tinting everything in a rainbow wash of colors. On the rides, the food carts, and signs. Even the people wearing neon necklaces and bracelets glowed in the early evening hours. Games of skill and chance were scattered everywhere. Rides spun in the sky while others swung high, then dipped low.
He wanted to experience all of it.
And he wanted to do it all with the man sitting at his side.
He looked over to Gabriel, his patient guardian. This man had no idea how special he was to him.
Ben took a deep breath as he stared out at the crowd, letting his mind wander to what had happened earlier with his sister.
Deep down, he knew the distance between them was too profound to overcome. Still, he had let himself hope. And that had only made the pain worse when the inevitable severing of that connection finally happened. But there was Gabriel, soothing him with his strong, caring spirit and powerful words.
What had been one of the worst nights of Ben’s life was becoming his best. The end of one relationship was blooming into a new one filled with hope, respect, and love.
Gabriel wanted to give him many firsts.
He hadn’t realized he already had.
A soft touch to his arm pulled him from his thoughts and drew his attention.
“What do you want to do first?” Gabriel signed.
Ben pointed to the huge roller coaster in the distance. Go big or go home.
He smiled as Gabriel grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.
Hours later, they leaned against one of the railings by a food stand, enjoying the last sugary mouthfuls of cotton candy. After tasting every possible fried piece of dough, candy-covered apple, burger, hot dog, and pizza in sight, Ben suspected he would have one hell of a bellyache battle ahead of him.
It didn’t matter. All he cared about was the man at his side with the goofy grin shoving the pillowy-soft, sweet pink cotton into his mouth. Every ride had been tackled and every food stand visited.
Together.
Ben had enough memory pieces to cover an entire continent with his puzzles.
“What next?” Bull signed, licking the sugary remnants off his full lips.
Ben’s heart beat double time. While he craved the kiss that would come at the end of their date, he didn’t want the night to end. He scanned the fairgrounds, looking for his next ride.
Something in the distance caught his eye.
Everything around him faded. As if in a trance, he took one step forward, then another.
And another.
He blinked at the flashing lights of the game stand, awareness kicking in at lightning speed. He spun around, taking in his surroundings, seeing the railing several feet away where they had stood only a few moments ago. Returning his attention to the flashing lights in front of him, he peered up at the various prizes hooked on the makeshift walls of the game stand.
At the very top, a plush toy dangled from the edge of the display. A floppy-eared bunny, almost identical to the one that had accompanied him for most of his life and had comforted him during the darkest of times.
He sensed Gabriel at his side. Unable to rip his gaze from the round plastic eyes of the stuffed rabbit, he raised his hand and pointed. A strong hand at the small of his back broke the trance. He glanced over to Gabriel as he spoke to the man hosting the shooting game.
“What does it take to win the bunny?”
Ben’s gaze snapped to the game attendant. “Three tickets to play. Red star’s the target. You shoot the entire star out and get the prize of your choice.” Ben glanced over at the older man at his side, wondering how he had fared at the game. The game attendant handed the man his shot-up target and pointed to a tiny piece of red remaining on the paper. The man stomped away, his lips moving too quickly and tightly for Ben to understand.
Gabriel tore off the tickets from the strip and handed it to the tall thin man. He picked up the rifle and positioned himself. He shot once, just outside the red star target.
It seemed odd, but everything Gabriel did had a purpose.
Gabriel peered out from behind the scope, assessed his shot, and then pressed the trigger again.
Ben glanced over at the target, a circle of tiny holes repeatedly drilled into the paper, not a single one hitting the actual star target. The last shot connected with the first and the star fell through the paper