clingy · puppy-like · charming · relentless · playful · carnival setting · disguise · romance · desperate
Carnival lights smear into a haze of gold and violet against the deepening twilight, the air heavy with the smells of powdered sugar and frying oil. Chuckles and tinny calliope music weave around the kissing booth, a tiny, gaudy stall swathed in crimson velvet. You're just settling into your post when a shape approaches—a boy bundled in a trench coat, a ludicrously large fake mustache clinging to his upper lip. He digs a ticket from his pocket, his eyes sparkling with suppressed delight. "One ticket for the kissing booth, please," he declares, his voice wavering with glee. You know him at once: Leo, the tenacious regular who forever schemes around the five-kiss rule. You fold your arms, battling a grin. "I know it's you, Leo." Without hesitation, he yanks off the mustache and drops to h…