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Suddenly, I worry that Violet had to take a cold shower. Ironically, I feel like I need one now.
I let myself drift off to my thoughts, letting everyone else talk around me. When our coffee comes, I feel Violet’s eyes on me. She hides a smile behind her coffee cup. Brunch continues like this. We catch each other’s eyes, hide a smile behind a fork full of pancakes, or a champagne flute of mimosa.
As much as I want her alone again, this secret flirting in front of our oblivious friends has the heat pooling between my thighs. And I can’t wait to kiss her.
Violet
“We’re goingwhere?!”I squeal.
“To the High Roller,” Dakota says like it’s no big deal. And maybe to her and my friends it isn’t, but I am terrified of rides. Anything that moves and goes that high isn’t normal and isn’t meant for people.
“Oh, you know maybe I’ll just wait down here,” I say nervously, looking up at the Ferris wheel.
“No, you have to come!” Everyone cheers and I swallow my nerves. I just nod, unable to speak, and they all cheer as we make our way to the ticket booth. I can’t believe I am paying to have the shit scared out of me.
“Everyone ready?” Kate asks as she hands out the tickets with a smile. I can’t believe I made it this many years without telling anyone about my erratic fear of rides.
We make our way up the escalators and through the line. When we get to the front, we see that there are photographers taking those tourist photos with a green screen that you just know are going to cost an arm and a leg.
“Let’s go.” Austin pulls Kate over to the photographer and poses, going in for a kiss that is a little too gross for the rest of us.
“Want one?” Dakota asks.
“Um.” I smile weakly. I am flattered she asked me, but I am about to ruin any chance I have with her in about ten seconds of being up there.
“Let’s go.” Dakota pulls my hand, taking us past the photographers and into the open air. I have to admit, the fresh air helps my nausea, but only a touch.
The pods for the Ferris wheel are huge. And they never stop moving. Dakota keeps pulling me through the line. I look back but can’t see any of the others. They’ll catch up with us soon enough.
But we get to the front of the line, and it’s just Dakota and I. The attendant ushers us in and heads back to the line. Kate, Austin, Harry, Grant, and Grace are all jogging through the line to catch up with us but it’s too late. Our doors close just in time to see the others boarding the next pod.
We have the whole pod to ourselves and despite the vast open space, I feel like everything is closing in on me. The wheel is going so damn slow that I almost can’t tell. But the voice on the speaker is already talking about the views we’ll see and how we’ll be going five hundred and fifty feet up. I see a television that is counting each foot as we go. I try to focus on breathing instead of panicking. I feel the pod jerk slightly as I walk around and I know that can’t be a good sign. I am surely going to die on this ride. I sit down on one of two small benches, gripping the edge of the cold, red plastic. Dakota steps up right in front of me, looking with worry in her eyes before sitting beside me. She’s holding her camera and I bet she’s going to take some photos of how amazing the strip probably looks from up here.
“You okay?” Dakota asks as the ride continues its ascend. I’m gripping the handle next to me and squeezing my eyes shut.
“Never better,” I squeak with my eye peeking open. Which was all around a terrible idea. It is bad enough to feel the climbing under my feet but to see it is a whole other thing.
“Are you afraid of heights?” Dakota asks with a whisper.
“No.” I hesitate. “Just rides. Anything that is off the ground,” I admit.
“Here.” She stands which leads my heart to start racing.
“Are you insane!? Sit the fuck down!!” I scream.
“Here.” She sits down next to me and holds out her hand. I don’t hesitate in taking it and I start to feel a bit calmer.
“Come here.” She holds out her arm and I sink into her. We’re awkwardly holding hands with her arm wrapped around me but I don’t care. It’s the first time since stepping on this stupid ride that I’m not panicking.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Don’t mention it.” She smells like the hotel soap but there’s also whatever her perfume is. It smells expensive and I wonder if she got it from one of her photo shoots.
“Is this thing almost over?”
“Uh, should I be honest?” she asks, chuckling nervously.
“Oh gosh, yes, please.” I nod.
