Ferris Wheel

By: Cerberus of Meropide

"So what's with the long face?" A soft voice rang like a little bell in the night. The girl's dark eyes trailed to the light eyes akin to a hearth beside her. The sunset glow on him did her no favors either. His hair reflected the dying light like an angel on her dying bed. Even if his face reflected a grumpy cat, she still found her heart skipping a beat.

"Hm?" She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head.

"I mean, you're making that scrunched-up face. Like you're thinking about something." He sighed. "What’s up?"

"The sky." A smirk escaped her lips.

"And I hate you." He frowned.

She responded with a wide smile. “Hate you too.”

He snorted and then smirked. “No, really, what’s wrong? You’ve been, like, silent the entire day.”

Aisha laughed. For almost the entire day, she was trying to edit her confession in her head throughout their day in the amusement park. Even when her friends tried to give way for the confession, there never seemed to be any time or privacy for it.

But by the slightest chance, Sol decided to go on a Ferris Wheel ride. What was even more fortunate (or unfortunate) was the fact that Lacy felt extremely nauseated after the rollercoaster ride. At the same time, Mark and Cass decided to go to another round of the roller coaster instead, which left the two of them alone in a passenger car over a hundred feet in the air.

There was a small gulp in her throat. For years, there were words that she longed to say but was stuck on the tip of her tongue. She was afraid to lose what they had so far.

But his look of concern warmed her the way the setting sun did, which made her loosen the grasp on her heart.

"Come closer then, it'll be our little secret." She wanted to gulp a bit. She wasn't exactly a poet but hopefully, the mental script she had was enough.

“I already know the fact that you crochet, grandma.” He scoffed, but his eyes softened.

"Nope! I promise it’s a new one." Her heart fluttered a little bit. Even with his pout, it was still adorable. Even if he were a zombie, he would still make her smile. And nothing could ever say otherwise.

"Fine." He moved closer. “But if it's dumb, I’ll throw you out of this car.”

She breathed once again, this time making sure she'd get the courage to beat this monster once and for all.

So she leaned in, cupping her hands to his ear. "I really like—"

Instead of the words tumbling out of her mouth, she instead found her forehead colliding with his. She instinctively leaned back with a grumble. When she rubbed her forehead, it stung. Hard.

She heard Sol mumble something to himself. “Was that your secret? That you have a thick forehead?”

Her spine quivered when she could still feel the cart slowly rock back and forth. She could only cover her mouth when the cart went absolutely still. Her body went ice-cold over the many causes of a still cart. When she looked at Sol, he could only stare at her. Her eyes glanced down to find his hands in a shaking fit. What used to be chatter was now enveloped by silence.

The silence was cut short by the sharpness of a microphone echo, which made her shoulder tensed. “Attention all passengers. Apologies for the inconvenience. We are just dealing with technical difficulties. Please keep calm and stay in your seat as we deal with the error. Thank you!”

They both stared at each other for a long while. Aisha felt her shoulder sagged as the trembles in her hands faded away.

Sol coughed. “Anyways, what were you about to say?”

Aisha could only gulp.

She wanted to open the latch of the passenger seat and plunge into the cold sea below. “I really, really like the cotton candy here?”

“Nice try.” He leaned back against his seat. “Tell me honestly.”

She sighed as she sunk into her seat.

“Listen, I like—”

She felt another jolt. At least this time, it was a mere shove instead of the earthquake a minute ago.

“Good News, Passengers!” The announcer responded with a chirp, much to Aisha’s despair. “We are pleased to announce that you may continue to enjoy the Ferris Wheel as scheduled. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!”

Tears began to threaten to leave her eye sockets. It was as if the universe decided to say no to every opportunity for a confession.

“You know what? Nevermind.” She muttered.

“Alright then.” He shrugged. She could almost feel her heart shatter.

“So, can I say my secret now?” He said.

Aisha looked back at him. She felt her heart race again.

“Sure.” She looked away. As he leaned in, she realized that the universe wasn’t screwing her over.

“I have liked you for a long time now. No matter how annoying or old you are, I want to stick by you for a long time.” He smiled as he held her hand in his. “If you allow it, of course.”

The universe was trying to set them up together.

She could only smile as the sun shone on his eyes. “Yes, of course, you can stick by me.”