Page 51 of No Mistakes
We walk shoulder to shoulder, passing stalls of prizes and games, our arms brushing, hands so close I can feel the heat of her skin. I let her lead us to the shooting area, where she promptly points to a stuffed dragon hanging from the top of the stall.
“If we don’t win that,” she says, voice dripping with mock threat, “I’m never talking to you again.”
I raise a brow, giving her a slow look that says, challenge accepted, before handing over a crumpled ten to the booth worker. I pick up the gun that’s attached to the table. It’s made of plastic, light and scratched, but nothing compared to what I’ve trained with.
I shoot five shots, each one landing perfectly.
The kid manning the stall looks at me in shock, his mouth hanging slightly open, his gaze looking between me and the target.
Mandy whistles, “Alright, Hawkeye. Didn’t know you were packing precision.”
I wink at her, and her cheeks turn pink almost immediately as she looks away, trying to hide. I look at the kid, who is still looking at me, and I point towards the dragon. He scurries quickly, pulling it down from the rope before handing it to Mandy. She hugs it close to her chest and leans into me for just a second. “You know this is going to bed with me tonight, right?”
I place a hand on my chest, acting offended, but I don’t miss the way she smirks, winking back at me. I point towards the ring toss opposite us and raise a brow.
“Oh, you’re so going down.” She says, grabbing my arm, leading the way.
We stand at the stall for ten minutes while she throws ring after ring at the glass bottles. Each one missing every… single… time.
She holds the final ring in her hand, crouching to get a better view of where the bottles are. Her eyes squint, and a small part of her tongue escapes her mouth while she concentrates.
“One… Two… THREE!” She shouts as she releases the ring. We watch it sail through the air to the back of the stall.
Mandy groans, throwing her head back “It’s rigged, that’s what this is.”
I step forward, handing the woman in charge another ten-dollar bill. She places the rings on the counter, and I pick one up, tucking the dragon underneath my arm. I stand up straight, rolling my shoulders back as Mandy watches from next to me. I can’t fuck this up, not now. Not when she’s watching me so closely.
I scan the bottles in front of me, finding one that is slightly separated from the rest, sitting at the back. I release the ring, smiling as we hear the ring loop around the top of the bottle before sliding down the throat of the glass. The woman claps, and I point towards the world’s ugliest stuffed tiger. I turn, handing it to Mandy, who is now glaring at me.
“This is war,” She says, taking the tiger and folding her arms. I almost laugh, but I hold it in because even though she’s glaring at me, her eyes twinkle against the lights, making this worth everything.
We stay until the lights start to dim and the music quietens around us. Mandy’s arms are full of cotton candy, a bag of caramel popcorn, along with the stuffed tiger and dragon that we won when we first arrived.
She got to experience the Ferris wheel, the spinning teacups, the bumper cars, and somehow she managed to convince me to ride the drop tower.
Each ride was filled with laughter, screams and pure happiness.
I try to hint to her to give everything to me, but she shakes her head and laughs while staring at everything I have in my arms.
Not only did we win those teddies, we also won a giant bear, got five candy apples, two cups of lemonade for the journey home, a light-up spin wand, and some weird matching animal hats that are currently stacked on top of my head.
We walk towards the exit, both of our arms full from tonight’s adventure.
“Thank you.” She says, and I look towards her and nod, making one of the hats slip slightly. She laughs, nearly dropping her candy apples, and I can’t help but think about how perfect tonight has been, not just for her, but for me too.
We drive home in silence, but it’s the kind she never minds. Not when she’s with me. She leans back in the passenger seat, boots up on the dash like she owns the world, tapping her lemonade while softly humming to ‘I Like Me Better’ by Lauv.
I don’t miss the way the lyrics settle into me like the truth. I really do like myself better when I’m with her.
She’s the kind of trouble I’ve been searching for my whole life.
By the time we pull into the motel lot, I wish the road would stretch on forever. But I park close, making sure she doesn’t have to walk far. She doesn’t move right away. Instead, she turns toward me, eyes soft and warm.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice low. “For tonight. For… being you.”
I reach across and run my thumb along her knuckles. She gives one last smile and gets out, shutting the door gently.
I sit for a moment, watching her walk towards the entrance of the motel through the driver's window. Her hair sways with each step, the tiger and dragon hooked under each arm. Completely unaware she’s dragging the rest of me with her.
