Page 18 of Deep Fried Devotion
"Try one," Soren said, offering her a sugar rose that looked real enough to fool anyone.
The petals dissolved on her tongue, flooding her senses with the taste of her grandmother's strawberry jam and the memory of summer afternoons in Rose's kitchen.
"It's lovely," she whispered, tears prickling her eyes.
"Your turn," she said, handing him a sugar daisy filled with vanilla and honey.
She watched his face change as the flavors hit, saw the moment when his careful composure cracked open to reveal wonder.
"This is extraordinary," Nate said, his camera clicking rapidly. "I've never seen anything like this."
But Birdie was focused on Soren, who was looking at her like she was precious to him.
"Birdie," he said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For showing me that the best creations come from trust, not control."
Around them, the fair continued its Sunday rhythm, but in their corner, surrounded by impossible food and shared dreams, everything felt possible.
"So what's next for you two?" Nate asked, lowering his camera. "Both professionally and personally?"
Birdie looked at Soren, seeing her own hopes reflected in his eyes.
"We're going to keep creating and having fun," she said.
"The question is where," Soren added, reaching for her hand.
As Nate packed up his equipment and wandered off to finish his article, they stood in their corner holding hands, watching families enjoy the last day of the fair.
"Are you scared?" Birdie asked.
"Terrified," Soren admitted. "But also excited. I've never had a partner before—in business or in life."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm very good at figuring things out as I go."
"Lucky for me," he agreed, bringing her hand to his lips for a kiss.
The fair would end tonight. Tomorrow they'd have to figure out if what they'd built here could survive in the real world. But for now, they had flowers and shared dreams, and a love that hit like lightning and felt like coming home.
Chapter Seven
Sunday afternoon, Birdie hummed along to her playlist as she arranged fresh bubble gum bites in the warming tray. She was still on could nine from their conversation that morning about love at first sight and recognition.
She kept stealing glances at Soren, remembering the way he'd looked at her when he'd said her soul recognized what it had been looking for. The memory sent little shivers of happiness through her. Three days ago, she'd been a solo act with big dreams and her grandmother's recipes. Now she had someone in her life who understood her creative vision and made her laugh and looked at her like she was magic.
A steady stream of customers kept her busy—repeat visitors from earlier in the weekend wanting to try different items, families making their final fair rounds before heading home. Each successful order still gave her that little thrill of satisfaction, watching people's faces light up when they tasted a new treat.
She glanced over at Soren's truck, expecting to catch his eye and share the moment. He'd been doing that all weekend, looking up at exactly the right time to smile at a particularly cute customer or raise his eyebrows at an especially ambitious order. But he was focused intently on his prep station, checking his phone with a frequency that seemed unusual for him.
"Busy afternoon," she called over to him.
"Mmm," he replied without looking up.
That was... different. Usually, he'd continue to chat. This silence felt strange.
But maybe he was just thinking of a new product. He took his work seriously, and the Sunday crowd was about to come down on them. Birdie pushed the worry aside and turned back to her customers.
