We headed to a food stall, the smell of grilled skewers and fried dumplings hitting us hard. A guy in a dragon mask flipped skewers, shouting prices over the crowd's noise. Nala ordered two chicken skewers and a soda, handing me one.
"Try this," she said, biting into hers, a bit of sauce smudging her lip. "Best thing here."
I took a bite, the savory flavor bursting. "Damn, you're right," I said, watching her lick the sauce off her lip, her tongue quick and teasing. "You come to these a lot?"
"Every year," she said, sipping her soda, her hips swaying as we walked to a nearby table. "Emma dragged me to my first one, and I was hooked. It's like… escaping reality for a day, you know? Being someone else." She sat, crossing her legs, her skirt hiking up, her thighs drawing my eyes again. "What about you? First time?"
"Yeah," I said, sitting across from her, trying to focus on her face. "It's… a lot. But kinda fun. You make it better, though."
