As I Fall Asleep- Joshua Bassett

Chapter 36

As the boat moves slowly through the ride, I try not to focus on the fact josh is sitting so close to me. Our close proximity is messing with my head, and my endorphins go through the roof when I catch a whiff of him- this time smelling like the pine shampoo I know he uses.

The boat begins to go faster and starts to dip every once in a while, making me lift my feet so they don't get soaked. I haven't been on pirates of the Caribbean in a while, so when the first big drop hits, I'm not prepared.

The boat dips, more than it probably should since we don't have any seatbelts, and I scream aloud, along with the others. Water splashes on us all, but josh and I get the worst of it, as we are sitting in the back seat.

We all laugh as we assess the damage that the large drop caused, so when a sharp turn occurs, I'm not holding on. The force of the turn causes me to slide on the seat and crash into josh, who immediately grabs my waist to steady me.

My laughter stops at the contact and I feel my cheeks heat, suddenly grateful the dim lighting obscures my face.

Joshua glances down at his hands on my waist and let's go, much to my disappointment. Although he lets go, I notice he only moves away from me an inch or two- much less than before.

The dark chamber of the ride makes me brave and I put my hand on the top of his leg, palm facing up.

I hold my breath in anticipation until I feel his fingers intertwine with mine.

The entire ride we stay like that. Eyes looking forward, no talking, no acknowledging what's happening in the dark.

Right before the ride ends and we are thrown into the light, we both let go and scoot further apart, not wanting to give anyone any ideas.

But what would those ideas be?

After seeing and feeling how much joshs presence affects me, I know I'm not over him. In fact, I think I'm more crazy about him now than I was before. I just hope he feels the same.

***

Seven rides and a firework show later, the group begins the walk back to the hotel. Since their trip is paid for by Disney, the walk is no more than 5 minutes, but with the crowds, it takes more like 15.

The entire way back, I reflect on the day. After we got off pirates of the Caribbean, josh and I continued the day with little touches between us here and there. Our arms brushing while walking to the next attraction, him holding my hand on it's a small world, where the darkness once again gave us a cover, even him putting his hand on my lower back as we stood in line for space mountain.

We finally get back to our hotel and we all immediately go to our rooms, exhausted from the packed day. I walk in my room and take in the emptiness. Where was olivia?

I go outside and knock on sofias door.

"Hey, what's up?" She asks.

"Do you know where olivia went? All her stuff is gone."

I wait for her answer anxiously, hoping I didn't do something wrong that made olivia want to leave.

"Oh I thought she told you," she says. "She could only stay for a day since she has tour rehearsal."

I nod and let out a breath. "Ok that makes me feel better. I thought I offended her or something and she left early because of me."

Sofia laughs at my worry. "No, Katie you're fine."

I nod. "Thanks Sofia."

I turn around and begin to walk back to my room.

"Hey Katie?"