I peered up at him. “They were my best friends.”
He gave me an empathetic look. My heart jolted against my ribcage.
“They died in a plane crash. They took a trip for their thirtieth wedding anniversary and were taking a small plane to an island destination in the Caribbean, and it crashed.” I stopped talking before I did something completely embarrassing like start tearing up. I was a talker, but I rarely talked to people about my parents. My head lifted when I felt a strong hand cover mine and squeezed, comfortingly. The balm of his touch was something I’ve never felt before. I wanted to pocket that feeling so I could pull it out on sad nights to keep the tears from missing my parents at bay.
“Ready to go in?”
I turned to stare out the window at the crowd entering underneath the neon sign ahead of us. “The fair?” I asked.
“You seemed like you’d like the fair.”
My somber mood of a few moments ago evaporated as I gazed up at the lights and huge Ferris wheel. “I’ve wanted to get here all summer, but no one would come with me.”
“You were just waiting for me. Don’t move.” He cut the engine off, got out of the car, and came around to hold the door open for me.
“Thank you.” I swooned a little when he held my hand to help me down from the SUV.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been to a fair,” I commented as we entered the fairgrounds.
“Are you hungry or did you want to ride the rides first or play games?”
“Umm.” I looked around and went to point but realized Eric still held my hand in his. I felt like a kid in a candy store. “Cotton candy, then the Ferris wheel, then that target practice game, then maybe those chili dogs.” I added the last one a little sheepishly.
“So be it,” Eric chuckled, pulling me by the hand toward the cotton candy stand. “Did you grow up in Williamsport?” he asked in between bites, as we walked.
I swallowed the mouthful of the super sweet and fluffy candy, and my eyes surveyed the passersby as they walked around the fairgrounds. I noticed a few couples, walking hand-in-hand, similar to Eric and me. The weather was in the eighties but thankfully it wasn’t humid.
“Yup. My parents met in the same neighborhood they raised my brother and me in. We went to the same schools they went to growing up. The only time I moved away was to go to college in Boston. My mother told me going away to school was a good opportunity to find out who I was and what I wanted. She was right. I discovered that I’m just a Williamsport girl, so afterward, I came back home and never regretted it.” I continued to talk about my adventures growing up and my family. It felt good sharing the happy memories of my parents with someone. Usually, I kept them hidden and locked away in my heart, only pulling them out when I was alone at night. To most people, I was the bubbly, spirited girl who rarely stopped talking or could be a listening ear when needed. I didn’t let too many people know my sadder moments though. Eric rarely interjected, save for a probing question here and there. At times, I was in awe that he seemed to be listening.
“This line is pretty long,” I commented. We were waiting for our turn on the Ferris wheel.
“Do you mind if I run to the restroom while we wait? It’s right over there.”
“No, of course not. I’ll hold our spot.”
He gave me a skeptical look. I found it sweet.
“Go. We’ll be waiting here are at least another fifteen minutes in this line.”
He inclined his head and turned toward the restrooms. I watched him walk away, taking in the bulges of his strong arms in the T-shirt and his long legs. My tongue snaked out to lick my bottom lip when I thought about the contours of his body hiding beneath his clothing. I fanned myself with my hand and then chastised myself for such lustful thoughts in public. About a man I barely knew. It was then I realized how much talking I was doing on our date so far. I talked so much about myself, I neglected to ask him anything. I bit my lower lip, feeling foolish.
“So much for being asked out again,” I mumbled.
“Angela?”
I turned to the male voice that just called my name, and my stomach dropped.Shit. What’s he doing here?
“Marshall. Hi,” I greeted, trying to infuse my voice with a cheeriness I wasn’t feeling at the moment.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, the dark brown skin of his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“You know… just having fun at the fair.”
“You’re here by yourself?” He glanced over my shoulder. Seeing I wasn’t with anyone, his gaze returned to me.
“No,” I answered honestly, suddenly feeling silly for feeling guilty. “I’m here with someone.”
“Oh.” His face was a mask of confusion as he turned his head, again. “A male someone? As in a date?”
