New Romantics

Chapter 16

Leo emerged on the other side and waggled his brow. "See?" he said, just as I shouted,

"No! That doesn't count!"

"Then come outside!"

"I—"

"What?" he challenged, taking another bite out of his delectable pink cotton candy.

What, indeed? I looked at my watch. One hour until the store officially closed. One simple hour Leo could wait for me to finish before we could go out together. One minuscule hour meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

For me.

For the store.

Magda wouldn't mind, I told myself. How many times had I come in early and left too late? It's not like I was going to miraculously make a million dollars in profit.

"What about my stuff?"

"My car is right by Luna's. You can keep it in there."

Massaging the spot between my brows, I caved. Lifting a finger, my phone still to my ear, I instructed Leo to wait. "Give me ten minutes."

"Aye-aye, Captain," he said with a salute.

My fingers shook as I quickly yanked the gates above the windows down. "Come on, come on," I seethed, trying over and over to get a stubborn latch on the gate covering the main window display to close properly. Time was moving quickly now—too quickly. Though Leo stood outside, I felt as though if I didn't act fast, the moment would leave me behind. After the fourth attempt (and a little elbow grease), the latch stayed in place, and I rushed to close the register, then the remaining gates, count the cash and lock up the office.

The late September night kissed my cheeks and nose bright red as I grabbed my bag and rushed outside, Leo perched against the bike rack, looking devastating with his cheery smile and cotton candy. There was the boy who fell on my balcony and made me promise not to tell his friends.

"Twenty minutes," Leo hummed, checking his phone. "You're late, Aria."

"You didn't expect me to just drop everything, did you?" Shaking out the curls that caught in my sweater, I shucked my backpack over my shoulders and nodded to the festivities. "Come on. I'll win you a stuffed cow to make up for the lost time."

"I'm holding you to it."

I was aware of every inch between us as we walked, stopping at Leo's car to deposit my things, and then toward the festivities. When his arm bumped mine, my stomach dipped, and before I knew it, we were side-by-side, arms brushing, the twinkling lights, laughter, and merriment heightening our senses more and more.

A canopy of golden lights covered the streets and swirled above the grass, running along stalls, and light fixtures, until it draped over the main stage. There were stalls of every size, color, and shape, along with people from different walks of life, grinning and chatting and laughing at the pure bliss that wafted through the air. Bliss and—I inhaled deeply—something delicious.

"Are you hungry?"

"I will never say no to fried veggies," I sighed, my mouth watering. Fried cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, and zucchini... Looping my arm through his, I tugged Leo toward the food trucks. "Let's go!"

Startled, Leo popped the last of his cotton candy in his mouth and quickly followed. We binged on a platter of fried deliciousness, and I nearly choked on my lemonade when the "spicy" dipping sauce (which was not in fact spicy by South Asian standards) turned his pretty face bright red.