Chapter 8

The air around the amusement park was thick with the scent of fried dough, spun sugar, and the metallic tang of ozone from the lightning-fast roller coasters. It was a chaotic symphony of shrieks and laughter, a cacophony that usually made me feel small, insignificant, just another face in the crowd. But tonight, standing in the shadow of the towering Ferris wheel, I felt anything but small. I felt claimed. The neon lights of the midway buzzed overhead, casting long, dancing shadows that seemed to mimic the erratic beating of my heart. I adjusted the strap of my purse, my fingers trembling slightly, not from the cool autumn breeze, but from the memory of his grip on my waist earlier, the way he had pulled me close against his chest as the coaster plunged, his breath hot against my ear, whispering words that were meant for no one else but me. We had spent the last three hours wandering through the labyrinth of lights and noise, but the world around us had blurred into a soft, out-of-focus backdrop. Every time our eyes met, a current passed between us, heavy and electric, silencing the noise of the carnival. He had been