The distance between them continued to shrink.
A few inches.
Then a little less.
Jean could hear Tesia breathing, and for a moment, neither of them seemed to care that they were in the middle of a crowded amusement park.
Tesia slowly closed her eyes.
Jean did the same.
And then...
“Mommy!”
They both stopped.
“Mommy?”
“Huh?”
Jean opened his eyes.
So did Tesia.
A few steps away, a little boy was crying, desperately looking around as he tried to find someone in the crowd.
Jean and Tesia exchanged glances.
“Are you okay?” Jean asked.
The boy shook his head.
“I can't find my parents...”
Tesia's expression immediately changed.
All the warmth and nervous excitement she'd been feeling just moments ago disappeared.
She stood up from the bench.
“Don't worry.”
She approached the boy and crouched down to his level.
“We'll find them, okay?”
The boy wiped his tears with his sleeve.
“Really?”
“Of course sweetheart.”
Jean stood up as well.
“But we're going to need your help.”
The boy looked at them.
“Do you remember where you last saw your parents?”
The little boy pointed toward one of the park's sections.
“Over there...”
“Okay.”
Jean held out his hand.
“Then let's look over there.”
The boy took his hand.
Tesia took his other one.
And the three of them started walking.
The crowd seemed much bigger from the perspective of a lost child. Between the lights, the food stands, and the people moving in every direction, every face seemed to disappear just seconds after he'd seen it.
“Do you think they were near a ride?” Tesia asked.
The boy nodded.
“There was one with lots of little horses.”
“The carousel?”
“Yeah.”
Jean looked ahead.
“Then let's look over there.”
They walked for several minutes.
Every now and then, the boy pointed somewhere.
“I think it was that way.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hmm...”
He looked around.
“I don't know.”
“That's okay,” Jean replied. “Take your time and think.”
Tesia smiled.
“We'll find them.”
As they continued walking, Jean noticed that the little boy was starting to get tired.
Eventually, he picked him up.
“Is this more comfortable?”
The boy nodded.
He rested his head against Jean's shoulder.
Tesia watched them silently.
Jean continued walking while the boy occasionally pointed in one direction or another.
“Over there...”
“Over there?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
Tesia walked beside them.
“Jean.”
“Yeah?”
“You're good with kids.”
Jean glanced at the little boy in his arms.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you are.”
Jean smiled.
“I guess... I just want him to feel safe.”
Tesia lowered her gaze.
That simple answer filled her chest with warmth.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen Jean being kind.
But perhaps that was exactly what she liked most about him.
He didn't need to show off about it.
He was simply that kind of person.
After a few more minutes, they finally heard a voice.
“Excuse me, have you happened to see a little boy who's about—”
“SON!”
The boy immediately lifted his head.
“Mommy!”
Jean followed his gaze.
A couple came running toward them.
The mother hugged her son the moment she reached him.
“Oh, my God!”
His father hurried over too, visibly relieved.
“Where have you been, you little rascal? You had us worried sick! Are you okay?”
The boy clung to his mother.
“They helped me.”
His parents looked up at Jean and Tesia.
“Thank you so much.”
“Seriously,” his father added. “We've been searching the entire park for him.”
Jean shook his head.
“It was nothing.”
Tesia waved her hand at the boy with a warm smile.
“The important thing is that he's back with you.”
The mother thanked them again.
After saying goodbye, Jean and Tesia continued walking.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Tesia looked at Jean.
“I definitely wasn't wrong about you.”
Jean glanced at her.
“Hmm?”
Tesia smiled.
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that...”
“Nothing.”
“That's not fair.”
She let out a little laugh.
“I'll tell you later.”
///
Eventually, they arrived at the Ferris wheel.
Luckily, there was practically no line.
The enormous structure turned slowly above them, illuminated against the night sky. From the highest cabins, they could see most of the amusement park, and perhaps even a nice view of few of the city's buildings in the distance.
Jean looked up.
“Want to go on it?”
Tesia raised her gaze.
“Are you sure? Isn't it a little high?”
“Don't worry.”
Jean held out his hand.
“Will you come with me?”
Tesia looked at his hand.
Then she raised her eyes to meet his.
Time seemed to stop within her ruby-colored eyes. Her lips quivered a little, followed by a light flush on her cheeks and a sweet, genuine smile.
“Yeah.”
She took his hand.
“I'd love to.”
