The girl keeps bumping into him without noticing. I just grab him by the waist and pull him a step back. Closer to me.
"Jesus. Get a room," he mutters under his breath, annoyed. "What??" I yell over the music, even though I heard him, because annoying him is a hobby.
He leans in, right to my ear. "GET. A. ROOM."
I grin instantly. "For us?" I shout back.
He shoves me with both hands. "OH my god—I’m leaving." "I brought you here," I say, laughing. "Shut up. I’m joking."
He leans against the railing while we wait, rubbing the back of his neck. Sweat clings to his skin.
I reach over without asking, and wipe his forehead with the edge of my sleeve.
He blinks at me. "Did you just—?"
"You look like you’re melting."
"Next time just let me die."
"Nah. That’s less fun."
We stand in the line, side by side, close enough that our arms brush sometimes. I don’t move. Neither does he.
"So," I say after a beat. "Still afraid of heights?"
"No. Just small spaces."
I look at him. "Still?"
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, Gio.Still."
Before he can say anything else, the safety gate clicks and the next round opens. I shove him forward. He stumbles, catches himself, glares at me. "Do we seriously have to—?"
I don’t answer, just hand our tokens to the guy and nod. He doesn’t resist. Not really.
We take our seats. Side by side. Locked in. The safety bar slams down in front of us. Rava grabs it and takes a deep breath. I glance over.
"Relax. You look like you’re bracing for death."
"I am," he says through clenched teeth.
I grin. "What happened to ‘I used to love this shit’?"
"I grew up. My standards changed."
"You’re the one who used to scream to ride the biggest thing in the park."
"I was ten. I also ate glue."
"Not gonna lie… youlooklike someone who eats glue…"
He looks at me sideways. "I hate you."
"I bet you do."
A voice crackles over the speakers. The ride hisses and jolts. He goes pale. "Wait—" he says, "is this one of those rides where you literally feel your organs shift?"
I hold back a laugh. "No."
