Why Don't We: Imagines and Preferences | REQUESTS OPEN

Zach Herron: Falling

This is for wdwcommunity 's First Date Contest thing. Enjoy???

"Be safe!" my Mom yelled, as Zach and I walked towards his car. After watching us for a while, she went back in the house.

"Excited?" he asked.

"Of course!" I replied. I was in an extra flirty mood, so I added, "Why wouldn't I be? I'm with the hottest guy in the world!"

Zach smiled at this. Seeing him smile made me smile too.

When we made it to the car, he opened the door for me, and I climbed in. He got in the driver's seat, and we took off towards the fair.

...

Let me back up.

Zach and I go way back. We met sometime in high school, before he quit to join a band. Back then, we didn't really talk; we were in very different friend groups.

One day, a few weeks before our first date, I mustered up the courage to DM him. We chatted for a while, and eventually, he asked me out. I was ecstatic; he was cute, and wonderful, and best of all, a goofball. I find a good sense of humor very attractive.

...

After about twenty minutes, Zach pulled the car into an empty, unpaved parking lot. It was dark, and the sky was a beautiful shade of purple. A gigantic Ferris wheel was rotating slowly in the distance.

We got out of the car and walked towards the fair's entrance, where Zach payed for two wristbands.

"Where would you like to go first?" he asked.

"I don't care. You pick," I replied. He began leading us in the direction of the Ferris wheel.

I'm not gonna lie. Things started to go downhill.

The fair was practically empty, so there was no wait. A carnie sat by the control board, jamming out to some loud music through his AirPods. He didn't even acknowledge when Zach and I got in one of the Ferris wheel's seats.

We went around a few times, mostly sitting in silence. It a little awkward; we had never really spoken in person before, so we didn't even know what we had in common.

Eventually, Zach put his arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

After a while, the ride stopped.

We chatted with each other for about ten minutes then, finally, I said, "Wow. The ride's been stopped for a really long time."

A look of panic swept over Zach's face. I immediately understood: the carnie didn't know we got on the ride. We were trapped on the Ferris wheel, and the carnie was no where in sight.

Zach and I began screaming and yelling for someone to help us, but the entire fair looked empty.

"Should I call the cops?" I asked him.

"Yeah, probably," he said, panicking a little.

There was no cell service.

"There's only one thing to do," said Zach. "I'm gonna have to climb down."

"Zach! That's so dangerous!" I replied.

"We don't really have a choice," he said. "We can't be stuck up here all night! Your Mom would have to go to a therapist for weeks!" I sighed.

Part of me wanted to stay on the Ferris wheel; it would've been such a cool story to tell our kids one day. On our first date, Dad and I got stuck on a Ferris wheel all night long!Unfortunately, the story I'll be telling them is a little less romantic.

Zach climbed out of our seat, and began the treacherous climb down.

All of a sudden, he lost his grip with both of his feet, and one of his hands.

"Zach!" I screamed, grabbing onto his wrist, and trying to pull him back up. I knew it was no use.

"Just let go," he said with an eerie calmness. "It'll be okay."

"I can't do that!" I replied.

"Do it for me."

I sighed. After a minute of contemplating, I let go.

I watched in agony as he silently fell to the ground. Then, I heard a crack.

Thank God we were only 6 feet off the ground.

...

I drove Zach to the ER.

When we arrived, we found out that he had broken his ankle. To this day, I still wonder how he managed to do that; after he fell, I climbed down after him without hurting a thing.

The doctor prescribed some medicine for the pain, and a nurse put a cast on his ankle. I sat by Zach the entire time, listening to every word that both he, and the doctors had to say. When everyone else was out of the room, Zach finally spoke to me.

"Veronica, I-I'm so sorry that this happened. Worst first date ever, I know," he said.

"No way!" I replied. "I actually kind of had fun. Like, spending all that time with you on the Ferris wheel with you was nice, you know? Of course, I'm upset that you broke your ankle and stuff, but hanging out in the E.R. was a good time too because, well, it's always good to get a second opinion on this kind of thing, so don't worry, I..." Right on cue, Zach gently kissed me, putting an end to my rant.

"You know what?" he whispered, holding my chin with his hand."I've never met anyone like you before. I can already tell that you're different; you mean so much more to me." All of a sudden, he laughed. "Can't you see that I'm falling for you?"

"That's the worst pun I've ever heard," I replied. "I love it."