Page 105 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Yeah, is the night already over?” asked Vienna.

Noah looked at me for a moment. “Aria just wanted to grab her hoodie.”

“Yeah.” I quickly caught on. “But then I remembered that I didn’t bring it with me.”

“Aw, well you can wear my cardigan if you like,” Vanessa offered.

Leopard print was so not my style.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll survive.” I smiled politely and felt Noah wrap his arm around my waist. I was relieved that he hadn’t told her about our argument. It felt good to know that some things remained personal and confidential between us. It made me trust him more.

“Nessa and I want to go inside the Haunted Fun House,” said Vienna. “Do you two want to come?”

Noah gave my stepmom an uneasy look. “No, thanks.”

“Aw, why not? You scared?” Vienna teased.

“Of clowns, yes.”

“He suffers from a mild case of coulrophobia,” said Vanessa.

My personal definition of that phobia wasfear of red-nosed freaks.

“Seriously, a tough guy like you is afraid of funny little circus clowns?” Vienna laughed.

“Little? They’re evenscarieras midgets—no offense to little people.” Noah shuddered.

“Why are you afraid of them?” I asked.

“Jeez, Vanessa,” he said, exhaling. “You make it sound as if I cry like a girl when I see one, which is not the case. They just creep me out. I don’t like to be in the same room as one.”

“He gets really bad anxiety,” she informed us.

“Let’s just say that it wasn’t a very pleasant experience when I got taken hostage by some convict circus clown at my sixth birthday party. The guy knew my family was wealthy. He attempted to kidnap me and keep me hostage for ransom. Fortunately, he didn’t get very far. One of the gardeners on our estate got suspicious and clocked the SOB in the head with a shovel when he heard me screaming. But I will forever remember Peevo the Clown as the scary man who repeatedly told me to shut the fuck up while he carried me to his van.”

Vienna gasped in disbelief.

Was he for real? How horrifyingly traumatic that must have been to experience as a child!

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” My stepmom started rubbing Noah’s back.

Gawd.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You two go on ahead. Aria and I still have a bunch of boring rides we haven’t been on yet, so we’ll meet you at the ticket stand in the front entrance in about … half an hour?”

“That’s perfect—have fun you two!” She leaned into his lips and gave him a quick kiss. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes because I knew Vienna was watching me.

My stepmom and her sister disappeared in the other direction while Noah and I walked back toward the ticket booth. There was a beautiful Ferris wheel that was the highlight attraction at the festival, due to its monstrous height. Noah caught me looking up, admiring it.

“Do you want to ride the wheel with me?” he asked in a gentle voice, slipping his hand into mine.

I smiled. “Let’s go.”

****

Loud music echoed from the massive speakers mounted around the ride. I wasn’t familiar with the song, but it sounded awesome and gave me shivers, though I’m pretty sure it could have been the effect that Noah had on me. Surprisingly, there was a long lineup, but we moved ahead quickly, and soon Noah was helping me into the passenger car before sitting beside me.

“What are the height measurements on this bad boy?” he asked the man who was operating the ride.

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