In Pursuit of Perfection | Nalu | Collab with ofthefeels

| Chapter 10 |

Can't Stop the Feeling, by Justin Timberlake

| Previously in Chapter 9 |

"A carnival," he said, confidently. He looked very pleased with himself. I was lost for words. How on Earth did he know that? How did he even guess that? "So did I win or what?" The look on his face made me want to punch him. He cheated! How else could he knew?

"How'd you figure that out?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Easy. The keychains on your dance bag. They're from the carnival, obviously," he said, pointing to the mini stuffed panda, trinkets, and other small toys. I deadpanned. How could I be so stupid?

A wide half-smile half-smirk was on his face. "Let's go then!"

"I need to change," I said, rolling my eyes. I slipped on a pair of leggings and threw on a t-shirt over my leotard. I barely snatched my shoulder purse from the coffee table as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out the door. Once we got out of the dorms, he sped up into a sprint.

"Let's go on an adventure!"

| Chapter 10 |

"We're going to...the carnival?" My mouth dropped open as I got out of his car. "What?"

Natsu laughed, seeing my shocked expression. "Yep, I thought that if we went to your favorite place, it'd cheer you up! Come on!" He grabbed my wrist and raced to the entrance.

It felt like a dream. I hadn't been to Luna Park on Coney Island since I was a little girl! Fuzzy images flashed through my mind, filled with laughter, screaming, and the sound of rollercoasters slowly making its way up to the peak. It was when mother and father were together.

A few people waved at me and I waved back. "So, which ride do you want to go to first? Air Race? You flip upside-down and everything, it looks awesome!" Natsu exclaimed, as soon as we got our tickets. I looked around, my heart thumping with excitement.

"Yeah, sure." I hurried along Natsu as we made our way to the lines. After the thrilling ride, we went on The Cyclone. The minute I got on, my heart started beating so quickly, I held onto Natsu for dear life as we slowly chugged to the top, each second agonizing as adrenaline built up in my veins. Oh no oh no oh no oh no—

I screamed myself hoarse as we plunged down a clean 85° angle, wind whipping at my face creating tears that stung my eyes. But amidst the terrifying feeling, excitement was pumping in my chest, a sense of comfort and enjoyment that I didn't want to let go.

I got off the rollercoaster with stars in my vision, my hands trembling and my lips dry from all the gasping. "That..." I turned to face Natsu, my voice shaky. A worried expression came over his face. "WAS THE BEST RIDE EVER!"

Laughing at his reaction—a mixture of bewilderment and relief—I pulled him towards the Brooklyn Flyer, a ride he said he wanted to go on earlier. "Come on, we need to get to all the good rides before it closes!"

"Woah, woah, slow down," he said, hurrying along. He caught up to me and smirked. "Race you there!" He took off like a lightening bolt and my competitive nature turned on.

"Dragneel, come back here!"

***

We went on five different rides after the Brooklyn Flyer and participated in mini-games. I looked down at my stash of prizes, a Luna Park keychain, a cute purple penguin, and a bag of candy. Mini-games were always my specialty, but Natsu wasn't that type of person. He preferred death rides over ring tosses. Munching on my cotton candy and enjoying their sweet and cloud-like texture, I glanced at Natsu, who quickly looked away. "Is something wrong?"