‘I don’t see why not, Bonbon.’ Wolfman pokes her on the nose, making her giggle. Duke clears his throat beside me, but quickly looks away, flexing his arm as he scratches his head.
‘Oh – yes, let’s go on the carousel!’ Rory suddenly squeals, far more excited than even Bonnie seems about the prospect. ‘That’ll be a great opportunity to take some fun pics too.’
‘A second ago you wanted to go on the Ferris wheel.Which one is it, princess?’ Wyatt asks, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Rory rises onto her tiptoes to check out the sign for the Ferris wheel behind us. ‘Fliss was right, they’re not opening for another ten minutes. Why don’t Duke and Cherry go wait by it so we can be first on while we go get some pictures?’
I open my mouth to speak – but before I know it, Rory’s grabbing Fliss and Wyatt’s hands, and dragging them off as she sings, ‘Perfect, thanks, guys.’
Wolfman just shrugs at us. ‘See you in a bit, I guess?’ And with that he’s carrying Bonnie off to the carousel.
That was a bit … random.
Duke offers me a hopeless smile, then gestures towards the Ferris wheel, its edges dotted with red and green lights, and we walk in silence until we reach it. No one else is hanging beside the ride, just the two of us.
‘So, I guess we just wait now then,’ I sigh, adjusting my white cowboy hat on my head as I scour the fair, toeing the ground with my boot.
Taking one glance up as we arrived at the wheel had my chest tightening instantly, even though I know my fear’s irrational. In fact, according to Google there are less deaths by Ferris wheel than a lot of other rides, so the odds really are in my favour here.
And yes, I did Googledeath by fairground rides statisticsbefore coming here. That doesn’t stop me from anxiously shaking my leg, though.
But I can’t chicken out now. I’ve made a good start with my bucket list – I feel like I’m on a winning streak, each item an extra building block to the woman I’m becoming.
Plus, it’s fear that holds us back from what we want most in life – that’s what Rory always tells me. If I can start tackling this fear, one that is literally based on zero grounding, then surely I can take on anything. Moving away from home, having to be a professional in a new job, and even trying to flirt with a man are far less deadly than sitting in a rickety box fifty feet in the air.
‘Yeah …’ Duke presses his lips together into a brief smile, rubbing the back of his neck before he knocks on the vendor booth below the Ferris wheel, which causes my brows to lower. ‘Or we could tick off facing your fear of heights without the rest of the group around? Avoids Wyatt or Wolfman rocking the cabin to scare you.’
Before I can respond, a tall, brawny old man appears in the window of the booth, shoots a glare between the two of us, then cocks his head towards the wheel. Duke gives him a thumbs up, then proceeds to reach over the gate to unlock it, the old man disappearing back down into the booth like he was never there. My jaw is still hanging down when Duke turns back to me.
He explains, ‘Waylon’s an old friend of my grandfather.’
Well, that’s an odd coincidence.
With a half-smile, Duke gestures for me to follow him up onto the platform below the wheel, but my feet stay glued firmly to the ground. And now my heart rate has kicked up, body suddenly aware that Idon’thave ten minutes anymore to prepare to climb into this massive death trap. I mean, these things might be tall and look sturdy, but they creak and sway in the wind. And even the slightest movement has the cabins swinging so violently, I don’t know how more people don’t fall out.
I’m not sure I trust those Google statistics anymore.
I’ve closed my fists so tight that my nails are digging into my palms. I shake them out as I babble, ‘Maybe we should start somewhere a little …’ My head tilts up to the highest point of the wheel. ‘Lower.’
Duke holds his hand out to me. Tenderly, he says, ‘Come on. You can do this.’ When I’m still unconvinced and unmoving, he adds, ‘I’ll be right here with you.’
Each word wraps around my heart, giving it a gentle squeeze. I swallow thickly, letting my eyes drop to his outstretched palm, following the path of his tattoos. I start with that new mystery horseshoe, eagerness to discover its meaning still abundant. My gaze wanders along the barbed wire wrapped around his forearm, the trees above them, and each petal of the roses blooming across his bicep.
Each inked illustration reins in the loud adrenaline coursing through my veins, calming my hands into a lighter tremble. They’re so familiar – a reminder that I’m safe in his arms. That even if I fall, he’ll be there to help me back up, to keep me strong when I feel like shattering.
Because this is Duke. Warm, strong, gallant Duke. I’m safe with him. He’s got me. Even when he doesn’t realise that he does, he’salwaysgot me.
12
Cherry
Tentatively, I step towards the Ferris wheel. When my foot lands on the metal platform there’s a quiet creak of metal, making me freeze. God, why can’t Ferris wheels be made of something sturdier like goddamnconcrete?
I’m motionless, one foot on the platform, the other on the grass, while Duke just watches me softly, hand still hovering in the air.
After a beat, he sighs – but it’s not condescending, nor one of impatience; instead, there’s something akin to understanding behind it. ‘Look, if you don’t want to, we don’t have to. Having fears doesn’t make you weak, Cherry. It makes younormal. Everyone is scared of something, but that doesn’t make us less strong, no matter how irrational some fears might be. I’ll still think you’re amazing, regardless of whether you get on this ride or not.’
How does he know what to do and say to me like it’s second nature?
