Page 25 of Blueberry Cake
“God, you might actually give me a cavity. But really, it’s fine. Blood circulates differently in that arm.”
“But it doesn’t hurt?”
Queenie reached over and brushed her fingers along hischeek. “No, I’m not in any pain.”
Boyd nodded, but kept a close eye on the temperature in the car. When the boardwalk came into view, Queenie’s face lit up—and Boydlovedit.
Once the engine was off, Queenie gathered herself to get out of the car. Then she cast a knowing glance over her shoulder. “I’ll wait.”
“My queen,” he teased lightly as he held her door and reached for her hand.
“Thank you, very thoughtful of you.” She strapped her matching blue backpack over her shoulders, then took Boyd’s arm. They got their wristbands and beelined for the Bullet—the biggest roller coaster in the park.
“You might not go on a third date with me once you hear me scream like a girl,” Boyd admonished.
“It’s okay, you can hold my hand if you get scared,” Queenie teased, resting against his arm.
“You’re really one of those adrenaline junkies, huh?”
“You could say that,” she giggled. “When was the last time you went on a roller coaster?”
“Ages ago,” he admitted.
“Maybe I’ll save asking about Six Flags until later.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Though he was not a man to be scared easily, he happily took Queenie’s offered hand once they were strapped in. She was excitedly wiggling in her seat, as they climbed to the peak before the first drop. His heart dropped the moment the clicking started.
Fuck. Maybe he was a scaredy-cat after all. Queenie only squeezed his hand tighter.
“You’re doing great. It’ll be over before you know it.”
Then they fell over the edge, and his lungs emptied in ascream. His gut leapt into his throat. They swirled through the air and soon the scream turned into a high-pitched laugh and the churning in his stomach gave way to butterflies. When they slowed and stopped, he grinned over at her. “Let’s go again.”
Queenie laughed, allowing him to help her out of her seat. “Well let’s get back into line.”
They rode three more times before deciding it was a good idea to move on to the next. They sat in the observation tower, gauging the height before Boyd made his decision on braving the dreaded Drop Zone. With her feet dangling and taking everything in, Queenie held his hand, fingers laced through his. Being with her felt… easy. Nothing felt forced, and she didn’t chastise him for being scared of the rides. Actually, she’d been the one to suggest the tower to test his fear of heights first.
“I might opt out of the drop tower,” he admitted, the screams coming from the ride making his stomach flip—and not in a good way.
“That’s okay. Would you be okay if I went on my own?”
“Only if you go on the Ferris wheel with me after?”
Queenie gave him that smile that melted his heart. “I will.”
He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “This is fun.”
“Me testing your boundaries isfun?” she asked with a laugh.
“You testingandaccepting them is.”
Boyd stood by and watched as Queenie took her place on the Drop Zone and was lifted to the top. The spinning platform dropped without warning, and Boyd’s knees nearly gave out just watching. Once she was back on theground, Queenie launched herself into his arms with messy hair and the brightest grin he’d ever seen.
“So brave,” he praised, pulling her close by a finger under her chin.
He stole a kiss, and they loaded up on snacks before Queenie held up her end of the deal. After the Ferris wheel, Boyd even snagged her a fluffy teddy bear from one of the game booths. She carried that silly bear around pridefully. As the crowd thickened and the lines became too long to make the wait worth it, they decided to leave.
