Butterfly Kisses

In Between

Joey's  P. O. V.

I couldn't explain it, but after that blow up, things got better. Michael and Jay went out of their way to ask me questions instead of boss me around or assume things. Theo was as sarcastic and rude as ever, but I could see how his actions were contrary to every word he said, and beneath his words was a sort of fondness I hadn't picked up on before. Steve was his usual anxious self, but I actually craved the chatty man's company and reassuring hugs and pats.

Chris and I were taking it slow. We were friendly, but we didn't overshare or go out of our way to be in each other's presence. I wanted it to feel natural, not forced, and after he completely broke my trust, he was going to need to prove that he could be better.

A whole week passed, and I had gotten into a new rhythm. I had found that eating smaller, yet more frequent meals was easier than trying to eat three huge ones, so Michael made me healthy snacks to bring with me, and gave me protein shakes for school. Jay had expressed his belief that a break from school at some point during the week would be beneficial and help my mind relax, so I decided to try and set time aside on Sunday afternoons to spend with the boys.

They all expressed concern when I made it clear that I was still going to stay in contact with my aunt, but they respected my decision and didn't force the issue.

~

It was Sunday afternoon, a week after our big meeting. The week had flown by between school, and although I wasn't working again, I had been doing some chores around the house. As I had promised, I was taking a break and hanging out with my brothers. They wanted to go to the small October festival that was in town for the weekend.

"Bring a jacket just in case the weather turns," Mikey instructed, grabbing his keys.

Mikey and Steve were driving since they had nicer vehicles, so we split up accordingly. The ride there was quiet, since Mikey put on the radio and Chris was still awkward around me. Once we had found parking spots, we headed toward the gates together. Immediately the atmosphere brightened as Chris, Theo and Steve bubbled with excitement.

"Look! They have a corn maze!" Steve pointed out excitedly. "Can we do that?"

"Hang on," Jay rolled his eyes, grabbing Steve's fingers and gently leading him to the window where Mikey was paying. "We need our hand stamps, and then we can discuss what we want to do."

"We can get matching tatoos!" Theo excitedly proposed, pointing to a stand not too far away.

"Absolutely not!" Mikey nearly growled, shoving Theo into line behind Chris.

"But they're temporary!" Theo pouted.

Michael shook his head, giving me an exasperated look.

"We can always pair up and then meet up somewhere after an hour or so," Jayden proposed. "That way we can all do stuff the others aren't interested in. We can regroup for a snack break and then go from there..."

"Ooh, I like that idea!" Steve nodded excitedly.

"The rides should be off limits though since those will be better after dark," Chris spoke up.

"Okay. So, who's pairing off then?" Theo asked, his prickly demeanor shifting to that of an excited child.

"I'll go with you," Mikey said, stepping closer to Theo.

"Can I go with you, Jay?" Steve requested. "Please?"

Jay shrugged, which Steve took as an affirmative, leaving me and Chris. The other pairs had already split off, going in opposite directions. I wasn't the most comfortable around Chris, but I didn't want us to be walking on eggshells forever either.

"So...what do you want to do?" Chris cleared his throat.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been here before," I responded, peering around in interest.

"Well, we could wander around until something catches our eye," Chris suggested.

"Okay!" I easily agreed, falling into step with him. "What is your favorite thing to do here?"

"Well, they have pretty amazing food which is always great. The rides are decent as well. Last year they had a magic show which was amazing though," Chris listed some off.

Something caught my eye, making me smile happily. I stopped to watch for a minute, my interest spiking. Chris backtracked, having lost me in the crowd.

"What's caught your attention?" Chris questioned, laughing as he hooked our elbows together so we wouldn't have a repeat.

"Look! You can buy the little pumpkins and paint them!" I explained. "I know it's a bit childish, but it just looks so fun!"

Without another word, Chris dragged me over, pulling out his wallet and paying for the pumpkins we needed. We were the only participating adults there, but the benches were full of kids busy with their paintings.

The pumpkins were small enough to sit in the palm of my hand, but that just made it more challenging. I had picked a white one, and got busy. Every once in a while I looked over at Chris, hoping he was enjoying himself.

Chris's pumpkin looked amazing - there was no pattern or clear picture, just swirls of color. He used glitter glue to define the edges of the swirls, and some of the cotton balls to add texture.

Mine didn't look half as good, but I didn't mind too much. I was having fun, and that's all that mattered! I had painted some leaves and a rake, and was finishing a tree to complete the picture when Chris decided he was done. He quickly went to rinse his hands at the hand washing station, and throw away the cotton balls he had used. Everything else would stay where it was for the next person to utilize.

After the pumpkins, Chris found a photo booth for us to do. We took some goofy pictures, laughing at each other's antics until our ribs ached.

"Look at your eyes! They look like they're going to pop out of your head!" I giggled as we staggered onto the thoroughfare.

"Yeah, well your cheeks look like miniature balloons!" Chris snarked right back.

"This one is a really good one!" I pointed out.

Chris had posed like an old timey actress with one hand against his forehead, and leaning all his weight on me. He looked like he was about to faint, yet it was ridiculous since I was obviously collapsing beneath him, a surprised and flustered expression on my face.

The rest of the hour sped past. Chris won at a game, and gave me the stuffed penguin he won. And I bought us matching charm bracelets to wear. They had themed charms like a pumpkin, a haunted house, spiders, and skulls on them. They were more cute than spooky in my opinion, but they were perfect for the two of us.

"Jay said he's picked out a table not far from the Ferris Wheel," Chris mentioned, checking his phone.

"Oh, wow, I didn't realize it has already been an hour!" I said in shock.

"Actually, it's been longer than that, but everyone was a bit late, so I guess we were all having a blast," Chris shrugged. "But I'm starving, so some greasy food will be quite welcome."

"What is your favorite?" I inquired.

"I'm partial to the smoked ribs or the turkey legs," Chris chuckled, continuing when he realized I was curious about the others too. "Theo loves pickle fries and candy cotton, Steve likes corn dogs and caramel apples. Jay will eat pretty much anything, but his very favorite fair food is probably the hot dogs and the shaved ice. Mikey...well, he's a health nut, but he is a sucker for funnel cakes."

I blinked, filing those little tidbits away. It didn't take us long to find the others, and our night truly began from there.