11 The Words So Sweet

"THE WORDS SO SWEET"

"That's a lot to take in," Cherry said, floating passed me on her flamingo floaty.

The next day, I decided to debrief Cherry on what's been going on. She was a swimmer and spent most early mornings at the public pool before the rowdy families showed up.

This early in the morning it was just us and a senior's water aerobics group exercising.

I floated next to Cherry in my unicorn floaty. "My dad looked so sad this morning. He was completely checked out."

"Has your mom reached out?"

I gave her a look that said, Yeah, right. "My grandma called last night to check in on me, but that's about it."

Cherry nodded, dipping her fingers in the water. "Have you talked to Peter?"

"No." I didn't even know what to say to him. Not about my mom leaving or about what happened on the trampoline.

"Well, it's good that you finally messaged Bea Lopez," she said, jostling my floaty and nearly knocking me over. "You need something really amazing in your life."

"What do you mean? I already have you. My Cherry on top."

She giggled, splashing me. We had a small water fight before the life guard blew his whistle at us.

We collected our floaties and exited the pool when the first family and their wild kids showed up half an hour later. On the way to the locker rooms, a shirtless dark-skinned black boy in red swim trunks greeted Cherry.

"Hi, Tristan," she said politely as we passed him. His eyes were glued to her  before he turned, heading through the doors to the pool.

"Uh, who the heck is Tristan?" I asked when we walked into the ladies locker room.

"Oh, he's the back up life guard," she said all nonchalant.

"And?"

"And what?" She asked, stopping at the locker where we stashed our clothes.

"He's cute and clearly into you."

She handed me my clothes. "I guess. He's asked me out a couple times."

"You're way too chill about this." I gripped her shoulders and shook her. "Did you see those abs and those dimples. Both sets," I said, referring to the ones on his face and his lower back.

That finally got a smile to break on her face. "Okay, he's gorgeous," she admitted, fully blushing. "But I have rules."

"Rules are meant to be broken," I told her as we changed into dry clothes. "Especially self imposed rules based off of one bad interaction in the seventh grade. All seventh grade boys are perverts. It's in their DNA."

She hid her face in her hands. "I don't know. I just...I cannot deal with guys who only want sex."

"He doesn't seem like the type," I said truthfully. Something about the way he looked at her didn't make me think he thought like that. He kept his eyes above the boobs. "Give him a shot."

"He did invite me to this pop-up carnival this Saturday," she said, chewing her bottom lip.

"Go!" I urged her.

"Only if you come," her brown eyes lit up at the idea. "Bring Peter. It can be like a double date."

After that almost kiss yesterday, seeing Peter again both scared and excited me. How he kind of shut down made me think he regretted the moment. But maybe he was just embarrassed by his brother. Maybe he'd been thinking about the kiss, too and wanted to pick up where we left of the next time we saw each other.

Either way, if being awkward with Peter meant seeing Cherry on a proper date, I had to do it.

"I'll ask him."

***

By the time Saturday came around Peter and I had exactly one conversation and it was about the double date. I'd sent him a text to see if he was free and he sent a simple see you then text back.

I tried not to think too much about it. He could've been busy or distracted. Or freaked out that we almost kissed when we were supposed to be only fake dating.

"You look so pretty," I told Cherry when she came over. We were going to ride with Peter and meet Tristan at the carnival.

Cherry got her hair in braids again. This time they were pastel blue and lavender and matched perfectly with the yellow short overalls she wore.

"I better," she said, flopping onto the couch. "I went through six different outfits."

"You like him." I sang, poking her arm.

"Shut up!" She giggled, swatting my hands away.  "I did some stalking last night and according to his social media, Tristan is an avid swimmer, goes to Spencer High where his in advanced classes, and is allergic to shellfish. Which he found out two years ago when he almost died his first time eating lobster."

"You get his blood type and social security number, too?"

She whacked me with a throw pillow just as the doorbell rang. I hopped up from the couch, heart racing like it knew Peter was on the other side of the door.

"How do I look?" I asked, turning to show her my full outfit--black denim cut offs and a purple top.

"Like someone is very lucky to have you as a fake girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes, even as my cheeks went hot. This night was about Cherry and her first date, why was I nervous?

When I opened the door, Peter was in fact on the other side. He wore a Nirvana shirt and a cold demeanor.

"Are you ready to go?"

That was it. No joke or banter. Just get in the car and let's go. Cherry and I walked out to Peter's car, the after noon sun high in the sky and making it hotter than its been all month. If Peter kept with the cold shoulder, we wouldn't need the air conditioner on the drive.

