Page 36 of One Night in Paris

“No, not at all.” Trying to sound as if I was fully awake, I stifled a yawn. “How are you?” I motioned for them to come in, which they did. I realized all I was wearing was a pair of old gymshorts I’d grabbed when Harper left the night before. At least I was dressed.

“Good.” Harper walked into the foyer, followed by the girl—Kylee, I remembered—who seemed a bit more timid than the last time I’d met her. “I wanted to formally introduce you to my friend Kylee.” Harper gestured to her friend.

I remembered Kylee from Paris, but we hadn’t really met. Kylee stepped forward and extended a hand. “Hi, Logan, nice to meet you. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Kylee. Sure, glad you could come.” Shaking Kylee’s hand, I couldn’t help but think, as pretty as she was, she couldn’t hold a candle to Harper. “Give me a few minutes to get dressed, and we can head out.”

Turning to head back to my bedroom, I could feel Kylee and Harper’s eyes on my back. I could only imagine how I must have looked. Glancing in the mirror on my way to my bedroom, I realized my hair was standing in all directions. There was no way they thought they hadn’t woken me up.

Sighing, I took a shower and quickly got dressed, running a comb through my hair and brushing my teeth. Walking back out, I sent a text to Trevor. He said he’d just meet us at the park. Knowing him, he’d be late again, as usual, and I wasn’t about to make the girls wait.

When I returned to the living room, Harper and Kylee were sitting on the couch, talking. I joined them, and we spent a few minutes chatting about what we wanted to do at the amusement park.

“I haven’t been there since I was a little kid,” Harper said. “My grandpa rode the Cyclone with me, and I thought he was going to puke.”

Seeing the excitement in her eyes had me smiling. I wondered if she would be apprehensive about riding therollercoasters now. I hoped not, but I had no idea how much of a thrill seeker Harper really was.

After a few more minutes, I suggested we head out. “Trevor will be meeting us there.” I’d managed to grab a protein bar for breakfast, so I would have something to keep my stomach settled on the rides.

“Will we all fit in either of your cars, or should we take the train?” Kylee’s question was asked with a bit of amusement in her voice, her cheeks sucked in, like she was trying not to laugh. Harper elbowed her in the ribs, but Kylee didn’t even wince.

Appreciating her moxie, I replied, “Well, I do have several vehicles that will fit lots of people, but I think half of the fun of going to Coney Island is taking the train, isn’t it?”

Both of them grinned at me, and we headed out.

Taking the subway, we continued our conversation, all of us laughing and sharing stories about amusement park rides. The anticipation of a fun day ahead was palpable, though my eyes kept lingering on Harper. She was so sexy, wearing a tank top and cut-off jeans. I wanted to touch her, but I didn’t want anyone to be uncomfortable, especially her.

As we walked out of the subway station and onto the boardwalk, the smell of saltwater and fried food filled our nostrils. The sun was shining, the sun warming our skin already. It was a perfect day for the park, and I couldn’t wait to see what the day had in store for us. Any day would be fun as long as I got to spend it with Harper.

Walking up to the entrance of the amusement park, I heard someone shouting my name. Turning around, I saw Trevor bounding over to us, bouncing around, full of energy as usual. “Dude, this is gonna be epic!” he shouted by way of greeting, looking up at the towering rollercoasters.

“It sure is,” I agreed before introducing him to Harper and Kylee. Harper smiled and shook his hand. When Kylee saidhello, Trevor’s eyes roamed over her. I found myself shaking my head at my friend. Always looking for some action. I’d already told him via text that Kylee wasn’t his date—this was just the two of us bringing along a friend.

The four of us walked into the park where the excitement was tangible. The screams of riders on the rollercoasters echoed in the background as we made our way to the first ride. Trevor was like a kid in a candy store, pointing out all the rides he wanted to go on.

“Dude, we have to hit up the Cyclone first,” he said, practically dragging us to the line.

Harper and Kylee exchanged a glance, making me think they were a little hesitant, but Trevor’s enthusiasm was contagious.

With a confident nod, Harper said, “Let’s do it!”

Standing in line, I tried to judge whether or not Harper was excited. She was smiling, chatting with Kylee, but her emotions seemed pretty even. I wondered if she’d be a screamer once we got on the ride.

The line was relatively short, despite the nice day and the fact that it was a Saturday morning. Before long, we boarded the Cyclone. As much as I wanted to sit with Harper, I figured Kylee didn’t know Trevor that well yet, so we each sat with our friend. The girls were in front of us, giving me a great view of Harper, as well as allowing me to look out over the beautiful park.

Climbing the steep hill, my heart began to pound. Trevor was already whooping and hollering next to me. Harper and Kylee giggled, holding hands. As we reached the top, Trevor shouted, “Get ready to shit your pants!” and we began our descent. The wind rushed through my hair as we twisted and turned, looking out over the ocean with the beach far beneath us.

Steep drops, hairpin turns, and extreme climbs made this one of my favorite rides. The entire time, I had my hands up in the air, screaming with exhilaration.

In a matter of seconds, it was over, and we were getting off. Immediately, I moved toward Harper, worried about how she was doing.

“That was amazing!” She squeezed my arm, moving with me as we walked off the platform. “I love that one. I can’t believe it was built almost a hundred years ago.”

Shocked at how she’d handled the ride, it took me a moment to respond. “Yeah, yeah, it’s the coolest,” I agreed. “We should ride it again later.”

“Definitely,” she agreed.

Kylee and Trevor began to talk about who was screaming louder, and I started to think perhaps they would get along just fine as the four of us moved to the next ride we agreed we should experience—Thunderbolt.

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