"So, you're telling me you've never been to a carnival before?" Blake asked, his voice laced with disbelief as they started walking through the bustling carnival grounds. Blake had told her this would be their appetizer to the fun night, and if this was just the start, Emma was vibrating with excitement to see what else was to come.
She looked around in wide-eyed amazement. The place was a sensory explosion: strings of colorful lights crisscrossed overhead, painting the night in dazzling hues. The air vibrated with a cacophony of cheerful shouts, the whir and clatter of rides, and the insistent, tinny melodies of arcade games. Overlaid on it all was the irresistible scent of fried dough, popcorn, and sugary cotton candy.
"Yeah, my parents never took me to one," she admitted, a slight wistfulness in her tone. "To them, this would be a huge waste of time." It was true. Emma and her parents never really did anything fun—well, they went to operas and plays sometimes, but never anything vibrant and chaotic like this.
Blake nodded, a familiar shadow crossing his features. "My family used to come to fairs and stuff a lot when I was growing up, but when Alex was born, they started taking more hours at work and..." he trailed off, shrugging, the unspoken "we all see how that turned out" hanging in the air. "Well, you're in for a real treat."
They walked over to a ball-throwing booth, just as a small family, a little girl clutching a massive plush unicorn, walked away triumphant. Blake could practically feel the excitement radiating off Emma in waves as she saw all the giant plushies and glittering prizes displayed behind the counter. Her eyes widened, sparkling with a childlike wonder.
"Hey, kids! You wanna try the game? It's simple!" the man running the booth called out, juggling three softballs in his calloused hands. "Throw the ball, hit the three clowns, win any prize you want!"
Blake smoothly handed the man five dollars before Emma could even protest. She looked at him with confusion, her brow furrowed. "I got it," he said simply, a reassuring smile. "Just have fun tonight." The man passed her four softballs.
She bit her lip, hesitating. She didn't want to use Blake's money, but he had said it was fine. She glanced over at him, and he gave her a small, encouraging nod "Really, go for it, kid!" the man said, a wide grin showing a missing tooth, giving her a thumbs-up and gesturing to the throwing line on the grass.
Emma held up the first ball, winding back her arm, and threw it as hard as she could. It sailed past one of the clowns, whizzing harmlessly into the netting behind. She pouted, her shoulders slumping. "That's okay, Em, try it again."
Did he just call me 'Em'? Emma thought, a faint flush rising on her cheeks, a small, secret smile forming despite her miss. She weakly threw another ball, which barely left her hand before plopping straight to the ground a few feet in front of her.
"Wow, kid, you're, umm... really bad at this," the man laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
Blake chuckled, taking the two remaining balls from her hand. He pulled a dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to the man. "Can I have one more ball, please?" the man's eyes twinkled as he took the dollar. "You really think you can get this in only three shots, kid?"
Blake nodded, a confident, almost cocky grin spreading across his face. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I can get it in two shots, but better safe than sorry, right?"
The man laughed, amused by his confidence. "How about this, kid? If you get it in just those two balls, I'll give you your dollar back for the third ball."
Blake nodded in agreement, a playful glint in his eye as the man handed him the extra ball. Blake took the ball, a focused expression replacing his grin, and faced the clowns.
He quickly threw his first ball. It flew with surprising speed and precision, slamming directly into the chest of the first clown, knocking it down with a satisfying thwack. The man's eyes widened. Emma just grinned, her excitement returning tenfold.
Blake took aim at the space behind the next clown. He threw the ball. It sailed just past the target, hitting against the back wall with a loud thump. "Wow, kid, you alm..." the man began, but before he could finish, the ball bounced sharply off the back wall, ricocheting perfectly into the second clown, sending it flying sideways, which then struck the third clown, sending it tumbling over. All three clowns were down.
Emma clapped her hands, genuinely delighted, her grin stretching from ear to ear. Blake turned, a triumphant, almost smug look on his face. "What do you know? I guess I could get it in just the two balls," he said, his voice full of cockiness as he plucked the dollar back out of the man's still-open hand. "Thanks for my dollar back. Pick whatever prize you want, Em." He gestured grandly towards the wall of plush toys.
The man rolled his eyes in annoyance, clearly not used to being outsmarted. Emma, however, was beaming. She pointed at a fluffy pink teddy bear wearing a tiny cowboy hat. The man grumbled as he retrieved it, handing it over. "Here. Have a good day," he mumbled, obviously ready for them to leave.
Emma hugged the bear close, its softness a comforting weight. "How did you get such a good arm?" she asked, looking up at him. He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I used to be on the baseball team. It used to come in handy coming to fairs then, too." They shared a laugh, a comfortable, easy sound.
She looked down at the bear, a shy smile playing on her lips. "Sooo, 'Em,' huh?" she grinned, playing with the cowboy hat on the bear's head.
He rolled his eyes playfully, but a faint blush touched his cheeks. He looked to the side, almost shyly. "I thought it would be a good nickname. No big deal."
She laughed softly. No one had ever given her a nickname before; it was surprisingly nice. "Well, it's only fair that I give you one, too. Umm, let's see... how about 'Lake-ie'?" she joked, drawing out the syllables.
He made a disgusted face, making her laugh harder. "How about just 'Lake'?" he whispered, his quiet suggestion almost a plea.She nodded, her smile widening. "Deal, Lake." He lightly pushed her arm, a familiar, playful gesture. "Cool, Em."
(Mia note-Guys we made it to chapter 10 let's goooo!)
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
