I almost didn't open the door right away.
Not because I wasn't ready—but because the moment felt too real. Like once I turned the handle, there would be no pretending this was just another night.
I took a breath, then opened it.
Jason stood on the porch, hands in his jacket pockets, hair slightly tousled like he hadn't meant for it to look that way. For a second, he just stared at me.
Not in the confident, practiced way he usually looked at people.
This was different.
"You—" he stopped himself, then smiled, slower this time. "You look… wow."
Heat rushed to my face. "Hi," I said, suddenly very aware of how close we were standing.
He blinked, like he'd forgotten how doors worked. "Hi," he repeated, softer.
Something shifted in his expression—not sharp, not flashy. Just quiet awe. Like the moment had caught him off guard.
And I realized, suddenly, that Jason hadn't expected this either.
"Ready?" he asked.
I nodded, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind me. The night air was cool, the sky darkening into something alive with promise.
As we walked to his car, he kept glancing at me like he needed to check I was still there.
The fair glowed in the distance—lights spinning, music drifting through the air. When we arrived, everything felt louder, brighter, faster.
Jason bought us tickets without asking. "You can pay me back with funnel cake," he said easily.
I laughed. "Deal."
We wandered through the fair, shoulder to shoulder, not touching—but close enough that I felt the warmth of him anyway. He won me a small stuffed bear at a game I was terrible at, grinning when I protested.
"Beginner's luck," he teased.
"I didn't even play," I said.
"Exactly."
At one point, he looked at me and said, "I'm really glad you came."
I believed him.