Serena sets the lemonade down and starts picking the fries on her slice. “I never had friends to go with.”
“Bullshit,” I say, “you’ve known Alli for a long time.”
“It’s complicated.” She turns her body fully towards me. “Remember when I told you about my dad?”
I nod, letting her continue.
Serena rubs her arm. “I never told you about my mom, because… well, I don’t have a mom.”
My heart drops into my stomach. She lost her dadandher mom? Fuck, I’ve lost only my mom, and it took a toll on me. I can’t imagine losing both. I pull Serena into my arms in an overwhelming urge to hold her close to me.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” she says when she pulls back from our connection. “She didn’t die. She walked out on me when I was like three or something, for reasons I’ll never know and quite frankly, don’t want to know.”
“Babe.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want your pity. I figured it’s best to tell you now rather than finding out through the grapevine.”
Now I understand why. Why she said what she did last night. The reluctance to dive into relationships, her past lingers, a shadow on her future, hindering what could be so fucking real with us. But she doesn’t need pity, just someone to understand.
“She’s still around, she lives outside downtown.”
“That’s why you never come to the fair.”
She nods to confirm my answer. “I’ve never seen her or tried to call her. Guess she never has either. I looked her up once behind my dad’s back. I don’t know why, I didn’t really… think. That’s how I found out where she lives.”
“You don’t want to run into her.”
“Precisely. Alli always tried to get me to come out when we were old enough, but I didn’t want to gamble on seeing her or running into her at the gas station or something.”
I tuck a strand of her hair. “You know I got you, right?”
“I know.” She looks away and I notice she’s playing with my leather bracelet that I don’t plan on asking for it back. Once she catches my gaze on her wrist, she starts taking the bracelet off. “I’ve been forgetting to give this back.”
I place a hand to stop her from removing the bracelet. “Keep it.”
“You let me borrow it that night. Borrow, so I’m returning it.”
“I want you to have it.”
“Why are you so insistent on things?”
“You still like me.” I wink at her.
Serena rises from her seat and collects the now-empty plates that held our food. Together, we dispose of the trash, leaving uscontemplating our next move. With a glint in our eyes, we survey the options before us: games, shops, and more food stands in another area. Serena’s smile lights up her face as her coffee-brown eyes sparkle under the vibrant lights from the nearby ferris wheel that towers over us. Without hesitation, she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the rows of shops, excitement palpable in the air. We wander inside this huge warehouse where all the booths sit across from each other in an aisle like fashion.
I chuckle, taking in the assortment of trinkets, postcards, and the kind of t-shirts that make you laugh. “Who knew you could find a whole souvenir shop? It’s like I’m at the airport looking for a postcard.”
Serena grins, scanning the stalls. “It’s like a mini-market in here. I’m tempted to buy a postcard just to say I’ve been to this fair.”
I nod, pretending to inspect a novelty keychain. “You know, I could see you mailing a postcard to yourself just for the fun of it.”
Serena laughs, flipping through a rack of colorful shirts. “That’s not a bad idea, actually. Might be worth the stamp.”
“Did you know a whole roll of stamps costs like $20?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
I nod, affirming this. “I needed one stamp, and the guy at the pharmacy said they don’t sell it in singles.”
