“Could ask you the same, T.”
The staff member gestures for us to get on the yellow tube. The slide is a two-seater, which means I get to sit close enough to feel every ounce of Luca’s nerves radiating off him.
“You got this,” he says, looking at me, but his voice sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself.
“Luca,” I turn to him, keeping my face as straight as possible right now. “I promise I won’t kill you. Unless you want me to, of course.”
He looks down at me, smirking. “You are such a bad liar, Tills.”
The staff pushes the cart down the tunnel, and everything goes dark. I feel Luca’s breath on my back, and I laugh.
***
“How was it?” Yana screams as soon as we get back, waving like a maniac.
“Would’ve been better with you!” Matt yells back.
“Everything’s better with me.”
We collapse onto the blanket, and Yana and Zara are lying on it and playing UNO. I look at my surroundings, still dripping water everywhere, and feel that warm ache in my chest. They have no idea how much they mean to me.
They didn’t knoweverythingabout me, not thebadparts , but they knew enough to be scared, and still sit here with me.
“Anyone hungry?” Zara asks after she wins three times in a row.
I swear she has a secret lucky charm with her at all times because she never loses.
She turns to the bag she packed before we left and takes out a container of brownies that somehow managed to stay dry.
“For those?” I say already reaching for one. “Always.”
“Oh, Ineedthis.” Yana takes a piece. She hugs Zara, and I laugh at her face. “What would I do without you, Z?”
Matt takes two pieces and dodges when Zara tries to take one back.
“So, how did Luca take the big scary slide?” she teases.
“Better than her,” Luca says, pointing at me.
“Excuse me? You meanIwas the one having a panic attack, re-evaluating all my life choices, and holdingyourhand—”
His hand covers my mouth. “I think that’s enoughlying. ”
He leans in and whispers, “Say you’re lying, or I’ll tell them about how you were shivering and screaming so the whole park heard you.”
“You wouldn’t.” I narrow my eyes, though I know he totally would.
I remember around two years ago, he threatened me that he would tell our whole team the horrible practice I had with him when he was my volleyball ‘tutor’, and he did.
Seventeen-year-old me was absolutely horrified. Today, I probably would not care because the amount of embarrassment I endured when I was perfecting volleyball toughened my embarrassment glands or whatever is responsible for being embarrassed.
He smirks. “Try me.”
Yana snorts. “She’s definitely lying.”
I clear my throat, glaring at Luca. “Fine, I was the one shaking. Happy now?”
“Very,” he says smugly.
