Page 24 of Snowflakes and Sparks

Alex let out a chuckle. “Maybe, I don’t care. Come on, it’s time to get you on that Ferris wheel.”

The snow creaked under our boots as we walked toward Santa’s Village. The Ferris wheel stood tall and shiny in the center, surrounded by food and drink stalls. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” blasted through the speakers and people were queueing to get their picture taken with a red-cheeked Santa Claus.

“Look, they’ve even got a build-your-own-snowman station,” I said.

“And there she goes again, trying to change the subject. But sure, we can build a snowman.”

“We can?”

Alex grinned. “Sure, Elsa, after we go on the Ferris wheel.”

My heart rate picked up speed as we waited for an empty cabin. I tried not to think about those videos where people fell out of the cabin windows or where the cabins caught fire, but it was useless. My thoughts were drawn to disaster after disaster.

I swallowed down a lump in my throat and turned to Alex. “Are you sure it’s completely safe?”

“Why? You think this thing is going to slide down the mountain?”

I gasped. “Is that a possibility? Has that ever happened? Because if it has, you’re obliged to tell me. Like, obliged by law.”

He put his hand on my arm. “I was just joking. This Ferris wheel’s not going anywhere. Heck, it’s even survived two snow blizzards without so much as a scratch. And if you fall, I’ll definitely try to catch you,” he added with a wink.

“Stop it, that’s not funny.” I gave him a playful shove and felt something shift inside of me. Something I didn’t want to think about, out of fear of making it real. I tried to shove the gooey feelings Alex gave me aside and pretended to check an important message on my phone even though I had no phone reception. I wondered why people around here would even fork over money for a phone plan when they were only able to use their phone like, once a month.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman walking toward us. She went right for her target and enveloped Alex in a hug.

“Alex, dear, how are you?” She pinched his cheeks as if he was twelve.

“Oh, hi, Helen. I’m good, you?”

She glanced at me with a curious look. “And who is this?”

Alex put his hand on the small of my back. I felt his warmth travel through all the layers I was wearing and couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

“Helen, this is Suzie. Suzie, this is Helen, a friend of my aunt.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said and shook her hand.

She clapped her hands together and let out a contented sigh. “It’s so good to see you with a girl, Alex. Especially after… you know, Heather.” She whispered the name as if she was afraid speaking louder would result in this Heather girl suddenly appearing out of thin air like Beetlejuice.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said, his expression changing from relaxed to nervous. “I’d love to chat some more, but it looks like it’s our turn on the Ferris wheel. Have a great day, Helen, and give my regards to Herman.”

We stepped into the cabin, neither of us daring to speak. What was I supposed to do now? Did I ask him about this Heather? Or did I pretend like nothing had happened? I mulled it over and decided not to say anything. This was supposed to be a relaxed outing, not a moment filled with awkwardness.

“If we look closely, we might be able to see the resort at the bottom of the mountain,” Alex said as we reached the highest point of the attraction. The wheel came to a halt, giving us some time to enjoy the view, even though that was the last thing on my mind. I had no desire to see the place where I could potentially heave my last breath.

I shook my head. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about dying in a horrible accident? I was sitting next to a gorgeous guy, for crying out loud.

“So, who’s this person we do not speak of?” The question leaped out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

Alex creased his brow. “Voldemort?”

“No, not Voldemort. I’m talking about this Heather girl. Helen seemed almost afraid to utter her name.”

“Yeah, sorry about that coming up,” Alex said with a pained expression on his face. “We don’t have to talk about her, you know.”

“It’s your call,” I answered.

I didn’t know why his secretiveness made the little green monster’s head pop up. It was ridiculous. Alex was a grown man and he was bound to have a couple of past lovers. It was none of my business. Not that it even mattered, did it? It wasn’t like he owed me anything, or like I expected anything from him. I wasn’t havingrealfeelings for him. A silly crush, maybe. A fantasy never to be acted upon, sure. But nothing more. Nothing to make me feel this jealous, anyway.

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