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“I’ve never—”
“You’ve never ridden a coaster?”
“No,” I confessed. “I’m not good with heights and I’m not sure I’d like wearing the headset.”
“Have you ever tried?”
“No, but…” The reply died on my tongue. I didn’t want to tell him how just watching my friends made my heart beat that bit harder, my palms clam up, or my stomach churn like it was right there with them.
“I’ll ride with you.”
“W-what?”
“You heard me.” The corner of his mouth lifted into an adorable smirk.
God, he was gorgeous. I’d never laid eyes on a boy like Kaiden before. His face had the most perfect symmetry: eyes in line with the rest of his features, a slightly crooked nose that pointed to full lips, and a strong jaw.
“What?” His brows furrowed.
“I don’t know. I might get sick.”Or have a panic attack.
“There’s an emergency button. If it gets to be too much, you just hit it and the ride stops.”
“It does?”
“Yeah, it’s a safety precaution. All simulators have them.”
The ride began to slow down, cranking and shifting back into its holding position.
“What’s it going to be?” Kaiden looked up at me through thick, dark lashes. “Will you ride the simulator with me, Lily?” My name rolled off his tongue in a way that made my tummy clench.
“I—”
“What’s happening?” Ashleigh and Gav joined us. They both looked slightly flushed and a little breathless.
“Lily’s going to ride the simulator with me,” Kaiden said.
“She is?” Ashleigh’s eyes grew to saucers. “But she never rides.” She stared at me, waiting. As if she expected me to set Kaiden straight and tell him that it was true, that I never rode.
But I was so freaking tired of always being that girl. The girl on the sidelines watching everyone else live their lives while mine passed me by in a chain of fake smiles and bitter regrets.
“Lily?” Kaiden said. “We’re up.”
“I… yeah, okay.” My heart double somersaulted as I followed him around to the small safety gate.
“Wait.” Ashleigh grabbed my arm. “You don’t have to do this, Lil. You’ve got nothing to prove.”
“Yeah, I do.” I gently pulled my arm free and slipped through the gate.
“Okay?” Kaiden asked, and I nodded.
Nervous energy drenched my bloodstream, adrenaline pumping through my body like angry waves crashing to shore.
“Climb in and slip on the safety harness.”
I did as Kaiden said, hardly surprised my trembling fingers couldn’t find the belt mechanism.
“Here.” He took over for me, our fingers brushing for a second. Our eyes collided and his turned dark and hungry. I gulped, trying to breathe. But everything was heightened, the air around us thick and sludgy, and the simulator hadn’t even started yet.
