The older I got, the more life hammered it out of me because you can’t throw a tantrum like that as an adult. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still get the feeling inside– the thudding heartbeat and sweaty-palmed panic that comes with the unexpected. And right now, I can’t think of anything worse than being unexpectedly hit by what sounds like a tsunami’s worth of water.
‘Looks like we have enough time for this,’ Aiden says, starting to strip down to just his T-shirt.
‘We’re about to be soaking wet. . . You want to be cold too?’ I ask, trying my best not to glance down at his briefly exposed lower abdomen.
‘I mean, I’d rather not. But you seem like you need this more.’ He shoves his hoodie towards me with urgency. ‘Wrap it aroundyour body; use it to cover your head. . . Whatever makes the big bad water go away.’
‘Are you sure?’ I ask, dubiously trying to make sense of his sudden random act of kindness.
‘One hundred per cent, if it stops you from moaning all day,’ he teases. ‘We’re getting closer– hurry up. And stop checking me out.’
‘I wasn’t! I wouldn’t—’
‘Maddy, chill.’ He smirks.
I snatch the hoodie from his hands and wrap it around my head, clinging onto it as tightly as humanly possible. His eyes look over me with a confusing intensity, softened only by the bemused pout of his lips. He tilts his head, gaze frozen on my face with something I’d almost mistake for affection, before breaking his hold with a fond shake of his head.
‘What?’ I ask, perplexed.
‘Nothing,’ he says, attempting to swallow his grin. ‘Now hold tight. This one looks like a heart attack waiting to happen.’
He scoops me back under his arm, gripping tightly for good measure. A string of profanities leap from both of our mouths as we plunge into a drop even steeper than the one before. Our screams meet each other’s in perfect harmony, the volume climbing with every metre that we fall. I would try to close my mouth, but gravity won’t let me, so the sound lives on, punctuated by an almighty crash of a wave.
I feel the slap of the water before I have time to see it, overcome with an ice-cold bite as it floods the floor. The wave soaks through every inch of my clothing and invades every orifice, bringing with it a cold and uncomfortable chill. I expect to feel sick, or enraged, but as we coast towards the end, I feel quite the opposite. Instead, I’m overcome with an electric surge of adrenaline. The fabric of the hoodie has absorbed most of the water, leaving my hair and most of my face mercifully dry.Endorphins flood my system more than the water ever could, and my skin feels on fire with the thrill of the ride.
We turn one final corner before the ride comes to a halt, the safety bar raising and the sound of crowds returning. Aiden wastes no time at all leaping from his seat and clambering out to plant his shoes on solid ground. He turns back to me, reaching out his hand in what I can only assume is an act of solidarity. I take it and he silently pulls me across the gap from the carriage back to the land. Our eyes meet the second my soggy sneakers hit the ground and I can tell, even through his grumpy façade, he enjoyed it as much as I did. The adrenaline in the air is thick enough to taste; we’re both coming down from the same deliciously dangerous high.
I can see his shoulders relax as we head for the exit.
‘Let’s do that again!’ I say, heart still threatening to jump.
‘Fuck, no.’ He shakes his head. ‘Unless you really,really must?’
I shake my head, satisfied by the knowledge he would face such a huge fear again if I asked him nicely enough.
The grin stays plastered to my face all throughout our descent, from the purchase of overpriced gift-shop towels to the reveal of our disgusting souvenir picture. I look like a drowned rat, but Aiden physically flinches at the expression of pure terror on his face that the camera caught in deliciously high definition. That’s more than enough for me. I buy it on a strip, a keyring and a fridge magnet, much to his dismay. He huffs as I pay and grimaces as they bag it, but I catch him smiling at the Polaroid strip when I come out from the toilet after fixing my hair.
As we walk through the park, patting ourselves dry, I can see him eyeing up some of the other rides with curiosity.
‘Which one next?’ I ask.
‘I think one was enough.’
‘I really don’t think Evie would agree,’ I say. ‘Where’s your sense of adventure? Your spontaneity? This is not the same boy that jumped in that brook.’
‘You need to calm down. And maybe lay off the fizzy drinks.’
He watches fondly as I pull a face at his teasing advice, before fixing his eyes on a spot on my forehead.
‘You’re still dripping, here.’ He reaches for his own towel and shuffles closer, lightly touching it to the edge of my forehead and diligently patting it dry. He works with intense skill and precision, carefully studying my face as he softly completes his mission. The water is gone, but his hand still lingers, as does his gaze. His eyes are locked in now– fixed gently onto my own, only breaking to steal fevered glances at my softly pursed lips. My breath catches in my chest, held in place by the force behind his gaze and the sudden stillness of everything around us. Something’s shifted. Something that’s made my mouth go dry and the rest of the world cease to exist.
He feels it too, the force between us pulling him in, his face coming closer and mine willing it with every step.
His hand moves to cup my head and he gulps.
‘Maddison, I—’
A piercing screech sounds from my pocket, breaking us apart. We spring from each other, and I fumble around and reach to turn it off as the noise gets steadily louder and more intrusive.
