your pov
"on a scale of 1-10, how afraid are you of rollercoasters?" i asked jirou. she was staring up at a ride that looked at least fifty meters tall, her eyes widening every time a new batch of screams rang through the carnival. we had arrived only ten minutes ago and were sitting at a table outside when i noticed her attention drifting.
"eight. but somehow..." she looked back at me. "i feel like i can do it if i'm with you."
i grinned, then stood up from my seat.
"well, we're here to have fun! i promise i'll hold your hand," i said, and winked. she hit my arm jokingly but despite that, interlaced her fingers with mine. she had a ring on her middle finger, which i occasionally caught myself playing with as we walked to the ride, but she didn't seem to care.
or, more likely, she didn't seem to notice. she was focusing so much of her attention on the ride in front of us that she was barely watching her step.
she tripped over a twig on the grass, taking me down with her. i landed on the ground with a thud.
for a second i was stunned. then i regained my ability to comprehend what had happened and quickly stood up from our awkward position on the floor. one of my hands was beside her head and the other was still holding her own, while my knees were on either sides of her body. i stood up as fast as possible, struggling to catch my balance in the process.
"sorry about that," i laughed, a bit embarrassed but wanting to cover it up. i helped her get up and brush the grass off of her dress.
her cheeks and ears were both a deep red, but i decided not to mention it. i didn't want her to feel any more uncomfortable.
i took her hand again as if nothing happened and we walked back onto our path until we reached the line to the ride.
it was shorter than i expected, but it looked like we still had some wait time.
"do you want me to grab you a smoothie or something while you stand in line? i'll catch up and give it to you," i offered.
"oh, that would be really nice, thanks. here, i'll give you ten dollars, that should cover it." she started to reach into her purse but i stopped her, a smile on my face.
"i got it, it's no problem. i suggested the date in the first place."
she looked a bit confused at what i had said, which i didn't understand until it dawned on me. y/n hadn't suggested it. angel did.
i walked away quickly before she could inquire about the meaning of my statement and sprinted to the smoothie booth.
'damn, i forgot to ask what flavor she wanted. maybe strawberry banana? everyone likes strawberry banana, right?'
i ordered two strawberry bananas and waited as the vendor made my smoothie, looking around at the carnival scenery. there were a lot of game booths, most offering prizes of very large stuffed animals. if i managed to get one for jirou, would she like it? i decided i would ask her after the roller coaster.
i paid the vendor and thanked him, then ran back to the line, careful not to spill either of our smoothies or disrupt any people in the other parts of the line. i felt like i was somehow cutting in line, but jirou had been standing there like everyone else, so it was technically fair.
"do you like strawberry banana?" i asked when i reached her, slightly out of breath from my run.
"that's my favorite flavor!" she said, smiling widely as i gave her the drink. "thank you so much! how did you know?"
i didn't want to tell her i just guessed, so i said, "i think you mentioned it in class once."
she smiled. her smile was so pretty. i was addicted to it; every time she smiled i would, too. i wanted to see it all the time. i wanted to be the one to inspire it.
how could one person be so beautiful? it wasn't just her appearance. god, it was everything: her intelligence, resilience, kindness, humor, passion, creativity. there weren't enough words to describe what i felt for her, what she was to me. was that love? it almost seemed unfair; i was spending a day with the girl that mattered the most to me, and she seemed to be having as much fun as i was.
"i'll have to confiscate those drinks," a ride attendant told us sternly, interrupting my musings. jirou handed him her empty cup. i hadn't finished mine since i was busy admiring jirou, but i reluctantly handed him my cup anyway.
"do you want to go in the front, the back, or the middle?" i asked jirou.
"uh, middle is fine. i heard that's the easiest place to be." she looked more scared with every passing second, but seemed more relieved once we were strapped into our seats and i grabbed her hand and put it on my thigh. the metal of the ride was cold against the back of my legs, and the tights did little to put a barrier between my skin and the seat.
"if you hold on to me, everything will be fine, yeah?" i said, reassuring her. she nodded.
"welcome, folks. please ensure that all your personal belongings are either tucked safely in a pocket or stored in one of our lockers. as always, keep all your limbs inside the ride at all times and refrain from standing up. most importantly, have fun," the attendant droned.
and then, we were off.
jirou was taking deep breaths as the ride began to move upwards, her hands sweating and gripping mine intensely. the air was whipping furiously all around us, her hair flowing this way and that. everyone around us was talking or shouting but all i focused on was her. i laughed to myself. how did i even get here? angel, you've done well for yourself.
the ride started to slow its forward track, then abruptly stopped. i felt jirou's nails dig into my palm.
then the rollercoaster dipped downward and the speed increased a hundredfold, the air piercing my face like a thousand little knives and my stomach dropping with the ride. the adrenaline rushed through me as fast as the ride did on the tracks, zipping up and down and in loops until all i could do was smile, my eyes watering and my skin pulled back and the wind all around.
i heard jirou scream, "YEAH!" and i turned to her and laughed, then she laughed, and then we were both laughing until we were almost crying and the ride finally stopped. it lasted mere seconds, but i somehow knew even then that that memory would never leave me. no matter how many years past and how much it faded, there was no way i would ever forget it.
jirou stumbled getting out of the seat, holding onto my wrist for support.
"was it scary?" i asked as we made our way back to the main part of the carnival.
"you know what?" she said. she squeezed my hand. "not with you."
