Chapter 14

The first thought that came to my mind when we entered the circus tent was that it was a lot bigger inside than it looked on the outside. The place had to be magically altered if the tingling of magic on my skin was anything to go by.

That had me wondering how privy Conall was to the happenings of the circus. He had to know something if he grew up with all of this…right? Did that mean I could be open about who I was to him?

I wanted to ask, but this wasn't the right time. For one, there were too many humans around who could overhear the conversation, and for the other, Conall was so damn hyped about the show that he was basically dragging us through the rows to find seats.

He'd said he'd watched this show thousands of times before, yet he was acting like this was his first time watching it. I wondered what that was like. To not get tired of something that had been in your life for so long.

I often wondered if my desire to leave the sperm whale kingdom and travel was because I needed the excitement of something different—something new. And I knew it wasn't just me. Society had conditioned us to consume at a breakneck speed. We needed the latest fashion styles, magical trinkets, and experiences. So for Conall to find joy in what was a commonoccurrence in his life was…refreshing.

When we reached the middle of the room, Conall pulled me down the row. "After years of research, I can confidently say these are the best seats. We're not too close that the lights blind us and not too far that the people on stage look like dolls," he leaned in close and whispered like he was telling me a world-class secret.

"I must be really lucky. I get to watch my first circus show from the best seats in the house and with the most handsome man in the city," I said.

Conall's lips quirked up. "Are you saying you've seen every man in the city to come to that conclusion?" he teased.

"I didn't have to. Nobody can hold a candle to you." I leaned in closer and stole a quick kiss.

A shocked expression passed through Conall's face as he glanced around us. When he saw that nobody was looking our way, he scooted as close to me as our chairs allowed and plopped a smooch on my cheek.

"I'm lucky too. I get to watch the show with the sexiest person alive."

I beamed at him. I was used to people complimenting me to curry favor with me, but it sounded different from Conall. He spoke as if he truly believed his words. I was very confident in my looks, but even I knew I wouldn't even make the top thousands of the world's sexiest people. But for Conall to think that had me feeling all fuzzy inside.

"It's starting!" he exclaimed, practically bouncing in his seat. Even while his eyes were glued to the stage as he listened to the tall man wearing a top hat give the introductions, Conall's hand found mine on my lap. I liked that he wasunconsciously thinking about me, even if he was occupied with something else.

Throughout the show, Conall was basically pasted against me. He would briefly introduce each act in a hushed voice before refocusing on the show.

I could see how Black Cat Circus had earned its reputation. Their acts were thrilling and touched with enough magic to feel whimsical but not enough to raise questions. Some of the acts definitely used tiny bits of magic to elevate their performance, though it wasn'tnoticeable unless you could sense the tingles in the air.

The show was fascinating, and I now knew where Conall's excitement had come from, but what held my attention more were Conall's reactions to the show.

At times, the bright stage lights were a bit too much for me. Sperm whales had adapted to living in deep waters where the sun barely reached. I had a hard time adjusting to the bright flashes, so I found myself watching him instead.

He cheered hard after each act, eyes gleaming with joy, and his body shook with the buzz of the atmosphere.

He was so alive it was breathtaking. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

I did, of course. Because Conall had been excited to share the show with me, I watched as much as I could.

When the ringmaster came back onstage to give his closing speech, Conall was basically on the edge of his seat, and when the show finished, he was the first to jump up and clap for them.

"So what did you think?" he asked when people started filing out of the tent. His big blue eyes turned to me with expectation.

"I'm glad there weren't any clowns," I teased, then quickly added, "but I really enjoyed it. Like you said, it was very magical and entertaining. Your friends did an amazing job."

His smile grew wider, as if he was over the moon about the fact that I enjoyed the show. He wasn't directly on stage, but that didn't mean he didn't have pride over it and his friends who performed.

It just went to show what kind of man Conall was. He wasn't like those fake friends who were secretly delighted when they encountered a bad situation. He cheered for his friends and was happy when good things happened to them. There was a genuine kindness surrounding him that was hard to find these days.

"So, do you have plans after this?" he asked as we left the tent. It was dark now, but the grounds were still as crowded as earlier, if not more.

"I do," I replied, and Conall's expression instantly fell. I stopped walking and turned my entire body to face him. "There's this adorable guy I met recently, and I was really hoping to spend more time with him."

"Oh." He looked so dejected as he tried to pull his hand out of mine.

I didn't give him the chance. "It's you! I was talking about you. Sorry, I should have just answered the question instead of trying to be cute," I said sheepishly.

"Oh!" he squeaked out, this time sounding a lot more vibrant. "I should have realized that. I'm kinda new to this." He waved his free hand between the two of us.

He didn't say exactly what he meant, but I had a faint guess it was about whatever was bubbling up between us. I took a step closer to him and leaned down. "I have another blackmail-worthy secret for you."

He giggled and tilted his head closer to me. His eyes squinted with amusement, probably thinking it would be something as silly as liking pineapple on pizza like I'd told him last night.

"All of this? It's new for me too," I said.

Conall pulled back and stared at me with shock clear on his face. "But you're so…you. I can't imagine guys not throwing themselves at you."

I laughed, because it was true. There was never a lack of guys lining up for me, at least for my body. In fact, I had quite the reputation at the club Ifrequented in this city.

But this was different.

Those flings had no meaning besides a momentary thrill of the body. Being with Conall now? This fed my soul.

"I'm not saying I've never been with anyone before, because I have. I can't erase my history," I started. Conall nodded in understanding. "But I've never been with anyone like this—never wanted to before—before I met you."

Conall stared at me with a serious expression, not saying anything.

That's not a good sign.

Maybe this wasn't what he'd wanted to hear? Maybe he wanted someone more experienced with relationships, or hell, maybe he never wanted anything real with me?

The little annoying voices telling me I wasn't good enough rang in my ears, because why the hell would anyone want to be with me?

He opened his mouth, and I braced myself for rejection. Idefinitely wasn't expecting the jumble of words that came out instead.

Willyougooutwithme?

"Uh…what?" I asked. I had an inkling of what he'd said, but I needed to make sure my ears weren't playing tricks on me.

Conall's eyes were filled with starlight as he cleared his throat and repeated his words, clearly this time. "Will you go out with me? I know we've been on two dates, but I don't know if that means we're actually dating or not, and I don't want to live in that uncertainty. I want to ask and make it official…so will you?"

My mouth hung open with both shock and awe. It was soincredibly brave of him to put that all out there. I knew I'd never had the guts to do something this bold, and fuck if that confidence wasn't sexy as hell.

"Yes, so many yeses," I said as I scooped him in my arms and kissed the life out of him. It didn't matter that we were in the middle of the circus and anyone could see us. I needed to have a taste of those lips. Conall laughed under the attack and held on tight as I twirled us in a circle.

"I guess that means this is the anniversary date of when we became official," he said when I placed him on his feet. He then tugged me down for one last sweet kiss. I hummed against his lips.

"So when you asked me if I had plans earlier, did you have something in mind?" I asked, still holding him close against me. With how reluctant I was to let him go, one would think I was touch-starved or something.

Conall shot me a playful smile. "Well...since we're already here, I thought we'd explore the carnival. Have you tried bumper cars before?"

"Can't say I have, but I'm excited to have another one of my virginities taken," I replied with a smirk.

"At this rate, I'm gonna take so many of your firsts," he said, chuckling.

Conall might not be my first kiss or first sexual experience, but I knew I would have so many other firsts with him, and it was going to be amazing.

"I can't wait."