Standing at the entrance of Fairgrounds with one eye on the crowd, Tom kept an ear out for buzzing sounds from the geiger counter embedded in his watch. His fingers absentmindedly stroked the camera dangling around his neck. The camera served two purposes - it branded him as a tourist and it could zoom into the next ferris wheel pod more than twenty metres away.

He planned to walk around with Jane, checking out the surroundings until he found the target. Then, he would suggest riding the ferris wheel with her. While she admired the view outside, he would put his camera to good use and spy on his target with the pretext of taking pictures. It should be a pretty simple plan if nothing went wrong.

His eyes swept across the throngs of laughing and screaming people. Families, couples, big groups of friends. Despite himself, a thin smile settled on his face. The work of a spy was gruelling, dangerous, and almost certainly life-threatening. But seeing normal people having fun and being carefree made it worth the risk every time. 

When his eyes landed on Jane’s head floating above the crowd, his heart skipped a beat. Somehow it always did when he went on their fake dates. Occupational hazard of being a spy - one had to assimilate into their role, which in this case meant playing the attentive boyfriend who was in love with his girlfriend.

He smiled and waved. “Jane, over here.”

She spotted him, responding with a wave too. As she treaded her way through the hordes of people, he noticed she was carrying a larger handbag than usual. The crowds cleared, granting him a full head-to-toe visual of his fake girlfriend. His eyebrows lifted in pleasant surprise. Like him, she wore a simple tee - red as usual for her, slim pants, and running shoes. He had forgotten to coordinate with her about clothes but it seemed he needn’t worry about that.

“Good evening, Tom! I’m sorry I’m a minute and ten seconds late,” she gasped, her cheeks blooming red with effort.

He chuckled. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. Your bag is really huge today, Jane.”

“Oh, errr, yes!” Jane tightened her fingers around her bag strap. “I wanted to make sure we were prepared for anything that your friends might ask. So I brought things to show that we are in a relationship.”

Admiring her attention to detail, Tom nodded his approval and extended a hand. “I can help you carry that-”

“No!”

Taken aback, he retracted his hand.

“I-I mean, it’s not that heavy. See?” Jane lifted the bag up and down like it weighed nothing. 

“Ah, okay.” An independent and strong woman - he had made the right choice in selecting her as his fake girlfriend. He slipped his hand into hers, a sweet smile dancing across his lips. “Time to look like a fake couple. Ready?”

Splotches of red popped up on Jane’s cheeks as her eyes flitted down to their joined hands. “Y-Yes, I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then.”

Leading Jane to the merry-go-round, he stole a look at his watch. They were right on schedule. He pretended to look around for his made-up friends for a good few minutes before his accomplice rang him up as planned. He picked up his phone, feigned surprise when he heard that his friends couldn’t make it, gave a shrug of nonchalance as they cancelled the meeting, and then ended the call.

A sheepish look crossed his face as he turned to Jane. “It seems my friends had an urgent appointment and couldn’t come. I’m sorry this turned out to be a wasted trip for you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” she hurried to assuage him. “I’m sorry that you couldn’t meet your friends.”

He glanced at his watch again. “Well, since we’re here, why don’t we make the most of it? We can still enjoy ourselves without them. What do you say?”

Jane brightened up. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

“Great!” Satisfied that she was now onboard as his witness and companion disguise, Tom went over his planned route in his head. First to the merry-go-round where he could get a good 360 degree view of the surrounding areas near the entrance. Then a visit to the food stalls which encircled the ferris wheel. By that time, he should be able to spot his target and trail him to the meeting spot.

“Tom, where should we go first?” 

“How about the merry-go-round?”

Jane gasped. “I love the merry-go-round!”

Tom chuckled at the childlike twinkle in her eyes. Seeing her this excited about their pretend date eased a little of the tension rippling in his body. They headed over to the queue and waited for around a minute before mounting their small, painted steeds. 

As the merry music started, Tom scanned the crowds with a keen, discerning eye. Kids thronged around every attraction while their parents trailed behind them. Couples stuck to each other like glue. Rowdy groups moved in chaotic patterns. But no target yet.

A laugh from Jane stole his attention. She held onto the painted hairs of her horse and clicked her sneakers against its side, urging the non-living creature forward. Her big eyes locked with his and she exclaimed, “This is so fun, Tom!”

He couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement. “I didn’t realize you like merry-go-rounds that much.”

Jane bobbed her head. “It’s like being in a never-ending horse chase but without the whips!”

“I didn’t know you like horses.” Tom lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Were you in a horse chase before?”

“Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes!” Blushing, Jane dashed her gaze to the painted hair of her steed. “It was a racing competition.”

“I see.” 

As Tom chuckled, his eyes continued to rove the crowd filtering into the fairgrounds. Round and round he went. Up and down his horse went. Heads blurred into a single dash of grey as he struggled to maintain a tight surveillance of the area. His stomach lurched in discomfort and his hand flew up to his mouth as he dry retched.

“Tom? Are you okay?” 

Tom bobbed his head but the movement only made it worse. Spots dotted his vision as he struggled not to hurl. This had been a severe lapse of judgement. He should have known not to go on a spin with an empty stomach. Rookie spy mistake number 10 and he was no rookie.

“Oh no,” Jane gasped. She scrambled off her horse and rushed to his side. “Tom, please get down. You need to rest.”

He protested against it, intent on remaining on task. He kept his eyes as steady as he could but his world refused to remain still. His knuckles turned white with exertion as he gripped the bar stabbing through his horse.

Unable to convince him to stop, Jane firmly gripped his arm and pulled him off the horse with such force that he flew off the merry-go-round. Stars burst across his eyes and he stumbled around like a drunk fool who was about to throw up.

“Oh my god, Tom. You look terrible,” Jane exclaimed.

Hooking her arm under his, she pulled him up and the two of them staggered towards a bench. Jane set him down with a surprising gentleness that was in stark contrast with the display of strength she had shown earlier. 

Grateful for the reprieve that he was forced to take, he managed a weak smile. “Thank you, 

Jane. I hope you don’t mind that I take a short rest.”

“Not at all.” Jane sat beside him, rubbing a hand up and down his back in a soothing fashion. “Take your time.”

Tom squeezed his eyes shut and timed his breathing. In, out. In… out. It took him all of two minutes before his stomach stopped swirling around. He opened his eyes, blinking slowly as his vision stopped swimming. He took another deep breath before breaking out in a grin. “All better now.”

The worry darkening Jane’s expression lifted. “That’s great!”

“I’m sorry I spoiled your ride. You were really enjoying yourself.”

“Please don’t worry about it.” Jane dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hands. “But I think you should drink something strong. That always makes me feel better.”

Tom looked around, concerned that he had already missed sight of the target in the two minutes that he had been under. Angry and disappointed at himself, he clenched his fists. His lips thinned into a grave line as he pondered his next move.

“Tom, you’re still not feeling well.” Misinterpreting his body language, Jane tugged at his sleeve. “Do you want me to bring you home?”

“Oh no, there’s no need for that.” Tom laughed and got up from the bench. “I think you’re right. A drink would help.”

 Jane chirped, “Okay.”

Taking her hand once more, Tom led the way to the food stalls. It was time to move on to the next phase.