“Maybe later,” he says, his gaze locking onto mine. The tension between us is undeniable, sparking in the air like electricity about to snap.
This is what I hate about Jared, how he can say so little but still make me feel so much. He’s standing here, looking at me like I’m the only thing in this chaotic carnival worth paying attention to, and it’s driving me insane.
And the worst part? A thought keeps creeping in, one I refuse to say out loud.
Because if I let myself admit it, there’s no taking it back.
“So, when’s your break?”
“I don’t really get one, I’m the only one working this for the night.”
He doesn’t miss a beat. His eyes scan the crowd before landing on two scrawny freshmen.
“You two,” he calls, motioning them over. They exchange wide-eyed looks but shuffle forward like they’ve just been drafted. Before I can protest, Jared steps aside, sweeping his arm toward the booth like he’s presenting them with a royal throne. “All yours,” he says, leaving them stiff and uncertain, like he just asked them to defuse a bomb.
“Jared, seriously?” I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow. “I can’t just—”
“Be ridiculously stubborn? Because you can,” he interrupts, flashing a grin. “You’re excellent at it, actually. You’ve been stuck there all night. Time to enjoy the carnival.”
“Enjoy the carnival? While those two destroy the photo booth?” I can’t help but glance back at the freshmen, who are already fumbling with the camera.
“They’ll figure it out,” Jared waves away my concerns like it’s no big deal. “Worst case scenario, they get some blurry photos. Besides, they owe me a favor.”
I roll my eyes but don’t fight it, letting him pull me into the busy crowd. “So, what exactly am I supposed to do with this ‘free time’ you’ve just dumped on me?”
He arches an eyebrow, a challenge dancing in his eyes. “How about I win you a prize? Or are you too scared to compete?”
I snort. “Scared? Please, I’m just trying to spare your fragile ego.”
He gives me a look of mock offense, but I can see the challenge in his eyes. “Alright, hotshot, let’s see what you’ve got.”
He steers us toward a nearby ring toss game, where rows of glass bottles gleam under the festival lights. Unbound laughterpacks the atmosphere, and it suddenly becomes easy to forget about everything else.
Jared grabs a few tickets and casually picks up a ring. With that signature confidence, he tosses it, the ring sailing through the air before landing perfectly on a bottle neck.
“Lucky shot,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes.
He chuckles. “Your turn, unless you’re too intimidated.”
I snatch a ring and take aim, refusing to let him get in my head. The ring bounces off a bottle, missing by an inch.
Jared doesn’t say a word, but his smug smile says enough.
“Okay, beginner’s luck for both of us,” I say, grabbing another ring. “Watch this.”
The second toss lands perfectly, and I give him a triumphant grin. “See? I told you I’ve got this.”
“Impressive,” he admits, stepping closer to hand me another ring. “But we’re not done yet.”
We spend the next few minutes trading shots, neither of us willing to back down. The playful competition is just enough to keep things light, distracting me from the fact that we’re here, together, having fun like none of the complicated stuff between us even exists.
After a few more rounds, Jared finally wins the game, and the carny hands him an absurdly oversized stuffed animal. Jared holds it out to me with a mock bow. “For you.”
I take the ridiculous bear, shaking my head. “You really went all out, huh?”
“Only the best for you,” he says with a wink.
I roll my eyes but can’t help the smile creeping onto my face. “Alright, what’s next?”
