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“Your head would probably explode,” she counters.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not a mind reader,” I reply, looking around. “Let’s go on the ferris wheel,” I suggest, getting to my feet. I reach for her hand but when she gets up, she protests, informing me that she does not do heights.
“The idea of being so far up in the air and the possibility of the ride breaking down completely turns me away from the idea that it could be fun. I don’t even ride roller coasters,” she admits.
“What a sad, mundane existence you must live,” I tease, crossing my arms over my chest and rolling my eyes. “Life without taking risks isn’t living, it’s just existing. And since I’ve never had the chance to ride a ferris wheel myself, I think tonight is the night.”
Taking a moment, Meg must have realized that there was some truth in what I said. She shares with me that while taking in the sight of the massive red and orange ferris wheel, fear is the only thing she feels and it fills her entire body.
“My brain is screaming at me to not step foot on the ride. But then I remember I won’t be alone, and that you are no doubt brave enough for both of us.”
I know I’ve now won the debate by her words and demeanor.
“Just so you know, I’m not going to look down,” she informs me, and I tell her that I won’t tell anyone.
I grin and take her hand as we step in line which is surprisingly short considering the number of people at the festival. The operator puts us in one of the orange seats, guiding Meg to be seated first.
The seat responds to her movement with a loud creak and immediately tilts the second she steps up to get on it. She turns towards me with a look of panic on her face. Little does she know I’m feeling the same on the inside. I just hope she doesn’t see my real level of trepidation.
As I step on, I make the seat move even more. Meg grips the railing in fear that the seat may just fall off now or, worse yet, later when we are at the very top.
I put my arm around her as the ride begins to slowly lift us up, up, up, above the earth. I feel the breeze run through my hair as we rise over the town. After one cycle of the wheel, we stop at the very top where we take in the view.
Stars shine brightly as the cool wind kisses our faces and the trees below whisper their secrets to each other. It’s a gorgeous sight and I’m overcome with the experience.
I rest my arm around the back of the seat as I gaze out at the horizon. When I look over to meet Meg’s eyes, she immediately has me under her spell. I shiver from the breeze as she slides towards me and I say nothing to discourage her, knowing that I want her to be even closer.
Our mouths are like the north and south of a magnet and we are drawn to each other in a kiss.
As our ride continues, I realize that I do have a grumpy exterior at times, but once someone close breaks past it, there’s a softer, gentler side that I can share. I believe that Meg is realizing that I am able to unlock this part of me for her, and that, in turn, is helping her share her true feelings with me.
“Most of the time when I speak about my life philosophies, like how much the little moments matter most, I’m met with people who disagree in impolite ways,” she shares.
“Drew, you are one of the few people who genuinely considers what I say and doesn’t completely disregard it because it’s different from your own opinions. So here is a deep and abiding truth I want to share. Truly deep and abiding.”
I’m fully braced awaiting this important truth.
“I don’t like being this high!” Her voice sounds as shaky as her legs look, but the one-hundred-eighty-degree twist in what she shares as her ‘deep and abiding truth’ absolutely cracks me up.
“I do,” I reply, with my best grin, as the ride holds its position.
Chapter fourteen
Meg – Sister Talk
Drew’s fierce brown eyes lock with mine and I can feel my stomach fill with butterflies. What is it about him that makes me lose control of my thoughts and reactions? His gentle smile helps take away the uneasiness of the terrifying ride the moment he moves closer. My cheeks feel warm, my hands are shaky, and my thoughts are going a million miles an hour wondering what is going to happen next.
Drew’s eyes are still locked on mine until they start moving from my eyes, to my hair, to my lips. I bite my lip and look down at my lap, not knowing what to do in this kind of situation. That ‘situation’ being dangling by what feels like a few thousand feet in the air, in a rickety bucket, on a ride that could tumble at any moment.
His hand caresses my face as he gently lifts my chin to meet his eyes again. I feel myself leaning into Drew as he does the same until our lips finally meet. The touch of his lips sends a fiery heat through the rest of my chilly body, waking up all of my senses.
My cheeks and neck feel incredibly flushed. My heart flutters, no, pounds in my chest. My head is light and dizzy but the feeling is something I’ve been craving for what seems like my whole life.
For the first time in a very long time, I feel truly alive. I silently beg the heavenly powers to let this moment last forever.
We pull away from each other with a jolt as the ride wakes up again, descending from the sky as it takes us back down to earth. He takes my hand as we step off the ride, my body still reeling from the entire experience.
Once we start walking, I look over at Drew, who is smiling.
