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“Guess not.”
“Well there you go.” He tucked a few strands of multi-coloured tinsel behind my ear and allowed his finger to graze my cheek, his thumb resting on my lower lip. “I love you, Kelli.”
He tilted his head and leaned in close. In stark contrast to earlier that morning, I leaned towards him. His breath warmed my face as his lips neared mine and, as my lips parted slightly, a sudden clunk jolted our carriage.
“What’s happening?” I peered over the edge.
“I don’t know.” Will peered over the other side.
Stuck. At the top of the Ferris wheel, wobbling in mid-air. Why did these things always happen to me?
“Hellooo?” I yelled down to the man in charge, hoping he hadn’t gone home for the night and left us here to dangle till morning.
A tiny figure of a man was holding something. “Everything’s all right,” he spoke through the loudspeaker. “Just a little glitch, happened earlier this evening too. Nothing to be alarmed about.”
“A little glitch? What if we can’t get down?” I asked Will, my hands flying to my cheeks. “What if we have to climb down ourselves, or get an emergency helicopter to airlift us to safety? Oh God!” I imagined having to climb up a rope towards a hovering helicopter, handicapped by my inability to raise my arms above my head and then my tinsel wig getting caught in the propellers, chopping it to glittery smithereens.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure the wheel will get moving in no time,” Will assured. “If not,” he puffed out his chest, “I can summon my inner man of steel and fly us down.”
I looked at my husband’s smiling face and relaxed back in the seat. I was probably overreacting and Will always seemed able to resolve a dire situation – costume or no costume.
“Let’s make the most of waiting,” he said and I thought he was going to lean in and continue where we left off but instead, he opened the show bag and rummaged inside for more treasures. “Oh cool, a whistle.” He blew on the plastic toy and a whiny high-pitched whistle sang through the sky. “Oops, didn’t know it’d be that loud!”
“At least we can whistle like mad if they forget about us all the way up here.” I giggled.
Will continued searching through his bag. “Oh, remember these?” He pulled out a long stick of wrapped candy. “Super Stretchy Surprise. Did you get one in your bag?”
Will’s inner child took over his inner man of steel and it was very cute. “Yeah, a blueberry one. What flavour did you get?” I said, holding mine up.
“Lemon. Wanna trade?”
I nodded and we swapped our candy sticks, ripping them open and taking a bite, only with Super Stretchy Surprise’s one bite goes a long way. I gripped the end of the stick in my teeth and managed to pull the stretchy candy all the way out to arms-length, before it snapped and sprung back to my mouth in a delicious curl of sugar.
“Mine stretched further,” Will said.
“Yeah right, mine stretched further.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
We collapsed in laughter at the bizarre nature of our situation as the carriage clunked and moved again.
“I’m bringing you back down now,” the man called through the loudspeaker.
“Oh,” Will complained. “Just when I was starting to enjoy myself.”
Ten minutes later we slid into the back seat of a taxi, Will having to pre-scan his e-pad in order to be accepted into the vehicle and a protective screen separated us from the driver. To speak to him, we had to press an intercom button. Will gave him our address in Bellbird Drive and the taxi merged with the traffic.
“I wonder how Diora’s going? Should I call Jason?” I asked.
“I’m sure she’s doing fine. They’ll call if they need us.”
“You’re right.” Leaning my head against the back of the seat, I stared out the window at the blur of buildings and lights rushing past. Warm skin brushed against my hand as Will covered my hand with his. His fingers delved between mine, his fingertips curling underneath to touch my palms. I curled mine to match and our hands lay on top of my right thigh sending pulses of heat up my arm. I glanced down at his strong manly hand, strangely mesmerised by the veins bulging beneath his skin. As his thumb stroked the back of my hand, the pulses of heat became tidal waves of passion and if it wasn’t for the taxi driver in the front seat, I think I would have kissed him then and there. My heart beat quickened and a subtle tingling bubbled up inside as my eyes turned to meet his and an ‘I know what you’re thinking’ smile played on his lips.
The slow melody of a saxophone accompanied by velvety crooning oozed from the front of the taxi. The driver pressing a button which sent the volume up a notch and the rhythm swayed in and out, back and forth, in time with the movement of our chests with each breath. Will’s hand unfurled and pushed gently down on mine, his thumb now stroking my thigh causing the tingling bubbles inside me to pop like fireworks.
“Here we are,” said the driver, his gruff tone piercing the anticipation in the back seat. He instructed Will to scan his e-pad again, which removed his hand from my thigh, leaving behind a remnant of warmth which gradually cooled.
