Wild Ride
1171 Words
“AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
Bella clung to Melvin, shaking like a leaf. The two concluded approximately two hours before that they didn’t want their date to end and thus, decided to go to an amusement park. They immediately got tickets and started to wander around the park. When Melvin sighted a haunted house, he smirked and confidently strolled in. With the way Bella clung to him, one could tell he was enjoying it immensely.
“I-I can’t do this anymore.”
“You’re an adult, Bella. You can do this.”
“You sound just like the bad thoughts in my head.”
“You want to give up now? We’re almost at the end. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you” he said, abruptly pulling her closer to his chest. She blushed immediately, glad they were in a dark place. They took a few steps forward and another thing popped out from the corner, scaring her into screams once again.
“I’m never doing that in my life again” she moaned, clutching her head. Melvin chuckled, leading her to a bench. He disappeared for a while, leaving her to clear her head. She tilted her head backward and sighed. She always avoided the haunted houses like a plague whenever she went to the amusement park when she was younger.
She suddenly fell into nostalgia, remembering the times she went to amusement parks with her friends and siblings. Back in school, when she thought the time was short, she actually had more time than she had right now. Those days were happy and free. In those days, she could fall in love freely without any complications. Nowadays…….
“Are you feeling okay now?”
Something cold touched her forehead, along with a soothing voice in her ears. She looked up to see a handsome profile right above her face. He smiled at her, brushing away the hairs on her forehead. Yeah, it’s too complicated now.
“I’m fine.”
“I bought you green tea. Thought you’d appreciate it.”
“I do. Thank you.”
She took the can, opening it immediately. The cool drink was like balm to her soul, calming her frazzled nerves. He sat beside her, opening the can of cola he bought. Together, they sat there in silence, finishing their drinks.
“So, where to next? I hear they have a fireworks show today. We could watch it from atop the Ferris wheel.”
Bella directed her gaze to the Ferris wheel which was currently moving. It was a place of memories, the place she had her first kiss. Her first boyfriend was a handsome boy, a football player in middle school. The kiss was awkward and sloppy but it wasn’t a kiss she regretted. She wondered if Melvin would kiss her.
“Why don’t we go to the arcade first? I have to pay you back for the haunted house” she declared with renewed vigor.
“Ooh, look who’s mad. I’m not going to be an easy opponent to beat.”
“We’ll see about that!”
Throwing their cans away, they walked to the arcade. Melvin stopped and put his hand out. Bella looked down at his hand and put hers on it. He linked their fingers together, bearing a dimpled smile. Seeing him look as happy as a middle schooler in love made her heart skip a beat.
The arcade was moderately full but they got their slots to buy tokens and play games of their choice. They played different games, competing with each other. Melvin discovered that Bella wasn’t all talk as she was very skilled with all the games. But he remained undaunted, tying their scores closely. The two discovered they were having a lot of fun and decided to go with it. By the end of their game spree, the two had laughed so hard, that their stomachs and cheeks were hurting. They looked at each other’s red faces and laughed again.
The two ended up in front of a claw machine. They stared each other in the eyes and a spark of competition ignited.
“Please, ladies first.”
“Okay, don’t blame me if your ego is bruised” she shrugged, putting a token in the claw machine. She aimed for a small stuffed penguin, narrowly missing it by an inch. She received a head shake from Melvin when she raised her head.
“It’s not that easy to get, okay?”
“Let me show you how it’s done.”
Melvin put in a token, going for the same stuffed penguin. He fiddled with the controllers for a while, eventually missing the penguin. He was faced with a smirk from Bella. He rolled his eyes and let her go again.
The two ended up using up all their tokens without getting anything. It was already getting dark and they needed to get tickets for the Ferris wheel if they wanted to view the fireworks from up there. They gave up on the claw machine, walking to get tickets to the Ferris wheel hand in hand. However, when they got there, the line was too long to see the end.
“I don’t think we can get tickets. It’s getting late. We should go” Bella pulled his sleeve. He was about to respond when his phone buzzed. He picked it up and pulled away from her, calling someone. He asked her to wait while he went away to make his call. She sighed, watching him walk away.
The line showed no signs of shortening soon so she picked out her phone too. There was one text from Claudia, another from Dana, and another from her younger brother. It was a sticker of a dog saying hi. Chuckling, she sent another one back. He sent a message almost immediately.
[Watcha doing?]
[I’m on a date]
[With who? Jeremy? Make sure to dump some ice on him]
[Seriously, do you all hate him that much? But no, it’s not Jeremy]
[Bella, you have a new man? You didn’t say! Who is he? Is he rich? Is he handsome? Send a pic, quick!]
[Don’t you have like homework? I don’t even have a pic of him]
[I’m done with homework! How can you not have a pic of your man? Take one right now and send it or I swear to God……]
[He’s coming back. Ttyl. I love you]
She lowered her phone as Melvin approached. He held her hand and without a word, pulled her to the front of the line. She felt the burning stares of everyone on the line. The worker in front smiled and allowed them into the Ferris wheel. It was the last seat and soon, they rose to the top.
The fireworks show was quick to start. The Ferris wheel stopped at the top, allowing them to enjoy the show. Bella was completely mesmerized by the exploding colors and Melvin, by her.
He turned her face to his and planted his lips on hers.
- Writer
