Too late. I'm already walking.
I crouch a little, soften my voice. "Hey, sweetheart. Are you lost? Did you lose your parents?" The boy nods. Slowly. Bottom lip trembling. Oh god. My heart is crushed.
I glance around, trying to stay calm. Where are the parents?! I spot a man, mid-30s, holding a balloon but…with no kid beside him. Huh. I walk over. "Excuse me, sir," I ask gently. "Is this your child, by any chance?" He spins around, face twisted in shock.
"WHAT?! NO!"
"Oh, okay I thought—"
"I DON'T HAVE A CHILD!"
"Okay, sir, I believe you!"
And that's when everything detonates. A woman suddenly screeches from behind. "WHY ARE YOU HOLDING MY CHILD?!" Oh no.
Another woman, standing next to the balloon guy, turns to him in horror. "YOU HAVE A CHILD?!"
"What?! No, I don't even know—" The first woman points at me. "DID YOU TWO JUST TRY TO TAKE MY KID?!"
I want to cry. "I was just trying to help I swear—"
Another voice joins. "Are you a pedophile?!"
Oh my god. Before I can breathe, a man stomps up from the other side of the crowd, wraps an arm around the woman, and looks at me. "Who the hell is THIS string bean holding my kid?"
I am. I am the string bean.
I step back, still holding the child's hand.
Which I immediately, gently release. "I think there's been a miscommunication," I stammer.
"SECURITY!" It's the dad. Red in the face. Panic detonates. I literally don't know what to do. I start running. I barrel through the crowd, spot Gio still by the food stand, pouring ketchup on fries. I grab his wrist so hard I nearly send his fries flying. "RUN, YOU GREASY LUMP!"
"WHAT?!" He's still chewing. "What the hell did you do?!" "I WAS TRYING TO BE A GOOD PERSON AND NOW I'M A PEDOPHILE!!"
We're sprinting through the screams while Gio's cackling. His fingers are laced with mine, and he yells something about how I owe him for making him leave half his fries behind. We duck into a narrow alley between two games. The noise dims. We're panting, sweat clinging to our necks.
I peek out. The dad is there. Scanning the crowd. I shove Gio back. "Don't talk. Don't breathe. Please." He opens his mouth to say something. "I SAID DON'T—"
The guy turns. He's walking toward us. I panic. Fully.
I do the first thing that comes to mind. I grab Gio's shirt, yank him toward me, and kiss him. Shove us back behind a curtain of some old photo booth backdrop. I press against him until his body blocks mine. Hiding me. I hear his sharp inhale.
His hands come up to grip my waist. And then he kisses me back. Full tilt. Laughing into my mouth. We stay like that, tangled and hidden, until the footsteps pass. He breaks the kiss with his forehead on mine. "Okay. That was the hottest getaway kiss of all time." I whisper, "Is he gone?"
He peeks. "Yep. But you might've traumatized four families." I groan and hide my face in his shirt. "I just wanted to help…" He snorts. "I know, baby. But you tried to return a kid like it was a lost umbrella."
"I panicked."
"You kissed me to hide."
"I panicked again."
"You owe me seven blowjobs," he whispers while smiling. We're both laughing now. His hands find my face. He kisses me again, softer this time. "I love you," he whispers.
"Even though I almost got myself arrested?"
"Especiallybecause you almost got yourself arrested." He grins. "That was sexy as hell."
