Page 45 of Meeting Mr. Adorkable
Arlo widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Gee, Lucian, I would never have guessed that in a million years. Not with your natural, athletic ability.” Arlo’s palms had long since gone numb, and finally he began to laugh.
Lucian’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “I didn’t fool you, then? I just wanted to win a prize for once, because I never win. Not at life or love. Not even a tenner on the lottery. My ticket’s never been called in a raffle.” His shoulders slumped. “Perhaps it’s time to stop wasting my time and money. And yours.”
Arlo’s heart twisted. Losing at life and love? Lucian was sweet and good natured, too damn…. adorkable… to always have his legs kicked from under him.
“Hey, look.” Arlo spun him around and pointed over Lucian’s shoulder. “Ring toss. You want a prize so bad, I’ll win one for you.”
“You don’t have to do that. Honestly.” A light flush colored Lucian’s cheeks.
Arlo swallowed. He did, he really did. “Come on.”
Guiding Lucian toward the booth, he looked up at the star prize for getting every ring over the necks of the lined up bottles without knocking them over. A large black and white stuffed toy, a gruesome hybrid of a racoon and — piglet? It was horrible and would likely give a kid nightmares for weeks, but he didn’t care what it looked like, not when Lucian was smiling at him with pure, unadulterated joy.
“My hero,” Lucian said, and Arlo’s heart danced. He didn’t give a damn about the booth holder’s gaze shifting between him and Lucian. He could think what he liked. All Arlo knew or cared about was doing this for Lucian, for the prize he never won.
He weighed the rubber rings in his hands, calculating how much force to put behind his throws, judging the angle, the distance, the trajectory. They were, he suspected, weighted to ensure they veered off course. All of it took just a split second to calculate before, taking aim, he threw.
One, then two, then three hoops landed. The fourth balanced on the top of the bottle before it, too, clattered down. Just one more and he’d win the top prize for Lucian. Sucking in a deep breath, letting it go slow and steady, he aimed, he threw — and it landed cleanly.
A loud round of applause broke out, and he swung around. A small group had gathered, and he accepted the congratulatory pats on the back and the shoulder squeezes.
“Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” Lucian flung his arm around him, burying his head into his chest before springing back, a smile so bright on his face it put the sun to shame. “My hero indeed — and I’m guessing you did do sports in school, and got picked for all the teams.”
“Maybe,” Arlo croaked. He’d do it all again, win Lucian all the prizes, just for that smile.
Collecting the prize from the tight faced booth holder, with a flourish Arlo presented it to Lucian.
“Your prize, my Lord.” He bowed.
“Thank you, my good Sir. I will remember your bravery to my dying day. You are, indeed, my hero. I’ll treasure it forever because it’ll remind me of spending this perfect day with you.” Lucian accepted the furry hybrid with a grave nod, before he laughed, light and filled with joy, as he hugged the toy tight to his chest.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
After the fair, they made their way back to the park. The teenage musical assassins had gone, replaced by those who could play their instruments and sing in tune.
Lying back on the grass, sharing snacks and sodas, conversation light and meandering, it was the most relaxed Arlo could remember feeling since… he wasn’t sure when.
“Oooh, look. Over there.” Lucian pointed. “I really hope we didn’t offend them because we didn’t join them earlier.”
In the distance, Hank, Francine, and the rest of their group had packed up and were heading out. They wouldn’t be offended, but they sure as hell would be speculating all kinds of… speculations.
His friends weren’t the only ones leaving. The crowds in the park had thinned out as day turned into evening, the sky now a deep purple bruise. Soon, it would be fully dark.
“You ever been into the mountains at night?”
“God, no. I’ve hardly ventured into them during the day. All those bears and wolves. I joined a hiking group when I first got here, because I love walking through the fields and woodland at home, but I soon found out mountains are a tougher proposition. The average age must have been about seventy, but my god, they were like mountain goats on steroids. They kept having to stop and wait for me. It was awfully embarrassing, and I expect they were relieved when I didn’t turn up again.”
Arlo hesitated. It had been the best day he’d had since he’d come back to the Creek. The clumsy, sweet natured young Englishman had made him smile and laugh more than he’d done in a long time, sweeping away the niggling feeling of disconnection that had scratched at him since he’d returned to the town that hadn’t felt like home anymore.
“The mountains take on a distinct character at night. We could drive up to Jake’s Lookout, and… look at the stars,” Arlo finished lamely.
Silence wedged its way between them. Maybe Lucian would say no, maybe he’d thank him for a lovely day, maybe he’d pretend Arlo hadn’t suggested whatever it was he had suggested, and tell him it was time he went home. Maybe Lucian would—
“I’d love to.”
“You would?”
Lucian nodded, a smile dancing on his lips.
