Cecil looked lovely in the outfit—Sin knew he would. The teal of the turtleneck matched his eyes perfectly.
A feast for the eyes? Yes, but Cecil also looked miserable. He was basically playing with his food, just pushing it around his plate—at most, he’d had a few bites.
Soon after they had entered the restaurant, the arcadian had become tense. Sin hated seeing Cecil like this—seeing him so closed off. He wanted the man to smile and laugh, to enjoy the time they spent together as much as he did.
“Is the food not to your liking?” Sin asked.
Cecil cleared his throat, his gaze flinting nervously around the restaurant. “It’s, uh, fine.”
Sin followed Cecil’s gaze. The Blue Palace hadn’t changed since the last time he had come. Sin blanched—the last time was with Clarissa. He had also taken the woman he had dated before her. Thinking back, Sin realized in horror that he had brought many of his previous lovers here as well. Had he really never personalizedhis dates?
Apparently not, Sin thought, completely disgusted with himself. He had treated them all the same way, taken them on the same dates, with the same disinterest on his part. Sin had never put in the effort to hold on to any of them. He hadn’t wanted to.
Roth was right, none of them had been the one, and he had known that—at least, subconsciously. While not perfect, they had deserved more than what he’d given them. Even Clarissa…in the beginning, at least.
The Blue Palace was luxurious, and the food was exceptional, but the uptight atmosphere had no doubt made Cecil anxious. Sin felt nothing but shame that he hadn’t even taken Cecil into consideration when he’d planned the night. Cecil deserved more than that, he deserved better than just another one of Sin’s generic dates.
“I’m sorry, Cecil.”
“For what?” Cecil asked, sounding confused.
“I tried to treat you like everyone else. But you are nothing like the others I dated. This.” Sin waved his hand. “Is not you. Why don’t we get out of here? We can go anywhere you want.”
Cecil’s eyes brightened. “Anywhere?”
Drink and food in hand, Sin sat down at the picnic table. Cecil sat across from him, munching on fried cheese.
There was a chill in the air, but the heat spells kept theworst of it at bay. Colorful tents rose high in the night sky, and rides of all kinds illuminated the area.
Shifting on the bench, he tried to get comfortable. An amusement park—Sin could not believe he was eating at an amusement park.
So far, Sin had discovered a slight fear of heights on one of the many rides Cecil had persuaded him to get on. Or maybe it was more a fear geared toward spinning upside down at high speeds. Rollercoasters were not for him.
The place was noisy and crowded—he found it somewhat jarring. Sin also stood out quite a bit from the rest in his full suit.
Despite that, he was having fun. More so with each smile Cecil threw his way. The glow of happiness on the man’s face warmed Sin’s heart.
Sin could, however, do without the dirt, the grass, and the random litter on the ground…and the stickiness of the wooden picnic bench he was currently sitting on. Sin was positive his shoes and pants were ruined.
Shaking his head, he picked up the breaded hotdog on a stick and took a bite, gasping in horror when a drop of ketchup fell and landed on the only part of his white button-down that was exposed. He hurriedly brushed it away, glaring at Cecil when the arcadian burst out laughing.
“Oh, man, you are so out of your element,” Cecil giggled.
“So glad I could entertain you,” Sin drawled, fighting the infectious sound of Cecil’s laugh. He couldn’t, however, fight the shiver of pleasure that ran through him.
Giving up on his ruined shirt, Sin threw the napkin down and took another bite. No point in worrying about his clothes now, though he feared the elephant ear covered in cinnamon was going to be a nightmare.
When they finished eating, Sin asked, “What is next on the agenda now that we’ve consumed our fried goodies?”
Cecil tapped his chin. “Hmm, well, next you are going to win me a stuffed animal. And after that, we are going to explore the horror house.”
Sin allowed Cecil to drag him to a booth with balloons hanging on a freestanding wall. It was a shooting game.
He proceeded to quickly shoot down the required amount of balloons for the grand prize. The man in the booth was staring at him oddly, but grabbed one of the big hanging stuffed animals and handed it to Cecil.
Sin’s eyebrow rose when he looked at the toy in Cecil’s arms. The thing seemed to be confused as to what it was supposed to be. Sin would have said penguin, but the horns and bushy tail said otherwise.
Whatever it was, it had made Cecil happy. Hugging it tightly, the arcadian beamed at him before grabbing his hand and tugging him along.
