Send 💋 to give my muse a Valentine’s kiss@thxunforgiven
Abigail was by no means traditional. On Valentine’s Day, she hadn’t given the holiday an actual thought, aside from the abundance of couples and commercialism. Instead of celebrating, she wanted to go to an amusement park.
“I haven’t been to one since I was ten years old,” Abigail pointed out, pleadingly. “I remember liking it, so maybe for a few hours…?”
Richie had been dragged along, too (and was stoically grim about it, as was expected). His demeanor only seemed to grow surlier, the deeper they went into the park. It didn’t help matters that several disapproving parents were gawking. Abigail tried to hide a smile, lowering her eyes to mask her amusement. She supposed it looked like she was being escorted by a couple of thugs, but she was far too elated to care. The sounds, smells, and overall ambiance transported her back to a time of carefree cheer, friendship bracelets, and scraped knees. And after wheedling the brothers into buying her some funnel cake, she began searching for the tallest possible roller coasters.
Richie was holding onto some cotton candy by this point, making him appear even more out of place with his suit and dour expression. Abigail, on the other hand, was completely ebullient. She inspected every booth, mindful of her sticky fingers as she challenged Seth to go on various rides with her. And despite her aversion to affection and touch, every now and then she would curl a finger through his belt loop and tug, pulling him closer as she aimlessly chattered on about how she hadn’t seen such-and-such a ride in years, nor how she had never swung one of those novelty hammers in the strength tests. In the middle of her mindless spiel, Seth tapped the tip of her nose and she paused, scrunching it up in bewilderment. It took her a moment to realize she’d gotten powdered sugar right on the end of her nose.
“I’ve had worse looks,” she assured him, pausing to sheepishly rub it off. With her free hand still twisted in his belt loop, she gave him an impatient tug. “Besides, you promised to go on a few rides with me. Stop changing the subject.”
The line for the Hurl-A-Whirl (aptly named, judging by the people clutching their stomachs) was considerably long, but Abigail was in no hurry. She leaned against the metal bars as they waited, her lips quirking as Seth moved across from her. “I’ll bet you weren’t expecting this,” she said, smile growing coy. “On a day where you’re supposed to be with the ones you love, I’ve forced you into riding rides, eating junk food, and potentially throwing up said junk food. I would say I was sorry, but you know how I feel about lying.” The sun warmed her cheeks and she moved away from the metal bars, arms folded almost protectively across her chest. “To be honest, this is the first time I’ve even left the house for Valentine’s Day… Well…discounting the times it fell on a school day, of course. Though if he’d been able, I’m sure my dad would’ve tried to keep me home.” Her pleasant mood faltered, if only for a moment, and she absently fiddled with the buttons on Seth’s jacket. “Thank you for taking me here… I’m sure you’d rather be doing anything else, but it means a lot to me that you’d-”
Seth cut her off (as was his custom), and Abigail gripped more tightly at his jacket, now lifting her chin as she leaned into his kiss. She was by no means one for public displays of affection (if what they had could even be considered affection), but something about the embrace made her feel buoyant and warm. With her fingers curling along his lapels, she tugged and found herself burrowing in closer, angling in so that she could deepen the kiss.
An impatient string of curses came from behind them and Abigail jerked, startled, before realizing that the line was moving – or in their case, trying to move. Rosy-cheeked with embarrassment, she attempted to retain her dignity as she looped her arm through Seth’s and tugged him along. Normally, Abigail would have thought to ask why, but these days, she didn’t feel nearly as self-critical. Instead, she told him, “You still owe me some cotton candy – this changes nothing.”
Lifting her eyes to his, an almost conspiratorial smile tugged at her lips and she laughed. Perhaps this holiday wasn’t so terrible, after all.
