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“Ryan!” Yaz calls as she walks over to him, having finally found him. He’s standing near the merry-go-round with his grandparents and… someone. Yaz can’t make out who, hidden behind the others.
“Yaz!” he calls in response, moving to reveal a blonde woman. “Hi. This is me mate Jax.”
“Hi,” Yaz says, then her breath hitches as she meets green eyes, the sun catching flecks of gold.
“Hi,” Jax replies.
“Hi,” Yaz breathes, then shakes her head, embarrassed. “Sorry, I already said that.”
“No worries,” Jax says, her smile wide. She sticks her hand out. “I’m Jax.”
“Yasmin Khan, Yaz to my friends.”
“Well, I’m calling you Yaz ‘cause we’re friends now.”
“Okay,” Yaz says, smiling.
“Shall we grab some food?” Graham asks.
“You’re always thinking with your stomach,” Ryan grumbles.
“Ryan!” Grace warns her grandson. “Be nice.”
“Sorry.”
Ryan looks like a sulking child, still not fully on board with the idea of his new grandad.
“How about chips?” Jax suggests. “I love chips, me. My mate Bill used to serve chips at uni, she always gave me a bigger portion.”
Yaz smiles; Jax is slim, wearing a tshirt with a rainbow stripe across it and a dark waistcoat that feels a little out of place at the fair. She looks like the kind of person who eats a lot but burns it off super fast - Yaz isn’t sure she’s been still since they said hello. “Sure.”
They all head over to the chip van, getting two portions to share between them. Jax gets distracted halfway through eating and comes back with hot doughnuts for them all. She offers them to Yaz first, who takes one with a blush.
“Is that a coconut shy?” Jax asks a few minutes later. “Haven’t done one of them since I was a kid.”
“Go on then,” Yaz says. “I’ll have a go.”
She plays first, missing three but scoring two. She turns around with a cheer, getting a small round of applause from Grace.
Ryan goes next, but misses them all. Grace reassures him, and he’s comforted by Graham also missing the lot. Then Jax steps up and knocks all five off.
Yaz realised she’s staring with her jaw wide open when Jax turns and smirks at her. “Beat that.”
“Alright then.”
Yaz marches over to the next stall, which has a stack of tin cans lined up next to the wall. She hands over one of the tokens she bought at the last game and picks up a catapult and three small balls. Her first shot knocks them all down and she cheers and dances, the others clapping her on. Ryan gives her a high five.
“That’s amazing!” Graham tells her. “Gold star! I’m not doing it, I’m not even trying.”
“Still got two balls to go,” Yaz says, giving Jax a cocky smirk.
However, her next attempt fails, and her third ball somehow goes backwards.
Jax laughs at her. “I can’t believe you were so jammy on the first one. Bet those two sum you up better.”
Yaz rolled her eyes. “We’ll see how you do.”
She gets handed a teddy for her success, but her real prize is Jax only hitting one can down across three goes. Yaz grins smugly while Jax grumbles at her. Grace then surprises them all by hitting down most of the cans on each of her turns. When the others stare at her in shock, she shrugs.
“We used to go to the fair whenever it came to Sheffield. There’s a lot of things I can you that don’t know about.”
“You’re very talented,” Graham flirts and Yaz smiles as Grace gives him a peck.
Graham grabs candy floss while the others queue for the waltzer, then waves at them from the side as they spin around. As soon as they’re off, Jax spots another stall with prizes and drags Yaz over. She’s surprised to find they’re at hook a duck, not the most complex competition but mostly a game of luck.
They each grab a rod and reach out for the yellow ducks, Jax trying to work out which ones might be the high scorers while Yaz just hooks whichever she can reach. Somehow the strategy pays off and she smirks as she wins a cat toy. Jax frowns, then concentrates on hooking her last duck, her tongue peeking out between her lips. Yaz thinks she probably shouldn’t find that adorable but she does.
“Aha!” Jax cries as she hooks a duck, revealing the 5 points painted on its bottom. “Looks like I win again.”
She gets handed a large panda toy. “Thanks!” She turns back to Yaz with a smug grin.
“That’s just luck,” Yaz complains.
“Nope, I have a strategy,” Jax says.
“Which is?”
“Win.” Yaz rolls her eyes and Jax steps in close, her voice low. “A magician never reveals their secrets, Yaz.”
Yaz swallows, heat thrumming through her body. She finds her gaze dropping to Jax’s lips for a moment before looking back up into her eyes. There’s a long moment where they just stare at each other, then there’s a squeal behind them and the moment is broken.
“But Daddy I want the kitty cat!” a little girl shrieks.
