Hearts Collide

Carnival Games and Ferris Wheels

Alex, Steve, Clint and Thor wandered around the board walk checking out the kiosks and concession stands.
“Something smells good,” Alex said as she inhaled the scent of sugar and some sort of sweet bread.
“Indeed it does,” agreed Thor.
“I think that’s the funnel cake,” said Clint.
“Yeah, it’s over there,” Steve pointed it out.
“Let’s go get some,” Alex said excitedly as she ran over to the funnel stand. “I’ll have four funnel cakes,” she told the person running the funnel cake stand. “Do you guys want me to order you anything?” asked the three men behind her.
“You’re not seriously going to eat four funnel cakes,” Clint asked as he gave Alex a weird look.
“No. I’m not,” Alex said as she watched the dough for the funnel cakes fry and get sprinkled with powdered sugar. When they finished cooking, Alex paid for them and said,
“But you better take them now because I’m really hungry.”
The three each took their funnel cake and ate them as they continued to walk around.
“This is so good!” mumbled Alex as she took a large bite of her food.
“Another!” Thor exclaimed as he swallowed the last of his funnel cake.
“Woah! Thor, slow down,” remarked Steve.
“How do you eat so fast?” Alex asked as she took the last bite of her funnel cake.
“I could ask you the same thing, Alex,” Clint teased. Alex looked down and frowned when she realized that she had finished her food.
“Damn it,” she muttered. “Hey, Clint. You’re my friend, right?”
“No, Alex. I’m not giving you a piece of my funnel cake,” Clint responded which caused Alex to pout.
“You can have some of mine,” Steve said as he offered her a piece. Alex’s eyes lit up as he handed her a piece of the delicious treat.
“Thank you, Steve. You’re the best,” she smiled before she took a bite. Crumbs and powder lingered on her lips and the corners of her mouth as she chewed.
“Ummm, Alex, you got a little something on your face,” Steve pointed out.
“Oh,” she said as she wiped part of her mouth. “Did I get it?” she asked.
“No. Here, let me,” he said before wiping the rest of the powder off her mouth. His thumb brushed across her lips, during which he noticed how soft they were, and moved to her chin where it rested for a few seconds before Alex spoke and inched her head away from his hand.
“Umm…thanks,” she said shyly. “I think I’m going to go get some actual food now,” she said before she walked over to a concession stand selling hotdogs, burgers, and seafood.
“Real smooth, Steve,” Clint snickered.
“What? What are you talking about?” Steve responded
“You and Alex. Casually touching her lips,” Clint began, “I know what you really want to do with her lips. You should put the moves on her.”
“No,” Steve denied. “Alex and I are just friends.”
“That might be true now,” Thor stated. “But I’ve seen the way you look at her. It’s the same way I look at Jane. You have feelings for Lady Alex, do you not?”
“I-I-I—,”fumbled Steve.
“Hey guys,” Alex called out as she walked over to them. “I saw some carnival games that looked pretty fun. We should go play them,” she said as she smiled excitedly.
“Ummm…sure,” Steve said, flustered at her sudden appearance.
“You alright, Steve?” she asked concernedly as she tiptoed and touched his forehead. He turned pink at her touch, which caused her to say, “You’re kind of warm.”
“It’s just really hot,” he said as he tried to play it off.
“Oh! I’ll get you a drink then,” she said as she walked back to the concession stand.
“Once again: real smooth,” Clint said as Steve sighed. “Y’know, she does like you,” he said.
“Yeah, right,” Steve said sarcastically.
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“Come on, come on, come on,” Alex muttered as she pressed the trigger from her water gun to advance her duck to the finish line, but, before she could, the bell rang indicating that someone had already won.
“And the winner is the gentle man right here,” the person running the duck game said enthusiastically as he gestured at Clint. “What do want as your prize?”
“I’ll have the blow up hammer,” Clint said. After receiving the child’s toy, Clint went on his knees and exclaimed,
“I am Thor: God of Thunder!” Alex and Clint laughed as Thor sent a glare in Clint’s direction.
“So what should we play next?” Alex asked.
