If I Were Allowed To Love You

Eight

The boy in the vest did jumps and flips all around the bald man, who played with fire on the end of two sacks on the end of a rope. He flipped it all around him, creating wide holes that the man in the vest jumped through. They made an incredible team, Melissa thought as she watched them in awe.

Evie smiled as she hugged Ryan tight, hanging on longer than average friends would. "I never thought I'd see you at a party, Mr. Wet Blanket."

"Hey, I had to take care of my brother after my parents left for work," he defended with a laugh. "You know I could never miss one of your parties."

"I'm glad you're here. But why are you here? I really thought I'd only ever see you at the library anymore."

"I have been working too hard lately, and Theo mentioned his friend's sister was having a party. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was none other than my gym buddy, Evie Winters," he teased, and she smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And I could recall her telling me that any time I needed to let loose for a night, I should come to one of her parties."

"Well, you know you are always welcome here."

Evie closed the door behind Ryan and led him out the backyard. "I do miss you. Out of everyone I went to high school with, I miss you the most."

"I miss you, too, dearie," he smiled. "I'm glad I've finally been given the chance to attend one of your parties. I thought I missed that chance years ago."

"I never throw parties anymore, but when I do, it's when the moms are out of town."

"How is your mama doing?"

"She's getting better. Until Tamara graduates, I plan to stay home. We'll get an apartment of our own somewhere. In the meantime, mom doesn't need to take care of both mama and Tamara, so if I can help make the load a little easier for them both, then I don't mind staying home. What about you? Are you ever going to leave home?"

"Not for a long time," he stated. "Mom and dad are never home, and I guess Theo might be going away to business school. Someone needs to take care of the house, and I enjoy my job at the library. I have no reason to move."

"At least that means I have a few more months left where I can see you."

"And whenever you come back to town," he added.

"We should get lunch sometime. I'd love to catch up sometime when I don't have a party to host."

"Name the time and place, and I will make sure I'm available."

The bald man swung his fire into a large circle, and Melissa felt the temptation to throw her blade through the circle. Tamara squeezed her shoulder, knowing she was fighting the urge. "Hey, fire boy!" she called out. He jerked his head over at her, still twirling the fire. "Make room for my friend. She never missed her aim."

The bald man smirked as he made the fire ring bigger and looked at Melissa. The boy in the vest held up a metal spatula used to flip burgers on the grill outside. "Aim for the lower slit," he demanded.

Smirking, Melissa flicked open her blade and tossed the knife through the fire and into the bottom slit of the spatula, the knife residing in it perfectly. She felt the wind wisp off her fingers as she threw it, knowing she could keep her eyes closed and still make it.

Everyone in the yard cheered, and Evie and Ryan stepped out into the backyard to watch the party tricks. "My cousins are in a circus. They always do party tricks whenever they come over."

"You have cousins in the circus?"

"I know. Weird profession, but it's their family business, not ours. They were born into it, their spouses will be part of it, and their children will grow up in the circus as well. It's been like that for generations. You can clearly tell Mikey works with fire, but he's very safe about it," she explained as she led Ryan over to the group. "And then Lucas does trapeze and acrobatic work. He's very talented. The next time they tour, you have to get tickets to see them. It's the experience of a lifetime."