Page 129 of Revolve
Sampson gives me the finger. And just as I give it back, Amara hits the target dead center, and he’s dunked. She cheers, and when a soaked Sampson pulls himself out of the water, he’s simmering. Amara gasps before running off. Sampson chases her with the widest smile I’ve ever seen him give anyone.
“I think they’re going to kill each other,” Sierra says.
“That’s what makes it worth it,” I say, peering down at her as she holds on to my arm. We walk to a game of hoop shot. We play three rounds, and we tie every single time. At another booth we play duck hunt, where we use air rifles to shoot the moving duck target. We get so competitive, the freshman working the booth begs us to just take a stuffed animal and leave so the long line of people can have a shot.
Sierra giggles all the way to the Ferris wheel, sharing her churro with me. Then when we’re in the car, and we ascend to the top, she plays with the strings of her scarf, avoiding eye contact.
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of carnival rides.”
She laughs, her pretty green eyes glittering. “No. Well, technically, I was scared of heights until you came along.”
“Then what’s got you so quiet? You know I like hearing your voice.”
She holds on to my arm tight, taking the deepest, most contented sigh. “I’m just happy. I don’t ever want this to end.”
I smooth a palm across her face. “I can make that happen. I’ll tip the ride operator, and we can stay here as long as you want, babe.”
Sierra shakes her head with an amused smile. “I mean with you.”
“I’m keeping you forever, Sierra. You don’t need to worry about that.” I intertwine our fingers and kiss her knuckles. Then her eyes water. “Don’t cry, baby.”
She sniffles “Sorr—I mean, I’ve just never felt this. It’s like my chest is going to burst.”
“That sounds like a medical emergency, Romanova,” I note.
Sierra smacks my arm, hard. “I’m trying to say that I love you, you idiot.”
I don’t know what I thought would happen when I heard those words, but it’s definitely not losing my motor functions. I can’t speak, can’t move, can barely remember to blink.
Shelovesme.
I swallow the thickness in my throat. “Yeah?”
“So much that I’m kind of annoyed at you for making me an emotional sap. All I have to do is think of you and how much effort you put into people without expecting anything in return. You made me love myself because you make it look so easy. I want to love you just as much. I want you to know that it doesn’t have to be complicated and messy or what your parents made you think it is. It can be this, just you and me, showing up for each other every day. No matter what.”
My throat feels tight when I finally speak. “I know I don’t have many firsts to give you, but I want you to be my last. No matter what. I love you too, Sierra.” She turns to kiss me then, and I sink deep into the kiss.
I kiss her the entire time, long enough that the operator doesn’t say a word about us staying on. I don’t know how many rounds we take, but when we get off, Sierra stops suddenly. I almost knock her over. She answers her phone, and with oneokay, she hangs up and stares at it. It’s a whole three minutes before her hands shake, and she tucks the stuffed chameleon under her arm.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, trying to see who called her.
“It was Lidia.” She turns to me slowly. “Justin and Julia are disqualified,” she says. “We just secured a wild card entry to the ISU Grand Prix.”
Maybe Summer is right, the Ferris wheel is good luck.
FORTY-SIX
SIERRA
IT’S MIDNIGHT WHENI nudge my boyfriend awake with a pair of shears in my grip.
Dylan stirs, pats the empty space beside him, then snaps his head toward me. He blinks.
We’ve spent this past week training to prepare for the Grand Prix. I’ve barely been sleeping since we found out we’re the new host pick. It turns out, both Julia and Justin were dabbling in a performance enhancer called trimetazidine. Somehow, they got away with it for the entire season, but the closer they got, the more desperate they grew. Justin had been on his high horse since I partnered with Dylan after his failed drug test, but now he’s ruined his career. They’ve been in hiding since the news broke. But none of that matters because it’s me and Dylan in their spot now, and we won’t screw it up.
During our meeting with Lidia, we were surprised to see her so giddy while outlining our plan for the Grand Prix. We’re performing as Rapunzel and Flynn but adjusting our final lift to boost scores. I made Dylan practice the new lift with me on a mattress at the house. That didn’t last long, because he quickly pinned me to it.
“I love it when you point sharp things at me,” Dylan drawls, his voice thick with sleep. “But I thought you just wanted to cuddle tonight?” The bathroom light illuminates the lazy slant of his smile, the heavy-lidded warmth in his eyes, and the way he watches me like I’m the only thing worth looking at.
