I swallowed hard. Did he think I was pretty cool? Oh my God. I felt like I was back in high school.
For a few minutes, we talked about the places we’d seen so far. We agreed that the chapel had felt like a spiritual place, argued over what made the Stanley Hotel feel haunted, and then agreed again, that, when it wasn’t snowing, the sky seemed bluer here. And then we sat in a comfortable silence for a minute or two, just appreciating the view.
“I’ve been thinking…” Noah said. He was tapping his fingers against his knee. “About your video.”
My stomach tensed, but I forced a casual, “Oh?”
At the restaurant in Granby, Noah had implied that by dumping the lobster over Leo’s head, I hadn’t given myself the chance to rationalize.
And then he’d told me Leo was a fucking bastard.
But we’d run out of time, and the conversation had felt a little unfinished.
Now that he’d brought it up again, I was suddenly curious, but also a little nervous about what he was going to say.
“Are you sure you didn’t know something was going on before you saw those messages come through?”
The gondola swayed a little, and my pulse jumped. “What do you mean?” I asked.
Noah glanced out the window and then back to me, the picture of nonchalance, but his gaze stayed steady. “You lived together for, what, five years? And I can’t help but wonder…” He hesitated. “If there weren’t other problems in your relationship. Like, if things had been great, when you saw those messages, wouldn’t you have given him the benefit of the doubt? But you?—”
“Freaked out instead?” I cut in, a little sharper than I intended. “I thought you said I was right to dump him.”
Noah didn’t flinch. “You were! And I’m not one to judge. Trust me.” He let out a breath, almost a laugh, but there wasn’t much humor in it. “My marriage dragged on way past the point we both knew it was over. Sometimes staying feels easier—until it really, really doesn’t.”
I crossed my arms and turned to look out the window, not really seeing the valley stretching out below us. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
My insides were getting all twitchy. Because I couldn’t ignore it. Hovering. Circling.
I hadn’t known he was cheating until I saw those messages, had I? But I’d procrastinated when it came to setting a date. And looking at dresses… I hadn’t opened a single one of the wedding magazines Ashley had brought over.
Luckily, we were almost at the top of the mountain, and we were here to have some fun, not dive into all my issues.
“So,” I exhaled. “I saw they have a rollercoaster and that death swing. What else do they have up here?”
Noah thankfully let the issue drop and tilted his head toward the park entrance. “I don’t know, Faraday. Are you ready to find out?”
“Yep.”
Because…
Limitless…
A SENSE OF ADVENTURE
The gondola docked, and we stepped out onto the platform, the park unfolding ahead in a web of winding paths and brightly colored signs. Like the swing pictured on the brochure, several of the rides were perched dramatically at the edge of the mountain—deliberate choices, no doubt, to make the thrill-seekers question their life choices.
The sun had finally warmed the air, and for the first time on this trip, my vintage sandals actually made sense. Still, I was only half aware of the change in weather. My mind kept jumping around. Honestly, though, there was too much to unpack today.
And maybe that was fine. Because we were here for the views. For the roller coasters. For fun.
Noah glanced over, a playful glint in his eyes. “What do you want to do first?”
I shook my head, already smiling. “Not the swing.”
“Not the swing.” He nodded. “Got it.
And honestly, having shaken off the lingering weight of our conversation, I had more fun in the next few hours than I had had in a very long time. Too long, probably.
