Page 63 of Always Mine

“I don’t want a participation trophy, nor do I want your sympathy,” he grumbles, picking up the pace a bit.

“Aw, don’t be upset. It’s just a game.”

“Who’s upset? I’m not upset,” he tosses back, voice a little growly. It’s exactly what I expected, and the chuckle slips past my lips before I can control it.

He freezes, spinning around to glare at me. “Are you laughing at me?”

I try really hard to hold back my smirk. “Nope.”

He steps close to me, his own smile appearing now. “You sure? Because it seems to me like you are.”

Shaking my head, I do my best to hold back my grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Wyatt Clayton.”

“Now, that I will agree with.”

It’s getting dark now and we fall into a comfortable silence, walking through booths and checking out some crafts. “Remind me to come back through and get this for my ma.” He motions to a glass wind chime with an assortment of rainbow flowers.

“Oh, she’ll love that. It’s a good Christmas gift.”

He nods, walking down the way to another table. “That’s what I was thinking too”

“Why not buy it now? Then you won’t have to come back?”

“I want to go on a few rides first.”

I should have expected that. “You’re on your own there.”

“Still not big on those, huh?”

I’m shaking my head before I even realize it. There’s just something about rides that get thrown together in a matter of days that freaks me the hell out. I don’t have a death wish. “The only thing you’ll catch me on is the merry-go-round.”

His hearty laugh rings out, almost knocking the wind from me. Damn, that’s one of my favorite sounds. He continues walking, not noticing that I’ve nearly tripped over my own two feet at his joy. “Remember one year we rode that thing so many times you threw up?”

“Yeah. To this day, I can't eat fried cheese or cotton candy.” I make a gagging noise, trying to forget the flavor that will forever be engraved in my memory. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something so bad.”

“It was the worst color too. Vibrant green,” he says while shuddering.

“I think I had a Mountain Dew slushie too.” I purse my lips in thought.

His lips turn down in disgust and he agrees. “That’ll do it.”

“The things we remember. I felt really bad that year too. You rode the merry-go-round with me so many times. Then after I was sick, you went home with me. You didn’t get to ride any of your favorites.”

“You needed me.”

“We were barely eight.”

He shrugs, looking off in the distance, the carnival lights flashing in his eyes. “You still needed me.”

I don’t miss the double meaning in his tone.

No matter how hard we try to ignore our past, we keep circling back to it. It’s expected considering the amount of history we have, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s affecting everything between us now. It’s hard to love someone so deeply and lose them. It’s also hard to have them back in your face reminiscing, but damn, we have so many good memories together. Things that can’t be tainted with our bad breakup.

I’m quiet, lost in my head as years’ worth of carnival memories flood me, that I don’t realize we’ve made our way over to the merry-go-round.

He smiles at me, that boyish one that’s always made my heart melt. “Wanna give it a go? For old times’ sake?”

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