Page 35 of Full Court Crush

Lucy’s blonde head was easily spotted above the crowd of people. Keira made a beeline for it.

“Every time I come to Winter Wonderland, I have to get doughnuts. It’s a tradition.” Lucy explained to Keira as she came up on Lucy’s other side. She nodded and turned to read the beautifully hand-lettered menu painted onto the shutters at the side of the stall. It all sounded delicious, but she wasn’t sure she could handle that much sugar.

“Wanna split some?” Keira asked.

“Share my doughnuts? No way!” Lucy laughed as they slowly moved towards the front of the queue. “I always get twelve for myself.”

Keira laughed as Lucy took another step forward and placed her order for a dozen doughnuts with two different dipping sauces.

“I’ll share, if you’re still willing?” Amelia said. She moved beside Keira in the queue.

“Sure, how many?” Keira asked.

“I think Lucy would disown us if we get any less than twelve,” Amelia said, sounding serious.

“Too right,” Lucy replied, stepping out of the queue with her giant bag of doughnuts. She was already dipping one into both the caramel and chocolate sauce. Then she stuffed the whole thing in her mouth. “Ungh, that’s almost better than sex. Almost,” Lucy spoke, voice muffled by the dough in her mouth.

Keira placed an order for twelve doughnuts before standing off to the side with Amelia. They needed to wait while the stall cooked a fresh batch. A little further down the path she could see a structure that almost glowed with blue light, as its iced interior refracted the light around it. In front was a large ice statue of a dragon, with many people taking selfies with it.

“Look there,” Amelia said, pointing. Keira found Asha and Sienna standing by the coconut shy stall. “I pity the coconuts,” Amelia said. “We both know how hard they can throw.”

“Twelve doughnuts with chocolate sauce!” one of the stall workers yelled.

“That’s us.” Keira stepped forward and collected their bounty. Amelia rubbed her hands together.

“Shall we walk while we eat?” Amelia suggested, and she led them back into the crowd. “Have you been to Winter Wonderland before?” she asked as she carefully selected a doughnut out of the bag.

“Not since I was little,” Keira replied. She opened the chocolate sauce tub and offered it to Amelia to dip her doughnut. “There’s something really magical about it. It’s like Christmas only really starts once the Ferris wheel starts turning, you know?” Keira gestured towards that large Ferris wheel with her doughnut. It dominated the skyline in front of City Hall. Amelia paled.

“Have you ever been on it?”

“No,” Amelia said shyly.

“Just that one? Or…anyFerris wheel?“ Keira asked, then took another bite of her doughnut. Something about the way Amelia shrank a little more made her suspect the latter.

“Never any,” Amelia said stubbornly. “My job when the team rides the Ferris wheel is to take pictures. From the ground.”

Keira tilted her head and cocked her eyebrow. “Are you scared of heights?”

“A little,” Amelia said, but the way she shifted suggested to Keira it was more than just ‘a little’.

The pair carried on walking around the Winter Wonderland. Fairy lights in the trees twinkled like stars, and the smell of bratwurst greeted them when they turned a corner. A large food truck was sizzling up various sauces and burgers and the air was heavy with the smell of meat and smoke.

They passed a large sweet cart next. The sweets were beautifully organised in large glass jars, like at a traditional sweetshop, as well as clear plastic tubs under the counter. Keira considered buying some, but after seeing the price list, she thought better of it. Amelia did, however, insist they take a selfie in front of it, the vibrant background of sweets complimenting their cold-red faces.

Next they came to a cart selling coffee. The scent of the roasted beans replaced the sickliness of the sweets and meatiness of the sausages and burgers. Keira turned to Amelia.

“Do you want one?” She gestured towards the coffee cart. Amelia didn’t respond, instead stifling a laugh.

“What?”

“It’s nothing,” she said, finally laughing.

“What is it?” Keira demanded, and Amelia laughed harder.

“It’s nothing, it’s just — here.” Amelia pulled her sleeve down over the end of her hand and gently held Keira’s cheek, using her sleeve to brush at Keira’s nose. Cross-eyed trying to see what Amelia was doing, Keira’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Amelia met her gaze and smiled. A searing heat passed between them as Amelia continued to caress her cheek. Someone knocked into Amelia as they passed, and she dropped her arm.

Keira finally noticed the white smear of doughnut sugar on Amelia’s arm.