“Actually, I think I’m going to go get something to eat,” Clint said swinging the fake hammer over his back. “Come on, Thor. I’ll buy you some of those funnel cakes.” Thor’s eyes lit up as he followed Clint back to the concession stands.
“So I guess it’s just you and me then,” Alex said looking at Steve.
“I guess so,” he responded.
“Let’s go find another game,” she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward.
“Actually,” Steve began as he stopped Alex in her tracks, “I think I saw something interesting back over there. Do you want to check it out?”
“Sure,” Alex said smiling. “Lead the way, Captain!”
Steve led Alex near a food stand. There was a large wooden box with a lever, a picture of a thermometer, and a yellow and pink sign that flashed ‘Kiss-o-Meter’. Alex chuckled at the sight and asked,
“What is that thing?”
“That right there is a kiss-o-meter. Back in my day men who were going off to war would have a drink and try it out to impress women with how good of a kisser they were.”
“So, did you impress a lot of women?” Alex inquired as she raised an eyebrow.
“Actually, I never tried it,” he admitted. “And I’m assuming you haven’t either. So do you want to try it?” he asked.
“Okay,” Alex said as she entered a quarter into the machine. “So…what do I do?”
“All you have to do is squeeze that handle.”
As Alex squeezed the machine’s handle, a red light rose from along the side of the thermometer and landed at the sixty percent line.
“It’s says I’m a thrilling kisser,” Alex said while smiling. “You give it a try.”
“Alright,” Steve said as he put a quarter in the machine and gave the handle a squeeze. The red light slowly rose until it landed at the ninety percent line.
“Woah,” Alex said surprised. “How are you a ‘naughty’ kisser?”
“Why do you seem so surprised?” he asked smiling.
“I don’t know. It’s just that—”
“Alex!” a female voice called out. Steve and Alex looked to where the voice was coming from and saw Pepper walking toward them. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you. Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
“Sorry, Pepper. My battery was dying so I turned it off a while ago. Why?”
“I just wanted to let you know that we’re leaving soon so meet us at the car in twenty minutes, okay?”
“Okay,” Alex responded. After Pepper left, Alex turned to Steve and asked him,
“Do you want to ride the Ferris wheel before we leave?”
“Sure.”
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“Wow,” Alex said in awe as she looked at the view of the ocean and boardwalk from the moving Ferris wheel. “It’s so beautiful. Thanks for talking me into getting everyone to come here, Steve.”
“No problem, Alex. I’m glad you had a good time.”
“I just wish that I could have this much fun every day,” Alex mumbled as she continued to watch the view and lean against Steve.
The two sat in silence for a while before the Ferris wheel stopped half way.
“Hey, Alex. There’s something I want to ask you—what was it that you were going to say before Pepper showed up?”
“Oh,” Alex said embarrassed as she sat up. “Nothing. It’s stupid.”
“Tell me,” he said in a soft voice that made Alex let out a small sigh.
“I was going to say that I never pictured you as a naughty kisser. I always imagined that you were more of a sweet or tender one,” she admitted as she faced him.
“You’ve imagined kissing me?” Steve asked curiously.
“What? No,” Alex said as she tried to play it off, but Steve noticed that she was lying because she was acting the same way that he did when Alex had touched him and asked if he was alright.
“Hey, Alex?”
“Yeah, Steve?” she said. And then suddenly she felt a pair of lips on hers. It took her a second to realize that Steve was kissing her, but soon she closed her eyes and kissed him back as she pressed her own lips against his soft ones. The two seemed to get lost in each other until the Ferris wheel began to move again. The two pulled away from each other quickly and looked into each other’s eyes.
Alex smiled softly as she bit her lip, which caused Steve to grin. “So do you kiss all the girls you go on Ferris wheels with?” she asked playfully.
“Only the ones I like,” Steve responded boldly.
“Well, that’s good,” Alex said as her smile got wider. “Because I like you too.”
“So, then,” Steve began as he placed his hand over Alex’s, “will you be my girl?”
Alex giggled softly at the way he had phrased asking her out before softly pecking his lips and answering him with a
“Yes.”