Page 52 of The Wedding Favor

“Honestly? She was all upset about the possibility we could be dating that I wanted her to suffer for a little bit.” I took a bite of my Oreo and moaned as all that sugary-sweet goodness hit my tongue. “I’m very petty. I feel like I should tell you that.”

Abe cleared his throat and looked away. “So, I’m a revenge date in more than one way? I feel so cheap.”

“And I thank you for your service. But, um, this is awkward,” I said. “We both agree this is just a fake date thing, right? Like real feelings are not exchanged. Except friendship feelings, of course.”

He frowned. “Did you think it was something else?”

“What? No, of course not. It’s a favor. You go to the wedding, I watch Hallie. We’re… favoring each other. That’s a thing, right?”

“Right.” He nodded slowly. “Favoring each other.”

“Yeah.” Now I was the one who looked away.

An awkward silence filled the space between us until finally Abe stood. “As a friend, do you want to walk around? Maybe I’ll try and win you one of those giant stuffed bananas.”

“You’d do that for me?” I stood up. “Such a gentleman. Lead the way.”

“Nope.” I shook my head and took a step back, clutching the hot dog plushie that was half my size. Sadly, they’d been out of bananas. “Absolutely not.”

Abe smirked. “No way are you afraid of a Ferris wheel.”

“I’m not afraid of the Ferris wheel,” I snapped. “I’m afraid of falling out of the Ferris wheel and ending up as a human-sized pancake.”

He scoffed. “Don’t you think that sounds a tiny bit irrational?”

“It is not irrational. Fears are very healthy. They keep us safe. Duh.” I turned and started to hightail it as far away from the wheel of death.

A few seconds later, Abe wrapped a hand around my arm. “Wait. Wait. Okay, I won’t force you. Facing fear is for suckers anyway, right?”

I wheeled around and glared at him. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Who, me?” Which would have been a more effective response if he hadn’t been, well, laughing. “I thought you were tough, but I guess it’s all talk.”

My hands curled into fists. I knew he was goading me. The problem was that it was working. I stomped over to him and smacked him in the chest with the hot dog. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Ten minutes later, we were buckled into one of the gondolas and I was white-knuckling the safety bar. Off to the side, my giant plushie grinned up at us manically. “I will make you get me another hot dog if that one gets stolen.”

He patted my hand. “It’ll be fine.”

The wheel jerked up as the next gondola locked into place to be loaded.

I shrieked. “I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die.”

“You aren’t a puker, are you?” Abe asked.

“I don’t know, but I kind of hope I am,” I muttered. A bead of sweat trailed down my cheek. That was either from the heat or my life flashing before my eyes.

He laughed. Again.

“I don’t think I like you.” I gasped as the wheel moved another twenty feet up. “Don’t look down. Do not look down.”

“You dated that other guy for how long and never went on a Ferris wheel together?”

“Aidan gets motion sickness, so no.” Which was fine by me.

“Huh.” He shifted in his seat and the gondola rocked.

“Don’t move. Please. Don’t move.”