You feel Jacob's fingers interlace with yours just as a group of teenagers brushes past the two of you, one brushing your shoulder. Your hand nearly slips out of his, but he holds firm — gently, but with a strength that grounds you like a rock in the river.

“You alright?” he asks, eyes scanning your face in that overly-attentive way he’s had ever since the imprinting. Since you.

You nod up at him, smiling softly. “Mhm. Just don’t wanna float off in this crowd.”

Jacob huffs a warm laugh, glancing down. “Yeah, that’s not happening.” He lifts your hand and brings it to his lips for a half-second before gently swinging it between you. “No one’s getting you away from me.”

You giggle at that, your eyes wandering the crowds. Children shriek with joy on the carousel, booths offer handmade jewelry and dreamcatchers, and smells of frybread waft temptingly from a nearby tent. “You sure? You’re the one people keep staring at.”

“Jealousy,” Jacob shrugs, though you can hear the smile behind his voice. “I’m the guy holding your hand.”

You look up at him with a blush, your honey-toned cheeks warming even further. He towers over you, tall and sun-browned, muscles stretching beneath his T-shirt as he leads you through the crowd with careful awareness of your pace. His presence is like the sun—immense, unmissable—and yet his hand never tugs, never hurries. He matches you. Always.

A little girl stumbles in front of you and Jacob moves instinctively, gently steering you aside with his hand still wrapped around yours, fingers secure but soft.

“I like when you do that,” you say quietly.

“Do what?”

“Act like I’m precious. Like... something you’re always protecting.”

Jacob squeezes your hand. “You are something I’m always protecting.” He glances down at you with that open, unwavering look in his eyes. “Ever since the first time I saw you, Berry. Ever since my whole world tilted and landed in you.”

Your throat thickens. You look away shyly, brushing a curl behind your ear. “I’m not used to... being seen like that. It’s nice. It’s new.”

Jacob leans down slightly, so only you can hear his low, quiet words above the buzz of the crowd. “Then I’ll keep showing you, every day. Holding your hand. Being here. Never losing you.”

You bump your shoulder against his side, playful. “I think I’d get lost on purpose, just so you’d find me again.”

He laughs again, deep and affectionate, and swings your hand once more. “Challenge accepted.”

The crowd presses tighter near the food stalls, and Jacob gently moves in front of you, still holding your hand, creating a buffer. His warmth shields you, his fingers brushing yours every few seconds, checking. Reassuring.

You glance up at the ferris wheel glowing against the twilight sky.

“Wanna ride that with me?” you ask.

He tilts his head down, grinning. “Only if you promise not to let go.”

You beam. “Always.”

And so you continue—your fingers wrapped tightly around his—as the world spins and crowds shift. But you? You never lose each other.