🎶You're never fully dressed without a smile ~ Sia

●Tara Afua Henrie●

"Thank you, Mexico!" I yelled into the mic, "You've been a wonderful audience. ¡Gracias!"

After an hour and fifteen minutes of high-energy performances, the final notes echoed through the venue as the crowd erupted in applause. We took our bows and headed offstage, exhilarated and exhausted.

"Woo, yeah!" Carlos shouted, high-fived all of us before lifting his bottle of water. "Cheers to more performances like this!"

"Hear, hear!" Eden clinked her water bottle against Carlos' with a laugh.

"Great job, Tara." Jax turned to me, handing me a water bottle. "That guitar riff in 'Note to Self' was amazing. The crowd went wild."

"I know, right?" A grin spread across my face. "And I didn't even rehearse it. It just happened in the moment."

Jax laughed, "Well, I'm glad it did. We wouldn't have wowed the crowd without it. Thanks for making us awesome."

"It was a team effort, Jax," I told him with a smile. "Not just me."

"Right." He lingered for a moment, running a hand through his dark hair. "Hey, do you... want to check out the fair together? Maybe there's something we can-"

"Auntie T!"

My little niece, Keke, barreled into me, nearly knocking me off my feet. "Whoa, Keke!"

"You were awesome today!" she screamed.

"Better than awesome," Nando said, strolling up to us. "You were incredible!"

I laughed, giving my brother-in-law a hug. "Thanks Nando. Where did Pam and the others go?"

"Back to the restaurant stall. I'm pretty sure they're gonna have their hands full for the next hour or two."

"GuiTara! GuiTara!" A herd of fans rushed towards me, thrusting notepads, books, and pens in my face. I wasn't the only one. The band members were swarmed too, with most of the girls hovering around Jax.

"We love you, GuiTara! Can I have your autograph? Can you take a selfie with us?" These were just a few of the questions being tossed my way. I grabbed notepads and scribbled my signature. Fixing a smile on my face, I took selfie after selfie and answered the easier questions while ignoring the crazy ones.

It took a while for security to show up, and by then, I'd already given over a hundred autographs and lost count of all the selfies I'd taken. The big security men ushered the fans out the way they came. They groaned and complained, especially the girls from Jax's side, but they eventually left and I let out a sigh of relief. I love our fans, but sometimes they can be a lot to handle.

"Can GuiTara spare one more autograph, please?"

I turned around. A guy stood behind me wearing a cap and a hoodie with dark jeans and sneakers.

I thought of knocking the cap back a little to see his face, then he raised his head, a mischievous glint in his grey eyes and a broad smile on his lips.

"Shaun!" I threw myself at him. Fits of laughter left his mouth as he caught me in a warm hug. He smelled like pine and papers, probably from his office.

"What are you doing here?" I eased out of his embrace.

"C'mon, you didn't think I'd miss your big performance, did you?"

"Well you have done it before," I remarked, folding my arms.

"Yeah, but it's not happening again. Ever," he smiled and I couldn't help but return it. As I hugged him earlier, a thousand butterflies erupted in my stomach. I hadn't realized just how much I wanted to see him until now. Despite the chaos and excitement of the fair, his presence brought a sense of calm, happiness and made my heart skip a beat... until my niece barreled into me the second time today.

"Aahhh!" Keke coiled her arms around my legs, her tiny heart racing in her chest.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" I pushed wisps of hair out of her face.

Tears sprang up in her eyes. "Papi wants to take me home."

Her papi soon appeared, panting from chasing his daughter. "Princesa... c'mon..."

"Nando, why are you taking her home so early?" I asked. "The fair isn't over yet."

"Yeah I know," he replied after catching his breath. "But there's an emergency at work that I need to attend to, and I can't leave Keke here. Pam equally has her hands full."

"You can leave her with us," Shaun suggested.

Nando's eyes moved from Shaun to me before narrowing. "Won't that be a bother?"

"Oh no, not at all." Shaun crouched down to Keke's level. "Besides, we haven't had the chance to get to know each other yet, have we, cutie?" Keke giggled as Shaun gently tickled her.

Nando stood akimbo. "Well, since you'll both be looking after her, I guess that's fine. If anything happens, you can give me a call."

"Don't worry, Nando. We'll take very good care of her." I gave him a comforting smile.

"Right. Bye, Princesa." Nando waved.

"Byyee." Keke waved back.

We all watched him go before Shaun stole Keke's attention with, "Who wants a piggyback ride?"

