The smells overlapped in a good way. Sugar, fried dough, popcorn, and the faint diesel bite from whatever machines were powering the loud—
What in the heavens?
Gage slid his cane over the ground. The flat Braille pad near the grip shifted beneath his fingers, identifying the terrain.
Asphalt.
He turned toward Scar, a huge grin already spreading across his face. “You brought me to a carnival.”
“Yeah, but if you don’t wanna stay then…”
“Heck yeah, I wanna stay.” He laughed. “Take me to the first cotton candy vendor you see, and we’ll go from there.”
He kissed Scar’s smile, then slipped his hand into his.
They flowed with the crowd, and Gage listened to it the same way he listened to any space he entered—picking apart the sounds he understood and cataloging the ones he didn’t.
It was stimulating and affecting him in ways he never could’ve imagined.
It wasn’t just the noise and smells, it was the entire life of it. The strings and rows of endless lights made the air warm, music vibrated through his ribs, and the happiness around him was so potent it felt contagious.
And Scar had thought of it.
He’d chosen a place where he could hear joy, smell it, and feel it in the ground.
The surprise wasn’t just a date, it was so much more than that.
It was Scar understanding how he lived his new life.
While he stood in line for his cotton candy, he leaned in and whispered near Scar’s ear.
“This feels amazing. Thank you.”
Scar squeezed his hand. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He lifted his head. “It feels…alive.”
When the cotton candy hit his hands, it also felt alive, as if he was holding a real cloud, and he smiled even more. He was doing so much of that his jaw was starting to ache.
He pulled away a piece, and it stuck to his fingertips before he shoved it into his mouth, the sugar instantly turning into air when it touched his tongue.
Scar made a satisfied noise beside him. “This funnel cake is good. Open up.”
Gage turned his face toward Scar’s voice, and a piece of warm, powdered sweetness was eased between his lips.
He bit down, and the crunch of fried edges and gooey middle made a low groan escape his mouth before he could stop it. It’d been so long since he’d had carnival food, he’d forgotten how delicious and nostalgic it could be.
“Mm.” Gage licked the sugar off Scar’s finger without thinking.
Scar went still for a half second, then groaned. “You’re fuckin’ killin’ me.”
Gage finished his cotton candy and stole the last half of Scar’s funnel cake before he blurted like a kid on a sugar high, “Take me to the biggest roller coaster they have—no. Bumper cars next!”
Scar stopped walking. “Are you serious?”
“Hell yeah.” Gage was damn near jumping up and down. “It’ll be the only time I get to drive. Theres barriers, and I can slam into anything I want.”
“Yeah, and other people can slam into you too.” Scar said.
