“I see everyone did a couple’s costume,” I say, walking up to where they stand. “Who are you two supposed to be?” I ask Enzo.
“We’re Ken and Ken,” he laughs. “I wanted to wear roller skates, but my husband didn’t think they’d let us in.”
“Are you a sailor?” Lacey asks, eyeing my costume.
“I’m a seaman. Get it?” I smirk. “Like semen.”
“Oh, I get it,” she deadpans.
“Did you and Wren coordinate costumes?” Poppy asks.
“No, we kept our costumes a secret from one another,” I say. “Why?”
“Oh, I’m not giving away the surprise,” she giggles. “She should be here any minute and you can see for yourself.”
I nod, looking around the colorful fair. There’s a ferris wheel with multi-colored bucket-seats, a tilt-o-whirl, a swing ride, bumper cars, and half a dozen other attractions all adorned with bright lights and colors.
The air smells like fried food and sugar. Music being fed through a speaker competes with screams from the fair goers as the rides flip and drop.
The crowd parts, and Wren appears, dressed like a mermaid. Time seems to still. Her red hair is wavy and falls around her shoulders. She’s wearing a shiny green, flowy skirt that looks like a fin, and a purple corset top hugs her figure. The light catches on blue and green jewels on either side of her eyes. She looks stunning.
Any remaining negativity I had from earlier melts away, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s just me and her in the world.
She smiles when our eyes meet, and I lift my hand in a wave. Time speeds up again, and she begins to move towards us. She greets the girls first and then stops in front of me.
“You okay?” she asks.
“Much better now,” I say. “Ready to have some fun.”
A wide grin spreads across her face. She wraps her arms around me, and I pull her close, breathing in the scent of her hair. Her body fits perfectly against mine, just like it did earlier tonight. We stay wrapped up in each other for a few long moments.
Logan clears his throat, causing Wren to pull away. I cut my eyes in his direction, and he gives me a questioning look that says, “What the fuck was that?”
“What do y’all want to do first?” Wren asks, turning to face the group.
“Logan said he was gonna win me one of those big stuffedanimals,” Poppy says, leaning into her boyfriend. “Y’all want to go play some games?”
“We’re in,” Jacks says, grabbing Lacey’s hand.
“Y’all want to make it more interesting?” I ask.
“What did you have in mind, T?” Donovan asks.
“First person to win a stuffed animal gets to pick what we do next.”
“That sounds like fun,” Wren says, giggling. “I’m in.”
“You know I’m always up for a little friendly competition,” Logan says.
“Are there rules?” Lacey asks.
“Let’s keep it simple. First one to win a stuffed animal wins. Time starts now,” I yell, turning and running toward the row of brightly colored game booths.
“Tanner!” all three girls shout. I look over my shoulder and see all of my friends start sprinting after me. Wren catches up with me first.
“You’re going down, roomie,” she says. I slow my pace, and she shoots by me, heading straight for the milk jug ring toss. Poppy, Logan, Jace, and Lacey stop at the water gun run. Donovan and Enzo opt to pop balloons with darts at the balloon-a-rama booth. Wren is collecting her rings when I run up next to her.
“You playing?” the carnival game worker asks.
