Page 33 of Love Notes and Late Nights
“Unless you want to wear the hot dog, I think we should go on the roller coaster first.”
The roller coaster was a total adrenaline rush, but at one point, Wolf looked as if he might either hurl or shit his pants.
“I wasn’t ready for that,” Wolf admitted after they exited the ride. “I don’t remember roller coasters being so fast and twisty.”
“Then I guess that one’s out.” Harris pointed to a coaster that had loops and went backwards.
“Definitely out. Let’s play a game.” After losing at a ring toss game and failing at knocking over the milk bottle pyramid, Harris won a giant panda bear by shooting a basketball through the hoop.
“I can’t believe I won!” Harris held the huge stuffed bear out in front of him. “I guess I should find some kid to give this thing to.”
“No way.” Wolf pulled it out of Harris’ hands and hugged it to his chest. “I love this guy.”
“He’s yours.” Wolf looked adorable and so happy walking through the festival with the enormous bear, but it was cumbersome. “Do you want me to carry it for a little while or put it in the car so we can grab a beer and get something to eat?”
Wolf handed the bear off to one of the bodyguards with a pleading smile. “Do you mind?”
The bodyguard didn’t mind at all, especially since Wolf slipped him some cash.
The next stop was at a concession stand where they got a couple of beers and oversized pretzels. Wolf even bought cotton candy for the bodyguards.
They continued to walk through the festival and came upon the giant Ferris wheel they’d seen from the window of the hotel. Harris stopped to look up at its impressive height. “Wow. It looks a lot bigger up close.”
“Come on.” Wolf pulled him toward the ride. “We gotta go on it.”
The best part about being famous is that they didn’t have to wait on the long line and got seated right away. It might seem unfair, but getting surrounded and harassed while waiting your turn wasn’t much better. To make up for it, they smiled and waved while a few people took photos and videos with their phones.
The revolution of the Ferris wheel was slow and offered full view of the festival and surrounding area. But as they ascended higher the car started to sway back and forth, which made Harris nervous.
“Don’t tell me you’re scared,” Wolf teased.
“No.”
“You are. You’re scared.” Wolf let out a sinister laugh and rocked in his seat, making the car swing dangerously.
“Stop it!” Harris’s heart lurched, and he grabbed onto the safety bar with a death grip.
The smile fell off Wolf’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were serious. Are you afraid of heights?”
“No.” Normally, he wasn’t, but this frigging thing was about 300 feet in the air, and all he could think about was how theFerris wheel in Final Destination fell apart. “I watch too much TV. Didn’t you see Final Destination?”
“Yeah. But it wasn’t the Ferris wheel. It was the roller coaster, so we already cheated death.
Harris furrowed his brow as he thought about the movie. He clearly remembered it being the Ferris wheel. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I just saw that one a couple of weeks ago.”
Harris wasn’t sure he felt any better since Wolf pointed out that they already cheated death, but he couldn’t think about that now, since the Ferris wheel was still ascending into the sky. It felt as if they were higher than the clouds. He white-knuckled the safety bar when they hit the highest point, and then the Ferris wheel stopped. He felt all the color drain from his face and slowly lowered his gaze.
“Don’t look down,” Wolf quickly said. “Relax. You look like you’re gonna snap that bar in half.”
Harris immediately let go and then quickly grabbed it again as panic set in when he realized he wasn’t holding on.
Wolf’s strong hand landed on Harris’ and held it tightly, so they were both holding the bar. “Calm down. You’re fine. Look.” He pointed in the distance. “There’s our hotel.”
Harris squinted at the buildings and lights ahead that looked a million miles away. “Where?”
“Right there. The tall building with the lights around the top and the big antenna.”
