Page 68 of Infinite as They Come
She halted for a second, standing on the tips of her toes and pressing her lips to my cheek. “You’re stronger than you think.”
The night carried on, and it was like someone had hit a switch. The glow of all the rides felt brighter, the air smelled cleaner, and all that weight that always sat there on my shoulders felt like it was slowly fading away. Not gone. Not all of it. But I could feel the shift and I welcomed it. I let myself talk to Kurt about some of my paintings, let myself help Spencer try and win some prizes at the ball and bucket toss, let myself sit with my mom for a second as we ate some greasy French fries. But the best part was letting myself enjoy it all. Not being angry at the world was a nice change of pace.
When the clock struck ten, Spencer and Tommy looked just about ready to tap out. I didn’t think Tommy had it in him to even get tired, but I actually saw the kid yawn. So, Mom and Kurt drove Clara and Tommy back to the motel, the backseat stuffed with that giant plush dog.
“I guess it’s just us now, hm?” Holly said, resting her head against my arm. “You wanna call it quits too?”
My head turned just slightly, catching her eyes. A little smile spread across my lips and my hand found hers almost on instinct. “Nah, not yet. I gotta win you a prize, don’t I?”
She giggled as I guided her towards one of the game stalls. “Most of these games are impossible to win at. We need Tommy and Spencer.”
“Nah, I got this,” I said, eyeing the stalls either side of us. “What prize do you want? Pick it out and I’ll get it for ya.”
“Oh, there’s so much to choose from.” Holly tapped a finger to her chin. “Fake mustaches, stickers, candy. What more could a girl want?”
“I should have taken you to the classy fair. The one where they give out yachts and private jets. Next time, baby. I promise.”
“I do need a new yacht…”
“Ah,” I said, coming to a halt in front of the balloon darts stall. “ThisI can do. My hand eye coordination is top notch.” I leaned in closer, letting my lips brush against her ear. “You can vouch for that, right, princess?”
“Shh.” She giggled, circling her hands around my shoulders. “What are you gonna win me, hm?” Her head turned, eyes scanning the rows of prizesbefore she gasped and pressed herself to me tighter. “Ooh, that bear. That little purple one.”
Humming, I followed her gaze until I found the target. All purple and fluffy with eyes that were kind of lopsided. “It’s ugly. You want that thing?”
“Hey,” she said, batting her Bambi eyes at me. “If you love me, you’ll win it for me.”
And now I had to win it. I had to. She gave me that look and everything. Groaning, I pressed my lips to hers. “Alright, let me show you how it’s done, but you gotta give me a prize after.”
“Hm, what do you want?”
“You gotta give me a kiss if I win.”
The lights from some ride in the background was giving her a perfect glow, making her look like a goddamn angel as she bit into her bottom lip and gave me a little nod. “I’ll give you two.”
“Very high stakes,” I murmured. I handed over some cash to the guy running the stall, and he quickly explained the rules. Hit three balloons, win the bear. Easy. There was a whole wall of balloons in front of me—only half filled, which meant popping them was going to be a little harder, but my girl wanted a bear, and I wasn’t leaving without it.
Head tilted that tiny bit, I threw the first dart, only for it to bounce right off the balloon and hit the ground. “Damn,” I hissed.
“Ooh, such good hand eye coordination,” Holly said, giggling behind me.
“Hey, come on, I’m tryna win this for you here.” I pushed the sleeves of my flannel shirt up my forearms and grabbed another dart, closed one eye, zeroed in on one of the balloons that seemed to be that tiny bit more blown up than the rest, and threw. A loud pop filled the air, and I heard Holly clapping behind me.
“Yay,” she said. “Just two more.”
I smiled a little at the brightness there in her voice. Like I was about to win her some life changing prize. I grabbed another dart and tossed that one, and thankfully, that dart didn’t go bouncing like the other. The balloon popped with ease instead, and then I was just down to one more.
“Oh my god, the suspense,” Holly whispered behind me. “I’m sweating sobad right now.”
Snorting, I picked up the final dart, focused my eyes on the bright yellow balloon right there before me, and threw it like my life depended on it. It was Holly’s arms wrapping around me that let me know that I had won, because the sound of the balloon popping registered second. Her touch always came first.
“You did it,” she said, voice soft and bright. “You’re my hero, Sawyer Westbrook.”
Chuckling, I grasped her waist as the guy behind the stall nodded my way.
“Your aim’s not too bad, huh?” he said. “What prize do you want?”
“Which one, honey?” I asked Holly.
