CHAPTER TWELVE
“YOU’RE SCREAMING RIGHT IN my ear!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“Am not!” Evelyn shrieked, her face red as they climbed off the ride. She shoved her brother as she stumbled off the platform towards Amber and Noah who had refused to join them.
The chilling screams coming from the Brooklyn Flyer made Amber back up another foot. Evelyn had done everything she could to get her on the ride but Amber had dug her heels in. No way was she getting in there only to be flung a thousand feet in the air. She was fine right where she was.
“You guys missed out. That was so fun,” Evelyn exclaimed, forgetting the squabble with her twin.
Amber doubted it was as fun as she made it sound.
“Except for when you were screaming in my ear,” Emmett muttered.
“Shut up.” She clapped her hands, “Where should we go next? Noah, any suggestions?”
The boy standing beside her shrugged at the question, his gaze roaming the crowded amusement park. People were everywhere, having fun, stuffing their faces and stumbling from one ride to the next. Music played from different stores, screams rent the air and the sound of games being won and lost joined the cacophony.
The ride to Coney Island had been uneventful. Emmett and Evelyn had run off to the first roller coaster they’d seen and she’d been happy to join them on all the rides so far except this one.
“How about the Cyclone?” she asked. “We haven’t done that yet.”
“Not for long,” Evelyn sang. Hooking one arm in Amber’s and another in Noah’s, she yanked them over the rollercoaster. As they got into the surprisingly short line, Evelyn patted her stomach. “I’m hungry.”
“How could you be hungry after going on a ride like that?” Amber asked, referring to the Brooklyn Flyer.
Evelyn only laughed as she handed her ticket to the operator. “Are you kidding? That ride worked up my appetite.”
Amber giggled as they shuffled up to the platform and got into the cars. Evelyn’s elbow caught her side as they buckled up, the operator droning safety instructions through the microphone. The cars jerked into motion a minute later, building a tug of excitement in Amber. It had been years since she’d last been at Coney Island, even before her father had been hospitalized. The crowds of families and friends below sent a wave of nostalgia through her. In truth, she was happy to be here and even more, she was happy to be with her new friends.
Evelyn’s hand grasped hers just before the drop, their excited screams blending amongst others. Wind whipped past her ears, slapping her cheeks and reddening them. Her smile couldn’t be dimmed as they went over each turn. Amber raised their joined hands into the air as they went over a high plunge, her stomach roiling and her heart pounding in her chest. The adrenaline rush the ride gave her was almost as good as the one she got when she was scribbling a favorite scene into her stories.
The ride ended too soon, and they stepped out on unsteady feet, their hands held tight to each other. Breathless laughs escaped Amber uncontrollably as Evelyn clutched onto her side.
“That was the best one so far!” Evelyn exclaimed.
“I forgot how much I loved this ride,” Amber said as the boys walked up to him, their hair windblown and wide grins on their faces. Together they stumbled toward the exit, with Evelyn leading them to the first food booth on their right. The cute shack sold both snacks and beverages. As Evelyn and Emmett made their orders, Amber perused the small menu hung above the makeshift counter.
“What’s your pick?” Evelyn asked. “If you want food, we can go over to the shops near the boardwalk.”
Amber had already spotted her favorite beverage. “I’ll have the strawberry milkshake, please. With two cherries?”
Evelyn relayed her order to the vendor. “Extra whip cream?” she paused to confirm.
“Sure.” Amber shrugged. Holding up two fingers, she enunciated, “Don’t forget the double cherries.”
“Got it,” Evelyn laughed.
A few minutes later, the twins had scarfed down their snacks while Amber slurped the last bit of her milkshake. Noah crumpled up the wrapper for the tacos he’d bought, shooting for the closest garbage bin on their way out of Luna park.
“Good?” she asked him.
He grunted. “I could give it a seven over ten. I’ve had better.”
She raised a dubious eyebrow. Shaking his head, Noah snatched the bottle of water from Emmett’s grasp, ignoring his protest.
“One taste of my mom’s tacos and you’ll never enjoy any other taco again.”
“It’s true,” Emmett chimed in around a mouthful of his fourth pretzel. “I ate my first taco at his house and I still dream about that perfect crust and spicy beef.”
“That’s because you’re a glutton,” Evelyn elbowed him.
“I’m not a glutton. I’m a food connoisseur. I appreciate all the good food in the world and Mrs. Rhodes’ food happens to have a top spot on that list.” Leaning closer to Amber, he said, “To be honest, that’s kind of why I’m Noah’s friend. No way I’m passing up his mom’s cooking.”
“Thanks, dude. Now, I know how much you love and value our friendship,” Noah drawled.
“Whatever. You better save some food for later. We’re not leaving until we’ve gotten hotdogs from Nathan’s,” she said. “It’s a tradition my family does every time we come here. We’d be out of our minds not to visit Coney’s most famous food stand.”
“But first, Noah hasn’t picked a ride to go on,” Emmett pointed out.
With all eyes on him, Noah shrugged. “I’m good. We can go to Nathan’s.”
Evelyn remained adamant. “Nope. Everyone has to pick a ride, including you. Which one will it be?”
Amber hid her smile at the long-suffering sigh that escaped him. She wondered how often the twins ran Noah in circles. They were so hyper and energetic, moving from one place to the next. Noah preferred to take his time. He was steady and careful, handling everything with an almost nonchalant air. For years, she’d thought their arguments didn’t faze him. Until she’d begun to learn his tells. One of which was clear to her now. When they’d stopped at the gates to the two parks, he’d looked in the direction of the Ferris wheel, its huge spokes unable to miss at its height in the sky. But Emmett and Evelyn had been more excited for the rides in Luna park. She had never been on the wheel and could already imagine the view that would greet her up there.
