March 14th 7:00 pm

I looked out the window to make sure it wasn't going to rain on the way to the fun fair. It was getting dark pretty quickly but the lights at the event soon lit up the place. As Mason parked the car we all readied ourselves and got out, making sure we had our money and tickets.

"Pssst, Mase." He walked closer to me as we followed Lexi and Zach to the front gates. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me his full attention.

"Lexi wanted to introduce Zach to her parents tonight so when they arrive we need to make ourselves... scarce." He smiled and saluted me.

"Yes Ma'am. I'm sure I can find a good enough distraction." He rubbed his hands together with a wicked grin on his face, which was so adorable.

The old man at the ticket booth ripped out tickets and told us to have fun. We stepped foot inside the gates and stood dead in our tracks looking from one direction to the other. There was so much squeezed onto our campus grounds. Roller coasters, fairy floss carts, kissing booths and show bag stalls as far as you could see. I'd never been to anything like this before. The church back home held fundraising carnivals but they failed in comparison to this .

Lexi pulled Zach over to the fairy floss cart and made him buy her a big wad of pink floss on a stick. Her eyes lit up as he pulled off a piece and fed it to her lovingly. I shook my head and smiled.

"They're so in love it's ridiculous." I said to no one in particular.

"Have you ever been in love?" Mason asked, peering down at me making me feel hot. I stuttered before I worked up the words to say.

"Uh, no. I don't let anyone close enough for that." I crossed my arms pretending to be cold because I didn't know what to do with my hands. My curiosity about his life was weighing heavier threatening to crush me before I blurted out the question so I could get it off my chest and find relief.

"Have you? Ever been in love, I mean?" He rubbed the back of his muscular neck and laughed once.

"I'm like you. I never cling to people, that way I never get disappointed." My lips formed a hard line and I nodded. He was very distant tonight unlike other days we'd spent together, but I could understand where he was coming from. The fear of getting hurt, of being left by someone you open your world up to. I don't know how Lexi did it, she was superwoman in my eyes allowing people in only to break her heart over and over.

"Hey guys, my mum just texted me and said to meet her at the ferris wheel. C'mon!" She pulled Zach's arm in a hurried state while Mason and I continued to keep up with her pace behind them. I saw Lexi's parents waving with the biggest smiles on their faces. You could tell her parents adored her by the way they took her straight in there arms and cooed beautiful words to her while wiping away tears. Lexi's mum held her arms out to me for a hug and I obliged. I wasn't used to it and it felt weird but I wanted to make it a normal thing for me. I was hoping the more I did it, the less awkward it would feel.

"Mum, Dad... this is Zach, my boyfriend." She smiled shyly, waiting for their response. They looked him up and down for a moment and welcomed him with open arms. Her mother looked just like Lexi, with her big brown eyes, short brown hair and long legs. Her father was more of a stocky build with black hair and bright green eyes. They both began enthusiastically conversating with Zach when Mason and I made our way closer.

"Uh, I'm gonna go get this one something to eat. I can hear her stomach rumbling from here. You guys want anything?" Mason asked as he grabbed my hand. My skin burned from his touch.

"No, it's okay, I'm pretty full. You guys want anything?" Lex asked everyone else. They all shook their heads in unison.

"'Kay, be back soon!" Mason called as we made off towards a kiosk.

"We're not really getting food, are we?" I asked.

"Nope, that was my master distraction plan. Pretty good huh?" He smiled, proud of himself. His hand squeezed mine tighter as we walked slowly through the sea of people. The heat of his hand travelled up my arm and made my heart beat that little bit faster.

"So, what do you want to do?" He asked, running his thumb along the top of my glove.

"I dunno. I've never... I don't know what's usually at these things." I corrected myself. I didn't want him to think he had to baby me wherever we went tonight.

"Well there's a roller coaster over there, the kissing booth aaaand oh! Shooting range." He pointed out each one. I put my hand to my stomach feeling a bit nauseous.

"You okay? You look sort of pale." He put his hand on my forehead then bent down to look my in the eye.

"I'm okay, just no roller coaster unless you want to wear my dinner." I laughed lightly. He chuckled along and took me to the shooting range. I tried not to think about his skin touching mine but I could still feel the place where he touched my forehead still tingling as if his fingerprints were still burning visibly bright like a brand.

"You want me to show you how to do it?" He picked up a gun.

"I may be a girl, but I can whoop your ass any day of the week." I smiled picking up a gun of my own. He looked impressed as he lifted the gun up to his eye and aimed. I'd never shot a real gun but I used to have a rusty old bb gun that I found one day while I was walking to the lake. My parents would have never let me keep it if they knew I had it, so I kept it under the house in a little hiding spot and played around with it whenever I was allowed free time outside.

Mason pulled the trigger multiple times, each time his muscles tensed under his skin making my pulse rise. He shot all but one can down and raised his fists in victory. He looked sexy when he was happy. He motioned for me to take my shot so I lined it up and trying not to feel his eyes on me. I took a deep breath in and on the exhale I shot the first down, then the second all the way to the last. I took a sigh of relief and glanced over at him staring with his mouth wide open. He came towards me and lifted me up by the waist, spinning me around.

"I've got the real Lara Croft right here ladies and gentlemen!" I laughed as he put me down. His Lara Croft? Am I his?

"Such a bad ass!" He pushed my shoulder playfully.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" he asked while taking the small stuffed tiger from the vendor.

"Well I..." I began. I looked behind Mason a few vendors away and saw a man with grey hair hiding behind some balloons watching us. My throat closed up and I forgot what I was about to say. I grabbed Mason's forearms and pulled him in for a hug and spun around until he was facing the balloons. His arms held tightly around my waist and I could feel his breath down my neck making me shiver. I got lost in the moment before I realised there was a reason why I had hugged him.

"Mase, can you do me a favour and look by that bunch of balloons a few vendors down, but don't make it obvious." He nuzzled his lips against my neck and kissed it. A deep hum vibrated against my neck and I sighed trying to keep my composure. He smelled like sex on legs, it was hard to stop my heart from thumping like a jackhammer.

"There's an older guy wearing black and he's got grey hair. He's just staring but trying to stay out of sight... Why, you know him?" He brushed my hair behind my ear before he pulled away. I immediately felt the cold rush in where his warm body had been.

"Yeah... he's my dad."