12. Luci
Luci
The silence between us wasn’t awkward. It wasn’t the strained kind that came after saying too much or not enough.
It was… comfortable. The kind that settled naturally between two people who somehow understood one another without needing to fill every second with conversation.
The watchtower creaked softly beneath the October wind as I tugged my leather jacket back on.
A few stubborn strands of hair clung to my lipstick and I laughed to myself.
“So much for looking presentable.”
“You look beautiful.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Damien had shrugged back into his weathered crimson coat, though it hung open while he fastened the last few buttons of his vest. The white sleeves were rolled to his forearms again, revealing the tattoos I’d only caught glimpses of before.
His top hat sat upside down near one of the support beams. I wandered over and picked it up.
“Looking for this?” I asked.
He smiled. “The very one.”
Instead of handing it back, I settled it onto my own head. It was much too large. The brim slipped low enough that I had to push it back with one finger.
“Well?” I asked. “How do I look?”
His smile grew wider.
“I’ve got to admit,” he started as he stepped closer. “It suits you.”
I struck an exaggerated Ringmaster pose, one hand resting against an invisible cane.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I deepened my voice dramatically. “Welcome to Graves Park.”
He laughed. A real, hearty laugh. It was warm and unrestrained.
He closed the distance between us, gently straightening the hat where it had tilted sideways.
“You should keep practicing,” he said with a smirk.
“Oh?”
“Because next time,” he started as his fingertips brushed lightly against the brim. “You’re wearing it.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Next time, huh?”
His hands found my waist and drew me closer until only inches separated us. Then leaned down, his forehead brushing mine.
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
The words were quiet enough that they almost disappeared into the wind.
“I fear I may be addicted to you, little bird.”
Heat rushed straight to my face.
“I’ve known you for…” I glanced dramatically at my phone. “What?” I pretended to calculate. “An hour and a half?”
“I stand by my statement.” He shrugged.
This whole night was crazy, but I kissed him anyway. Just once. Quickly.
“You’re trouble,” he said with a shake of his head.
“So I’ve been told.” Reluctantly, I stepped back. “As much as I’d love to stay hidden in a haunted watchtower with you all night,” I sighed dramatically, “I should probably go find my friends. They’re either worried or placing bets right about now.”
“After talking to them for approximately thirty seconds,” Damien chuckled, “I’d put money on the second option.”
I reached into the back pocket of my shorts and pulled out my phone. The screen lit instantly.
2 Missed Calls
17 Text Messages
“Oh no.”
Damien chuckled.
“That bad?” he asked.
I opened the group chat.
Boo Crew
Amber:
GET YOU SOME GIRL
Sam:
We haven’t seen her in like forty minutes
Catherine:
Forty-seven.
Amber:
Babe got kidnapped by the Ringmaster and honestly…
Amber:
iconic
Sam:
If she comes back wearing his hat I’m screaming.
I slowly looked up… yep. Still wearing his hat. I kept scrolling.
Amber:
Did he dramatically sweep you off your feet?
Catherine:
Please tell me he talks like that all the time.
I choked on absolutely nothing. Damien noticed.
“…Everything okay?” he questioned.
“Mm-hmm.”
The final message had arrived only a few minutes earlier.
Mary:
Park’s closing! We ended up hanging out with Cassie after you left and now we’re all waiting for you in the VIP tent. No rush… but also hurry because Amber has approximately seventeen questions.
I laughed.
“My friends found your family,” I explained as I finally looked up from my phone. “Apparently, they’re all waiting for us in the VIP tent.”
“My brothers are never going to let me live this down,” he groaned.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “Ready?”
He held out his hand. This time, I didn’t hesitate. Our fingers intertwined naturally. Almost too natural if you asked me.
The park looked completely different than it had when we went up the tower.
The blackout was over. Every light in the park blazed to life.
The Ferris wheel no longer looked haunted.
It looked magnificent. Thousands of amber bulbs chased one another around the rim, reflecting off freshly polished steel I never noticed beneath the darkness.
Without the fog swallowing everything, I could finally appreciate the craftsmanship of the park.
Flower boxes overflowed with deep orange mums, vintage advertisements lined the buildings - faded enough to feel authentic, lovingly preserved instead of replaced.
Even the cracked sidewalks had been repaired so carefully that the seams looked intentional.
The park wasn’t pretending to be abandoned. It was honoring what time had left behind. Everywhere I looked, there were little details.
Old carnival posters tucked into windows. Wooden benches carved with tiny crows. Strings of Edison bulbs wrapped around century-old trees. Someone had poured their heart into this place.
Someone, I glanced sideways at Damien, had poured their lives into it.
When we reached the black-and-white striped VIP tent, Damien looked at me.
“You ready?” he asked this time.
“No,” I answered honestly.
I knew as soon as we walked in there, all eyes would be on us and my friends would have a million questions that, right now, I probably didn’t even have the answers to.
Nevertheless, he pulled open the canvas flap. “Ladies first.”
I stepped inside. There was complete silence for exactly one second and then…
Applause exploded through the tent, cheers echoed off the canvas walls, and someone whistled loud enough to make me jump.
“There they are!”
Amber was already standing. “SHE’S. WEARING. THE. HAT!”
Mary clapped both hands over her mouth before immediately abandoning that effort to cheer louder. Sam simply leaned back in her chair, folded her arms, and smirked.
“Took you two long enough.” Cassie smirked.
Across the room, Jack threw a triumphant fist into the air.
“Luca owes me twenty bucks!”
“You bet on us?” Damien asked.
Jack looked genuinely offended.
“I bet on YOU, big brother,” he countered. “I knew you’d be able to lock it in. Luca’s the one that had no faith.”
My friends and Cassie all burst out laughing as Luca shrugged with no remorse from the couch he was sitting on.
“Oh, leave them alone,” Cassie said, grinning just as broadly.
Damien squeezed my hand. He hadn’t let go, despite walking into the tent with his family and my friends. I half expected him to drop it like a hot potato before we made our grand entrance, but instead, it was if he was choosing to make a statement.