Lake Larson

My life had become an endless day of surprises. And not just because my roommate popped up ghostly, but also because I amazed myself. But here we are, standing in the streets of Pike's Market in Seattle, and it was not our plan to be here this morning.

The red lights to the sign flickered in the puddles on the brick road. Rain rippled in the liquid and pooled at my wet tennis shoes. My hair stuck to my cheeks while drips ran down the strands.

The clouds covered the stars in the night sky. Water ran down my nose, falling over my lips and soaking the front of my shirt. Ian waved his hands at the lady trying to sell him flowers. She kept pointing at the roses and me while he protested, telling her no. He must have noticed me watching because he peeked over at me with confusion. His smirk formed slowly before he finally ran away from the lady.

I smiled at the sky as he stepped out into the rain with me. His bare feet splashed into the puddles, but the precipitation from the clouds dropped through him like he didn't exist in the world.

"Okay, crazy," Ian said, stopping before me. "Time to get out of the rain before you catch a cold."

Ian grabbed my hand and pulled me into a covered area before hearing my answer. My giggles echoed in the alleyway, followed by his chuckles. He kept his palm behind his back, hiding a secret from me.

"Okay, what did you buy?" I asked him, pointing at his arm.

Ian tilted his head while shrugging his shoulders. I stepped wide to him, which caused him to back away quickly, bringing his free hand up to stop me.

"Okay, hear me out," he said, chewing his lip. "I don't have any money, so this is the best I could do for free." Ian paused before bringing a single white rose swirling with blue.

I hesitated before slowly wrapping my fingers around the stem and bringing the pedals to my nose. "Blue?" I questioned. "Why?"

Ian lifted a brow, tapping the top of the rose. "I think you know the answer to that one."

My gaze stayed on the flower while his finger left the rose. The blues danced with the white, causing a distorted color like the ocean meeting the sand. Neon colors shined in the dark, brightening the pedals. My expression brightened when realization kicked in.

"I want to show you something," he said, with the rain hitting the metal top, muffling his voice.

Ian led me deeper into the alley, opening an old wood door toward the musky-smelling shops. His fingers locked with mine, and we stomped down the stairs out the doors again into the rainy night. The crowd thickened on the streets under the freeway, hiding from the downpour.

Cars rushed by, spraying us with saltwater mist. We rounded further away from the crowd toward the light as Ian kept walking, not stopping at the intersection. I pulled him back, stopping at the sidewalk.

"What are you doing?" I asked while a truck sped by where Ian tried to walk and tucked my rose into my purse.

He pointed to the other side of the street. "Trying to cross."

I let his hand go, shaking my head. "We have to wait for the crosswalk to say to go." I pointed at the red hand across the street before pushing the button.

"Oh, yeah," he intoned.

I rolled my eyes. "You had crosswalks back in the early two thousand."

Ian's gaze met mine before he huffed out, dropping his shoulders. "I know," he said, walking to the button and trying to push it, but his finger went through it. "I'm just excited."

The green sign blinked on the other side of the street and expressed a safe cross. Ian grabbed my hand, running into the rain while it slowed its downpour. He dragged me down the sidewalk, splashing in the puddles. His palm dropped from mine, and he stopped suddenly, prompting me to run into his back.

I huffed out and watched a lonely raindrop land on Ian's nose. "Okay, what is so important is that you want to be hit by a car?"

"This!" he yelled, stepping to the side and pointing above his head at the vast Ferris wheel.

I scrunched my nose, wrapping my arms around my chilly body. "Is this it?" I asked, knowing I have been to the Seattle Pier Fifty-Seven Ferris wheel plenty of times.

Ian nodded his head like a child. "Yes!" He smiled at the bright lights hooked on the ride. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Maybe," I replied with a laughing smile. "Did you want to ride it?"

"I thought you would never ask!" he yelled, yanking me to the line.

We stood in line as the mist from the empty clouds floated around us. Luckily, the rain stopped, but the freezing air chilled everything. Ian's bright expression glanced up, watching the ride go in circles.

"Haven't you been on one before?"

Ian looked at me. "Of course, just not one this big."

The Farris wheel illuminated in a dazzling combination of purple and red, creating a mesmerizing pattern that matched the rhythm of the music. As the ride circled, the people before us loaded slowly. Our turn arrived. I stepped into the cart with Ian behind me. We sat opposite from one another while being lifted higher into the sky.

I scooted to the edge, looking out the window at the ocean below as the lights reflected into the liquid. My gaze shifted up at the dark skyscrapers with windows illuminating the streets. The people walking on the sidewalks seemed like ants when the Farris wheel reached the top.

Ian's reflection popped into my window as he watched the tall buildings. I smiled at him before he peeked at me with his charming hazel eyes. My cheeks burned with heat instantly as I covered them with my palms and looked away.

