Empress of Time

Chapter 14: Playing his Game

Ryan

We walked a couple of minutes until we saw a huge carnival flooded with lights, engulfed with fumes of funnel cake and cotton candy. Clarissa dashed off towards the Ferris wheel and dragged Tyler by the arm while Lucia, Cassie, and Victor headed towards the games. Kisa stood of to the side a bit awkwardly behind me. "Wanna find some ice cream?" I asked.

"I guess so...," she mumbled, her mouth curving slightly to show her amusement.

As I walked forward, a man bumped in between us and knocked her backward. I quickly grabbed her wrist without thinking and pulled her into me.

"You have to stay close. It's always crowded in these places."

She looked off to the side before responding, clutching her hand tightly. "Okay."

Eventually, we made it further towards the food stands, making our way through the muddled crowd. Just ahead of us, I saw Tyler and Clarissa waiting in line for funnel cake. "Hey guys!" I waved, pulling Kisa along with me. As we approached them, Tyler tilted his head in confusion, staring at the two of us.

"Hey, boss. Um... I didn't know you two were that close..." Tyler pointed at my grasp.

Kisa blushed and quickly broke my grip.

"N-No! It's nothing like that!" I assured him.

"Sure didn't seem that way to me," Clarissa winked.

"Next in line!" the man from the cart called out.

"Babe, order for us. I'll go find us a seat," Clarissa cooed.

"Sure thing. I'll pay for all of us so you two can go sit if you'd like," Tyler gestured, pulling out his wallet from behind. I nodded, surveying the seating area. Clarissa walked in front of us towards the tables, signaling us to follow her. We found a table in no time, large enough to fit the four of us. Clarissa sat down first and invited Kisa to sit next to her. Soon enough, Tyler came by with Lucia, Cassie, and Victor next to him. "Look who I found."

"Eating already, huh?" Victor laughed, rubbing his hands together.

"I see you already won a game," Clarissa gawked, staring at the large stuffed tiger in Lucia's arms.

"It was actually Victor's win."

"That's what I meant, obviously," Clarissa snapped.

Lucia just rolled her eyes. After everyone sat down, we all shared a large funnel cake, stuffing our faces while chatting the night away.

Well... I kinda ate most of it.

"There's powder all over your face!" Clarissa laughed, pointing at my mouth.

"Oh... guess I was being careless," I blushed.

Clarissa grabbed a napkin and wiped my mouth. "We always have to look after you, don't we?"

Tyler gave me an uncomfortable glance and I shot him a worried expression back. He coughed, turning away as I took the napkin from her hands and finished wiping my face. "Thanks, I can do it myself."

The table went silent for a few minutes until Cassie perked up from her seat. "Let's all see who can win the most games!"

"A competition? You're on!" I grinned.

Kisa

Even after we left the table, Clarissa and Tyler stood awkwardly away from one another. They started to walk separately from each other as the group departed. I jumped as I felt Ryan patted my head so suddenly from behind. "You ok?"