Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 3

it up and tied a rope around it, before they picked up the bundle and threw it in the back of his truck. Next came the basket, which required all three men to carry to the other truck, and secure it with ties.
    I fiddled with my cell phone, checking my message. Of course it was Jamie: "What happened? Call me ASAP." I thought to message her back: LOL I kissed him , but decided to let her wonder. Besides, she was the one who bet me to do this. I didn't have to report to her, right?
    By the time Ben and his father were finished, the sun was long gone and a navy blue hue took over the sky, dotted with tiny stars. In the very distance, I could barely make out the neon colors of the carnival rides and the spotlight dancing up into the sky.
    "Alright, let's go." Ben's father patted his shoulder and we all gathered in the truck.
    It was a quiet three mile drive along open country back to the carnival. By the time we got back, the sky was completely dark.
    "You better go find your friends," Ben said. We were out of the truck, back at the carnival where the groan from the rides' generators and excited screams made it hard to hear.
    That's right. I wanted Jamie to eat her words. Yeah, I didn't need that stinking bet to find out that he liked me. "I suppose I should," I said, hesitant to leave.
    When I began to slink away, Ben said behind me, "You know, I haven't really had the chance to check out the carnival, yet. And this is the last night... Do you think you'd want to hang out?"
    Yes. "Yeah," I said excitedly. "I mean, sure."
    A smile lifted on his lips, and I felt my heart catch in my throat. "Great." He stepped forward and swung his arm around my neck.
    My thoughts began to scatter. What did I want to do first? I would love to go on the Ferris Wheel; to be high up in the air, again, with Ben close to me. Maybe I could sneak another little kiss, hold his hand, and snuggle against his shoulder. I really needed to slow down.
    Once we were inside the carnival area, he unwrapped himself from my side and approached the ticket booth. "Twenty tickets, please," he told the cashier.
    "You don't need to buy for me." I was just ready to pull out some cash to pay for myself.
    "Don't worry about it." He motioned for me to put my money away.
    The cashier passed the tickets through the window, as well as his change, and we were back to deciding which ride was first. Since this was his only night to explore and I couldn't get up my nerves to ask him on the Ferris Wheel, I let him choose first.
    Ride after ride, we sat next to each other. Some rides spun us so fast, that we couldn't help but slam into each other. That was fine with me; I couldn't get enough of the closeness. But a couple of rides he suggested made me feel a little sick; one ride in particular flipped us upside down and held us there for what seemed like slow seconds, before swinging us around in the opposite direction.
    As the night wore on, the crowd began to die out, and our last couple of tickets were spent on the Ferris Wheel. "This is... Thank you," I breathed as we sat in the metal seat, fingers entwined. "I haven't had this much fun in a while."
    "Yeah." Ben's cheeks went rosy. "Same here."
    I sucked in my lower lip, wanting so much to kiss him. We drifted closer; the ride's motor groaned and we were moving down, and then back up. His fingers tightened against mine. The warmth from his body made me tingle. As we approached the sky again, he leaned in for a kiss shortly before pulling away.
    "I think they're closing," Ben said.
    I nodded. Out in the distance, car lights shone through the fields; a line of cars stuck bumper to bumper as the crowd began to leave. A few of the street lamps had been shut off within the park, and there was hustle and bustle near the front of the entrance gate.
    The metal booster rocked as the motor swung us back down to the ground, and we were ushered from the ride.
    "Walk me back to my car?" I asked.
    He tipped his head before grasping my hand in his, and we started for the outside fence leading into the carnival. The dirt road was filled with people pulling out of the parking lot. Headlights blinded us for a moment before turning, and the darkness of night settled in.
    For such a huge lot, I was surprised to find my car in the distance, barely lit up by the full moon.
    "Why did you park all the way out here?" he asked as the faint outline of my car came into view.
    "This entire lot was full," I said with a chuckle.
    Ben matched my laugh,