Dylan has recently come out of the closet in his second year at college. With little experience and luck with guys, his best friend decides to set him up on a blind date. But when he arrives at the theme park, the last person he expected to see was...
We spend the rest of the morning running through the park to get on as many rides as possible. Simon pulled me along to the Forbidden Valley, another location within the park. "Ok, you ready for the most intense ride of your life?" he asks, a playful smirk creeping across his face.
"You've taken me on some crazy shit this morning, I don't see how this one could be any worse?" I shrug, as we round a corner and come face to face with a metal monstrosity. Brown rusted track dove through the valley, dancing around alien-like tendrils that dripped with blood. A carriage races past us, hanging beneath the track, followed by a guttural growl that pounds against my chest.
"Pick your jaw up, you're gonna need it to scream," Simon chuckles, rushing behind me and pushing me forward by the back of my shoulders.
"I- I don't think I want to do this," I stutter, but he continues pushing until we're already in the queue. Before I know it we're in the station waiting for our turn. The carriage returns with windswept passengers, a mixture of expressions staring blankly forward.
As we board Simon could sense my apprehension, and nudges me as the overhead restraints come down. "Are you good?" he asks, offering a warm smile.
"Yeah, just some nervous jitters," I reply, the screams of past riders racing through my mind as the staff check our restraint bars. "I'll be good once we're at the top."
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Well, until then..." he says, offering out his hand. I stare at him, blinking like a lost child in the middle of a busy store. The sudden jolt of the coaster moving forces me into action and I grip onto his hand tightly. He squeezes softly, his fingers interlocking with mine and his eyes twinkling in the ray of sun that managed to break through the grey clouds.
We climb the chain lift, passing in between blooming trees and a flowing red river. There's nothing but warm sensations pulsing through my body- and as we reach the top, gravity takes hold.
My body is thrown in every direction as we whirl around the track. Dipping in and out of the valley, twisting around jagged rocks and hurling inches from a gushing red waterfall. By the time I have a moment to breathe, we're back in the station and the ride comes to an end.
The restraint bars release, and I look down to see that Simon was still holding my hand. I climb out from the carriage, and sheepishly follow him down the exit ramp. "That was fun, I didn't know what direction I was going in!" he chimed, looking up as the next batch of riders raced overhead.
"Y-yeah," I mumble out, my thoughts and words becoming scrambled. Simon cocks his head, but ignores my awkward reply- likely putting it down to being disoriented from the ride.
"It's nearly lunch, shall we grab something to eat now before everyone else gets the same idea?"
"I could eat," I reply, my stomach finally settling. My eyes don't look up however, they're locked onto our hands that are still very much entwined. He probably doesn't even realise... I'm just overthinking this but I can't help it!
