Chapter 2

2

E njell

My heart hurt. It literally ached—slowing down seemingly with each beat. Up until now, I couldn't understand how people could die of a broken heart. But with each passing minute that my mind replayed what happened with Gino earlier, it felt harder and harder to breathe—to live.

As serious as the situation was, and as important as it was for me to plan my next steps, all I'd been able to do was sit and allow the wind to ripple through me. I couldn't count the amount of tears I'd shed and quickly wiped away, ego too big to let strangers see and ask if I was okay.

My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't had lunch or dinner. I was unsure what time it was, but the sun had set, so I'd been at the carnival for at least four or five hours. Pulling my phone out to check the time, I chuckled as my eyes watered. No calls or texts from Gino. He didn't even care enough to reach out and make sure I was okay.

Christ .

I felt so… so stupid . It was clear he didn't give a damn about me, about us, so why was I so hurt over him? Burying my face in my palms, I pulled in a deep breath and willed myself not to shed another tear over him. Sniffling, I looked around the open space. It wasn't nearly as full as it was when I first arrived. There were a few people waiting in line for rides or food by the food trucks, but most of the crowd was over by the hot air balloons.

Deciding the least I could do was care for myself, I stood and headed toward the line of food trucks. I had no appetite, but starving myself out of sadness would only make things worse. My eyes shifted toward the Ferris Wheel, and a bitter smile lifted the corners of my lips. I thought back to how every year when the carnival came, I tried to psych myself up to ride the Ferris Wheel. Me being afraid of heights didn't make that an easy feat. Every year, I told Gino that would be the one, and every year, I couldn't pull myself to take the risk.

The sound of a camera clicking pulled me out of my nostalgia. My head swiveled, trying to find the person responsible. A camera lowered from in front of the face of the culprit, and I felt mine shift into a scowl.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" I snapped, charging over to him. "You can't just take pictures of people without their consent. It's illegal… and rude."

He blinked at me for a few seconds, mouth slightly open. "How arrogant of you to think I was taking a picture of you and not the Ferris Wheel you're standing in front of."

My mouth snapped shut as I looked back at the ride that was glowing in neon lights. Well… I hadn't really considered that as an option. It was beautiful now that the sun had set, and him taking a picture of that did make sense. Still, I wouldn't apologize. Muttering under my breath, I bumped into him with my shoulder and continued toward the food trucks. Snapping at a stranger for nothing wasn't the worst thing that had happened to me today, and that realization made me want to cry all over again.

With a huff, I turned to face him. He was looking at pictures on his camera as I yelled, "Hey!" He turned, eyeing me with a soft smile and curious expression. "Uh… I'm sorry about that."

Chuckling, he bobbed his head. "It's cool."

That made me feel a little better, so I continued my trek toward the trucks. There were eight total, ranging from soul food burritos and halal bowls to salads and burgers. I was so drained and indecisive I didn't know what I wanted. Since the taco line was the longest, I figured their food may have been the best. I nibbled my nail as I waited for my turn. The photographer got in the second line a few feet away from me, and we ended up placing our orders at the same time. We also asked for the same thing—the birria triple taco platter.

"There's only enough of the birria tacos for one plate since we're so close to closing," his cashier said. "I think she's cashed out already and will get them first. I'm so sorry."

"Oh," I said, handing my cashier a twenty-dollar bill. "Well, you can get something else, and we can split it," I offered the photographer.

His head shook as he eyed my frame. "Nah, you don't have to do that."

"It's cool. I don't have much of an appetite anyway. I just wanted to put something on my stomach."

"Only if you're really sure."

That made me smile genuinely for the first time in hours. "I'm sure."

He nodded his agreement then asked me what other style of taco I wanted him to get. I grabbed my change then walked over to him, requesting the steak tacos since they were the second most popular kind. He ended up getting steak and chicken and two cups of creamy strawberry agua fresca. After thanking him, I went over to the red tables and sat on a bench that wasn't occupied by anyone else until my number was called, but I didn't have to get up and get my food, because the photographer grabbed it and set it on the table.

Not long after, his order was done as well. He grabbed it and set everything in the center of us. I was caught off guard when he sat next to me instead of across from me and took my hand into his for a quick prayer.

He was beautiful. He had smooth, glowing skin that was the same shade of milk chocolate. Seemed cliché to use that to describe the hue of his skin, but it was the perfect description. The sides and back of his head were shaved, but black and golden brown locs were pulled into a bun on the top of his head. The shaved sides connected to a thick beard that drew my attention to his blunt brown, medium-sized lips. Two holes were in his ears. The bottom one had a small hoop, and the second one had a diamond stud.

The whole time he prayed, I stared at the side of his face, memorizing every feature. When he was done, he looked at me and gave me a soft chuckle. His nose was pierced too… on both sides, along with his septum.

"You don't believe in God?" he asked, casually sliding the plate that had the birria tacos with beans and rice in my direction.

"Yeah, I just… You caught me off guard."

"Mhm." He nodded, separating the tacos so that we had one and a half of each. Then, he spooned some beans and rice onto my plate. I gritted my teeth as he opened my straw and shoved it into my drink.

Why is this man taking care of me?

Blinking back my tears, I swallowed hard as my nostrils flared.

"Why are you being so nice to me, when I was mean to you?" I almost whispered.

His smile was warm as he gently used my chin to tug my face, and eyes, in his direction. "Because, usually, the people who are mean are the ones who need someone to be nice to them the most." His thumb kept a tear from sliding down my cheek. After he wiped it away, he told me, "Eat."

With a nod, I turned my attention to the plate he'd prepared. His act of kindness made me smile with each tiny bite I took of the delicious food.