Maybe Someday

Roll 4 Scene 17 - A Fragmented Resolve

December 21st, 2019

The girl slowly tapped on his shoulder. He turned to the other side, falling for her bait. She smirked, taking the cotton candy stick away from his hand, she ran. The boy ran after her, calling her name over the crowd. 

Nith watched them, smiling at himself. With another turn at the corner, the kids mixed into the crowd. 

"This way!" Kate called over her shoulder.

He nodded. His hands were inside the pockets of his denim jacket as he walked behind Kate. Hoodie up to cover his hair. Nith didn't understand why he had to cover his hair, but according to Kate, hiding your hair from view was 101 when going incognito. He doubted it was working as well as Kate had expected it to work with the number of eyes that were stealing glances at them. They might as well lose the cap and the hood.

Nith breathed out, watching his breath turn white before vanishing into the air. The weather was cold, not enough to snow but enough to make you think it might.

"Look!" Kate pulled his arm, dragging him to the next stall. Their steps matched in pace as they moved from one place to another. It was a rhythm Nith was familiar with. One he often played to himself when he was alone. 

Kate shifted her hand until it was entwined with his. Warm and soft. His fingers flexed as the warmth from her fingertips spread through his veins like a forest fire. The bitterness of winter that had him complaining a few minutes ago turned into spring in his mind.

And then she let go of his hand to take a closer look at the trinkets. The warmth vanishes in thin air. With a sigh Nith puts his hand back inside his pocket, trying to salvage whatever that was left of Kate's touch on him. He leaned on his feet, watching her carefully pick each item in the stall. Her sun-set hair was poking out of the cap that she pushed back behind her ear. Blue eyes taking in the tiny clay earrings displayed in cases.

"Which one?" She dangled two earrings in front of him. One shaped like a bunny, hanging onto the hook by one of its ears. The other one was a half-eaten cupcake.

Nith chuckled. Kate had an obsession with cute animals ever since she turned nine. So he knew which one she wanted him to choose. He pointed at the cupcake.  "That one, it's cute."

Kate grimaced, looking at them once more. "But I think the bunny is cuter."

"Then why did you asked?" Nith tilted toward her to take a closer look at the ones still inside the case.

"You used to be so nice. Always 'Yes Kate' and 'No Kate'. But now ..." she tsked.

Nith rolled his eyes. "You mean when I was your lackey?"

Kate gasped, slapping him on the forearm. "You make me sound like a bully!"

Nith picked a pair of cats. "You kind of were. Beating everyone up everywhere you went."

Brows high in her hair as she shook her head. "I can't even look at you anymore." But the laughter in her voice gave her away.

Nith laughed himself as he took the earnings from her hand and placed them in front of the owner. "We will take all three."

"But-"

"Kate, you would buy them both." He knew how this was gonna end. They would stand here for the next fifteen minutes arguing over which one was cuter and then she would end up buying them both like the last five stalls they visited. Nith would rather save those fifteen minutes before she got on her rant. "I know that." He motioned his hand toward her. "As you know that. And," - he gestured at the stall owner - "she knows that too. Let's save all of our time. People are waiting." He motioned the crowd behind them.