Secrets Left Neglected

Chapter 31

Caoilainn

I can hear the merry-go-round music playing in the background as I stand behind Tadhg. He's racing Cian and Fionn in a game of waterguns. Siofra is pulling strings of cotton candy from her white, cardboard cone, laughing as they rile each other up. Cian's blue monster truck is about ¾ of a way up a fake plastic dirt hill, bouncing over sand dunes, neck and neck with Tadhg's red truck. Just as Cian is about to overtake Tadhg's truck, Fionn's green one sneaks up from behind them both and jumps across the finish line.

"No way, Fionn," Tadhg laughs. "Where'd you come from all of a sudden?"

"Yes, way," Fionn grins, turning to high-five Archer, who's standing on his other side. "Kicked your ass fair and square with my mad skills on the guns."

"I want a re-match," Cian taunts him. "This game is rigged."

"What?" Fionn asks in mocked exaggeration. "Yeah, right. Face it, Cian, you suck."

Before I can say a word, Tadhg reaches into his pocket to pull out another $3.00 to lay on the deck of the trailer tray. He sits back down, straddling the stool beneath him, joshing the guys around as they wait for other players to join in.

Around this time, Pete and Courtney bounce up to me. They're full of wet spots, and are wearing matching oversized, neon-green sunglasses and pointy wizard hats. I turn towards them smiling. "Hey! Look at you two. Where've you been?"

Courtney juts against my hip and giggles.

"We were playing darts and riding the log flume over the other side of the park. You know the one with the Tunnel of L-O-V-E?" She asks, deepening her voice on the word 'love'. She steadies her stance and stops moving so she can pull something out of her back pocket. "Look, we got our picture taken and everything."

I take hold of her strip of pictures and snort. Her and Pete are in various stages of making out while wearing the glasses and hats. They look ridiculous. "I love them, Court! These are great!"

Courtney plucks the pictures back from me. "I know, right? I'm going to put them on my mirror when I get home."

I catch Pete's glance as he rolls his eyes, sitting down to play a game of monster trucks with the guys. Archer joins in, too.

"Hey, Caoi, Courtney, come with me," Siofra says. "I want to throw this cone out and grab a bottle of water. My mouth is coated in sugar." I let Tadhg know and we set off.

By the time we return, the guys are standing and talking next to the trailer where the game is. It's clear they've been waiting for us to come back. Tadhg grabs my hand and pulls me in close. "Hey, Caoi," he says.

"Yeah?" I reply quietly.

"What do you say we go for a ride on the log flume?" he asks with a tantilizing look in his eye. "I hear they have a tunnel of love and that it's very dark and very private."

Now it is my turn to roll my eyes. "Oh yeah, what do you have in mind?"

"I figure a couple of rides will do....maybe eight or ten of them. I need some alone time with you before I go back tomorrow."

I lean in and give him a kiss on the cheek, but before I can pull away to turn back to the group, Tadhg pulls me closer and smashes his mouth against mine. I almost melt in his arms. Tadhg's been over the moon all night since our relationship is now out in the open.

"Dude!" I hear Pete yell. "Get a room!"

He's not serious, though. The group laughs as we pull apart and I blush. "OK, I'm game," I say.

"Let's go," he says to me before turning back towards Cian and leaning in close. "We'll catch up with you guys later. I parked my truck out back, so if we don't find you later, Caoilainn has a ride home. We're gonna go hang out a bit together before I have to return."