"Me!" Keke squealed, circling Shaun before climbing onto his back, accidentally pulling down his hood. Soft tufts of dark hair stuck out from underneath his cap. Keke pushed her face into it. "Your hair smells like Mama's hair."

I laughed while Shaun smiled, "Thank you. Now let's go check out the rest of the fair." He stood up, secured Keke behind him, and led the way out from backstage.

Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I turned to the left and caught Jax's green irises before he quickly averted them. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Tara," Shaun called out. "C'mon. Let's go."

I snapped out of my thoughts and hurried after them.

¤¤¤¤¤

"Yay! I won again!" Keke jumped up and down in excitement.

Shaun bent over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "How... does she... keep up?"

"She takes dance classes," I answered, handing him a bottle of water. "Told you challenging her was a bad idea."

Keke had just beaten Shaun three times in a row on one of those dance machines in the arcade. Despite the machine being set to 'advanced,' Shaun struggled to keep up with the moves. A small crowd had gathered around them, cheering and applauding when Keke won. The woman in charge of the machine rewarded her with some tickets, which Keke eagerly collected.

"Let's go to the carousel!" Keke took my hand, dragging me in that direction. I was glad she was having a great time but keeping up with her energy levels was slowly becoming a problem. We had already been on five different rides and I was tired. Shaun lagged behind us, still drinking from the water bottle.

Handing the attendant our tickets, she ushered us through the gate. Keke immediately ran to a bright white horse with a golden mane. "Auntie T, look! It's so pretty!"

"Very pretty," I agreed, helping her onto the horse before getting on the one behind her. Shaun strolled over. "Oh shoot. All the other horses are taken."

"It's fine, I'll just stand." He grabbed onto the horse's pole as the carousel started to move. Keke's laughter filled the air as the ride picked up speed.

"You're going to get dizzy," I teased, watching him sway slightly with the motion.

"Nah, I've got a strong stomach." Shaun flashed me a grin. "Besides, I couldn't let you two have all the fun."

Keke turned around, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Shaun, look! We're flying!"

"Yeah, we are," he chuckled.

My gaze flitted around, remembering my childhood. The nostalgia brought a bittersweet smile to my face.

"You're all smiley," Shaun's voice broke through my reverie. "Penny for your thoughts?"

I blinked, snapping back to the present. "Oh it's nothing just..." I sighed, "The last time I rode the carousel, I was ten. There was this carnival in town and my Papa took me and Pam to enjoy ourselves. We found the carousel but Pam said she wouldn't get on because it was for kids. As if she wasn't a kid herself-she was just fifteen back then."

Shaun tutted softly. "Teenagers, always trying to act grown-up."

"I know right," I chuckled. "Anyway, Papa and I rode it together. We rode it four times, each time being as fun as the first." Slowly, the smile dropped from my face. "Back then, if someone had told me that this was going to be my last carnival ride with my father, I would've made us go several times so we wouldn't have to leave... and maybe he wouldn't have died."

Shaun's expression softened. "I'm so sorry, Tara."

"Yeah well," I nodded, trying my best to blink back the tears. "You don't always get what you want, right?"

"Right, but it's still ok to feel that way." He covered my hand on the pole and I looked at him. "Regardless of the fact that he passed away, those memories you have with your dad, they are a part of who you are, and it's clear your dad gave you a lot of love and happiness. He'd be proud to see you now."

Trying my best to swallow down that lump forming in my throat, I smiled at Shaun, gratitude welling up inside me. "Thanks, Shaun. That means a lot."

He pulled me to his side and gave me a pat on the back. "Anytime, T."

Soon, the horses slowed down, signalling the end of the ride. Keke groaned when Shaun helped her off the horse. Before she could start throwing tantrums, we promised we'd come back later when we had checked out the rest of the fair's activities. She seemed content with that.

Taking Keke's hand, Shaun led us to a balloon pop booth, where fluffy plush toys hung on display as prizes. Shaun handed the attendant some tickets in exchange for four darts, his face morphing into one of intense focus and concentration.

The first dart zipped out of his hand, popping a green balloon. The second and third darts followed suit, each hitting their mark with precision. I stared in awe. Only one balloon stood between him and the grand prize.

"You can do it, Shaun!" Keke cheered.

With a determined smile, Shaun threw the final dart. It sailed through the air and popped the fourth green balloon. The booth erupted in a victory chime as the attendant announced, "¡Nosotros tenemos un ganador!"

Shaun turned to Keke with a grin. "Which one do you want, Keke?"

