Unless….
Unless you were Alex.
I tipped my head up to look at him.
He tipped his chin down to look at me.
“Should you?” I whispered.
“I should,” he agreed with a serious nod. “Don’t tell anybody though.”
“Best friends number 15 don’t rat each other out.” I pressed my lips together. “I moved you up on my list after today. Don’t get too excited, but you might just make it to the number 14 if you get that unicorn for her.”
His face….
With his giant Hello Kitty under one arm, another stuffed animal halfway hanging out of his pocket, a fourth of a funnel cake on the plate in his hand, and a bottle of water under his other arm, we moved. The little girl was still there begging her mom the three seconds it took us to make it over. Alex stopped, bit off half of what remained of the funnel cake, then held up the rest in front of my mouth.
Oh, okay.
We had taken care of each other. We’d slept in the same bed; we’d snuggle-healed. We were friends. Or at least…
At least he was my friend.
And he was trying to let me be his.
He didn’t have to do any of this with me, and it meant a fuck of a lot that he did. How was it possible someone could have so much goodness inside a grouchy little heart? I didn’t know and wasn’t sure I ever would.
I opened wide and took the rest as he threw the plate away, dusted his hands on his jeans, then held the white cat toward me. I took it. “I’ll protect her with my life,” I promised.
He put the bottle of water into his jacket pocket as he said, “It’s for you anyway.”
It—
I didn’t even get a chance to make a comment because he handed over his tickets to the worker. The man took them and gestured to the hammer by Alex’s feet, the guy’s face totally fucking skeptical, probably thinking Alex was a dumb chump. He was fit, but he wasn’t built like a powerlifter after all. It was really deceiving.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little girl standing a few feet away, her eyes following Alex, who was listening to whatever the employee was telling him. Were there rules to the game? The mom made eye contact with me, and I smiled at her. She returned it just as her little girl tugged at her hand and pointed toward the game as Alex hefted the hammer over his shoulder.
Muscles under his shoulders bunched, and my nose tickled. What anactor.
We all watched as he raised it overhead and brought it down on the scale. The colored icons on the thermometer lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July, going allllll the way to the top. Even a little bell went off. On the first try.
The little girl started jumping up and down, and I smiled.
“Mom! Did you see that? See! He can do it!” she squealed.
I squeezed the cat—my Hello Kitty?—tighter to my side before whistling.
Alex turned as he dropped the sledgehammer, and I know I wasn’t imagining the smirk on his face before he took the giant stuffed unicorn the employee handed him. He turned and came over to me, making eye contact with the mom when he stood at my side. It took a moment before she nodded in understanding.
He held the stuffed animal out to the little girl.
She gasped.
“My girlfriend already has a Hello Kitty. Do you want this one?” he asked, the edges of a smile turning his mouth up into the biggest one I’d seen him make yet.
Who the hell was this playful, kind smart-ass?
She nodded enthusiastically, her arms reaching out, snatching it up before he could change his mind. She hugged it tight to her face. I was pretty sure she might have licked the cheek like she was marking her territory.
