GOLDEN MOUTH

SUGAR CLOUDS

Of course there's a festival on the boardwalk, he isn't even aware until he sees the Ferris wheel from the parking lot, a look of wonder on Tawny's face, "we need to hurry and get in line," she says, hopping out of the passenger seat and grabbing his hand to pull him along.

"I didn't even ask," she slows her eager pace down to look back at him. "You're not scared of heights are you?"

"Course not,"

"Good."

Neither the fresh funnel cake scent wafting through the heat nor the flashing neon lights deters him from staring at this girl, he realizes he likes her a lot and he can't believe he's never noticed her before. He's opening his wallet at the smallest request- whatever keeps the smile on her face and the skip in her step.

By the time they get to the Ferris wheel, he's already won three different plushies of various sizes, (they're nearly the size of a small child,) bought candy apples and cotton candy that they're currently pinching off of together.

"When I was younger, my dad used to call cotton candy 'sugar clouds.' I remember when I went to the fair with my friend from elementary school and her family looked at me like I had lost my mind. Sugar clouds." She chuckles. "What the hell."

"Your dad might be on to something." He smiles. She pinches off a piece of the baby blue sweet and feeds it to him. He smacks his mouth objectively as if he's a critic. "Sugar cloud makes it taste better."

She laughs for a moment, the lights on the Ferris wheel turn neon pink, the color against her makes his eyes widen. Tawny is unreal. Filled with beauty yes, but something else too that makes him forget they are in public. Everyone else disappears.

"What?" She asks.

"What," he replies.

"You were staring like a madman just now, do I have something in my teeth?"

"No. It's just that," he stops himself, feeling something akin to nervousness being around her without the textbooks and the studying. An uncomfortable feeling and he's not exactly sure why; they've already broken the ice a long time ago.

"Just that..?" She hangs on to his words while he figures out how to express his feelings without sounding weird.

They're at the top of the Ferris wheel, the stretch of the boardwalk below them, pedestrians here and there, lights cutting on to illuminate this random little carnival, the sun is finally going down. Blue hour.

Jagger decides he should put it simply. "You're perfect."

Immediately he's worried, rubbing at her shoulder when a tear slips out of her eye and then another and another, Tawny put her arms up, knuckles trying to stop the trails, "No, no, I'm sorry. You okay?"

He consoles her the best he can with the plushies staring them down as if they could animate themselves at any moment.

"I'm fine!" She says, clearing her throat for good measure. "I'm all sappy, that was very unexpected."

He pecks her cheek, giving her a good squeeze with his arm around her shoulder for the rest of the ride down.

.

"We're...still going to the beach?"

"What do you mean, it's right here?"

Jagger and Tawny walk back from having deposited all of the carnival prizes into the backseat of the bronco. She's long since traded her designer shoes for flip flops.

"Yeah, but it's dark. You can't see a damn thing."

"The scariest thing you'll find is a crab. And if he thinks about getting all pinchy with you," he held his hands up, "honest to god, I'll kick his ass."

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise." He carries her bridal style down the shore, (she squeals when he grabs her,) moonlight illuminating the tides. The crash of waves sounds even more hypnotic at night.

"C'mon, the water feels nice and warm at this time."

"Wait we're getting in, too? That's doing too much."

"So what? Let's do the most,"

He's a little giddy, times like these, there'd be a few stragglers behind, drunk friend groups, couples trying to have sex but tonight it's surprisingly clear. It's only them and a strawberry-tinted moonrise with stars lighting up the sky. It almost looks fake.

Jagger tosses his shirt up and over his head into the sand, running towards the shore, Tawny calls out but eventually follows his lead when she sees he's dead serious. She ditches her cover up and is hesitantly approaching the water before she stops to see what is it that's just washed up. White swim trunks with the palm trees on the front.

"Are you naked?!"

He doesn't answer, just laughs at the bewildered look on her face.

"So we're skinny-dipping now?"

"I mean, I am." Jagger shrugs. "That doesn't mean you have to."

"But-" she folds her arms across her chest, suddenly contemplative. Live a little, she tells herself. Tawny gestures for him to turn around and he does, eyes glued to the pink moon. He lays back. He floats. He closes his eyes to remember the craters. The waves rock him gently.

Timidly, she joins him, arms over her body because this won't be a peep show. It's not even like that. She just needs to get out of her own head for a moment, let go, drop the defenses, and he's right, the water is comfortable enough for her to walk in deeper.

Tawny joins him, pulse quickening at the fact that she's shoulder deep in the dark ocean, there's dimples in the surface every now and then, a telltale sign it's going to rain.

"You ok?" He asks, coming closer to her.

"Yeah," instinctively she reaches for him when the raindrops fall quicker, she completely forgets she's naked for a moment until her breasts are against his chest.

He closes his eyes for some time and sighs at the feeling.

"I didn't mean to-" she starts, utterly embarrassed.

"I'm the furthest thing from mad right now. Mad is nowhere on the radar, okay?"

She laughs shyly, "ok...Thank you,"

"For what?"

"Today. I had so much fun. I'm glad you insisted on not studying again. I think I needed this more."

"You definitely did. Me too, though." He looks up at the sky to distract himself from looking at her lips again. He looks up at the sky to distract himself in general. Suddenly he's deeply interested in the growing clouds. Could they make him numb to the sensation of her body against his?

Tawny plays with the hair at the nape of his neck absently, all too focused on the fact that Jagger's growing between them. He holds her by the waist when he backs her away, allowing the salt water to break up their chemistry. He clears his throat.

"I tried to be cool but you feel too good."

"It's fine, it's natural. Actually, I'm flattered," she reaches for him again, he takes a deep breath and holds her, clenching his jaw for some sort of support. He looks up, the clouds are heavy in the night sky now.

"Jagger?"

"Hmm?"

"Kiss me..?"

He looks at her again, hyperaware of her words and beauty. "Seriously?" He wants to make sure she's certain.

"Yes..only if you want to, though."

He kisses her without a second thought. Her lips are beyond soft. It's gentle- he knows had it been anything but that, he'd feel ashamed. With Tawny, he wants to take things slow, he has a different kind of respect for her.

They pull away and he swipes his tongue over his lips to taste her longer. Her eyes are wide.

"Wow," she whispers.

And then it starts to rain.

There's  rainwater and lipgloss on his mouth now. So sweet. For a moment, he wonders if there are sugar clouds in the sky, too.