“I know darling, but Daddy doesn’t have any money left. We spent it all on the teacups.”
“Daddyyyyy,” the little girl cries.
“Here,” Yaz says. She holds out her prize, then drops to the little girl’s level. “I got this kitty cat, but I don’t have anywhere for her to live, and I need to find someone who’ll love her. Do you think you could help?”
The girl regards her warily.
“We couldn’t ask you to -” her dad starts, but Yaz interrupts.
“Seriously. I think she’ll get a lot more love if she goes home with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
He looks relieved. “Thank you. Isla, say thank you.”
“Thank you,” the little girl says, then reaches for the toy when prompted.
“What’s your name?” the dad asks.
“Yaz.”
“How about we name her after this kind lady, as a thank you?” the dad suggests to his daughter, who nods.
“Yazzy, you’re gonna be my bestest friend now,” she tells the cat earnestly, staring into its eyes.
“Thank you so much,” the dad says again as Yaz stands back up.
“Really, no worries. I have no need for it,” Yaz reassures him.
He thanks her again, then walks away, the little girl introducing herself and her father to the toy, then showing her the different parts of the fair.
Yaz turns back to Jax, who has a weird expression on her face. “You okay?”
Jax blinks out of it. “Yeah. That was sweet.”
Yaz shrugs. “She wanted the cat toy and I have no need for toys. I was thinking I’d probably donate it to a charity shop anyway. Should have given her the teddy too.”
Jax’s eyes gleam and she swallows. She looks like she’s about to say something when they’re interrupted by Grace.
“Sorry girls, Ryan is feeling a bit dizzy from the ride, and he’s always struggled with these sorts of things. Are you two alright if we take him off for a break?”
Yaz glances over and sees Ryan hanging his head, kicking his toe in the grass. “Of course,” she says, smiling. “We can entertain ourselves, can’t we, Jax?”
“Definitely. Hope he’s okay, let me know if he needs anything.”
“He’ll be fine,” Grace says. “I may not be a doctor but I am still a nurse.”
That makes Jax blush and Yaz looks at her curiously as Grace walks away.
“Are you a doctor? I thought you worked with Ryan.”
“No I’m not,” Jax tells her. “Well, not really. I have a degree in medicine, but then I became a mechanic instead. Well, I briefly worked as a paramedic too, but I found fixing engines much easier than people.”
Yaz smiles, intrigued. “People can be complicated.”
“Yeah,” Jax says, looking haunted for a moment. Then she brightens up. “Next game? I’m currently beating you 2-1.”
“What?! Okay, nope, I’m beating you at this one.”
They make their way along several other stalls, Yaz’s purse feeling considerably lighter, but she thinks it’s worth it. They’re even when she suggests they go on the ferris wheel, not thinking about the fact she’ll be trapped in a small space with just Jax until it’s too late and they’re on the ride. Suddenly, the seat feels very small, Jax’s warm leg touching hers.
And Jax is beautiful. The sun is starting to set and the light catches in her hair and makes it shine golden, like an angel’s halo. She’s possibly the most beautiful person Yaz has ever met.
Yaz is caught staring when Jax looks around again. Jax blushes, tucking her hair behind her ear reflexively, revealing an earring with a thin chain between some stars at the top of her ear and two hands on her lobe.
“What?” she asks with a soft laugh.
“Nothin’,” Yaz says, embarrassed. She looks out at the view over the fair. “Just thinking about how to beat you next.”
Jax rolls her eyes. “Never.” There’s quiet for a moment before she speaks again. “It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?”
Yaz looks around as they climb, the sun catching between the buildings and over the trees of the park. “Yeah,” she agrees, before turning back to find Jax now staring at her. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Sitting on a ferris wheel with a beautiful woman, why wouldn’t I be?”
Yaz blushes, ducking her head. “Dunno about that.”
Jax puts her hand on Yaz’s thigh, sending electricity shooting through her body. She sucks in her breath, and Jax removes the hand, much to Yaz’s disappointment. She can still feel where it was, the warmth prickling against her skin.
“So what do you do, then?” Jax asks.
“I’m a social worker.”
“Ooh, really? What’s that like?”
“Hard,” Yaz admits. “I thought it would be easier than it is. I left the police because I didn’t feel like I was making a difference and I wanted to help people, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like helping, sometimes it hurts. Like when you take a newborn away from its mother - the foster parents are always so happy, but it’s not easy for the birth mum.”
“That sounds tough,” Jax says. “How long have you been doing that?”
“A few years. Joined the police at 18, then went to uni when I were 22. Graduated at 25 and became a social worker.”
“How old are you now?”
“29. You?”
“35.”
