Page 75 of Just This Once

In the next section of the fun house, Emily stood with her shoulders hunched forward, facing the wall. “What about now?”

I stood behind her, taking in her reflection in the fun house mirror. I laughed at the way the convex mirror distorted her image to a short-legged, very rotund version of her typically lithe self.

“I don’t know...” I stood next to her, watching my own reflection bend and change as I moved. “I kind of like it.”

Emily covered her mouth to hide her laugh. “You know, if I tilt my head like this, you kind of look like Dickie Johnson.”

My face fell, and I anchored my attention on her with a dead stare. “Don’t. You. Dare,” I teased. I ran my fingers over my lower lip. “I don’t even have a flavor savor.”

Her squeal of delighted laughter floated above the music, and I grinned before wrapping her in my arms. Our reflection stretched in the mirror, distorting the top of my head to the ceiling. “Would you still like me if my head was this huge?”

Her arms covered mine and squeezed. “Well, it would finally match your overinflated ego.”

I nipped at her neck with a growl and grinned. Sparring with Emily was always a highlight.

When a couple of teenagers walked past us and disappeared around the corner, I got an idea. “Come here,” I whispered against her soft skin.

Pulling her backward into a dead end, I held her close. Tucked away in the corner, the dull hum of the festivities continued just past the walls of the fun house. Surrounded by mirrors, we were exposed, but my skin was dry tinder, and Emily was the fire that threatened to consume me.

I pressed her back against the mirror, savoring the way her body instantly molded to mine. “I could take you. Right here with the whole world waiting outside, not knowing if someone will come walking up and find us.”

She hummed and pressed against me. “That would be unfortunate.” Her eyebrow lifted in challenge.

“Do you think I wouldn’t try?” I challenged.

“Well...” Emily’s voice was a breathless whisper as she leaned in close to my ear. “You’ll have to catch me first.” With a peal of laughter, she ducked under my arm and disappeared around a corner.

“Little shit,” I grumbled and took off after her, bumping into a wall and having to feel my way around it.

The labyrinth of mirrors continued, each turn heightening the suspense as I pursued her. Laughter echoed, distorted in the reflective surfaces, and all other sounds became a distant symphony. My heart raced, not just from the chase, but from theundercurrent of something more, something building between us.

I squeezed past an elderly couple with a mumbled apology until I finally cornered Emily in a dead-end alcove. Our breathless laughter mingled, and the charged atmosphere enveloped us. She looked at me with playful defiance, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I closed the distance between us, reveling in the electricity that crackled in the air.

The carnival’s ambient noise blurred into the background as I pressed Emily against the mirrored wall. The distorted reflections made the moment surreal, like a dream where reality bent to the whims of my desire. Her breath hitched as our eyes locked, the world outside disappearing.

“I could catch you anytime I want,” I whispered, my voice a low rumble that mirrored the distant roars of ancient rides. The tension between us was palpable, a magnetic force drawing us closer.

A daring smile played on her lips, and she challenged me with her eyes. “Then go ahead and catch me.”

In pursuit of the game, I lunged forward, but she slipped away, navigating the maze with an agility that left me both frustrated and captivated. The mirrors twisted reality, creating a kaleidoscope of images as we danced through the labyrinth.

Emily finally reached the exit and leaped off the fun house platform. Without missing a beat, she continued her escape across the matted grass and through the crowd. Our chase led us to the outskirts of the carnival, behind a ring-toss game, where the lingering sounds faded into a muted hum. As we darted into a secluded corner between two games, the atmosphere shifted. The coastal air was alive with an unspoken tension, and Emily’s laughter softened into a shared secret between us.

Breathing heavily, I caught her arm and spun her around, pushing her back against a quiet, darkened trailer wall. Thecarnival’s pulse lingered in the background, but here, in the shadows, it was just us.

“I knew you?—”

Mid-sentence I gave in—my mouth crashed to hers.

The world ceased to exist for that stolen moment. The subtle taste of funnel cake lingered on her lips, and the thrill of chasing her intensified. As I pulled back, our eyes met, and the realization of just how far gone for her I was hit me.

In the silence that followed, Emily’s sea-blue eyes locked with mine.

My body screamed:She is everything.

Movement caught my eye, and I became aware of a figure standing beyond the shadows in the main walkway of the carnival. My eyes widened as I met the stern gaze of Chief Martin. The echoes of laughter seemed to mock me, turning our night into a high-stakes game with consequences I hadn’t fully anticipated. I stilled, suspended in a moment of uncertainty, as the energy surged around us, a jumble of emotions swirling in the air.

Emily’s father’s gaze bore into me, and my heart pounded. I swallowed hard, searching for words that eluded me.

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