Page 82 of Cold Front
The Ferris wheel lifted us higher, the sounds of the fair growing softer beneath us. The wind picked up, ruffling my hair, making the cart sway slightly.
“You know,” I said, bumping my knee against Niall’s, “if we got stuck up here, you’d be the first one to freak out.”
He gave me a look, unimpressed. “I don’t freak out.”
I hummed like I wasn’t convinced. “Mm. I feel like you’d sit there all stiff and broody, pretending you were fine while secretly calculating how long it would take for search and rescue to find us.”
Niall scoffed, shifting like he was already over this conversation. “I wouldn’t.”
I grinned. “No? So if I started rocking the car right now?—”
His head snapped toward me. “Eli.” He caught my wrist before I could even think about doing it. “Don’t.”
The way his hand wrapped around mine, firm and warm, sent a spark through my chest. I wanted to grab him by the jacket, pull him in, and steal a real kiss.
I bit back a laugh at how quickly he’d tensed. “Relax, tough guy. I wouldn’t actually do it.”
His fingers lingered for half a second before he let go, shaking his head like I was impossible. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I prefer ‘charming.’”
Niall didn’t respond, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile. I took that as a win.
I glanced at my boyfriend, who had relaxed again, his gaze set on the view below. His hands rested lightly on the safety bar now, no longer gripping it like he might need to make a quick escape.
And then the moment settled, the teasing fading as the Ferris wheel climbed even higher, the town stretching out around us in all directions. For a while, we just sat there, taking it in. The blinking streetlights. The dark silhouettes of houses in the distance. The sloping hills beyond the town, disappearing into the horizon.
It felt like we were on top of the world.
And maybe that was why I asked.
“Would you ever tell people about us?”
Niall didn’t tense the way I expected him to, but his grip on the bar shifted, his knuckles pressing against the cool metal. His gaze stayed on the skyline, on the vast open space beyond the town.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.” I kept my tone easy, like it was just another joke between us. But my chest felt tight, and I hated the way my own words tasted like something fragile.
The pause stretched a little too long. Then finally, he said, “I don’t think it’s anyone’s business.”
The wind felt colder suddenly. The weight on my chest became heavier.
“Right,” I said, forcing a small nod, like that was the answer I’d expected.
He must’ve caught something in my voice, because he finally turned to look at me. There was something softer in his expression now, something almost apologetic. “I mean, it’s not like I?—”
The Ferris wheel jerked slightly, slowing as the ride operator called out for the next round of passengers. The motion swallowed whatever Niall had been about to say, and the moment slipped away as if it had never been there at all.
I forced a smile. “It’s fine.”
Niall studied me for a second, like he wanted to say something else, but then he just sighed and reached for my hand, squeezing lightly. “You still won the pumpkin contest.”
I huffed a small laugh. “Damn right I did.”
The ride gave another lurch, then carried us to the very top, pausing there for just a beat. The town stretched beneath us, tiny and far away, but all I could focus on was the warmth of him beside me, the way his breath hitched slightly as he glanced at my mouth.
And then, before I could second-guess it, before I could let myself linger on the weight of his answer, I leaned in.