So there’s a slight age gap. Yaz finds she doesn’t mind.
“Did you go straight from medicine to mechanic?” Yaz asks, aware this may be a sore subject.
“Nah, bounced around a bit first. Went travelling, met lots of people, lived in a van. I like being able to move,” Jax says, staring out at the horizon. “Don’t like to be stuck in one place too long.”
“Oh,” Yaz says, disappointed.
Jax looks at her. “You ever thought about travelling?”
“I’d like to,” Yaz said. “Been saving up to either buy a house or go travelling or something, but I’ve always been a bit nervous about travelling on my own.”
“Maybe you just need someone to go with,” Jax says.
Yaz looks into her eyes, at the gold flecks amongst the green, and puts all her hopes into this moment. “Maybe I do.”
They stare at each other for a moment longer, and Yaz is just debating if she leans in for a kiss, when they’re disturbed by the seat swinging as the ride comes to a stop. They’re back at the bottom and it’s time to get off.
Yaz tries to hide her disappointment.
“So, what next?”
“Mmm, bumper cars?” Jax suggests.
“Sure,” Yaz agrees, her chest aching slightly as Jax bounds away.
They have a lot of fun crashing into each other and the walls before the buzzer goes off and they exit, laughing. Jax gets excited about something and grabs Yaz’s arm, dragging her over to… the haunted house?
“Can we go in here?” Jax asks.
Yaz has always thought they’re lame and a waste of money, but Jax looks so excited she can’t say no. “Sure.”
“It’s okay if you get scared,” Jax tells her earnestly.
They pay their tokens, then head in through the doorway that is covered in keep out signs, danger of death warnings, wanted murderer posters and fake bloods.
The first room is up some steps and it’s just some creepy dolls going around on some swings, eerie music playing. They quickly move on to the next bit, walking past “get out” painted in dripping glow in the dark paint on the wall.
More creepy music accompanies them as they walk through a corridor with chained prisoners surrounding them in the semi dark, the occasional scream playing through the speakers. Yaz does have to admit this bit gets to her, and she’s secretly glad when Jax rushes on to the next part.
They walk around the corner and something jumps out at them with a scream, making Jax jump into Yaz with a yelp, and she clings on. Yaz is more distracted by the feeling of Jax pressed up against her than the jumpscare, her whole body covered in goosebumps as electricity shoots across her skin. She wants to just hold Jax close, kiss her, touch her, make the most of the dark and do things to her that she probably shouldn’t even think about at a funfair.
She shakes her head to get rid of the thoughts, holding Jax and encouraging her on. Jax’s hand finds hers and Yaz feels her tummy flip.
Jax holds on tightly as they go through a section with flashing lights and heads stuck on spikes, then they make their way down some stairs under a large spider that reaches out for them with its furry legs.
“Imagine if there were actual spiders that big,” Jax whispers.
“I’d hope not in Sheffield,” Yaz replies, creeped out.
“You never know!”
The corridor at the bottom is dark, random strips of cloth hanging from the ceiling and brushing over them. Jax grips Yaz’s hand tighter.
There’s another jumpscare, a mummy falling towards them out of a coffin as lightning strikes. Jax is now clinging to Yaz’s arm with her other hand too. Yaz thinks it’s sweet how scared she seems to be - she had been giving off a fearless energy before, all cocky bravado, and Yaz is sure she has stories from her travels, but a mannequin on a string has her jumping out of her skin.
The walls are covered in glowing eyes as they make their way down the corridor, past some symbols that Yaz thinks are surely inappropriate in 2026 (cultural appropriation much), then past a cloth hanging in the way. Yaz walks straight into the wall in the dark, making Jax laugh. The sound is velvety and pure, and Yaz is once again desperate to kiss her. She may have only met Jax a couple of hours ago, but she feels so comfortable with her, and she wants to know her better. She wants to keep that laugh and that smile in her life.
There’s one more scare, a siren going off and lights flashing to illuminate the scene, skeletons and blood all over the small space on the other side of the barrier. They both rush for the sunlight at the end of the corridor.
“That were great!” Jax exclaims as they walk out, blinking in the brightness.
“You were terrified!”
“Exactly,” Jax says, grinning at her. “Wouldn’t be fun if you didn’t get scared.”
They wander away from the haunted house, but Jax doesn’t let go of Yaz’s hand.
“Do you have a particular fear of mummies?” Yaz teases.
“No,” Jax says indignantly. “Just caught me off guard. Plus, you’re supposed to be scared. That’s what you’re paying for. Get that adrenaline pumping.”
Yaz thinks she has plenty of adrenaline just from being around Jax, her whole body on high alert.
