Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
She watched, almost as if she was out of her own body, but then Lorenzo cupped her face, and she didn’t even realize it, but she had started to panic.
“Look at me,” Lorenzo said.
It was like his voice kept coming over some kind of radio—one moment it was clear, the next moment, it wasn’t. She looked up at him and his eyes grounded her, and she was able to breathe.
“That’s right, look at me, Clarissa. I’m right here. You’re safe, and we’re all good. You’re safe, and we’re here.”
She had been having a panic attack—a mild one—and it was her first in a very long time, but Lorenzo had brought her back. Clarissa threw her arms around him, holding onto him.
It was going to be all right. It had to be.
Even though it terrified her.
****
“Come on,” Lorenzo said.
Clarissa let out a laugh, as they snuck into the fair. He had forced his men to park far from the parking lot, and he was sneaking Clarissa in. She didn’t need to know they had paid, but he was working on giving Clarissa plenty of experiences.
He paid the fee, and the security guards were aware he’d paid, but when the time was right, they were supposed to approach. One of the gates had been left unlocked, so he could sneak Clarissa inside.
She wore a pair of jeans, a white floral shirt, and a denim jacket. Her hair was down, and she looked fucking incredible. Even though he had never worn jeans, this one time he was doing so. His hair was also not neatly pressed back, but in disarray, as he acted the part of a teenage boy. Not that he’d ever been a true teenage boy, seeing as most of his teenage years were spent training, learning the role of Capo, so one day he was able to take over from his dad. There was still time for him to hang out, so there were fairs, just not like usual.
He kept hold of Clarissa’s hand, and he couldn’t recall ever having this much fun.
“Okay, so we’ve got to avoid the guards, other than that, we’re good.” He’d also paid for them to use whatever rides they wanted.
Clarissa laughed. “Are you serious right now? We could just pay?”
“And what’s the fun in that? Come on.”
He took her from ride to ride. They went on a couple of roller-coaster rides, and several that just spun around. Even though she was afraid of heights, he held her hand as they strapped in and were pulled up high, only to suddenly be dropped, then lifted and dropped again. It was insane and so amazing. Clarissa screamed.
The fun just didn’t stop, and finally, they made their way through the Crazy House. They kept laughing, and a couple of people jumped out at them, and he held her close. It took them forever to get through the Hall of Mirrors, but they were able to get out.
Finally, after several hours, he got her to one of the stands that required precision—shooting a rifle in order to win a teddy bear. Lorenzo scored the bull’s-eye and won her a giant teddy bear. One of the guards approached, grabbed Clarissa, and so ensued the chase, where they had no choice but to leave the fairground and run right to their car. His own guards were close by, but they didn’t distract from the illusion he was creating.
He loved the sound of her laughter as they made it to the car, then took off. He wasn’t ready for their date to end, so he went to a drive-thru and ordered them a couple of burgers.
The place was nearly deserted, and even though it was cold, he got her out of the car, and got her to hop up onto the trunk and sit beside him. He had one of the blankets she had quilted, and looking up at the stars, they ate their burgers, and he was content.
“That was amazing,” Clarissa said.
“Well, consider that the start of something new.” He took a large bite of his burger and looked up at the peacefulness of the stars.
It was a lovely, clear night, so it was cold. Clarissa ate her burger and snuggled down beneath the quilt. He should probably take this into the car, where he could put some heat on, but this is what kids did, right? They hung out on the trunks of cars, ate food, and made out.
They finished their burgers, and he tossed their wrappers into the trash can and snuggled in close. Clarissa rested her head onto his chest, and they were silent for the longest time. It was getting late.
“I loved tonight,” Clarissa said.
“Is it exactly how you imagined?” he asked.
“Not quite. I imagined paying and not having to duck when I saw a security guard.”