Page 65 of Make You Love Me
Landing on the platform, I scold myself for acting like a jealous teenager and turn to wait for him to join me. After a fewminutes, he appears through the trees in his modified Adventure Seat, the bright white cast on his left leg standing out among the evergreens and matching his toothy smile.
“He seems to be going faster than I did,” I say to the young male attendant behind me, sitting on a stool and watching TikTok videos on his phone.
“Mmm hmm,” he mumbles.
With a sigh, I train my eyes on Jordan. His pace slows slightly as he approaches the platform, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. I brace for impact.
“Nora!” he yells, a touch of concern leaching into his excitement.
“It will stop,” the attendant offers without lifting his eyes. He lifts a lazy hand to push a button on the control board I didn’t notice until now.
The wheels on Jordan’s apparatus screech to a soft halt several feet inside the platform.
“Watch out,” the attendant’s monotone voice says to me. As I back away, Jordan is transported along the ceiling rails to the exit on the other side.
I join him at the edge, grateful to see him smiling again.
“I can’t believe you found this place. It’s amazing.” He glances up at all the gears and parts, working seamlessly together, and follows the line out into the wooded area beyond. “There should be more adaptive activities like this.”
Wonder and serenity take over his face, and I hope the peaceful feeling holds for the rest of our outing. It’s quite the view, and I find myself lost in it.
Uncomfortable with the sudden skip in my heart’s rhythmic beating, I run both hands through my wind-swept hair.
“Would you like to go first?” I ask gently, and the side of his mouth tips up in a crooked grin.
“I’d love to.” His eyes lock on mine, the amusement I enjoyed in them moments ago, fading quickly. “See you on the other side.”
He gives the attendant the go-ahead, and as the trees envelop him, it occurs to me how much I want this do-over to work. I’m all in on Jordan Jones, friend or boyfriend. I’ll take either at this point to secure his presence in my life. But if he chooses the former, deciding my baggage is too heavy to carry, I’ll be the one nursing a broken heart soon.
The next three stops go smoothly. At each break, he smiles more and jokes not only with the park employees, but with me. Seeing him happy and carefree helps me feel the same.
“What’s your favorite color?” Jordan asks the attendant on the last jumping off point in our descent.
“Ugh, green.”
“Perfect. Why was the color green notoriously single?”
“He likes to tell dad jokes,” I explain, but it doesn’t make the young guy any more interested.
“Why?” he asks cautiously.
“It was always so jaded.”
I snicker behind my hand as the attendant stares at Jordan like he said something incomprehensible.
“Get it? Jade is a shade of green.”
“Kids these days,” I joke when he gives up and joins me at the edge of the platform.
“No sense of humor whatsoever.”
“None.” Looking up at him, his pinky brushes against mine and he doesn’t recoil. After our last two conversations, that one tiny development felt as significant as a kiss.
On the final platform, we return our harnesses and purchase hot cocoa on the way to rest our legs by the fire pit behind the lodge. The sun has dipped below the tree line, casting the sky in orange and pink strokes. This section of the park is somewhatdeserted with the after-school action taking place in the trees. The privacy by the fire, the swaying trees, and sunset, it’s incredibly romantic and a new boldness fuels my next action.
I reach across to place a hand on Jordan’s forearm, resting on the chair, and he jolts. He’d closed his eyes to enjoy the quiet peace of our surroundings, and I give him no warning before touching him. “I had fun today.”
He studies my face for a bit before responding. “Me, too. It was nice getting out of the apartment. Thank you.”
