The County Fair Queen

Chapter Seventeen

TWO INITIALS DIVIDED BY AN UNbrOKEN HEART

We crept through Aunt Lurlene's home like cuttlefish at the bottom of the deepest portion of the sea, clinging closely to the walls as if we'd hoped to fade into the paint itself. There was no reason to hide what we were doing; we were both adults, fully capable of making this decision. Still, I think we both knew this would be our series finale. One last curtain call before our whirlwind romance faded to black. Neither of us acknowledged where we were going, or the reason we were going there. We didn't need to. The look in his eyes as he clung to me after we danced. Our hearts beating in time as I held him against me. There was no other way for this show to end.

I opened the door to my childhood bedroom and ushered him in. There was a rose-scented candle on my nightstand, and as he fumbled awkwardly with his belt, I lit it, staring at the flame fanning in the breeze. The window was open, and hanging from the sill, one of Aunt Lurlene's wind chimes played out a gentle autumn song. When I turned around, Rivers was unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes clinging to me like a lighthouse, as if he needed me to guide him through the act. I placed my hand on his, stopping him.