The ride met its first downward spiral. As we soared through the air, my stomach did flips and my pulse raced, but it was only in excitement. There was no irregular heartbeat, no motion sickness. Just pure, adrenaline-filled fun. I whooped and screamed and threw my hands up in the air along with everyone else, laughing and shrieking at the same time.
After what seemed like forever, the ride slowed and came back to the starting point. My hair was disheveled and messed up. My breathing came in fits and starts. I clasped my hand over my mouth to stifle hysterical giggling, my eyes full of tears.
Nathan's grin faded when he saw me.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I took a deep, gulping breath. "Let's go again!"
I totally understand now why he craved that rush. It was thrilling. It was intoxicating.
But not nearly as intoxicating as Nathan's ear to ear smile. It was like golden sunshine raining down, lighting up every dark place inside of me.
There was no way I could feel worried or afraid with that smile aimed at me.
Three more turns on the dragon later and I was completely done.
"No more," I groaned. "I might not feel like puking, but my head is spinning and I think I'm starting to get a headache."
"Let's go do something a little more relaxed," he suggested. "There's this cool gondola ride. It like a Ferris wheel cabin, but it slowly ziplines you from one end of the park all the way down to the other."
We stopped to get a bucket of popcorn along the way and took it to the ride. Since we already had the tickets, it was no trouble walking straight up and getting on one of the leisurely-moving cabins.
Once we'd settled in next to each other, thighs pressed together and ankles tangled, I finally felt my rapid pulse start to slow down.
"So how close was the rush of that dragon ride to the rush of being onstage?" I asked.
"Not even one percent," he said. "It takes a lot to compare to being on stage. Very few things match it."
"Sex being one of them?" I teased.
"Sex with the right person."
He took my hand in his, bringing our conjoined hands onto his lap. His thumb played with mine absentmindedly, like a game of thumb war without winners or losers.
"I'm happy you told me about your condition," he said quietly. "It would have been awful, making you do all these things without knowing how bad it might be for you."
"Please don't feel like that," I said. "You aren't making me do anything. I liked zorbing. I loved the roller coaster. I… like just being with you."
Nathan brought my hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles. He used his other hand to cup my face. He looked into my eyes.
"I like being with you, too," he said.
Our faces inched closer together until our lips finally touched.
It was the first time we'd kissed since that night after the concert. It felt like ages ago. It felt like yesterday. His touch was familiar, as if we'd been kissing each other our whole lives.
His tongue brushed mine, seeking entrance. I opened to him, letting him slip past my lips. The kiss deepened, our breaths turning heavy.
He tugged me to him until I was practically sitting in his lap. I completed the motion, turning until I was straddling him, both knees to either side of his hips.
The shifted weight sent the small cabin tilting precariously, almost toppling us over. I clung to his shoulders as Nathan caught me before I could fall off him and onto the floor. We laughed into each other's mouths as our kiss broke.
"Maybe we should wait until we're somewhere safer," Nathan said.
"Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Or somewhere more private." He lifted an eyebrow and nodded to the cabin behind us.
