Page 57 of Dear Roomie
“Sorry.” I slump back in my seat with a huff. “I just wanted to ask where we are going.”
“Be patient, we are only ten minutes out.” The annoyed press of her lips loosens into a gentle smile.
“Can you at least give me a hint,” I plead.
A mischievous smile plays on her lips as she shakes her head, and she drops one of her hands from the steering wheel onto my thigh. That small touch has my pants tightening.
“Don’t you trust me?” Her lithe fingers squeeze my thigh once before she pulls her hand away.
“Y-yes,” I stutter, swallowing back the growing moisture in my mouth. “I trust you.”
“Good. You are going to love it,” she tells me as she maneuvers the car toward the exit ramp.
The conversation lapses, but she doesn’t turn the music back up. After a few more turns, we pull into a practically abandoned parking lot.
“You brought us to a mall?” I ask, but she doesn’t give me a response as she keeps her face forward. There’s no hiding the grin that lights up her face or how her eyes are glowing with excitement, though. That look brings my shriveled heart back to life with an erratic thump. Her smile would have been enough to make my birthday better. The rest of this, though…this has to be a joke. I can’t think of any good reason she would bring me here. It’s not just any mall—it’s one of those malls that is practically empty, even on a Saturday. I half expect to see a tumbleweed roll across the parking lot.
She parks the truck in front of what has to be the largest fishing store I’ve ever seen. It’s built to look like a giant log cabin that’s been picked up and glued to the side of the otherwise uniform building.
“Seriously, what are we doing here?”
“You’ll see,” she says, getting out of the cab.
I shake my head but follow her into the store. She moves with a purpose, clearly having been here before, but I slow my steps, trying to take in what must be the redneck Mecca.
“Come on, we are going to be late.” She laces her fingers through mine, dragging me into the heart of the mall, and I have to quicken my pace to keep at her side.
For one brief moment, everything feels right.
James is holding my hand.
The feeling of warmth is frozen solid as the thought chills me to my core.
James most definitely shouldn’t be holding my hand, and I most definitely shouldn’t be letting her.
I start to pull my hand away, but she comes to a halt.
“Happy birthday, Morgan.” Whipping around, she beams up at me with a smile so bright, it rivals the sun. “Wait here. I’m going to go pick up our tickets.”
I look around to see where she’s brought us. In the middle of the line of storefronts, a large castle gate stands out, and while it’s clearly what we’re here for, I don’t know whatitis.
“Are you ready?” James asks as she joins me again, now with tickets in hand.
“What is this place?” My voice echoes my inner awestruck wonder as she leads me through the entrance. A woman dressed like she should be at a Renaissance fair takes our tickets and gives us blue paper crowns.
“Medieval Times,” James says as though that answers all my questions.
Past the entrance, the building is transformed into a castle courtyard. I have to stop for a moment to take it all in, the child in me overwhelmed and ecstatic. It’s hard to believe that just a few seconds ago, I was in a rundown mall.
“Do you like it?” There is a slight quaver in her voice. It’s the only indication she’s given all day that she might be nervous too.
“I don’t actually know whatitis, but yes.” I’m already moving toward a display of swords and other weaponry.
A small laugh tinkles past her lips, but she follows me as I roam around, taking it all in. There’s never anything but joy and a smile on her face as she watches me nerd out.
My roaming is interrupted by a man in a squire outfit announcing the start of the show. They usher in the crowd based on the color of their crowns, eventually getting to blue. As we pass through the large doors, my attention is immediately drawn to the enormous throne that sits on a balcony overlooking a sand-filledarena. The rest of the room is divided into a wheel of colors that correspond to our crowns.
The lights dim, the show starts, and I’m enthralled.