“What’re you scared of then?” Jax asks her.
“I’m not the biggest fan of spiders,” Yaz admits. “Had a dream as a kid that our neighbour got eaten by one.”
“Oof,” Jax says. “Don’t worry, I’m not scared of them. You ever have one in the house, just let me know.”
Yaz smiles. “Thanks.” She doesn’t tell her that she’s fine to get rid of them herself, glad Jax has given her an excuse to call her. If she can get her number, that is.
“They tend to be harmless in this country anyway,” Jax continues, now swinging their joined hands. “They’re really interesting creatures actually, their silk is super strong - by weight, it’s 5 times stronger than steel.”
“That’s because they’re so small though. Steel is heavy, but you wouldn’t build a crane out of spider webs.”
“Maybe not,” Jax says, scrunching up her face. It’s adorable and Yaz wants her to do it again.
“What about you? What’re you afraid of?” Yaz asks.
Jax goes quiet for a moment. “Lots of things,” she says quietly. “But let’s stick with mummies for now.”
Yaz nods, then changes the subject. “Wanna do any more rides or stalls? I’d need to get more tokens but I think I saw a bean bag toss we haven’t done.”
“You’re on,” Jax said, a gleam in her eye. “Come on!”
She starts tugging Yaz along, who protests as it’s the other direction. Jax switches in a flash and they find themselves in front of the wooden stand a moment later.
“Two rounds please,” Jax tells the man, handing over the last of her tokens. She gets given six bean bags in return, and she hands three to Yaz. “You go first.”
Her first throw misses, earning a cackle from Jax, but her next one scores one point, and the next scores two.
“Five points for a prize, sorry,” the guy running the stand says.
“That’s fine mate, my only goal is beating her,” Yaz tells him as Jax steps up. “No!”
“Hahaa!” Jax cries, dancing in celebration of scoring three points with her first throw. She then scores another three and then a five, hitting the tiny bullseye. “Suck it!”
“Nooo,” Yaz cries, pretending to collapse on the floor before breaking into giggles. She gets back up as Jax smugly accepts a pair of glowing sunglasses, putting them on and raising an eyebrow at Yaz.
Nobody should look that attractive in flashing plastic sunglasses.
Yaz rolls her eyes at her and grins. “Fine, you win.”
“Thank you very much,” Jax says as they walk away. She pushes the sunglasses up on top of her head. “So, what’s my prize gonna be?”
“Dunno,” Yaz says. “What says ‘congratulations but I’m mad you beat me’?”
Jax pauses. “I’ll have to take you out for dinner sometime as a consolation prize.”
Yaz stares at her, sure she misheard that. Yes, Jax has been flirting with her all evening, but there’s no way she just asked Yaz out.
She stares for a little too long as Jax’s expression switches to panic. “Sorry! Did I get that wrong? I thought -”
She’s cut off as Yaz kisses her, but she quickly recovers and kisses Yaz back with a passion. Yaz’s whole body tingles as she buries a hand in blonde hair, her lips moving against Jax’s. Then Jax’s tongue peeks out again and Yaz opens her lips to allow it entry, her heartbeat erratic. She feels like she’s floating, the whole world silent, the only thing the feeling of Jax’s lips against her own, her tongue in her mouth, her hands on her skin.
Yaz doesn’t realise she’s moving until Jax’s back hits the back of the candy floss stand and Yaz presses up against her, heat thrumming through her as Jax moans. Her hand finds Jax’s waist and she pulls her closer against her body, nearly melting when Jax moans again. Her body is warm beneath Yaz’s fingers and she responds in kind, her arms wrapping around Yaz’s waist and pulling her in.
Eventually they have to come up for air and then they both grin dopily at each other. Jax’s lips are pink and Yaz can’t help going in for more, chests heaving against each other.
When they break apart again, foreheads touching as they catch their breath, Jax grins. “Does that mean I can get your number as my prize?”
“You can have whatever you want,” Yaz growls, catching her lips in another kiss. She’ll do anything as long as she gets to keep kissing Jax. The hand on Jax’s waist migrates north until Yaz’s thumb brushes the underside of her breast, causing her to moan louder than before.
Yaz pulls away, suddenly remembering they’re in a very public place with kids around. Jax stares at her, looking utterly dishevelled and devilishly handsome. Yaz licks her lips.
“Mine or yours?”
Jax grins. “Yours. I did not tidy enough to bring a girl home.”
“Mine it is,” Yaz says with a grin. She holds a hand out for Jax’s, then pulls her away from the wall and towards the path.
As they walk, she feels her phone buzz with a text.
Ryan: Hope you enjoyed the date ;)