Page 29 of Pretend You're Mine
Just then, Naomi’s bumper car slammed into mine. As she raced away, laughing triumphantly, I gave chase.
The rest of the game was much the same, me slamming into her, her slamming into me, the other family’s’ cars just collateral damage. By the end, Naomi was grinning ear to ear.
Once we were out, she grabbed my hand. “The swings are right beside here, come on!”
I let her pull me that way without saying anything. No way was I going to admit that, as much as I’d always loved theme parks, I’d also always had an embarrassing fear of heights.
As I paused at the edge of the line, her face fell slightly. “Think the seats will be too wet?”
I swallowed. “Nah. Let’s go.”
Once again, the lineup was short, consisting of people who had clearly waited so long that they were determined to get on, rain or no.
So I only had to endure one cycle of watching the swings creak to life and convey their passengers perilously high, before it was our turn.
Naomi led us to our chosen chairs. I concentrated on clambering on, holding her hand. Don’t think about it, I told myself.
Because if I thought about just how high we were flying, and just how easy it would be for any mechanical gear, or part of the swing mechanism itself to fail, then I would run screaming from the thing like a crazed toddler.
And I had no intention of doing that, not with how excited Naomi was looking.
“It’s starting!” she said as the music whirred to life.
“Here we go,” I muttered.
Don’t think about it.
Which wasn’t as hard as I thought, with Naomi’s hand in mine as our swings were carried up and up and up. As long as I looked at her, as long as I didn’t move my gaze from her sweetly smiling face, then it was okay.
My whole world was encapsulated in that upturned smile. Sure, there was a bit of wind around us and my feet no longer touched the ground, but if I didn’t look, if I didn’t turn, then it was almost as though we were only a foot off the ground.
Yes, I could do this. We could do this, together.
When we touched down, it took me a minute to compose myself.
“You okay?” Naomi was standing in front of me, peering at me with an amused face. I pushed off the safety mechanism.
“Nope,” I said deadpan, then smiled. “I’m fine.”
It was actually true.
Naomi leaned in, her lips tickling my ear. “Do you have something about heights?”
“Who, me?” I said. “Didn’t I mention that my hobby is rock climbing and bungee jumping?”
“Xander,” she said in a tone, though she was smiling.
“Hey.” I caught her face in my hand. “Let me have a few secrets, ok?”
She pouted, and I kissed her.
“Do you like cotton candy?” I asked.
Naomi was already headed to the stand, whose sickly-sweet scent reached all the way over to us. “Hell yeah.”
They had the two blue and pink cotton candy staples – and I bought both. As the rain began to dissolve some, we raced to take refuge under a covered eating area. Only a few cotton candy chomps in, and Naomi realized what I had: “It’s actually better in the rain.”
“There’s almost no one here now,” I agreed. “The games are a literal ghost town.”
“Let’s check them out,” I said.
Naomi wiped a tuft of cotton candy off the corner of her lips. “Aren’t those things a money-pit?”
“Guess we’ll see.”
It only took me one throw to see that, yes, the game was slightly rigged and, no, that didn’t mean I couldn’t win. Visualizing my target before I let the ball fly, I threw it as hard as I could and made it.
“Score!” I pumped my fist in the air as Naomi cheered.
“Which one?” I asked her, gesturing up to my pick of the prizes, a sea of stuffed creatures hanging over us like some strange Guardian Angels.
“Are you sure Walter wouldn’t just want a toy?” she asked.
“He doesn’t need another stuffed innocent to behead,” I said. “Just pick one.”
“I’ve always been a rabbit person,” she said, as she pointed out the fluffy rabbit to the guy working the game. She turned to me. “Thanks!”
She kissed my cheek and I slung a lofty glance her way. “Just name him Xander and we’re even.”
“Oh yeah?” She was grinning again and I was too, although my gaze had already moved on. “Ferris wheel next?”
Linking my arm in hers, I took a few steps away before realizing that Naomi wasn’t following, and that she still hadn’t answered me.
She had an odd look on her face that, when I opened my mouth to ask about, disappeared as she said, “Better get there fast. Looks like we have a crowd to fight.”
On our way there, I had to laugh. The ‘crowd’ Naomi had cited consisted of an ancient-looking couple, who hobbled as fast as a slug.