A glance at Noah revealed she wasn’t wrong in her guess. He was looking up at the wheel, its carriages much closer this time. She wondered why he hadn’t said anything, but from experience, even she knew that getting things from Noah was like pulling teeth.
She took the last drag of her empty cup. “How about the Ferris wheel? I’ve never been on it.”
“But it's so boring.” Emmett huffed. “And I’m hungry again.”
Amber’s jaw dropped open. “You just inhaled four pretzels, a mini cotton candy and a soda.”
Evelyn’s cheeks pinked as she glanced sheepishly at Amber. “Actually, I’m hungry too. That was nowhere near enough to fill me.”
She felt full after having a single milkshake. She'd probably explode if she tried to eat as much as they had in such a short span of time.
“You guys go ahead. Amber and I can catch the Ferris wheel.”
Amber blinked, her head on a slow rotation in Noah’s direction. Sure, she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel but she hadn’t thought she’d end up alone with Noah. The twins barely registered her shock or the crazy offer, their stomachs in the lead as they hurried away.
“Come on.” Noah bumped her shoulder with his as he began the walk to the large wheel. He paused when he noticed she wasn’t beside him. With a wicked smile lighting his face, he challenged her. “Unless you’re scared, m’lady.”
Her fingers twitched. She wasn’t scared of anything, much less of being alone with him. They’d been alone dozens of times before, when they faced off at school, when they studied at the library, or when she was dragging him along to talk with people. This wouldn’t be any different.
With her own smirk in place, she did what she did best. She challenged back.
“Last person to get there pays the ticket.”
He cheated.
She didn’t know for sure but being ninety-eight percent sure counted for something. Noah was barely out of breath from running the distance to the Wonder Wheel platform, whereas Amber gasped for air as he paid their tickets.
She hadn’t imagined him slowing down at that last turn, right? She shook her head as he joined her in line. Maybe she had. She was really out of breath and must have hallucinated that Noah allowed her to win their little race. She was also too tired to fight it. It had been a long day at the amusement park and she hoped this would be their last ride.
At their turn, the operator gave her a hand into the carriage. Noah stepped in, taking the seat beside her. His closeness in the small space made her cheeks heat up. She kept her face turned away as she buckled in and waited for their launch.
“I love this ride.” Noah broke the silence. His head rested against the glass enclosure, arms folded as he kept his eyes on the skyline that grew nearer as they went higher. “I used to make my parents promise it was the last ride we would take. The view at this time is the best.”
The sun had started to dim on their way through the park. The lights below them started to blink on, one after the other. The sight of them was like tiny stars below her. She couldn’t imagine a better view.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been here. My mom and I don’t get out often.”
Noah hummed. “Then I’m glad you came with us. It’s been fun having you around.”
She swiveled to face him. “Really? You’re not annoyed that I’m intruding on time with your friends?” He was forced to spend every day with her at school, either tutoring at the library or when she made him talk to the other students. She thought he'd invited her as a simple courtesy.
His lips quirked up. “I asked you to come along, didn’t I? I thought that made it obvious that I wanted you here.”
Her cheeks heated up as his words sunk in. He wanted her with him and his friends.
“You’re going to miss it,” he said, pulling her out of her head. Amber looked up to the most breathtaking view of the New York skyline. The blues, oranges and reds blended together, reflecting on the water surrounding them. Her wide eyes took in the sight, not wanting to miss a single moment.
She reached for her phone when the carriage paused for a moment with them at the top. She wanted to capture the moment and keep a piece of this memory with her.
She sighed as she took her last picture. “I wish I could see this beautiful view all the time.”
“Look in a mirror,” Noah whispered beside her. Amber whipped to face him, her eyes bugging out of her head. Had she misheard him? Her heart beat an odd rhythm in her chest as her hand dropped to her lap.
Noah met her gaze, his dark eyes flashing gold like it was somehow reflecting the sunset. The flush that creeped up his neck and onto his nose drew her eyes. She couldn’t resist tracing his freckles as they popped against his skin. She’d never understood why she found the cute spots so fascinating.
The wheel jerked as they rumbled downwards. Their gazes danced around in the silence of the moment. Noah didn’t speak until they’d gotten off at the platform and he called the twins to find out if they were still at the restaurant. As they headed to meet them, Amber bit her lip.
“Back there, in the carriage. What did you say?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Noah,” she warned.
He side-eyed her. “Why do you want to know?”
“I thought I heard a compliment. You might be softening toward me and I want to soak it up. So, was it a compliment?”
He turned away to hide his smile but she caught it anyway. “Maybe.”
“Thanks for inviting me today. I had a great time.” Amber laid her head on Evelyn’s shoulder as they rode home in the back of the taxi.
“I should be saying that. I got to spend a sort of girl’s day with you.”
“We can plan a proper girl’s day,” Amber suggested, laughing as Evelyn’s eyes widened.
“I would love that!” she squirmed, pushing her elbow into Emmett who frowned at his sister.
“I’m good here.” Noah waved the taxi off to the curb. He’d mentioned he was getting down early but hadn’t said where he was going. The twins seemed to know as he got down and paid the driver his share of the drive.
“Bye.” Evelyn waved.
“Don’t miss me too much,” Emmett added.
Amber laughed as the driver got back on the road. “Where’s he off to?”
“Oh, he’s picking up some groceries for his mom. And there’s a bookstore a few blocks from down he loves to go to.”
“He’ll spend all evening there until Mrs. R starts asking for her groceries.” Emmett laughed.
Amber stared out the window as they continued down the road. Noah liked book shopping. Another thing added to all she was learning about him. It hadn’t even been a full two weeks since they had started working together. She could only imagine what more she could unearth about the quiet boy who, only a few weeks ago, had been the bane of her existence.