Alex gave me the dirtiest look in the whole world, and it just made me smile harder. “None of your wins count because you cheated.”
I shrugged and held the plate a little closer to him. “But you fell for it three times. It’s not my fault you did.”
He shook his head slowly, but I caught the quick flick of his gaze toward the plate I was still holding out as a peace offering. “You said you were done cheating each time, you liar.”
Okay, I had done that, but part of me had expected him to know I was full of shit.
It was his fault for believing I was that good of a person.
Alex snickered, then reached for the funnel cake, tearing off a piece of the dough and plopping it into his mouth.
I smiled and ripped a piece too, eating it slowly as I watched the sore loser. We were standing a little away from the cart we’d bought the funnel cake and bottle of water at, right beside a fun house. Now that it had gotten darker, more people had arrived at the roadside carnival. Alex’s contacts had officially bitten the dust, and I’d purposely made to stand in a dark spot without a lot of lights. I figured we were going to be done soon; we’d blown through the tickets playing the water game over and over again.
“Thank you for doing this with me,” I told him seriously, taking a sidestep closer so he could have better access to the plate.
His eyes flicked to me as he slipped his hand under mine and took the plate. His voice was gruff. “You’re welcome.”
“I really appreciate it.”
That got me a long look as he chewed a huge piece.
I opened the bottle of water and took a swig before holding it out to him too. He took it, watching me the whole time. That pissy little face still present.
“You still lost,” I reminded him under my breath, not able to help myself.
His eyebrows went up, and just as he opened his mouth to talk shit, we both turned toward the attraction behind us.
“Mommy, please.” The little girl standing beside her mom pleaded as they stood beside a game that said TEST YOUR STRENGTH! The woman lowered the oversized fake sledgehammer down and shook her head, saying who knows what to the little girl.
The goal of the attraction was to hit the hammer against this scale thing on the ground and get the giant light-up thermometer-looking sign above it to go all the way to the top in order to win the whopping prize of a giant unicorn.
“One more time! Please! I know you can do it!” the little girl said, squeezing her palms together under her chin. “Please, please, please, Mommy.”
The mom shook her head, saying something else that even without super hearing, I could tell was going to be a definite “no.” I couldn’t blame her. I figured those games were rigged so that you couldn’t easily win them.
Unless…
Unless you were Alex.
I tipped my head up to look at him.
He tipped his chin down to look at me.
“Should you?” I whispered.
“I should,” he agreed with a serious nod. “Don’t tell anybody though.”
“Best friends number 15 don’t rat each other out.” I pressed my lips together. “I moved you up on my list after today. Don’t get too excited, but you might just make it to the number 14 if you get that unicorn for her.”
His face…
With his giant Hello Kitty under one arm, another stuffed animal halfway hanging out of his pocket, a fourth of a funnel cake on the plate in his hand, and a bottle of water under his other arm, we moved. The little girl was still there begging her mom the three seconds it took us to make it over. Alex stopped, bit off half of what remained of the funnel cake, then held up the rest in front of my mouth.
Oh, okay.
We had taken care of each other. We’d slept in the same bed; we’d snuggle-healed. We were friends. Or at least…
At least he was my friend.
And he was trying to let me be his.
He didn’t have to do any of this with me, and it meant a fuck of a lot that he did. How was it possible someone could have so much goodness inside a grouchy little heart? I didn’t know and wasn’t sure I ever would.
I opened wide and took the rest as he threw the plate away, dusted his hands on his jeans, then held the white cat toward me. I took it. “I’ll protect her with my life,” I promised.
He put the bottle of water into his jacket pocket as he said, “It’s for you anyway.”
It—
I didn’t even get a chance to make a comment because he handed over his tickets to the worker. The man took them and gestured to the hammer by Alex’s feet, the guy’s face totally fucking skeptical, probably thinking Alex was a dumb chump. He was fit, but he wasn’t built like a powerlifter after all. It was really deceiving.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little girl standing a few feet away, her eyes following Alex, who was listening to whatever the employee was telling him. Were there rules to the game? The mom made eye contact with me, and I smiled at her. She returned it just as her little girl tugged at her hand and pointed toward the game as Alex hefted the hammer over his shoulder.
Muscles under his shoulders bunched, and my nose tickled. What an actor.
We all watched as he raised it overhead and brought it down on the scale. The colored icons on the thermometer lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July, going allllll the way to the top. Even a little bell went off. On the first try.
The little girl started jumping up and down, and I smiled.
“Mom! Did you see that? See! He can do it!” she squealed.
I squeezed the cat—my Hello Kitty?—tighter to my side before whistling.
Alex turned as he dropped the sledgehammer, and I know I wasn’t imagining the smirk on his face before he took the giant stuffed unicorn the employee handed him. He turned and came over to me, making eye contact with the mom when he stood at my side. It took a moment before she nodded in understanding.
He held the stuffed animal out to the little girl.
She gasped.
“My girlfriend already has a Hello Kitty. Do you want this one?” he asked, the edges of a smile turning his mouth up into the biggest one I’d seen him make yet.
Who the hell was this playful, kind smart-ass?
She nodded enthusiastically, her arms reaching out, snatching it up before he could change his mind. She hugged it tight to her face. I was pretty sure she might have licked the cheek like she was marking her territory.
“What do you say?” her mom asked, her smile wide.
“Thank you!” the little girl shrieked.
“You’re welcome.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she repeated, clutching that unicorn like it was going to run away from her if she relaxed even a little bit.
Thank you, the mom mouthed.
Alex nodded, giving the girl another smile that was small but blinding.
Did he have to be so beautiful and nice when he was in the mood?
I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped an arm around his waist and gave him a side hug, pressing tight against that solid frame.
He really was a good man. A total fucking sucker too, but a good man. And I hoped he could see that on my face as he dipped his head while I hugged him.
“You’re a real hero when you use your powers for good,” I told him before dropping my arm just as quickly as I’d gone for him.