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Shades of purple and blue stretch across the horizon, the dazzling colours going unnoticed by the crowd as they shuffle to the next attraction they have their eyes set on. The wind bites at your bare arms as you dawdle towards a large oak tree with your phone in hand, stabbing at the screen as you try to figure out where your friends ended up.
“Watch out!”
The warning is a little too late. Turning, you come face to face with a guy on a skateboard. His shoulder slams into your chest and you both go down.
“Sorry, Princess! I didn’t mean to run into you like that,” he says, still on top of you. A creaking whoosh sound from the ride behind you is followed by a chorus of delighted screams. “Are you okay?”
“Princess? Get the hell off me!” You jut a hand out to push him aside then scramble to the left and up to your feet, rubbing at your clavicle. “That really hurt.”
“You came out of nowhere,” he says with a shrug. He brushes himself off and grabs his board as it tries to escape.
“I was walking extremely slow. In a crowd. At a carnival.” He gives you a sheepish grin, his face lighting up and you almost forgive him this little trespass. Almost. “You shouldn’t have been-”
“Let me make it up to you.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“I’ll…” He looks around the area before pointing toward one of the game booths. “...win you one of those.”
“You’re gonna win me one of those?” Disbelief drips from your lips and you shake your head. That’s when you see them: a group of guys around his age that also happen to have skateboards. They are back behind one of the concession stands, a large pretzel in each of their hands (except for the one holding two). “You here alone?”
“My friends are around here somewhere,” he says, conveniently looking around everywhere except where the guys are standing. “What about you?”
“What are the odds? Mine are missing too.”
“Must be fate,” he says, that cheerful grin back in place. “So what do you say?”
“You know these things are rigged, right?”
“I guarantee I’ll get you a prize.”
“I want the biggest one they have.”
“Huh?”
“You’re making it up to me, right? Then I want the big one. That huge teddy bear.”
“The teddy bear?” The sun has abandoned you and the dark is settling in, forcing you to squint to see his expression. His eyes shift back and forth before a look of determination crosses his face. “I’ll get it. And when I do you have to go on one of these rides with me.”
“Which one?” You force the smile threatening to tumble out down and try instead to keep a curious air about you.
“Ah, that one!” He points up towards the ferris wheel. Neon lights shine from every direction, lighting up the small festival in a myriad of colours, yet somehow the ferris wheel (maybe due to its brute size or staggering height) outshines them all.
“Okay. If you win the teddy bear then I’ll ride it with you.”
“Alright,” he exclaims, giving a thumbs up towards the group chowing down on their salty treats. “I’m Jake.”
After you’ve introduced yourself he grabs your hand and drags you over to the booth. The employee’s mic rustles sporadically as they welcome you both. The flickering lights of the game tick like the hands of a clock as Jake slams down some cash to play a round. The three rings provided by the carnival’s employee look smaller than the bottles they are meant to capture and you can’t help but laugh at his dumbfounded look.
“I told you they’re rigged,” you whisper close behind him, avoiding the gaze of the attendant.
“I can do it!”
The colours each give different points. Red is the highest and if you can toss your ring on three reds you get the ultimate prize. He throws the first ring and it bounces off a red bottle and lands on a blue one. He curses under his breath before throwing another one. This one lands on a green. His final throw lands on a purple.
“Wow, you’re actually really good at this,” you stammer, looking at the prizes offered. It’s not as big but there is a cute fox in the back that you can get.
“No,” Jake says, softly shaking his head as he slides across more cash. “Three more.”
“It’s fine-”
“No, I can do it,” he says, staring at you with a gleam of conviction in his eyes. You shrug and stand aside as you realise he isn’t going to back down. “Three more.”
This time he gets a red one and two blues. The prize is bigger but he refuses this one as well, again asking for three more rings. As he plays another round you look over towards his friends but they’re gone. Probably off to enjoy the carnival without him. This time it’s two reds and one blue. He asks for three more.
He aims, his eyes intent on the bottles and shoots. Red. “Did you like the tan one or the black one?”
“You haven’t won yet.”
He aims and shoots. Red. A smug smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. “Are you ready to ride that ferris wheel?”
“If you make this one I’ll-”
He tosses the ring mid turn. Red.
“You’ll what?”
Heat flashes across your face as the attendant hands you the giant teddy bear. “Nothing. I– Nothing.”
Grinning ear to ear, he thanks the carnival worker and grabs your hand, locking his fingers in yours before pulling you along behind him towards the ferris wheel. The line is surprisingly short - there’s only three other couples ahead of you. You wait in line in silence, sneaking looks at each other until it’s your turn.
Shuffling forward you both climb into the cab of the ride, placing the massive bear between you. Biting your lip as the silence feels uncomfortable, you turn to look over at him. He’s smiling. Does he always smile like that? He’s gorgeous and you’re trying to play it cool but it’s hard to act rational when he keeps looking at you like that. Running a hand through your hair, you look down and rub the back of your neck. The fur of the stuffed toy tickles your skin as it moves across your arm and out of the corner of your eye you see your prize tossed onto the opposite side of the ride, its black marble eyes looking accusingly at you from the empty chair.
“I have a confession to make,” Jake whispers as he slides closer, his thigh caressing yours. Your heart starts to beat faster as you feel heat building between the closeness of your bodies. After a moment you look up at him and he continues, “I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. A literal piece of art.”
“Don’t even-”
“I’m serious.” He leans in and pushes a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “You are mesmerising.”
“You’re not half bad yourself,” you mutter, looking away. A sprinkling of stars litter the sky above you. The romantic strings of a violin play from the speakers below, echoing up as Jake entwines his fingers with yours. He’s watching you. In the dark, the lights dance within his eyes, and you find yourself leaning in until you realise what you’re doing, your lips just mere inches from his. The pounding beat of your heart torments your eardrums and in a moment of weakness you pull back with a nervous chuckle. “The stars look so beautiful from up here.”
“Yeah they do,” he says without looking away.
“The stars are out there, Jake.”
“You’re my star.”
‘You’re my star’? The laugh bubbles up and out of you with reckless abandon. How cheesy. He’s sweet. He pouts and you kiss him gently on his cheek before leaning your head against his shoulder. Being someone's star doesn’t sound so bad.