PART 3

The whole group was gathered at the entrance of the amusement park. And although the lively atmosphere of the place was pleasant, the tension between them was palpable.

"After so long, you're finally back in your hometown," Emily mentioned to Diana, trying to cut through the tension. "Are you happy?"

"Yes... although for me, it's like I've never been here."

"Why's that?" Johnny asked, intrigued.

"For no particular reason... Who wants some tiger nuts?" Diana started walking, playing dumb, while Andrew watched her with uncertainty.

"Where should we go first?" Emily asked, opening the park map pamphlet.

"To the haunted house!" Andrew, Oscar, Johnny, and Mike shouted excitedly.

"Mmm... I know you're obsessed with horror," Emily said, pointing to Andrew with a perfect eighty-euro manicure, "but what about you guys?"

"Whenever we go to a fair, the first thing we do is go to the haunted house," Oscar informed her.

"If they have one, of course. It's become a tradition for us," Johnny added.

"With the little time you've spent together," she said, pointing to Micaela, "you even do the nerdy stuff Andrew's group does?"

"What can we say, we're made for each other, Emily," Andrew teased his ex-girlfriend, placing his hands on Mike's shoulders, who tensed up immediately. "Got a problem with that?"

"Not at all," she replied, hiding her disgust. "Well, if everyone agrees, let's go to the haunted house."

"The haunted house? Emily, you know I'm terrified of those things," Diana whispered close to her ear so no one else could hear as they walked.

"Don't be scared; it's just people in costumes using lots of pyrotechnics and props. Besides, I can use the opportunity to make Andrew jealous."

"…Why don't you just let it go? He has a girlfriend."

"People can say what they want, but I know this whole thing is a sham."

"You never give up," Diana sighed deeply.

"That's something good I inherited from my father."

Once the group entered the haunted house, the props, the eerie sounds, along with the occasional fire or well-placed light, lived up to the young people's expectations.

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Emily kept her word about making Andrew jealous, screaming in fear and clinging to her companion like a limpet. However, the loudest screams, which could have been heard two hundred meters away, were Diana's, who, without realizing it, was gripping Andrew's arms tightly.

"I... I... I'm sorry," the trembling young woman apologized, letting go when she noticed her grip.

"Don't worry," he reassured her with a seriousness that was unusual for the notorious "gigolo."

"Do you want to leave?" Mike asked Diana, noticing how her hands were trembling. "We can wait outside if you don't like this kind of thing."

As always, Mike was a sweetheart. That's why Diana liked him. She had always watched him from a distance, seeing how selfless and kind he was to the people around him without expecting anything in return. Despite seeming like someone easy to socialize with, Diana always sensed that Mike felt uncomfortable around her, as if he didn't want to be with her, let alone alone.

With a slight smile, she confirmed that she wanted to leave. So Mike put his arm around her shoulders and began to walk with her. Mike Hunn hadn't realized how close he was to the girl he liked, much less the contact they were having with each other. He just wanted to stop seeing her suffer and calm her down in any way he could.

"We'll wait for you at the food stand across the way," he called out from a distance to Andrew, who followed the pair, leaving behind his friends and mainly Emily, who watched him in despair.

"Are you okay?" her companion asked Emily.

"Yes. It's nothing," she replied, letting go of his arm.

While Emily might seem perfect on the outside, she felt deeply frustrated. It had been a while since she and Andrew had spoken, but the way he acted at the party that night made her hope that Andrew still harbored feelings for her. However, he wasn't paying her the slightest attention. Worse yet, for some reason, the person she was still deeply in love with couldn't take his eyes off her best friend when she wasn't looking.

The three of them—Mike, Andrew, and Diana—sat at one of the tables by the food stand.

"I didn't know you were so easily scared," Mike said to Diana with a natural smile for the first time since he'd been with her.

"Yes... well... I have to avoid getting too worked up," she replied, blushing.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"When I was little, I had an accident, and since then, I've had anxiety attacks."

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have done something else."

"I didn't want to be a bother," she answered Mike, still trembling while Andrew couldn't stop watching Diana.

Seeing her state, Mike stood up and went to the food stand to buy some cotton candy.

"Here. This will help," he handed her the huge pink fluff, practically shoving it into her face.

"Thanks..."

"Is something wrong?"

"It's just that I don't really like sweets..."

That phrase, that very phrase, transported Andrew to a past he hadn't forgotten but had been abruptly taken away from. The images of a sweet and calm little girl with wild hair who hated overly sweet foods and would make a face as if she had sucked on a lemon if she tasted something sugary.

Almost without thinking, as if on autopilot, he let himself be guided by his instincts, heading to the stand to buy something savory. He approached Diana, and without saying anything, he placed a cod empanada in front of her.

"Th...thank you. But what should I do with the cotton candy?"

"We'll eat it," Mike said, taking the cotton candy from her.

"Mmmm, it's delicious. It's one of my favorites. Thank you so much, Andrew."

"You're welcome," he replied, his uncertainty growing.