I didn't understand why he was acting that way. What was he mad at me for? He jumped on me and started a tickle fight. He leaned in and tried to kiss me. Why was he treating me like I tricked him or something?

My phone vibrated in my in my bag. I pulled it out to see a message from Cherry, stop scowling.

I adjusted myself in my seat and tried to relax my face. Maybe if we talked. "How's the daycamp going?"

"Its good. Great."

"That's grand," I mumbled.

He glanced at me, brows pushed together.

"Grand," I told him. "Another 'G' word."

"Oh."

Oh. Oh? That was all he had? Not a chuckle or smirk or even one of those air through the nose laughs. What was his problem?

My phone vibrated again. Breathe and remember why you're here.

Cherry was absolutely right. I wasn't going to the carnival for Peter. My best friend needed my support. Peter was just here so I wouldn't be the awkward third wheel. Plus, he had a car.

If he wanted to give me the silent treatment, then so be it.

I was happy to see us pull into the carnival parking lot. As soon as he parked, I was grabbing Cherry and we were going to find Tristan. Peter could do his own thing. He could go almost kiss some other girl for all I cared.

As we looked for parking, a familiar jeep caught my eye.

"Is that your brother?" I leaned forward, not wanting to believe it.

Peter followed my line of sight and confirmed. "It's Chris and Jessie."

So much for ignoring Peter all night. If his brother was here we'd have to act like a couple to keep up appearances.

Chris spotted us too as we parked a few spots down from him. He waved as he walked over, his long hair blowing in the breeze. Jessie followed behind, a lot happier than she was at bowling last week.

"Baby bro, I didn't know you'd be here," Chris said as we met him outside the car.

Peter shrugged. "Last minute thing."

Chris knew his brother well because even he realized something was off about Peter with just that answer. When he turned to me and took in my crossed arms and the scowl that was definitely still on my face, he really knew something was up.

Choosing to ignore it, Chris took Jessie's hand and began backing away. "We'll see you in there."

Cherry, not one to let an awkward moment fester, hooked her arms with Peter and me. "Who wants cotton candy?"

When neither of us responded, she sighed and dragged us to the carnival's entrance.

Just as he told Cherry, Tristan was waiting at the ticket booth. He had a shirt on today and shorts. And, most noticeably, a huge grin on his face when he saw Cherry.

"Hey, Cherry," he said, greeting her with a hug.

I almost turned to Peter and pointed out the correct way to greet a date. But we weren't on a date. Not really.

"Hi, Tristan." Cherry's smile matched his, tooth for tooth. "This is my best friend, Faye and her boyfriend, Peter."

Peter and I shared a look before quickly looking elsewhere.

Tristan greeted us and immediately turned his attention back to Cherry. "So, what first? Food or rides?"

"Food. I've been so nervous all day I couldn't eat."

Cherry and Tristan walked ahead, chatting about churros and funnel cake. Peter and I followed, enough room for a third person between us.

My best friend looked over her shoulder at us, beaming. Hearts practically shot from her eyes. I took that as a sign she was fine to be with Tristan on her own.

"I'm going to find the tilt-a-whirl," I announced to no one in particular and broke away from the group.

"Faye," Peter called from behind.

I pretended I didn't hear him and walked faster, cutting through crowds of people in hopes of losing him in the chaos.

Was it immature? Yes.

Did I care? No.

He called me again and again and I ignored him. Eventually, he stopped. When I looked behind me and didn't see his floppy, blond curls, I was satisfied.

Until I got to the Tilt-A-Whirl and saw him standing there in wait.

"Maybe don't announce where you're going if you're trying to run from someone."

I folded my arms across my stomach and stood in the line for the ride. "I didn't run."

We stood in line together. It moved quickly and soon it was our turn to climb into one of the sphere-shaped seats.

As we waited for the ride to start, Peter cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak.

"Forget it." I had a feeling I knew what he would say and I didn't want to hear it.

"Faye--"

"Seriously," I snapped looking over at him. "Forget it. Wipe it from your memory. This fake dating is complicated enough without any added...complications. Let's keep things simple, okay?"

His light eyes studied me for a long moment before he spoke. "Okay."

"Awesome."

"Astounding."

My gaze flicked back to him.

"Another 'A' word," he explained.

I snorted and the corners of his mouth ticked up.

The ride started up and for once during this weird week, I was made dizzy on purpose.

