The air at the county fair was thick with the smell of fried dough and the hum of laughter. Bright lights flickered against the night sky, and the carousel spun lazily in the distance.
Lena leaned against the railing near the Ferris wheel, pretending to scroll her phone. But really, her eyes kept drifting , across the midway, past the candy apple stand..to her.
The girl was standing with her friends, tossing her head back at something one of them said. Dark curls framed her face, catching the neon glow from the game booths. And then, like she felt it, she looked over.
They didn't smile. Not yet.
It was just a look , steady, unblinking, a playful dare that sent a current through Lena's chest.
The crowd moved, music pulsed from the bumper cars, and still... they held each other's gaze.
Lena's friend nudged her. "You okay?"
She swallowed. "Yeah. Just... thinking."
But in truth, her thoughts were nowhere near okay. They were daring her to cross them midway, daring her to turn that teasing spark into something dangerous.
Lena finally broke eye contact, pretending to check her phone again, but her pulse was still racing. She didn't even know the girl's name, yet she felt like something had already been exchanged in that moment .. something wordless but heavy.
She tried to shake it off, turning toward the Ferris wheel line, but the crowd shifted again, and there she was ..closer this time. The girl was now leaning against the side of the popcorn stand, one hip jutting out, her gaze fixed on Lena with the same deliberate slowness.
It wasn't innocent. It wasn't casual.
It was a challenge.
Lena stepped forward without realizing it, weaving through clusters of people. But just as she was halfway across, a group of guys stumbled between them, laughing and yelling over each other. By the time the path cleared, the girl was gone.
Her chest tightened. She scanned the crowd, but the fair was a sea of movement..laughter spilling from the funhouse, music blaring from the rides, kids screaming on the Tilt-A-Whirl.
For a moment, she thought she'd lost her completely.
Then a voice came from behind her.
"You're not very good at being subtle."
Lena spun around, and there she was, standing so close Lena could see the flecks of gold in her eyes.
"You were staring first," Lena said, the words coming out lower than she meant.
"Was I?" The girl's lips curved into the kind of smile that knew exactly what it was doing. "Maybe I was just wondering if you were going to say something... or just keep looking like you wanted to."
Lena's reply got caught in her throat.
The girl tilted her head, studying her like she was a puzzle worth solving. "I'm Mara," she finally said.
"Lena."
The noise of the fair faded into a muffled blur around them, but Lena was aware of every inch of space between their bodies ...a space that felt too small for strangers but too large for whatever this was.
Mara glanced over her shoulder at the Ferris wheel. "You riding that?"
"I was going to," Lena said.
"Then I guess I'll join you."
