Sweet lord, have mercy. If he keeps looking at me like that with his lustful hooded eyes, I may just faint here and now. Not to mention the hint of desire he had in his voice. Phew. I may need to take a cold shower.
Scrap that.
Very cold shower.
Scrap that again.
Lots of very cold showers.
The sound of a voice clearing snaps us out of our moment. When we both look in the direction of the door, Craig is there. “The car is ready.”
We both nod. “Thank you, Craig,” Eli responds. “We’ll be right out.”
Craig simply nods his head and heads out, leaving us to glance back at each other somewhat awkwardly now that the moment has been ruined.
“Are you ready to leave?”
I nod my head to Eli’s question, and again, he takes my hand and leads us out of the door. I don’t think I will ever tire of Eli taking my hand. It’s like every girl’s dream.
At the fair, the mood is electric, the excitement in everyone palpable. Most simply stare at us, but there are some teenagers who approach us and ask for autographs—mainly my husband, because, let’s face it, he’s a dreamboat.
For a few precious hours, we immerse ourselves in the small rides first, my favorite being the haunted house ride as it gives me an excuse to snuggle up tight to Eli so that the boogeymen won’t get me. Eli simply laughs at my schoolgirl squeals as ghosts, ghouls and zombies jump out at us at every turn.
At a shooting game, I learn that Eli is a pro, hitting every spot including the bullseyes, which earns him one of the biggest teddy bears I have ever encountered.
“Oh, my God, he’s huge!” I shout, my eyes bugging out of my head.
Eli quirks his eyebrows a couple of times. “Why, thank you.”
I giggle, elbowing him in the ribs. “Hey,” he protests, grabbing me and pulling me into his arms, the huge teddy bear getting in our way. It just makes us laugh harder.
Cotton candy is next on the agenda, sharing one as we feed each other. When we’re done, we lock eyes, sharing a moment where the loud music and screams are muffled by the beating of my heart. I motion with my hand to take his, and he offers without hesitation. It’s there, caught up in the moment, that I place my finger on his palm and write an I, then I do a heart shape, then I write the letter U. Once finished, I gaze up into his eyes and the longing inside them is too much to bear. But, before I can act myself, he steps forward, his lips crashing against my own in the most intense, heated, spellbinding kiss I have ever experienced. I know I can’t remember any other kisses, but I feel deep down into my bones that it’s true.
Our lips dance, his mouth soft and tasting of the sweet cotton candy I’m completely lost in him—falling deep, deep, and even deeper as our kiss lingers, the outside world lightyears away at this point. The intensity is so great that it’s like our souls are connecting and rejoicing in that reunion. My eyes shut, I take in these precious few seconds, committing them to memory before we’ve even finished. Fireworks sound, but I can’t tell whether they’re from the fair or in my head.
Fingers gently touch the side of my cheek, and I wonder if I accidentally swallowed some of those butterflies today, my stomach is so fluttery.
When we break away, my breath is lost, my eyes searching his, and all I see is confusion.
“Did you feel that too?” he asks, when he notes my worry starting to set in.
Immediately relieved, I understand exactly what he means. “Yes,” I simply reply, my voice raspy and breathless still. “Did you hear the fireworks?” I’m curious to know.
Eli laughs, setting my pulse rocking again. “No. Well, not at the fair, at least.”
I smirk back at him before threading my fingers through his. “I wish I could capture this moment and bottle it up.”
His response is to kiss my hand. “There will be plenty of other opportunities like this.”
Sadness claims me, and I have no idea why. Of course, what he says makes sense. We’re young and married and in love. We’ll have plenty of chance memories to bottle up and store.
So, why does it feel like we don’t?
Sudden nausea flares in my stomach, followed by a sharp pain in my head, causing me to suck in a breath.
“Are you okay?” Eli queries, his face filled with concern.
I’m not, but I simply brush it off with a big smile. “I’m fine.”