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Tanner

Tanner ditched the girls at the Haunted House.

Inevitably, the deed would slink its way back to bite him in the ass, but karma could have its ways with him once he found that boy. Vaguely, he recalled his steps and tried not to retrace them, yet he couldn′t help feeling as though he was going around and round on a wild goose chase. The third time he found himself at the entrance to the tunnel of love, he cursed. Where could he be?

Stubbornness plagued his senses, eyes focused albeit glazed over with doubt. He wanted to find them. Tanner had been raised to believe that if he wanted something enough, he′d eventually get it. It sounded miraculous, put so simply, but that recipe was often told with a missing step － a shit tonne of work. Wherever Georgie and Bill were, he had to be prepared to break his back to get there.

Wandering eyes and lost feet carried him across the pier, paddling quickly to avoid drowning in the crowd. Tanner wasn′t built to be bold. He was far more accustomed to trailing behind the group, lurking in the shadows, staying out of people′s way and mumbling meek apologies. He′d never been grand with gestures before. Something in that filmstrip had sparked his courage.

Dazzling lights blinded him as he strolled past a rollercoaster. Back-pedalling, his heart leapt into his chest. He′d recognise that shade of yellow even in a sea of Minions. Georgie skipped over a puddle, beaming from ear-to-ear whilst his tongue clung to the wafer cone of his ice cream. Bill, patiently securing a spot far down the winding line, knelt to ruffle the little one′s hair. He′s adorable, thought Tanner, of neither in particular.

Upon closer inspection, Tanner deduced that the two mightn′t have been siblings, after all. Georgie bore little to no resemblance to Bill, the elder′s shaggy, blond hair heavily contrasted against the child′s toffee curls. All the same, it was impossible to be sure. Perhaps if he actually had the courage to approach them ...

″You in the line or what?″ barked a rough, nasally voice. Tanner cocked his head, shooting the father of two an apologetic look before stepping into the long, zig-zagged line for the rollercoaster. Georgie and Bill weren′t too far up the line. Perhaps, if the universe was rooting for him, Tanner could occupy the third seat of their car. The thought offered a sense of calm. In the least, he′d have more time to work up the courage to say something.

They moved along at a sloth′s pace, but Tanner didn′t mind so much. He watched, or rather stalked, Bill and Georgie as he shuffled along the queue, admiring the younger′s energy, the elder′s compassion, and the unmistakably strong love that bonded them both. They couldn′t possibly be brothers, Tanner mused inwardly, recalling the relationship he had with his own siblings. He was the youngest of four boys, and none of them had ever kissed the tip of his nose the way Bill did Georgie′s. This is different, he decided. They must be father and son.

He′d been so entranced by the pair that he hadn′t noticed that he had reached the counter. ″Ahem. Just one, sir?″ asked the ticket booth attendee impatiently. She struck Tanner as the kind of waitress that rolled her eyes at your order and spat in your soup. Had she been a waitress, that is.

″Yes, please,″ he said quietly. She tore him a ticket. Nodding curtly, he mouthed a ″thank you″, to which the grumpy girl rolled her eyes. Tanner made a beeline for the gate, eyes trained on his target. Bill and Georgie had settled into a car near the back, and the ride was almost full. The seat beside Georgie was empty.

″Ride′s full,″ announced the conductor monotonously, cordoning off the gate with metal chain-links right in front of Tanner. He added, in a bored, rehearsed manner, ″Kindly wait ten minutes for the next Rapturous Rocket to roll around.″

″No way,″ said Tanner flatly, disbelieving. ″There′s a seat right there － look!″

Just as the conductor turned, a schoolgirl with pigtails plopped down beside Georgie, sour-faced with her hands crossed over her chest as if she′d been forced to go on the ride. ″Aw, come on!″ Tanner exclaimed, outraged. ″She doesn′t even want to ride the damn thing. Yo, kid!″

″I′m sorry, sir,″ said the conductor, sounding as if he couldn′t care less. The metal safety rails came down, and the rollercoaster began to lurch forward, accelerating out of view. ″First come, first serve.″

Tanner watched, stupefied, as car after car disappeared from sight around the bend. His spirit seemed to deflate, but right before Bill and Georgie vanished from view, the latter′s eyes met his. For whatever reason, Georgie had smiled back.