Page 94 of The Rogue and His Flower

“That’s worth five hundred tickets,” he replies, giving me a shrug.

“Ah, never mind, I’ll grab the pink teddy instead,” I say, handing him my tickets.

“Here, take mine. That’s more than five hundred together,” Dalton says, shoving his tickets at the boy.

“Don’t you want your own prize? That toy Ferrari would look great on your desk at work,” I tease.

“I’ve got a real one in the garage back home,” he counters, winking at me before turning his attention back to the attendant. “The unicorn, please,” he insists.

“Sure thing,” the attendant replies as he retrieves the crystal unicorn from its spot on the shelf, and hands it to me. “Congratulations on your win. Enjoy your prize!” He gives us both a practised smile before turning his attention to the people waiting patiently behind us.

“So what next, champion?” Dalton asks me as we slowly weave our way through the arcade, his arm still around my waist.

My gaze flicks to the back of the amusement arcade and the House of Mirrors. “How about we get lost in there,” I say, pointing to the entrance.

“The House of Mirrors?” Dalton chuckles. “Well, I can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure. Why not?”

“You’ve never been inside?” I ask, my brows lifting in surprise as I tuck the crystal unicorn into the pocket of my skirt.

He shrugs. “Nope.”

“I mean, I have to say I’m surprised given how much you like to look at yourself,” I joke, and he gives me a pretend hurt look before tickling my side in punishment.

“Low blow, Daisy. Low blow.”

I squeal, untangling myself from his hold and batting his hands away. “Don’t! I’m ticklish!”

He grins wickedly. “Good to know.”

When we reach the entrance, the bored looking attendant guarding the door gives us both a once over, then says, “It’s shutting for the evening. I’m just waiting for the last people to exit. Sorry.”

“Oh, never mind,” I reply with a shrug, twisting on my heel, but when Dalton isn’t beside me, I turn to look over my shoulder to find him surreptitiously handing the attendant a wad of notes, and muttering something in his ear.

“What are you doing?” I ask, looking about to see if anyone has noticed him paying off the kid.

“Paying over and above the fee to get inside,” he replies nonchalantly.

“It’s not worththatmuch money,” I point out, as the attendant pockets the roll of notes and steps aside as the last few people exit the room.

“I haven’t looked at myself in a mirror all day. I rather miss my face,” Dalton replies with a grin.

Laughter bubbles out of my throat as the attendant holds open the door, and we slip inside the darkened entrance. I’m immediately enchanted by the labyrinth of illusions, each mirror reflecting our images in a myriad of ways as we follow the path through the maze. I burst out laughing when I catch Dalton’s distorted reflection in one particular mirror, his body made tiny and his head impossibly huge.

“So handsome,” I joke as he frowns.

“I look like one of those plastic toys Drix loves to collect,” he protests, shifting his body to see if his reflection changes.

“It’s a good look on you, matches that huge ego you have,” I reply, grinning as he grumbles something under his breath. “Come on Mr Vanity, let’s keep going.”

Following me, we pass through a corridor of mirrors, lit up in different coloured neon lights, each one playing tricks with our eyes and leading us further into the maze. We can’t help but stop and admire the distorted versions of ourselves, each mirror reflecting elongated limbs, shrunken heads, and exaggerated features that has us both giggling like children. We keep going, weaving through the maze as we try to navigate our way to the centre. Dalton’s hand finds mine, his fingers tangling with my own.

“This is fun,” he admits.

“Don’t sound so surprised,” I reply as we pass more mirrors and head deeper into the maze. “Oh, if I remember correctly we should be near the centre. I love this part.”

And as we turn the corner, we step into a room of mirrors that is designed in such a way that it makes us appear as if we are floating in a sea of stars, our reflections shimmering in the dim light.

“Now this is cool,” Dalton says, his eyes widening in wonder.

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