[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]LAUGHTER, RIDES, GAMES, AND COTTON CANDY

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jack wainwright | Xiura Balfaltin | Outfit

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Xiura trotted to keep up with Jack, her arm linked warmly in his. She cast a glance back at Aurelie, her expression tinged with concern at how close she was getting to Jack, but the brief glimpse she caught of her red-haired friend was that of a proverbial “cat with the cream” as she held her giant toy bear.
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“Jack, I—” she started, wanting to apologize for getting in between them, but the recollection of Aurelie’s tacit permission made her pause. Her gaze met Jack’s warm brown eyes with warmth and affection.
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Xiura said, “I agree, you are the prettiest girl at the carnival.” She pulled her elbow in closer to her body, and by extension, closer to Jack, tucking herself into his side. And she let herself, for a few moments, pretend that this was okay.
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She hardly noticed they arrived at the Ferris wheel until the barker expressed his doubt about the three of them fitting into the car. But before Xiura could let her uncertainty show and automatically offer the car to her friends, Aurelie quickly solved the problem by stepping into another car, leaving Jack and Xiura alone to get into theirs. She blushed at Jack calling her beautiful, and almost stuttered in her response. “Thank you, Jack, but I pale in comparison to you,” she managed to joke.
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“Aurelie, I’ll miss you!” Xiura called out, quietly happy but still feeling apologetic about it. Riding alone surely couldn’t be as fun as riding with a friend. Conscious of the high step, Xiura stepped up into the Ferris wheel car, then took Jack’s hand and used her weight to pull her friend in as well. “Umph,” she grunted, falling back onto the hard plastic seat, sliding gracelessly to one side, but still holding Jack’s hand. The door shut behind them and she let Jack settle down beside her for a cozy fit.
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The Ferris wheel immediately started to turn, and their car rose high into the air. The warm line of Jack’s body pressed along her side was unfamiliar but thrilling in the best way, awakening a riot of fluttering butterflies in Xiura’s stomach. She could hardly enjoy the beautiful view of the pale moon against the midnight-blue sky with such feelings inside her.
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Was it time? Perhaps she should wait. How many rotations was the Ferris wheel going to go through? She looked out the window at the ground below, biting her lip. No, no, even if Jack didn’t return her feelings, they would still be friends; she was sure of it. She just needed to tell the truth.
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Their car continued to rise to the top of the wheel. “Jack, I’ve been thinking about our friendship for some time now,” she ventured bravely. She was just talking, not planning the next words she was going to say at all. “I know you’re with Aurelie, and… I’m really happy for you two. I have been! And…” She trailed off, wringing her hands together and looking up at Jack helplessly.
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“Jack, the truth is, I—”
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Behind her, an ember-like shot of light sped into the air, bursting into a panoply of primary colors: red, blue, and yellow, followed by several others in sharp crackles of sound that threatened to drown out her voice.
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“—like you.”

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