After the tilt-a-whirl, Peter and I tried the other rides. With each one, the weirdness between us melted. By the fourth ride, something called The Superman where we laid on our bellies and spun in a circle about three feet off the ground, we were joking and laughing with each other.

When we got in line for a flying saucer ride, Cherry and Tristan appeared in line behind us. Cherry had a giant purple bear under her arm and she was beaming.

Her smile grew when she saw Peter and I were no longer being hostile. "Having fun?"

"Not as much as you two, clearly." I said, nodding at the bear under her arm and the tickets Tristan wore like a chain. At some point they even got shirts with their names spray painted on them. Cherry's had her name in pink, obviously. Tristan's shirt had a green theme.

The four of us shared a saucer. It was like the tea cup ride at Disneyland but about fifteen feet off the ground. Cherry and I shrieked with laughter as Peter and Tristan spun us around as fast as they could.

After the saucers, the four of us grabbed pizza slices and walked around, taking everything in. The boys walked behind us talking about the rides they wanted to go on next.

Cherry and I walked ahead, her arm looped through mine as she leaned and whispered. "Why didn't you tell me how much fun dating is earlier?"

"I don't think my track record with guys would've sold you on it," I said, taking a bit of my pizza.

"Still, this is one of my best nights," she said, glancing back at Tristan. He waved, smiling. "I just wonder...Am I having fun because Tristan is with me or am I'm excited about being on my first real date?"

I turned to her. "Why would you think like that?"

She shrugged, tossing her empty plate in a near by trash can. "It's not like I have anything to compare this to."

"Well, I know you and as sweet as you are, you don't tolerate people you don't like." She didn't outright say she didn't like Daniel when we dated, but she always made herself scarce when he was around.

She looked over her shoulder. "I do like spending time with him. He's so funny and really sweet. Plus, he swims."

"Two swimmers in love," I mused. "Think of the baby name options. Ariel, Poseidon, SpongeBob."

"What about SpongeBob?" Tristan asked, appearing at Cherry's side.

Her eyes doubled. "It's my favorite show," I said quickly.

"Really?" Peter asked, now at my side.

"Totally. Squidward was my first celebrity crush."

"Ah, so you're only with me because I play the clarinet?"

I looked up at him. "You play the clarinet?"

He scoffed, looking offended. "Don't act like you didn't know this whole time."

We all laughed at his ridiculousness.

Cherry thanked me with her eyes for taking the attention off of her.

When we finished our pizza, Peter and I were on our own again as Cherry and Tristan went to win more tickets.

The sun had set and the carnival lights were bright and colorful as we walked under them. We walked around aimlessly, playing random carnival games as we passed them. They were all clearly rigged since we won nothing. Tristan had to be bribing carnival workers for tickets.

"Let's go into the house of mirrors," Peter suggested.

"Have you seen the movie Us?"

He chuckled, thinking I was joking. I wasn't. Fun houses were scary enough with people getting lost in them. Still, when he headed in through the wide opened mouth of a clown head, I followed.

The inside was dark and lit by a black light. Peter's teeth glowed as he said, "Try not to wander off and get body swapped."

I pinched his side. "Hush! That's a real fear of mine.

We walked through the maze, passing mirrors that made me look like a giant and Peter look like an Oompa-Loompa. We laughed at our ridiculous reflection and kept moving. We seemed to keep running into dead ends.

"Look, that mirror makes you look taller and with longer hair."

Chris laughed at my joke. "Hey, you two come to live out Us, too?"

"Absolutely not!"

Peter snorted. "Where's Jessie?"

"We got separated. So I'll be getting yelled at later," he replied. He didn't seem too worried about that.

"I can hear you!" Jessie's disembodied voice rang out. She was definitely pissed.

"Babe, where you?" Chris asked, looking around.

"I don't know."

Chris sighed. "Alright. Stay there and I'll come to you."

"Just hurry up."

Chris didn't look very excited to go find his girlfriend as he walked away.

I hooked my arm around Peter's. "I'm not getting lost in here alone."

We continued through the maze in silence. The only sounds came other people giggling as they made their way through the mirrors.

"How are you here right now?" He asked out of the blue.

I gazed up at him, slightly confused. "Okay...When a man and woman really love each other, they--"

"Stop. Not what I meant." He chuckled

I laughed. "What did you mean?"

"I thought you were grounded."

"Oh, that doesn't matter anymore."

"You're mom changed her mind?"

"Something like that."

"You're being very cryptic."

"I know."

He studied me a moment, but dropped the subject.

