I wish we hadn't ended.

Chapter 5: The Christmas Market

ZAID EASTON
Upon arriving at the Christmas Market, I easily found a parking spot. I parked the car, and before opening the door, I glanced at Aria. Our eyes met briefly, and she looked away, a hint of blush on her face. Did I just make her blush?

Stepping out of the car, I locked the door. The Christmas market sprawled before us, resembling an amusement park with its numerous games, food stands, and rides. Excitement built up in me, spending time with Aria was something I looked forward to. She looked pretty, and a thought crossed my mind – was I developing feelings for my best friend?

I hoped not.

Hungry, Aria clung to my arm, I liked that. I liked her touch.

"Can we get something to eat, please?" she asked, her grip shifting to my hand as she excitedly dragged me toward a corn dog stand.

"Two corn dogs, please!" she told the worker, paying for them as I stood there, simply admiring her.

We waited for about five minutes as the lady prepared the corn dogs, and it was oddly amusing to watch her work. Aria kept throwing in a few peculiar questions—well, they weren't exactly weird, just inquiries that most people wouldn't think to ask.
As the lady finished, she handed us our corn dogs along with two napkins. Aria and I were briefly puzzled about where to eat them since there were no seating areas around. Eventually, we found a quiet spot away from the crowd and indulged in our corn dogs, accompanied by some casual chit-chat.

"I love this, oh my god, I hadn't had one in forever!" she said, taking a bite. She looked too cute, and in that moment, I wished I could spend every moment with her.
"Why don't you eat yours?" she asked, then took my hand, guiding it to my mouth.

"Oh, right— I was just thinking about something."I chuckled, taking a bite too.

"Stopppp, we came here to have fun, no thinking about other things, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You come here often with your other friends? I've never been here before."

"Well, you know, my buddies used to drag me to this place. It's kind of our thing – this magical Christmas market that pops up just once a year during the holiday season."

"No other girls?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, chuckling.
Was she joking or was she jealous? She was probably just joking, dang it...

"No.."

"Not even Jamilah?"

"Aria, no. You're the first girl I've brought to this place."

"If you say so..."

After finishing our corn dogs, we spotted a nearby carnival game – with basketballs . Aria suggested trying our luck.

"Mind asking that worker over there how this carnival game works? Since there's no one around, it should be chill!" Aria asked.

"Sure, give me a second."

I inquired the worker, and he provided an elaborate explanation with more details than necessary. Turning back to Aria, I condensed it, saying, "Look, if we land three basketballs in the hoop out of four, we win a stuffed animal," I explained, and Aria's eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

"Let's go for it! It's gonna be a blast, I swear, and I won't quit until one of us nails it!" Aria exclaimed with energy, grabbing a basketball and tossing it at the basket, but she missed. I was eager for her to succeed, to witness that proud, happy glow on her face.

After missing the basket twice, she glanced at me. "If I miss the other shots, I lose," she said, the energy waning a bit, yet she maintained her cheerful demeanor.