The Boy Next Door ✑(h.s.)

ten

Chapter 10

We finally pulled into a pretty crowded parking lot that lead to a brightly illuminated carnival. My heart warmed at the thought of Harry and I having one of those cliché dates. We share a cotton candy, he ends up winning me an oversized stuffed bear, and we go on the Ferris wheel together. Cheesy corny dates are what every girl dreams of whether they'd like to admit it or not.

"The carnival? That's the big surprise? I was expecting more of you, Styles." I said with a smug grin on my face. We made our way towards the entrance of the park, hands close enough to become intertwined, but neither of us actually initiating the action.

"Yes Poppy, the carnival. Who doesn't love the carnival? It's fantastic. Funnel cakes and all." He replied with an adorable boyish grin that just made your heart flutter instantly.

I smiled up at him as we arrived at the ticket booth. He, of course, paid for our tickets. I thanked him and made my way into the park, Harry following right behind. Groups upon groups of people made their way around us as we decided what to do first. We slowly ended up making our way to the game booths with several carnival classics, including balloon darts, knock over the pins, and of course the 'test your strength' game. Which, we obviously ended up going to first.

We arrived at the booth and was greeted by the employee who looked about 100% done with his job. "Take the hammer, and strike the metal disk at the bottom. If you're strong enough to reach all the way to the top then you get to have your pick of prizes. 3 tries to make it, good luck." He said in a monotone voice, as if he'd been saying a million times today. He handed Harry the semi-heavy hammer and stepped back.

"Step back Poppy, wouldn't wanna hurt you y'know." He said in a cocky tone while rolling up the small bit of sleeves he had. I rolled my eyes and took a couple of steps back. Harry brought up the hammer and brought it down with all the force he had. Sadly, his aim was way off resulting in him hitting the ground right beside his desired spot. I immediately had to hide my laughter as I didn't want to embarrass him any further. His cheeks were practically cherry red as he turned to look at me.

"Uh, I meant to do that." He said scratching the back of his neck. I rolled my lips in and simply nodded my head. I looked over at the employee who also saw Harry's dorkiness. He still wore that unamused face and rolled his eyes.

He brought the hammer up once again and brought it down with all the force he could muster. This time he actually hit the metal disk on the ground, causing the electronic light to move up the scale. His intention to cause the light to go all the way to the top of the scale was sadly crushed as it only ended up about a third of the way up. So close yet so far.

"You have one more try." The employee reminded in the same monotone he had earlier. Harry stared at the machine that went about 10 feet in the air. I saw the concentration in his eyes. He then looked over at me and with a small smile and with a nod of his head he brought the hammer into the air yet again. Just like he had the two other times he brought it down with even more force than last time.

The next sound I heard was the ding of the bell at the top of the tower, signaling Harry reached the top. He dropped the hammer and turned to me, and I swear I had never seen anyone more excited in my entire life. His smile went literally from ear to ear, causing me to have no choice but to mimic his reaction.

"Congratulations," the employee spoke just as bored as before. "You can pick from anything on the top self." He finished with a sigh, clearly unimpressed by anything going on around him. Despite the employee's disinterested presence, Harry's happiness still radiated through. God this boy was possibly the dorkiest thing I've ever met.