They boarded one of the cabins.
The door closed.
And shortly afterward, they began to rise slowly into the air.
Tesia sat beside Jean.
Their hands remained joined.
Neither of them seemed interested in letting go.
At first, they sat quietly.
The cabin rose little by little.
The lights of the amusement park began to look smaller.
The rides resembled toys.
The people became tiny figures moving along illuminated paths.
Tesia gently rested her head against the glass.
“Look.”
Jean followed her gaze.
“What?”
“The sky.”
Jean looked up.
Above them stretched the darkness of the night, dotted with a few stars that were beginning to emerge between the city lights.
Tesia rested her head lightly against the glass and gazed upward.
“The sky looks especially beautiful tonight...”
Jean looked out through the window as well.
From that height, the amusement park's lights looked like tiny splashes of color moving slowly beneath them, while the city's streets stretched into the distance like an enormous river of yellow and white lights.
“Yeah... it does.”
Tesia gave his hand a gentle squeeze, overcome with excitement.
“Look at those stars.”
She pointed toward a small cluster of bright dots.
“I've always liked looking at them. Some of them seem so tiny from down here, but when you fly really high, you can see so many more, and they form all sorts of different patterns.”
Jean watched her as she spoke.
There was something different about her expression.
She was simply a girl looking at the sky, quietly happy.
“I bet it's beautiful to see skies like this one... or even prettier ones.”
Tesia looked at him, her red eyes reflecting the stars beyond the glass.
“Mm?”
“Well... you can fly.”
Jean let out a small laugh.
“You must've been much higher than we are now. I'm sure you've seen the stars from places where there aren't even any city lights.”
Tesia thought about it for a few seconds.
“Yeah.”
Jean smiled.
“I knew it.”
“I've seen plenty.”
Tesia turned her gaze back toward the sky.
“I've seen the sky from the highest places I've been able to reach. I've flown through entire nights, watched the stars from above the clouds, and seen them from places where there was absolutely nothing around me.”
Jean listened quietly.
“But none of those skies has been as beautiful as this one.”
“Is this one more beautiful than any of the others you've seen?”
Tesia lowered her gaze.
Her fingers toyed lightly with Jean's leg, while she still held his hand gently.
“Yeah, because...”
Her voice grew softer.
“I'm looking at it with you.”
Tesia took a deep breath and looked back at the sky.
“Maybe I've seen bigger skies. Maybe I've seen almost every star, moon, comet, or shooting star that can be seen from this planet.”
She smiled.
“But this is my sky with you.”
Jean couldn't find an answer.
For some reason, those words seemed to have stolen every response he'd thought he had ready.
Tesia finally looked at him again.
The tiny lights of the city reflected in her ruby-red eyes.
“I've always wondered what it would be like.”
“What would?”
“This.”
She gently squeezed his hand.
“Going on a date with you.”
Jean smiled.
“And is it what you imagined?”
Tesia softly shook her head.
“It's even better.”
They stared at each other.
Neither said a word for several seconds.
The Ferris wheel continued rising slowly, carrying them farther and farther away from the noise of the amusement park.
Jean felt his heart begin to pound.
Tesia felt nervous too.
But neither of them looked away.
Little by little, almost without realizing it, they began to lean closer.
First a few inches.
Then a little more.
Until the distance between them disappeared.
Jean closed his eyes.
Tesia did the same.
And finally...
Their lips met.
It was a gentle kiss, both cool and warm.
Awkward at first, almost timid, as if neither of them quite knew what to do after waiting so long for that moment.
But neither pulled away.
The kiss lasted a little longer, growing more relaxed as their hands remained intertwined.
There were no words.
None were necessary.
For the first time since meeting Tesia, Jean stopped wondering whether this was the right thing to do, whether he was getting ahead of himself, or whether it would all end badly.
And Tesia, for her part, was finally experiencing something she'd imagined for who knew how long.
They felt the softness of each other's lips, the taste of their first kiss, the gentle touch of their tongues brushing together.
When they finally parted, only a few inches separated them.
Neither spoke.
The warmth of their lips and cheeks, along with the lingering sensation of their breath, seemed to remain on each other's skin.
Jean slowly opened his eyes.
Tesia did the same.
They looked at each other.
And then they both smiled.
The Ferris wheel continued turning above the city, carrying them along in what genuinely felt like the sweetest dream imaginable. ❤️