Page 148 of One More Kiss

“Just trying to get to the Pharaoh. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

I grinned back excited that she showed up. Clarissa didn’t enjoy the rides, but Samantha loved them and would be the perfect companion.

“Yep. Here with some good friends,” Samantha responded, “want to hang out?”

“Sure,” I said, “after I ride this ride.”

Samantha grinned. “Scoot over. I’m riding with you.”

The line was quick as we showed our bracelets and sat on the ride. Not only was the line quick, but the ride was quicker. Samantha and I were screaming and laughing the entire time until the ride stopped, and we had to exit.

“That was fun,” Samantha yelled, grinning in excitement.

My cheeks were red from the exertion. “Thanks for riding with me. It was a blast.”

“Let’s go find some more rides,” Samantha said, pulling at my wrist.

I followed suit, hoping she wouldn’t want to ride the really scary ones. Some of them were too advanced for my taste. I enjoyed a bit of an adrenaline rush, but too much terrified me. We moved just a few steps before Samantha yelled hey. I stood behind her waiting for her to talk to the people she apparently knew. When she stepped aside, I noticed him right away. It was the guy with the blonde-tipped hair. My heart skipped a beat.

He was shorter than Samantha and most of the others with gorgeous hazel eyes that gazed into mine. I felt as if he could tell exactly what I was thinking. My cheeks felt hot as I blushed. I didn’t need this feeling. Not tonight. But I kept shooting looks his way checking to see if he was looking at me. He definitely was. Then, Samantha mentioned his name. It was Phoenix.

All at once every insecurity that I’ve ever had come crashing down on me. I’m not good enough for anyone let alone the handsome boy with the gorgeous hazel eyes. Making sure I didn’t smile and cover my arms, I also made sure the hair hid most of my acne. I kept my eyes trained on Samantha instead of the handsome stranger.

My chest hurt as I breathed in and out too quickly. The sound of water rushing echoed in my ears; I couldn’t hear what Samantha was telling me. A panic attack. That’s exactly what I was experiencing. Tears welled in my eyes as I fought to make sure no one noticed the extremity of the situation. But my friend knew, she always knew when I experienced one of these.

Samantha grabbed my arm and it seemed to ground me in the moment.

Who the hell was this guy? How did he cause my nerves to unravel one moment and calm the next? I felt weird knowing that some stranger gripped my fingers, but after looking at him, I noticed he didn’t seem fazed in the least. He was much closer than previously, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. He made me nervous, more so than any other boy I’d ever met. I quickly snatched my hand away even thought I silently wanted him to continue holding it. It was such a weird feeling.

Samantha was done with the introductions and seemed to be determined to ride more rides and announced it to the group. Right after, the guy that was with Phoenix had left claiming he wanted a bite to eat.

“Want to ride a ride with me?” Phoenix asked, a smile gracing his face.

I couldn’t help but notice how imperfect his teeth were. Not like mine, but not perfectly straight either. It fit him and it actually made me smile. He was perfectly imperfect, and my heart swelled knowing I wasn’t the only person with imperfections. Right away I covered my mouth knowing that I didn’t want him to see the imperfections I’d been teased about all throughout my young life. Right then I knew I was smitten. Even if we never saw each other again, which was a huge possibility, I would enjoy this moment.

He pointed at the ride he wanted me to go on and I was instantly terrified. It was one of the crazy ones where it literally spun while going in circles. I wasn’t the kind of thrill-seeker most people were and so I shook my head, but Samantha grasped my hand anyway. I knew what she wanted and regardless of how scared I was, I still followed her.

We stood in line, and I stared around me, bewildered. My stomach churned and my palms were sweaty. This sucked, but I couldn’t chicken out, not while being watched by the sexy boy. I just wished he would still be around when the ride was done.

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