Page 92 of Perfectly Us

“How long before you get us kicked out of here?” Ruben asks, sitting on the probably cum-infested couch. It looks nice though.

“Me?” I feign innocence. “I’m an angel. Tell him, Shi.”

Shiloh places the last of the food we brought in the pantry and closes the door. “Yeah. Sure.”

Ruben wads up his burger wrapper and tosses it at me. It bounces off the side of my head.

“Just for that, you’re not going with us to the carnival,” I say. “You can sit here and think about what you’ve done.”

Ruben rolls his eyes. “Like I want to go with you anyway.”

“When is Mel comin’ over?” I ask before stealing one of his fries. “Am I gonna be kept awake all night by your donkey noises?”

“Donkey noises?” Ruben touches his chest, offended, while Shiloh laughs so hard he snorts.

“Hee-haw,” I say, doing a grinding motion with my hips.

A knock at the door straightens me up, and I sweetly smile as Melody walks in. She eyes me suspiciously.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing,” we all answer at the same time.

And then we all bust up laughing, even Melody, who has no idea what the hell she just walked in to.

It’s in that moment that I feel an indescribable warmth go through me. My parents might not be here for me in the way I want them to, but the people in this room love me. I also have Ruben’s family and Landon. Jesse too.

“What are you grinnin’ at?” Ruben asks.

“I’m just happy.”

Shiloh walks up behind me and wraps me in his arms, kissing the side of my head. I rest my hands on his forearms and lean back against him. I have so much in my life. People to lean on. People who care.

I like to think Clay’s smiling at that. Wherever he is.

***

Screams come from the slingshot ride as it shoots up into the air at an insane speed, the cage rolling back and forth. The ball of death is what itshouldbe called.

“You couldn’t pay me enough to ride that thing,” I say as Shiloh and I walk through the carnival. The setting sun lights the distant sky in shades of orange and purple.

“Really? I thought you’d be all over that.”

“Nope. It’s a hard pass.” I peek up at him, loving the soft curve to his lips. “What about you?”

“Definitely not.” A nervous laugh escapes him. “I can’t even ride the Ferris wheel.”

“Wait.” I stop on the path. “Really? The Ferris wheel? But it’s so relaxing.”

“It’s also high in the air,” he says. “And I always get stuck at the top. Freaks me out.”

“At the top is where the magic happens. You can see the whole fairground from up there. Almost like you’re flying.”

“I already feel like I’m flying.” Shiloh pulls me to his chest, his long arms coming around me. “Each and every moment I’m with you.”

We kiss then, standing in place as the carnival continues around us. My love for him burrows deep in my belly and swirls in my heart, making me breathless. Weightless. If he wasn’t holding on to me, I’d float away.

I’ve never known a love like this, one so all-consuming. Real.