Love, Finally

Chapter 5

  We pay the entrance fee, and the lady in the booth slides us two wristbands through the slot in the window. Putting them on as we walk, we pass through the gates. We wander around for a little bit, looking at the different rides and activities.

"So whaddya wanna do?" I ask, casually.

"I don't know about you, but I love roller coasters." He replies.

"I'm not really a big fan of roller coasters, to be completely honest." 

"Oh come on, lets try it!" He exclaims.

"Why don't we look around a bi-" I'm cut off as he grabs my hand and starts running towards one of the roller coasters, dragging me behind him. The line for the ride looks huge, but it isn't long enough to make Luke change his mind. Before I know it, we're strapped in with a padded bar over our laps. The ride starts moving. We go through a dark tunnel and then emerge, and start our slow ascent towards impending doom. Not really, but it sure feels like it. I'm holding on to the bar across our waists with a death grip.

"Hey, relax, Mike. You'll be fine." Luke says, noticing my grip. He gets me to let go of the bar with my right paw, and holds it in his left. By now I can't tell if my hammering heart and adrenaline rush is from Luke holding my paw, or from the roller coaster we're on. It's probably both. We get to the top, and the ride seems to pause for a second. I start to mutter a worried "Luke..." but we're flying down the track. Everything's a blur. I abandon the rail I was holding on to with my other paw and grip his arm. 

We slow for a second as the ride turns, and I catch my breath. This might be kinda fun, actually. We're whisked off again, and after what seemed like forever, the ride slows, and we get off. I'm still clinging to Luke. I'm not gonna lie, that was scary as hell. But also fun. I realize that I'm shaking, and Luke seems to notice that too. 

"Hey, you okay? You're shaking, like, allot. Lets sit down." He says, looking at me, eyes filled with concern. 

  We go and sit down on a bench. I sit down, and after a bit, the shaking stops.

"Sorry Mike, I shouldn't have forced you to go on the ride. Sorry." He looks at me, ears flat against his head, and his tail down. 

"Hey, it's okay. I feel better now. I actually kinda enjoyed it!"

"Really?" He asks, disbelief evident.

"Yeah, it was scary as hell, but also really fun." At this, his ears perk up and his tail starts to wag.

"But since you dragged me through that, I get to choose what we do next!" I say, smiling. "And I choose bumper cars!" 

...

   For the next few hours, we fooled around and had fun. I had a great time. Luke not only makes me feel wonderful in every single way, he makes me feel safe. Safer than I've felt for years....  What am I doing? I'm on a fucking date with a handsome jock having the best time of my life. Sad thoughts have no business here.

  We get off a ride called the Tilt-A-Whirl, and start walking. But I'm still dizzy from the ride, and I notice Luke is too. Suddenly, I stumble and fall right into Luke's arms. He catches me and I giggle. I almost feel drunk. He's still holding me, and I look into his beautiful green eyes. He's staring back at me, and the space in between us shrinks. Our noses touch, and I close my eyes. This is the only place I want to be. 

  We're about to kiss, when out of the blue, my stomach growls. Like, horrendously loud. He jerks his head back and gives me a surprised look. Then he starts laughing. I can feel myself blushing. Oh my god. My empty stomach just ruined what would've been a perfect first kiss. I groan inwardly, hoping that Luke will forget about it.