Page 35 of Jesse
Without thinking, I gripped his hand. It felt good. Right. Solid and grounding and warm in a way that curled around my ribs and made my heart stutter.
We stood like that in the middle of the crowd, silently watching the chaos around us, waiting. Hoping. Praying. Twenty minutes had never moved so slowly in my life.
I must’ve checked the time a dozen times. I tried not to let my expectations rise too high, but it was like a fire catching in my chest, and I couldn’t tamp it down.
When the announcer finally stepped back up to the mic, the entire crowd quieted in anticipation.
“And the winner of the fan vote is... Brisket Delight!”
I didn’t hear the rest.
I yelled. Actually yelled. A wild, disbelieving sound tore from my chest and I turned to Beck, eyes wide.
“We—did you hear that?!”
Before he could even react, I grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. He let out a surprised laugh, then hugged me back tightly.
His arms around me were strong, solid, and the joy between us was electric.
We stood like that, wrapped in our win, surrounded by cheers and noise and the scent of too many food trucks. It didn’t matter anymore.
We’d made it. Not through the traditional route, maybe.
But people had voted for us. They’d loved our food. We were fan favorites. Eventually, we pulled back. Beck’s smile was wide and a little dazed.
“I can’t believe we actually got in,” Beck said.
“Thanks to the crowd,” I said, grinning like an idiot. “And our one very loud fan.”
“We owe him something. A free fries for life.”
“Throw in some fries and we’ve got a deal,” I joked.
Laughing, we headed back toward the truck. The sun was setting, and the square was bathed in soft, golden light.
Inside the truck, it still smelled like rosemary and garlic and something distinctly ours.
Beck plopped down on the bench inside while I leaned against the counter, unable to stop grinning.
“I still can’t believe we got in because of fan votes,” Beck said, shaking his head.
“Guess people like us,” I said. “And our food.”
“We gotta thank that customer.”
“Absolutely,” I said.
I paused, heart still racing for an entirely different reason now.
Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe the way the golden light hit his face, made the green in his eyes more vivid.
Or maybe I’d just run out of reasons not to.
I wasn’t sure what pushed me to lean in. I’d thought about it a lot, but never acted on it. The timing had never felt right. Until now.
So I kissed him. Softly. Quickly. Just enough to let it happen. When I pulled back, Beck’s eyes were wide.
I froze. Too much, too fast?
