Cruel & Blue (Eyeless Jack story)

Chapter 57

"What do you feel like doing?," I asked Ellie. She looked up at me and shrugged. "I don't know," she answered, "I'm not sure how these things work."

"These things?"

"Ya know, dates."

I stifle a chuckle and say, "They're not that hard. You just have to be yourself...and plan ahead of time."

"I didn't think I'd get this far," she admitted.

"You should know me well enough now to know I'd jump at any chance to be with you," I stated. Ellie went wide-eyed for a moment before turning away, looking flustered.

We walked a few more blocks, our footsteps tracking in the snow left over. The street lamps here looked antique, the shops here were made of brick, snow was on every little awning and windowsill. Everything looked cozy to where I almost forgot how risky it is to be out here. The more we walked, the more I began to notice brighter lights beyond the upcoming corner, some even multicolored. "Let's go check that out," I suggested and pulled Ellie along at a faster pace.

Once we turned the corner, we got to see that the cause of the lights was a festival. Several blocks of street were lined with booths of various things. Some sold food, some were game booths and others were different, like face painting areas or photography areas. It wasn't anything huge considering it's only local, but it was definitely something for Ellie and I to do. Motioning towards the festival, I asked, "Will this do for a first date?"

She gave a small smile and said, "It's better than what I could've done." I chuckled and grabbed her arm gently, beckoning her to come along.

We walked down the wide street that was closed off for the festival. As we walked, I stole a glance at Ellie and caught her gawking at all of the booths full of prizes or the ones with delicious warm foods perfect for the winter season. Just by seeing that look in her eye I made it a point to get her something. Maybe a game booth prize; not some dainty, little prize that barely fits in her hand, no, like a giant teddy bear that's barely huggable. Okay, that's probably too much but she deserves something. But wait...I don't have any money to buy anything. Dammit, I even had this good wad of cash that Ben "borrowed" and it's probably in the Chevelle. I bet Ellie wouldn't have any money on her either. I could always steal stuff. How hard is it to swipe a giant stuffed game prize away from an open booth?

There was a strange movement out of the corner of my eyes and it caught my attention. When I turned, I was surprised to see a familiar blonde man waving at me from across the street. I froze and panicked a little. "Hey," I started as I turned to Ellie, "um, stay here near these...churros," --I scooted her closer to a churro stand--, "I gotta, ya know, take care of business in the restroom. Stay safe. Don't take candy from strangers."

"Okay," she murmured, giving me a strange look. I gave a thumbs up and hurried off across the street towards Ben. Before he could say hello, I grabbed his arm and dragged him inside a nearby Porta-Potty.

"We're in some pretty close quarters here, Jeff," he said with a smile, "ya know, I hear people sometimes bang in here. A bit of an overkill since these things are already unsanitary--."

"What are you doing here?," I asked him.

He beamed, "Oh! Well, I just came out here to get some stuff for my little project, when I ran into this festival. So, of course, I decided to indulge myself with a few games and churros. Want one?" He suddenly pulled out a churro from his sweater and I only stared at it. "Take that as a no," he murmured before taking a huge bite out of it. "Needs more sugar.."