The Ending I Want

“For fuck’s sake,” he growls. He sticks his hand in his pocket and slaps a bill on the counter. “Another go,” he tells the guy behind the stall, who is only happy to take Liam’s money.

The guy picks up the bill and places three balls on the counter in front of Liam.

“I said I’d pay.” I frown.

He won’t let me pay for anything. It’s seriously annoying.

“You pay for the game, and it’s like you’re winning the prize yourself.”

Fair point.

“So, you are actually going to win me a stuffed animal?”

He ignores me, which oddly makes me smile.

I put the last of my cotton candy in my mouth and deposit the wrapper in a nearby bin. Then, I go sit up on the counter beside where Liam is standing, angling my body, so that I can watch him throw the balls.

Liam picks up his first ball and gets read to throw. His sex face is back on—sorry, his face of concentration. I hold in a laugh and watch him throw it.

He knocks off the top two.

“Yay!” I clap my hands although I don’t know why I’m excited because he managed that last time.

He picks up his second ball, and wasting no time, he throws. He knocks off two of the three cans on the second row.

My cheer is louder this time.

He looks at me, a prideful glint in his eyes.

Picking up his last ball, he takes aim and throws.

He manages to knock off the last can on the second row.

“Any prize off this bottom row,” the guy tells us, walking away to a waiting customer.

“You did it!” I jump down off the counter and wrap my arms around his neck. “You won me a prize!”

“Thank fuck.” His arms wrap around me. “I was starting to worry for a moment there. Felt like I was losing my man card.”

I reach up on my tiptoes and kiss his lips. “Never. And thank you.” I tip my head back to look into his face.

His hands slide down my back to my ass, and he gives it a squeeze. “Go pick your prize, Boston.”

Leaving Liam, I head back to the counter and lean over, looking at the bottom row of prizes. I see all kinds of crap here, including really cheap-looking stuffed animals and dolls.

I definitely do not want a doll. They freak me out.

Then, I spy this sad-looking odd toy. Reaching over, I grab it.

Liam comes up behind me as I right myself. His chest is pressed to my back. “Is that a…fucking knitted jellyfish?”

I turn my head to look up at him. He’s squinting at the toy I’ve picked up.

I look back down at it in my hands, and I think he’s right. It is a knitted jellyfish toy. “I think so.”

It’s white and pink and looks like a little princess jellyfish. And the more I look at it, the cuter it becomes…in a weird knitted jellyfish way.

“She looks like a jellyfish princess,” I say.

“It looks like a piece of shit.”

“Hey! You’ll hurt her feelings.” I jab him in the arm. Then, I hug her. “I shall call her Squishy, and she shall be mine.” I laugh, meeting Liam’s blank expression. “Finding Nemo? No?” I say.

Liam slowly shakes his head, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Okay, makes sense. You were probably too old to watch it when it first came out—you know, when I was still in diapers and you were out serenading teenage girls with the Backstreet Boys—hey!” I squeal when he digs me in the ribs with his fingers. “We’ll watch Nemo later, and then you’ll get the reference.”

I turn to the guy. “I’ll take Squishy,” I tell him, holding the stuffed animal up.

“Okay, what’s next?” I hook my arm through Liam’s, holding Squishy to my chest.

“Hook a Duck.”

“Hook a what?” I give him a confused look.

“Duck.”

“And what’s Hook a Duck?”

“You don’t know what Hook a Duck is?” Liam looks appalled.

“No…but I feel like I should.”

“You should.”

“What’s so special about it?”

“Well, nothing special per se, but it’s like a rite of passage. Every kid plays Hook a Duck when they come to the fair.”

“Hate to break it to you, Hunter, but we’re not kids.”

“Maybe not. But it’s your first time at a fair in England, and you have to play.” Liam grabs my hand and sets off, I assume, in search of this Hook a Duck game.

We find one a few minutes later, and it’s closed. All shut up with the tarpaulin covering the booth.

“It’s closed. Never mind,” I say to him.

I start to walk away, but Liam tugs me back by the hand he’s holding.

“Like a little thing like it being closed is going to stop us from playing.”

He gives me a grin and drops my hand. I watch as he unhooks the tarpaulin at the bottom and lifts it just enough so that he can sneak in underneath it.

“Hunter, what are you doing?” I hiss.

He ducks his head back out. “Come on,” he whispers, holding the material up for me to go under.

“I’m not going in there.”

“Yes you are. Now hurry the fuck up, or you’ll get me arrested for breaking into a Hook a Duck tent,” he whispers.

“Ugh,” I complain.

I do a quick look around to make sure no one is watching, and then I duck under. Liam drops the tarpaulin, and we’re inside the Hook a Duck tent. Thankfully, there’s a dim light on in here otherwise it’d be pitch black.

“Okay, so we’re in here. Now what?”