My niece's eyes went wide. "Ooo, that one!" She pointed at a big white fluffy bunny wearing a purple tutu and matching ballet shoes.

The attendant took it down and handed it to Shaun, who then gave it to Keke. "All yours, cutie."

She squealed with delight and hugged the bunny tightly. "Thank you, Shaun!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, let's find something to eat," Shaun said, patting his stomach. "I'm starving."

We wandered over to the restaurant stall, where Pam, Roberto, Areli and the others were busy at work. Since Originally Afro-Mex was a sponsor, the restaurant's stall was huge, tataking up a prominent spot at the fair. The savory scents of grilled meats, spices, and freshly baked goods wafted through the air, making my mouth salivate.

Fifteen minutes later, after finding ourselves a table in the massive outdoor eating area, Shaun bit into his order of the fire spice gizzard while Keke and I munched on our churros. The taste of the crunchy brown pastry dipped in chocolate suddenly made me realise how hungry I was.

"Mm!" Shaun quickly reached for his glass of milk and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I told you to go easy on those. They don't call them fire spice gizzard for nothing."

"Hm, I see that now." He nodded, putting the empty glass down, and clearing his throat. "So Keke... what are you gonna name your new friend?"

He was referring to the bunny sitting on the table, watching us eat. Keke picked her up and put her on her lap. "Hmmm. I'm... going to name her," she tapped her chin in thought. "Cora... BunnyChunks!"

"BunnyChunks?" Shaun and I asked in unison.

"Yes, BunnyChunks," she smiled. "Cuz she's a bunny and she's chunky." Keke thrust the stuffed animal at me. "Feel her."

She wasn't lying. Underneath all the synthetic fur was something that felt like lumps of cotton or wool. I wasn't too sure. "She is quite chunky. I guess her name checks out."

Handing Keke back her bunny, I felt a slight buzz on the table. Shaun's phone vibrated with an incoming call from Declan. Rather than answering it, Shaun surprised me when he swiped the red phone button. My eyes flickered up to meet his gray ones.

"You should've answered the call," I bluntly stated.

"So he'll be an ass and ruin my good mood?" Shaun shook his head. "No way."

"Mama!" Keke jerked up from her seat as Pam swooped her into a hug.

"There's my little bundle of joy." She laid several kisses on her face which had Keke giggling. "Having a good time?"

"Yes! We went on the carousel and Shaun won me this bunny!" Keke held up the plush toy with pride.

"Aw, that's sweet," Pam chuckled, then turned to Shaun with a warm smile. "Hi, I don't think we've officially met. I'm Pamela Martinez, Keke's mum."

"And Tara's older sister." Shaun extended his hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Same here." Pam shook his hand. "It's nice to finally meet the person who put this huge initiative together."

Shaun tried to wave it off. "Nah, I can't take all the credit. It was mostly a team effort, really."

"Don't listen to him, Pam," I cut in playfully. "He's trying to act modest but he's not modest at all. He's a real show-off."

They both laugh, making the atmosphere around us light and friendly.

Pam glanced at the table. "Looks like you're out of churros. Let me get you some more, on the house."

"Oh you don't have to do that," Shaun said, but Pam was already picking up their plates.

"It's no trouble at all. I'll be right back," she said.

"I'll come with you." I followed Pam to the stall where the team was busily preparing more food.

As Pam grabbed a tray of freshly made churros, she glanced over at me. "Shaun seems like a really good guy, despite all the shenanigans he pulled up in the beginning. Plus he's cute. I now see why you like him."

My heart nearly jumped out of its cage. "What? No! I don't-"

"C'mon T. I'm your sister, there's no need to lie to me." She shot me a knowing smirk and I huffed.

"I know this is fairly new and early, but I'm happy for you," Pam smiled. "I have to admit, I've been a little worried about you not dating anyone since your breakup with Cudjoe."

Hearing my ex's name made me cringe.

"But this is good. Great even." She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Looking at everything that's happened in your love life, you deserve to be happy, Tara. And I think Shaun is it for you."

A warmth of gratitude spread through my body. "Thanks sis."

Pam pulled me into a hug. "Don't mention it."

As I returned to our table with the fresh churros, Shaun was feeding Keke some spicy gizzard. Her face contorted with the heat, and Shaun laughed, quickly passing her a glass of milk. Keke took a big gulp, and relief washed over her face.

Shaun turned and caught my eye, his smile warm and genuine. I couldn't help but smile back, feeling a flutter in my chest.