"I see light!" I exclaimed, dragging Peter to it. Sure enough it was the exit and we were deposited back out into the night. I could practically kiss the ground I was so happy to be out of that maze.

A few seconds later, Chris and Jessie spilled out of maze laughing. I guess their animosity towards each other faded in there.

"Let's never go in there again," Jessie said, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder.

"Deal," Chris agreed giving her a peek on the lips.

Peter's eyes darted to me and quickly looked away.

"Where are you two going next? We'll follow," Chris said, slinging an arm around his girlfriend.

"We haven't decided," Peter answered.

"Let's go on the Ferris wheel," Jessie suggested, touching Chris's chest. "I've been waiting until it's dark to do it."

They were so touchy. Like couples were supposed to be. Meanwhile, Peter and I couldn't maintain prolonged eye contact.

We ended up in line with Chris and Jessie. On the side of the ferris wheel there was a video screen, a slide show of riders played across it. Some made silly faces, but most were of couples sharing a kiss.

"That is so romantic," Jessie cooed. "We have do it."

"Of course," Chris agreed, kissing the side of her face. Then turned to Peter. "You too, baby bro. We need to document you and your first girlfriend."

Peter went rigid beside me. Kissing was not a topic we discussed anymore. The word kiss needed to be wiped from the English language. My brain needed to be wiped of that almost kiss.

Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the moment. His hair between my fingers, his mouth so close to mine. Where would we be now if Aaron hadn't interrupted?

Cherry and Tristan were exiting the ride as we waited in line. Along with the giant purple bear, Cherry now had a pink stuffed snake draped over her shoulders. Tristan definitely had to pay someone because those games were impossible to win. Or he's just that good and I'm a little bitter about it.

"Hey, you two!" Cherry said when she saw us. Her smile was still intact. It might've been stuck. "Tristan has to go soon." That was the only thing to make her grin falter.

"I have to get up early for church and then the pool," he explained.

"Oh, look. It's us!" Cherry pointed to the screen on the Ferris wheel. A photo of her and Tristan appeared on the screen. Cherry was practically glowing as Tristan kissed her cheek.

"I'm gonna get us a copy of it," Tristan said, heading to the booth.

"He wants to take me home," Cherry whispered even though Tristan was out of earshot.

"He seems trustworthy," I told her truthfully. Peter nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I knew he is," she said. "But what if he tries to, you know, kiss me?"

Why was everyone talking about kissing?

"Do you want to kiss him?"

"I don't know...do I?"

I'd never seen Cherry so nervous and unsure before. It was adorable.

"If you decide you don't, tell him. If you do want to kiss him, just imagine he's your Jimin poster."

She gasped, whacking me with the tail of her toy snake. "You promised to the never speak of that!"

I laughed, blocking her hits.

Tristan came back with the twenty dollar photo if their moment on the Ferris wheel. "So, am I taking you home?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Cherry hugged me and whispered, "Enjoy your date." She purposely left out the word fake, judging by the small wink she gave me as she pulled out of the hug.

Soon after Cherry and Tristan left, it was me and Peter's turn on the ride. Chris and Jessie were already in their private basket, cuddled against each other.

Peter and I climbed into the next basket, a decent amount of space between us. The awkwardness went up to a hundred when the ride attendant secured our door. My eyes darted to the camera set up in front us.

"About what Chris said," Peter started. "We don't have to. Kiss, I mean."

"I know," I said, glancing at him. "That'd complicate things. And we agreed not to do that."

He drummed his fingers on his knees. "Right."

The ride started up. Taking us around the big wheel at a snail's pace. We went around twice. Then the ride started to stop and go. Giving everyone a chance have their picture taken at the top of the wheel.

Before I knew it, Peter and I were stopped at the top. Seeing the carnival from up there, it was beautiful. All the lights and people. It kind of reminded me of sitting on the roof at Cloud Creamery.

The camera in front of us began to count down from five. I turned to see Peter already watching me. His gaze bore into me. I didn't know what it meant, exactly, but I felt it in my bones that whatever he said next was going to change everything.

He opened his mouth, asking a single question. "What's wrong with things being complicated?"

*******

It's summer, of course there had to be a carnival scene! 🎡

Cherry had her first ever date which was so cute!!

And the cliffhanger at the end. What do you think of Peter's question?

Thanks a bunches for reading my story.

Leave a vote and comment a 🎟 if you enjoyed this chapter 🥰🥰

Also, shout out to YvanUng for supporting my story and leaving lovely comments!!