Page 84 of Truth Or Dare
Anywhere with you. I scan the carnival until my gaze lands on the empty Ferris wheel. “There,” I say, pointing at it.
He gives me a searching look. “Are you sure? It’s pretty high.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not scared of heights,” I assure him. “And besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“You could die?” he suggests with a raised eyebrow.
I wave him off dismissively. “That doesn’t scare me.” I see his jaw tighten, his expression hardening as he looks at me, and Iswallow my words. He remembers how little it scares me, and I don’t want him to look at me the way he did that day.
Like I was weak.
A mess.
Broken.
“Let’s go,” I insist, tugging at Chris’s suit jacket until we’re both seated inside the Ferris wheel cabin.
The doors close, and I hold out my hand expectantly. Chris doesn’t hesitate, he smirks and pulls out his flask, passing it to me. Unscrewing the lid, I tilt it back and open my mouth, but my eyes widen in surprise when only a few drops trickle out. “What the—” I turn the flask over, shaking it. “There’s no more,” I complain with a pout.
Chris chuckles. “You drank the whole thing.”
I shake my head, wincing as the world starts to blur slightly. “It was your flask,” I argue, holding it out toward him.
He laughs, taking it from me. “I had like two sips before you took it away and finished it.”
“That’s not true,” I say, poking his cheek lightly. “You were drunk when you found me.”
Chris laughs, but it fades into a sigh. “I needed to be.”
Frowning, I watch as the Ferris wheel starts to move again. “Why?”
He shrugs, his gaze distant. “Hurts less.”
“What does?”
He sighs again, meeting my eyes. “Everything.”
As the Ferris wheel starts to move again, I sway into Chris, feeling the alcohol swirling in my stomach. “Whose idea was it to come on this?” I groan, leaning against his chest.
Chris chuckles, opening up his arm to wrap around my shoulder. “Yours,” he reminds me.
“Oh, right.” I glance out at the view of the carnival below, a small smile playing on my lips. “It’s really nice up here, though.”
“Yeah,” Chris agrees, his arm tightening around me. I look up at him, our faces just inches apart.
His Adam’s apple bobs as he locks eyes with me. “You look really beautiful tonight, Gabi,” he murmurs.
It’s only us in this little pod, and my heart flutters, a smile curling on my lips in response. “Really?”
He shakes his head slightly, his lips pressed together. “So fucking beautiful.”
The compliment sends a warm rush through me. “First time you’ve said that,” I point out.
His brow furrows. “That’s definitely not true.”
I hold his eyes. “You’ve never told me I’m beautiful,” I counter. I would have remembered if he had.
His frown deepens, and he continues to caress my cheek with his thumb. “I think it though,” he admits quietly. “All the time.”
