for, liar

Chapter 45

"That sounds lovely, here take some cash for the tickets."

Lauren reaches into her pocketbook and hands Miles a fifty-dollar bill.

"Mom! I got it. I'm not taking your money." He says and pushes her hand away.

She chuckles and shrugs. "Okay, fine but if you need anything please call. We won't be too far away."

Miles pays the check for the whole table and walks me back out to the strip. We walk down further past all of the shops. On each side there's a ton of open areas selling cheesy graphic t-shirts, knick knacks, and souvenirs.

"I used to skateboard down here at like three in the morning when everyone was gone when we came here for vacation. Mom had no idea I left." Miles says and laughs at the distant memory.

"Rad." I tease and hook my arm into his. "Your mom is lovely. I can see where you get your charm."

"Yeah, she's pretty damn awesome. I wouldn't be where I am without her."

It's sweet the way he talks about her. I always wished for a relationship like that with my mother. We have our good days, but most of those were just me keeping my mouth shut to keep the peace. I haven't spoken to my mom in a minute. I really need to call her.

"So where exactly is this sky thing?" I ask.

Miles lets go of my hand and points up. I lift my head and look at the monstrosity before us, towering high above the beach. I haven't tested the way I react to heights. I guess now would be a good start.

"Oh, that's big."

"That's what she said." He jokes and pulls me toward the entrance.

"Wow, did I just hear a dad joke? I'm shocked."

He laughs and gets us in line to get tickets. "Are those dad jokes?"

"I would consider them that."

Everyone seems too distracted by whatever else is going on that the line for the SkyWheel wasn't all that bad. We get up to the front in only a few short minutes. Miles hands the lady at the counter his card and gets our tickets. The closer we get to actually getting on it, the more I realize how nervous I am. I'm usually the one to talk shit about someone's fear of heights thinking they're overreacting. I spoke too damn soon because I may just be the same way and I just didn't know it.

We get up to the loading dock. The wheel turns slow and stops where we are to let a family off. They all seem really happy and no one is crying or screaming. I need to stop stressing myself out.

"Next!" The worker yells.

I jump and look at Miles. He walks me up to the gondola and we take a step inside. The whole thing is pretty roomy. It has two long benches on both sides and the whole outer part is see-through. It's enclosed so my fear of falling out can rest.

We take a seat and wait for the doors to close. I grab Miles' hand nervously and tap my leg against the floor.

"Are you alright?" He asks and looks at me, noticing my discomfort.

"Yeah I've just never actually been on a ferris wheel before." I admit quietly.

I'm twenty-two years old and have never been on a fucking ferris wheel. How pathetic is that?

"Wow, really? You never went to the state fair?"

I shake my head. I had always seen advertisements for the North Carolina State Fair, I just never really found the time to go. Me and Ben never did all the cute relationship stuff because we felt we were too good to be cliché. Looking back, it was such bullshit.

"Well, it's next month so we are definitely going." He tells me and squeezes my hand.

I lean my head on his shoulder and relax. I like when he makes plans in the future. He shows me that he's actually serious about continuing this relationship. It's nice to know he has good intentions.

"Sounds good to me." I whisper.

The wheel jolts and starts moving up. My eyes widen and I tighten my grip on Miles. He puts his arm around me, pulling me close to his chest.

"It's not that bad. Take a deep breath." He tells me.

I'm too scared to look out the window. My eyes are closed tightly now and I have no intent of opening them. I can't believe how much of a little bitch I'm being. The wheel keeps ascending higher. It's not at a fast pace but it's fast enough to make me uneasy.

It finally stops when we get to the very top. This is literally the worst place to stop. Why would they do that?

"C'mon, babe. Look out."

Did he just call me babe? I must have misheard him. My name sounds too familiar with pet names.

I slowly open my eyes and stare at our feet. Miles lets go of my hand and strokes a few strands of my hair. He's able to relax me for the time being.

I take a deep breath and lean my head over to look out of the gondola window. Everything looks so small from up here. My brain can't accept that we are actually high up off the ground.

Below us are the tops of buildings and crowds of people walking up the street. Out the other window I see the stretch of ocean water that extends too far out to see the end of. It really puts it in perspective just how big oceans are.

"That's weird." Is all I manage to say.

Miles looks at me and smiles. "See? It's not that bad. It's cool, right?"

It is cool. I've had dreams like this where I'd be up in the air looking down, seeing nothing but a spotty mess. This kind of feels like this. I'm not scared because my subconscious isn't aware this is real life. I don't know exactly how safe the wheel is but I feel secure. It's probably only because Miles is next to me.

"Yeah, it's not too bad." I agree.

The wheel lowers back down and my stomach flutters. I get the same feeling in my stomach when I feel guilty or anxious. It's weird to think people enjoy that feeling that they would purposely go on intense and fast paced rides.

We went around a couple of more times. Each time we reach the top, I get more comfortable than last time. Once we step off the gondola my head remains a little fuzzy. I steady myself onto Miles and giggle.

"You never go on any sort of rides?" He asks and laughs at me.

"Not like those."

He wraps both arms around me and holds me for a few seconds. "Thank you for trusting me enough to take you to your first." He whispers.

I bury my head into the center of his chest and snake my arms around his waist.

"Of course I trust you." I whisper back. 

Revised;