Ian's hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look back at him. "You are beautiful when your cheeks turn pink." He leaned closer with his fingers dancing on my jawline.

My heart stuttered as I coughed awkwardly, feeling my neck burn now. Ian's touch moved slowly along my jaw into my hair while I kept my eyes from looking into his. I opened my mouth to say something but closed it with zero backbone.

Ian's other hand brushed my cheek, tilting my gaze to his. He leaned in closer and closer, not letting go of our eye contact.

Reaching, I placed my hand on his chest, wanting to feel his heartbeat. The gravitational pull had us only inches apart, wanting to taste each other's lips.

The Farris wheel jerked to a stop while the lights shut off. I fell forward from the motion into Ian's lap. A child's scream from below had me wrapping my arms around his neck and scooting more onto him.

"Are you okay?" Ian whispered, tightening a hug around me.

I shifted to look at his dark eyes, barely seeing him. "Yeah," I replied, tucking my hair behind my ears.

The lights flickered dramatically, glitching with no pattern. Ian leaned toward the window with me still in his lap, seeing we were on the highest point, stuck. Darkness took over, followed by a loud creak from the ride.

"No!" I yelled, closing my eyes while shoving my face into his shoulder. "No. I am not okay." I hyperventilated.

Ian brushed his finger through the back of my hair. "Lake, take slow breaths."

I breathed deeply, but not in the slow motion he advised, causing him to grab my shoulders and look me in the eye. He sucked in slowly while I kept my eyes on his lips, but I exhaled like I ran a marathon, stuck in my panic attack.

Ian let out a breath with a low chuckle. "That's not breathing slowly."

"I don't want to die!"

Ian leaned over, peeking out the window below. "I assure you that you will not perish."

"That's easy for you to say." I tucked my body more into his. "You are already dead. Sorry. That was very insensitive. I'm freaking out. What are they doing down there? Why did—"

Ian placed his palm on my mouth, widening his eyes. "Lake, you need to calm down. The ride having problems happens a lot, I'm sure."

The Farris wheel jumped on, jerking the cart. Ian let out a slight scream, hugging me tighter while I squeezed him. The lights flashed to the pattern, continuing its usual routine.

I slowly climbed off Ian's lap while the ride circled around to let us off. My body shook slightly before the cart stopped with level land.

My feet touched solid ground, and my heart stopped beating at an unhealthy speed. Ian's laughter mocked me from behind as he followed.

"Stop," I said, turning around to point at him.

He showed me his palms, placing them above his head. "Okay," he laughed. "Okay, you are afraid of heights."

"No!" I crossed my arms. "I'm afraid of falling."

Ian busted out in laughter, holding his stomach. His shoulders shook while his eyes closed. The street light shined down on his open smile, showing me how beautiful his facial features were when smiling widely. A slight grin formed on my face as he stopped and turned his attention to me.

"Sorry," he said, bowing like a moron. "What now, queen?"

I glared at him while a group of girls walked by us in fishnet tights and outfits barely covering their privates. The lingerie-style clothes fit them perfectly with an artist's name across their rears. The bracelets and neon told me they were going to a rave.

Ian watched them walk around the corner with their arms linked. "Where do you think the party is at?"

"No," I replied, knowing he had a plan.

Ian grabbed my arm, pulling me after the girls. "Our night is not over." He smiled at me. "Plus, you almost died, so you should live a little."

"Ian—"

"Nope!"

We watched the girls skip across the street to a crowd waiting outside an old building. The Show Box's sign shined brightly into the night while we walked toward the club.

Ian interlocked his fingers with mine as we zigzagged through the people. The music blared, shaking my soul while we tracked our way to the open floor, squeezing people together. The lights shot into everyone like razors to the rhythm.

The DJ at the front jumped to their music, encouraging the crowd to dance all at once. Ian placed his hands on my hips from behind and guided me to the middle of the floor.

A girl beside me looked over my shoulder at Ian, smiling, before moving her gaze to me. She mouthed, cute, before dancing away to her friends. The music changed from song to song while I danced without a care.

The lights flashed bright before pitch black, and the music went silent. Everyone could hear their breaths while soft drums slowly became louder and louder. Giggles echoed around until the beat dropped, shaking everyone into dancing again.

A man jumped beside me, bumping into my shoulder and shoving me down. Ian hooked his arms under my armpits, pulling me up. He wrapped his arms around my torso, forcing our bodies together.

"I got you!" Ian yelled, but barely audible as a whisper. "You can count on me!"

Ian stayed pressed against me the whole night, his body never leaving mine as we danced.

Thank you for reading. Please share, comment, and push that beautiful star.