Alps ✰ Ethma

TWENTY SIX

Emma Pov.

"Smile!" I groaned, pushing lightly at Ethan's chest with my free hand & making his eyes widen as the Ferris wheel cart we were in rocked dangerously. He gripped the sides of the cart & I laughed. "Jesus, are you trying to get us killed?!" He asked & I rolled my eyes, holding up my phone again. "Well if you would have just smiled instead of glaring at the camera then I wouldn't have done anything." I explained & he rolled his eyes in return, giving a fake smile as I sighed & took the picture anyway. Our cart neared the bottom of the giant wheel, signaling our ride was over. The ride manager pulled a red lever on his controls & waved us off, the door on our cart being unlocked as we stepped out onto the fair's ground. Grayson & James had gotten off a little before us, running off to who knows where in the sea of candy-thrilled children & tired parents. "Let's go on 'Tilt-a-Whirl'!" I announced, grabbing Ethan's bicep with intent & pointing at the childish & spinning ride. He raised an eyebrow at the ride & looked down at me, making me give him a cheesy smile. He shook his head with a small chuckle & nodded as I practically dragged him towards the desired ride, ignoring the ache in my lower stomach. I would rather have fun than drawl on the thoughts of what had happened today.

A good amount of kids poured out of the exit railing door as we arrived to 'Tilt-a-Whirl' & the old ride manager opened the entrance gate for Ethan & I, glancing quickly at our wristbands. There were seven different colored capsules to choose from & I looked between them, Ethan shrugging beside me. My eyes lingered on the blue one & I decided, pulling him over to the smallish seating space inside of it. We sat down with a good amount of space between us, pulling the metal bar down over our legs for safety as we stared at the other capsules & waited for them to fill up.

I looked up at Ethan & he sensed my eyes on him, looking back at me. A small cold breeze blew into the small contraption we were in, ruffling Ethan's hair & exposing his usually hidden blue strands as they rested near his temple. I smiled at the sight of them, the color almost matching the cart we were in right now. Suddenly the ride hummed to life & the metal platforms under us began to move in a circle, the individual capsules starting to spin as I looked forward instead. I squealed as the ride made a hard spin, causing me to slide against Ethan & blush when he didn't do anything about it. He only smiled down at me & then flinched as we were jolted into yet another round of spins.

"What are you doing?" Ethan asked as I held up a piece of bright blue cotton candy from the bag, lingering it in the air near his head. "Comparing the color to the strands in your hair." I stated causally, coming to a conclusion that the blue raspberry cotton candy was much lighter than the ocean dark strands in his hair. He shook his head, chuckling & grabbing the sugary cotton from my fingers only to pop it into his mouth. He cringed & swallowed the candy as I ate some from the large bag left of it. "How can you eat that much sugar after being spun around for a good five minutes?" He asked quizzically in disbelief & I shrugged, placing some more colored cotton onto my tongue. "The real question is, why would you buy it for me when you know I'm gonna get all hyped?" I said back & he sighed dramatically as I giggled. "Wanna go on 'Pharaoh's Boat' next?" He suddenly asked, sounding a little excited & I frowned. I hated that ride. It scared me. I watched pitifully as he looked down at me with a genuinely happy expression & I sighed, knowing I was going to give in to keep that beautiful smile on his face. "Sure." I said while laughing lightly, pretending to be excited. He grinned even wider & grabbed the now empty bag of cotton candy from me, tossing it into the garbage nearby. I raised an eyebrow at his excitement when he grabbed my hand into his large one & dragged me towards the giant swinging boat.

I gulped as Ethan & I walked up the steps to the now stilled ship with Pharaoh's face carved into the front of it. The punk-looking teenager who was managing the ride asked boredly to see our bright wristbands, making me even more nervous knowing that he would be running the ride. He looked high as fuck right now & like a goth rapist, making me shiver as he stared at me for a moment. I guess Ethan had some of the same thoughts about him, his hand suddenly pulling me closer to his body. I blushed as Ethan clenched his jaw at the goth kid, making him sigh & roll his eyes. His now monotone gaze scanned over Ethan & I's wristbands, waving us in with a bored hand. "Go to the very back! Go to the very back!" Ethan said excitedly & my eyes widened as I realized that's the part of the boat that goes the highest up. Of course it was Ethan's favorite spot.