Page 59 of Silent Count
I wrap my arm around Chelsea and pull her in closer. “I’m glad you became part of the group too. Who knows if we would have met otherwise, you know?” I kiss her on the temple.
“I was thinking about that the other day. We were having a discussion in one of my classes about circumstance. There’s a fancy name for it—apophenia. It’s when people see meaning or patterns in random things that aren’t really connected.”
“So, you’re saying, me running into you wasn’t the universe working its magic? It was just … random chance?”
“Maybe. Or maybe apophenia’s just the brain’s way of explaining what the heart already knows.” She pauses and pulls in a deep breath. “Like maybe I met Noelle during our freshman year so that it would lead me to you.” She looks down, almost shyly.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
I cup her face and turn it toward mine and kiss her softly. It’s meant to be a quick kiss, but the tenderness of the moment makes me linger on her lips for a beat longer than appropriate in public. And I couldn’t care less.
We made our way to the food tent after leaving the arena, which also happens to have the mechanical bull. The mix of smells from all kinds of food permeates the air with a smoky, but sweet scent like funnel cakes. Casey, Silas, and I all got some barbeque while the girls got a variety, opting for more traditional fair food from what they tell me. Charlie and Brooke decided to split nachos and a big pretzel, and they each got a corndog. Noelle went the safe route with a slice of pizza. And my girl got a turkey leg that’s possibly larger than her entire arm. With a side of fries.
There are rows of bench style seating in the food tent, and we find a spot near a stage area where a country band was playing, but they’re packing up now. Our table is so full that it looks like a buffet. I look around at some of the other tables and see they resemble ours in terms of the amount of food. I guess eating at the fair is a big deal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many options in one place.
“I can’t believe that guy broke his arm!” Silas speaks loudly over the noise of the room. “That bull tossed his ass up into the air. Looked like a clean break, but that dude is cooked.”
Brooke sits next to him and shivers. “I have seen you guys take some bad hits and even break some bones, but with all the padding, I’ve luckily never seen any limbs dangling. That poor guy.”
“That dude will probably be back on a bull within a week. Those guys are nuts. Literally no fear.” Casey shakes his head and chuckles.
“I would imagine you can’t get on a bull if you are scared. Animals sense that kind of thing.” Noelle lifts her brows at Casey.
“That’s totally true. They can. I used to”—Chelsea pauses like she’s thinking about something—“volunteer at a farm that worked with kids who had experienced trauma in their lives. It was incredible to see how they would respond to the kids when they first came in.”
“I didn’t know you did that. That’s awesome.” Noelle smiles at her.
Chelsea clears her throat. “Yeah, it wasn’t always easy, but it was rewarding.”
I watch her face closely to see if she’ll continue, and when she doesn’t, I try to ease the conversation to a place where she’s not the center of attention. “Okay, but do you think that bull felt bad when the guy got hurt?”
Silas tosses a tater tot at my head and laughs. “You’re an idiot.”
I laugh. “What? I wanna know.” Obviously, I’m joking, but I wanted to divert from anyone asking Chelsea more about her experience. “I never had a pet, so I have no idea.”
They all stop eating and look at me.
“You’ve never had a pet? Of any kind? Not even a goldfish that died the next day?” Charlie asks, looking dumbfounded.
“Not even a goldfish. Although when I was little, I had a stuffed dog that I carried around with me everywhere, and I think one of my aunts bought a leash for it, so I would take it for walks.” I smile and shrug. “I loved Spike.”
Charlie brings her hands to her chest and pouts her lips. “Spike? Oh, bless your heart, Bo Callaway. You walked your stuffie. Didn’t it get, like, really dirty?”
“Yep, but my mom washed it every day for me.” I look at Chelsea and smile. “My dad is allergic to animals of all kinds, apparently, so we couldn’t have them.”
She leans her head on my shoulder. “My poor guy.”
Casey holds out a hand. “Okay, but who else is picturing a little Bo dragging a stuffed animal behind him on the sidewalk?”
Everyone raises their hand and laughs.
“Ha-ha. Laugh it up. He was a good friend. A loyal friend.” I try to stay serious, but I can’t, and I bark out a laugh.
“You should definitely get a dog or something someday.” Chelsea squeezes my arm.
“We should,” I say and watch her eyes widen in surprise.
“Oh! I’d better go get us tickets for the mechanical bull so we don’t have to wait forever.” Noelle stands and swings her legs over the bench seat.
