tickets,” I protest.

“You bought the air conditioner,” he counters.

We’ve been fighting like cats and dogs for weeks, and now we’re sparring over who can be nicer to the other. I can’t help but chuckle. “Okay,” I reply. “Thank you.”

“Of course. What do you want?” he asks.

We scan the food options. “I mean, I want a chili dog, but I also want to have some fun later,” I say, waggling my brows.

Jason stares at me with a blank expression. “Please don’t eat a chili dog,” he begs in a grave voice.

I explode laughing. “I think I will. You know what? I’d like two, please!”

His face falls. “Gabe…I just won you a creepy bear...”“I’m kidding!” I say, still laughing at him. “I’ll have some fries and a Coke.”

He gasps and adds, “And we need to split funnel cake like we used to.”

“Definitely,” I reply.

***

The Ferris wheel rises again, giving us a view of the Patch bathed in the magenta light of the setting sun. It actually looks pretty for once. Our bear sits between us, and I balance the paper plate holding our funnel cake on my lap. Jason tears a piece off and feeds it to me. His face is powdered with sugar, but I refuse to tell him because he looks so cute.

Jason hums as he savors his bite of cake, licking his fingers afterward.

We’ve ridden the Ferris wheel three times now. Nobody is really waiting for it, so we keep asking for another ride, and the attendant couldn’t care less.

“How many times do you think they’ll let us ride this?” I ask.

Jason tears off another piece of funnel cake and feeds it to me. “We’re watching the sunset on this thing, and nobody is gonna stop us.”

I just can’t help myself. I lean in and kiss Jason’s cheek before licking off some of the sugar. “Yummy.”

Jason snags a napkin and wipes his face. “How long did I have sugar all over me?” he asks.

I lie and tell him, “Not long.”

Our pod reaches the top once more, and the Ferris wheel stops just in time to see the sun disappear behind the horizon.

“Nice,” Jason sighs.

“Mmhm.”

I let my head rest on his shoulder and close my eyes. He smells like freshly fallen rain with the faintest hint of musk that’s just strong enough to make the fire inside me ignite.

I rest my hand on his thigh, and Jason wraps his arm around me.

“I’m scared,” he whispers.