Chapter 7
Kacey looked down from where we sat at the highest point on the Ferris wheel. “What do you think is going on down there? I feel like we’ve been stuck up here for a while.”
I stared down at the two men who were pointing at different parts of the Ferris wheel, then scratching at their heads as if they were confused. A woman walked over from another part of the fairgrounds and handed the one man something I couldn’t quite see. When he held it up in front of his mouth, I realized it was a megaphone.
“Hey, folks. We seem to be having some technical difficulties. If you’ll just be patient with us, we’ll get you moving again shortly.”
Kacey laughed. “Of course. This is what we get for going on a ride at a carnival.”
“Hey, this is our fourth year riding the Ferris wheel and the first time anything went wrong. Three out of four ain’t bad. Just ask Meatloaf.”
Kacey laughed even harder now. “That’s two out of three, babe, but good try.”
I crossed my arms in front of me in mock anger. “Whatever. I can’t think straight. I’m too cold.”
Kacey opened up her backpack sitting next to her and pulled out a blanket. A proud smile played on her lips as she handed it over to me. “I knew you would get cold eventually. I told you that you didn’t wear enough layers.”
I looked down at the T-shirt and thin leather jacket I was wearing with a ripped pair of jeans. “I was trying to look cute for you.”
“Yes. And you achieved it. Your purple lips are very cute.” Kacey ran her thumb across my bottom lip, causing a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.
I pulled her closer to me and put the blanket over both of us. “We’re old and boring now, aren’t we?”
Kacey scoffed. “We’re not even twenty-two yet, and I would hardly call us boring.”
“I’m just saying. We’re not nearly as adventurous as we used to be.” I ran my hand up Kacey’s thigh as I said the words, causing her to sit up straighter.
“What do you mean by adventurous exactly?”
I moved my hand to the button of her jeans. “Wanna find out?”
Kacey took a deep breath and I could feel her heartbeat pick up beside me. “You know they could get us moving at any point, right?”
I smirked and undid the button. “That’s the fun part.”
“You’re thinking about our last time on this Ferris wheel, aren’t you?” Kacey asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I couldn’t help the smile that bloomed across my face. “I think we were stuck for close to an hour, and we were the only two people who weren’t pissed about it.”
Kacey’s face lit up as she started to laugh. “Yep. When we got off, the one worker was shocked that we were still smiling and asked what our secret was and you said—”
“What happens on the Ferris wheel stays on the Ferris wheel,” we both said in unison as we broke into a fit of laughter.
Kacey shook her head playfully. “You were always such a dork.”
I put a hand over my chest. “Me? I was the fun one. You were the one who always had her nose in a book.”
“Fine. Whatever. You were crazy.”
I lifted an eyebrow as a smirk came to my face. “You certainly didn’t seem to mind my craziness that night, did you?”
Kacey’s face turned the slightest bit red and I could tell she was thinking about the very same moment I was. I could still picture it perfectly. The way she bit her lip and stared up at the night sky as her body squirmed underneath my touch. She looked absolutely breathtaking in that moment. I remember thinking about how I loved her more and more with each passing day and wondering if my heart would burst eventually as we spent forever together.
Even though I tried to ignore it, the thought caused my heart to ache. I didn’t want to ruin the lightheartedness of the moment, but a question started burning in the back of my mind. “Did you know? That night at the carnival. Did you know you were going to be leaving?”
A somber appearance overtook Kacey’s face as she shook her head. “My grandma called me that night after we got back. You were already asleep. I knew something was up when she called that late, but I honestly thought one of them had run into money issues and wanted me to use the little that I had to help them out. Then she told me my sister was pregnant, and it all happened so fast after that. I didn’t even really give myself time to think about the implications of everything. Less than a week later, I was back in my hometown living the life I had tried so desperately to escape from.”
“Can I ask you something?” I asked quietly.
“You can ask me anything, Kari.”
“Why did you do it? Why did you give up everything to help your grandma and sister? You never told me much, but from what I knew then combined with what I know now, it doesn’t seem like you were very close with either of them. So, why drop everything to help?”
Kacey shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. When I talked to my grandma that night, I actually went off on her for even calling and asking me for help. I told her I didn’t owe them anything, and I meant it. They only ever came to me when they needed things. Never once did anyone ask what I needed. I told her never to call me again and had every intention of just cutting them out of my life completely. Then that night, I couldn’t sleep at all because something was telling me I needed to go. I didn’t understand it, but I knew there was a reason I needed to be there.”
“Bailey,” I said breathlessly.
“Bailey,” Kacey repeated with a slight smile. “I have a lot of regrets, but I’ll never regret going home. Bailey loves me in the way I always wished a family member would. You know how there are those people who make you feel at home whenever you’re around them, no matter where you are or what’s going on? Bailey makes me feel that way, and there’s only one other person who has ever done that. I can’t regret anything that brought me her.”
It was heartbreaking to hear Kacey talk about her past. What was even more heartbreaking was the fact that I never fully understood the extent of it when we were together. I was young and naive and lived with my head in the clouds, completely oblivious to the world around me.
I wiped away the tears that had run down my cheeks and Kacey did the same to her own. To my surprise, she started to chuckle through her tears. “God, we’re a mess. Can’t say this is exactly how I wanted this ride to go.”
Ready to lighten the mood, I tilted my head and kicked my foot against hers. “I hope you weren’t expecting the same treatment as last time. I am an adult now.”
I could see Kacey’s whole body relax in response to my joke, and the sight brought a smile to my face. She shook her head and kicked back at my foot. “Trust me, I don’t think anyone expects to get fingered on a Ferris wheel.”
I felt a slight blush creeping up my neck in response to Kacey’s bluntness, which I had to assume matched the tinge of red dotting her cheeks. “It was pretty crazy, wasn’t it?” I said with a laugh.