Page 24 of Hunt for the Roses
Before taking a sip of her beer, Aria’s lips tip up in the corner as she holds my gaze for a couple moments. After I swallow my first sip, I decide to change the subject to keep the easy conversation going. “I’m actually impressed with the Nachogate display. Can’t fault a girl with an appetite.”
She laughs, realizing I’m referencing her devouring nachos with Kate earlier. “I have no bedside manner when it comes to junk food. I’m actually surprised I’m still as tiny as I am.”
“Good genes,” I reply.
She furrows her brows. “Hey, give me credit. I work out too.” She holds the plastic cup of beer to her lips as she mumbles, “Once a month.”
I laugh. “Well if you ever want a workout partner, let me know.”
“Okay, but it’s more of a chore to me than anything, so consider yourself warned.”
“Considered,” I say with a smile, and then I lead us back to where Kate and Trent are. But as we start walking back over to them, it turns out Kate and Trent are coming our way. “Geeze, you alcoholics couldn’t wait five seconds,” I joke as I hand Trent his beer and Kate takes hers from Aria’s hand.
“Let’s go on the Ferris wheel!” Kate exclaims.
“Oh, no.” Aria shakes her head in fear.
I take a sip from my cup and look at Aria questioningly. “You’re scared of the Ferris wheel?”
“I don’t like heights,” Aria explains.
“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun,” Kate says while wiggling her eyebrows.
“Or,I can be like the mom who holds everyone’s things and watches from the ground.”
I’m sipping on my beer as Kate and Aria go back and forth, and then I get an idea. “Okay, tell you what, Ari. If you can chug your beer faster than me, we won’t go on the Ferris wheel. But if I chug mine faster than yours, we do.”
Aria narrows her eyes at me. “That’s so ridiculous, you’d obviously win.”
“Then chug half the amount Dane has to,” Trent suggests.
Aria’s eyes go back and forth between Trent and I, seemingly thinking we’ve concocted some sort of secret plan with this chugging contest, but we definitely didn’t. Suddenly, I have this urge to push Aria out of her comfort zone tonight. Maybe it’s because of my promise I made to her brother, or maybe it’s the fact that this is the first night in a year Aria can truly let loose and havefun. Whatever the reason, I know I want to push her on this and I’m absolutely going to.
Aria finally gives in as she throws a hand up in defeat. “Alright.” She sighs.
I look down at how much beer I have left in my cup, and then point to a specific area on the outside of Aria’s cup. “Drink to about there, and then we’ll chug.”
Aria gives a mocking thumbs up, and starts to drink until the amount of beer in her cup is half the amount I have in mine.
“Okay, raise ‘em up!” Trent exclaims.
“Come on, Ari, kick his ass!” Kate yells.
Aria squints her eyes as she raises her cup out in front of her, and I smirk as I hold my cup up to hers. “Cheers,” I say.
“Cheers,” Aria says as she taps my cup. We both start chugging our beers, and we both eye each other out of the corner of our eyes. Within a few seconds, I down my beer before Aria, but by practically one gulp considering she had half the amount of liquid to drink.
“Okay, let’s go!” Kate shouts as she takes Trent’s hand and walks with purpose to the Ferris wheel.
Aria finishes the rest of her drink and throws her cup in the garbage can next to her. “Wow, I lose a chugging contest and get to go on a Ferris wheel all in one night? Tonight must be my lucky night,” she says sarcastically as she makes her way to the ride.
The Ferris wheel is lit up with purple, teal, and pink LED light bulbs that decorate the length of the steel spokes. There are sixteen buckets for passengers to ride on, each with an awning held up by a pole in the middle of the cart. I follow Aria, and once we pay admission for the ride, Aria and I take a seat inside a bucket right after Kate and Trent have been lifted in their own cart. The wheel rotates into action when our bucket starts to rise in a swift motion, and Aria is gripping the bar in front of her with white knuckles as she purses her lips.
I’m casually leaning back next to her with my arm around the length of the top of the seat. “Jesus, you’re going to give me anxiety,” I say.
“Good, I hope you’re suffering too,” she quips back.
I give a smirk as I look out at the view of the nighttime sky that’s dusted with stars and the colorful lights of the festival that come into view as we dip back down through the circular movement. But when I look back at Aria, her eyes are closed. “You know, that’s not the best way to get over your fear.” Then I gesture to the air as if she can see me. “You’re missing this entire aerial view.”
