The Attraction

At first August thought he was having one of those lucid dreams he read about in books. The setup looked so much like what he would expect from the Enchanted Forest that it caught him off guard. But then he saw the others that, like him, were dressed in jeans and T-shirts embroidered with band names. Puzzled but intrigued, August stepped forward to investigate.

There was a man dressed as a court jester juggling for an enraptured crowd. In another place a man was roasting a pig over a fire. Vendors shouted out their wares to any who passed by. There was the distinct thrum of a lute's strings, accompanied by a reed pipe. If August didn't know better, he would think he stepped into some kind of festival.

"Good sir, would you like to buy one of my bracelets? It would look well on a fair lady's wrist." August turned at the voice and felt himself momentarily lost for words. The girl didn't look much older than him, her long brown hair styled in two braids that fell down her back. She wore a simple green dress but accented it with a silver cross necklace.

"Why aren't you wearing one, then?" he asked, realizing the moment he spoke the words how cheesy they sounded. Thankfully the girl just smiled at him.

"Such kind words, sir. I'm honored."

"So what is all this?" August quickly changed the subject. "What's going on?"

"You have stumbled upon our humble fair. If you linger, you may see a friendly swordfight between two knights."

"Knights?" August echoed the word in surprise. "You have those here? Real ones?" For some reason the girl found this funny.

"Most certainly we do. Have you never attended a fair before?" August's face must've been answer enough, because the girl laughed and threaded her arm through his. "In that case, allow me to guide you. My name is Leah."

"I'm August." He held out his hand but the girl curtseyed to him instead. With her on his arm, August toured the fair. At first Leah tried to explain what was happening; it didn't take long for August to jump in. All of this felt so familiar to him. He applauded enthusiastically with everyone else when the knights stepped forward for their mock fight. Unfortunately, his enjoyment was short-lived. "There's something weird… Those swords aren't real."

"Of course not!" Leah gave him a strange look. "Did you think we had a DeLorean parked in the back?" August couldn't help but laugh at the comment. Leah joined in, playfully slapping him on the arm "I didn't mean to break character, but I couldn't resist. Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies!" With the character broken Leah became a lot more relaxed. She told August she volunteered at these medieval fairs every year; August was amazed that these modern-day people would celebrate the past like this.

August ended up staying at the fair all day. When it was over he volunteered to help pack everything up. He kept catching Leah's eyes and exchanging smiles. She had changed into a flower print shirt and blue jeans once all the fair-goers left, and was now busy packing up all her unsold bracelets. August found excuses to walk over to her just so they could be closer. Somehow just being near her made his heart race.

"August, my dad's going to be picking me up in a minute," Leah mentioned. "But I really liked hanging out with you today. Do you think I could see you tomorrow?" His heart practically jumped at the suggestion.

"Yes, I'd love that!" They solidified their plans and August watched her go with a light feeling in his chest.

He started seeing Leah every day. Their conversations were casual at first: she would tell him about her large family and he would talk about his travels. But that quickly evolved and by the third day they were sitting together enjoying an outdoor picnic. August had to sell a lot of wood carvings to pay for the food, but it was well worth it to see Leah's smile.

"Leah, listen." He paused, tilting his head to the side. She echoed his gesture with a puzzled expression. "Crickets."

"They're having quite a conversation. What do you think they're talking about?"

"Us, of course. They're wondering what two humans are doing out here and why we won't share our food." She laughed, breaking off a piece of celery and tossing it out toward the grass. "And now they're saying 'thank you, Leah'."

"They know my name?" she asked playfully. August gestured for her to get closer so he could whisper.

"I told them all about you. I speak cricket, you know." It was very close to the truth. He touched her arm, wanting her to stay close. Her eyes were such a beautiful shade of green… They reminded him of the forest.

His heart was fluttering wildly, his breaths coming out nervous. His body leaned forward and closed his eyes seconds before their lips connected. The contact was the most incredible thing he ever felt. The warmth spread from his lips all the way through his body. In reality the kiss lasted less than a minute, but to August it felt longer and yet not long enough.

Leah sat there, at a complete loss for words. The crickets kindly filled the void left by their mutual silence. After sitting like that for a full two minutes Leah awkwardly rose to her feet. August did the same, watching her for any signs that she was feeling the same things as him.

"Leah?"

"It's been only three days. Do you really like me that much already?"

"It's new for me. I've never felt this way." More truths. August didn't want to lie to her, not about this. She smiled and leaned close, but rather than his lips she kissed his cheek instead. It still made August's heart flutter.

His bold move thankfully didn't scare her away. She met him again the next day and he, full of their kiss, presented her with a necklace he carved into the shape of a cricket.

"Crickets are very good listeners," he told her as he helped her put it on. "You can tell them anything."

"You certainly have a way with words." Her fingers played with the necklace and he watched, feeling drawn to kiss her again. Was this how it felt to be in love? All he wanted was to talk with her and listen to her laugh, to feel her hand in his, to lose all track of time gazing into her eyes.

He could feel it build up a little more every day he saw her. She started giving kisses back to him after a while. He lingered for a week, a month, two months, three… He could've stayed in that town forever.

One night he was walking her home from a movie. He was still trying to figure out how literally falling could turn an angel into a human when Leah stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He stopped with her, moving to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"You amaze me, August. Most guys wouldn't willingly go into a romantic movie. Even fewer would sit through the whole thing without making a single move on the girl."

"Are you kidding? I love stories about true love!"

"Seth reminded me of you a little," Leah confessed softly. "The way you both hang out at libraries and seem kind of mysterious. After three months I've still never been inside your house or gotten your phone number. I don't even know your last name."

"Booth!" he blurted out impulsively. "My last name is Booth."

"And it took you three months to tell me that." She took his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "I'm sorry, August, but you can only be tall, dark and mysterious for so long." She waited, as if she expected him to give up more of his secrets. But he couldn't; the words were stuck in his throat. Even if he did, he knew she would think he was crazy or that he was making fun of her. There was no proof that any of it was true.

His heart was in so much pain, and all he had to show for it was a cricket necklace.