“It’s refreshing that you don’t notice,” I admitted. “Most guys are so egotistical that they eat that shit up.”
“What can I say?” He shrugged as we headed towards the parking lot. “I’ve always been different.”
“We both have.”
Dean and I had never really fit the mold of what was expected of us.
Dean came from a family that was worth billions thanks to their ammunition company—but like his dad, the society life hadn’t been for him. He wanted to work on cars, play his music, and collect his Pokémon cards.
I had famous parents and because of that I’d grown up in the spotlight. When you grow up under a microscope people expected a certain kind of behavior from you and I’d always bucked the system. I lived in the moment and took risks when other people thought I should sit back.
“You’re right.” He flashed a small half-smile and reached for my hand.
My body hummed at the feel of his hand. I didn’t know if I’d ever
get used to the fact that we were an us now.
“Milady.” Dean opened the passenger door of the Mustang and bowed.
I shook my head at him, fighting a smile.
It didn’t take us long to find the festival, and let’s be honest it was hard to miss.
Dean parked the car in a grassy area as far away from everyone else as he could get.
Rubbing the dashboard, he explained, “I don’t want my baby to get dinged.”
I’d guessed as much.
I grabbed my backpack and hat from the floor of the car and stepped outside.
I shrugged the backpack over my shoulder and stuck the hat on backwards.
“I think that defeats the purpose.” Dean jested as he rounded the car to stand beside me. Before I could retort he reached up and grabbed my hat, flipping it around the other way. “That’s better.”
I pouted.
“Don’t worry, Willow. I’ll buy you some lollipops and make it all better.”
“You better buy all the lollipops.”
I reached up and adjusted the baseball cap so that it wasn’t crooked and then tugged on the hem of my tank top. It was loose and exposed my floral bikini top underneath. It was scorching hot and I’d wanted to wear as little clothes as possible. And also everything else was dirty. Dean was right about us needing to do laundry.
Dean took my hand again, like it was the most natural thing in the world, and we started towards the entrance.
We had to stop and buy an admittance pass before we could explore.
The grounds were huge. Boasting booth after booth of different vendors, and beyond, I saw a carnival set up with a Ferris wheel and other games.
I couldn’t contain my grin and skipped around with excitement.
Letting go of Dean’s hand I spun around, tilting my head up towards the sun. “This is so cool. The greatest festival ever.”
Dean chuckled from somewhere to my left. “We’ve only passed three booths, I don’t know if you can adequately make such an observation yet.”
I ceased my spinning and wobbled a bit. Dean was there instantly, steadying me with a firm grip on my arms. “Thanks, Hot Buns.”
He groaned at the stupid nickname and shook his head. Waves of brown hair tumbled over his forehead, momentarily hiding his green eyes.