I have to once again thank SoCalCynic for editing this thing. He puts up with my ramblings and my bad writing habits, so he deserves lots of free booze and cookies, should you guys ever run across him. Thanks again, Cynic, for making me feel like a better writer than I actually am.
Speaking of free booze and cookies, you readers deserve some too! Thanks for all of the comments, the kind emails and nice ratings. Every single one of them makes me squee. Really. And yes, I just used the term squee. So please, keep sending them so I can squee some more. I'm done with the word squee now, I promise.
OK, one more time. Squee!
Enjoy!
*
"Oh God," Jill whined. "OhGodohGodohGodohGOD!" she screamed as the roller coaster reached the top of the first hill and started its ninety-foot free fall. Her entire body felt weightless for a moment and then her stomach was suddenly thrown in the other direction as the coaster started its dive down the back side of the hill. As she reached out and desperately clutched Rory's hand, she could hear his laugh distinctly over the other riders' screams. Gravity kicked in hard, pulling her entire body down and to the rear as the coaster reached the bottom of its plunge before launching up another hill.
How
had he convinced her to do this?
They plunged into darkness for a few seconds as they went through a tunnel. Within seconds the rickety wooden roller coaster pulled them up and down again, crests endlessly alternating with dips. A minute later and the ride slowed, the coaster pulling into the station so the next group of unsuspecting riders could have their turn in hell.
Jill was shaking slightly as Rory helped her out of the car, still chuckling to himself. He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her make her way safely down the stairs and to the wide avenue in front of the ride.
"That was hardly fair, you know," he laughed out once they had sat down on a wide concrete bench overlooking the coaster's entrance. Of course it was on the same stupid bench that they had been sitting on when he had talked her into trying out the stupid roller coaster in the first place.
Stupid
, her brain threw at her one more time for good measure.
"What in the
hell
are you talking about?" Jill stammered out. She was still shaking, her body having trouble processing all of the adrenaline that had flooded her system.
Rory tugged at her waist until she was leaning against him, then put his arms around her until the tremors stopped. Satisfied that she was calming, he leaned his head down to her neck to whisper in her ear. "You about gave me a hard-on before we went down that first hill, screaming like you were coming."
Jill couldn't help but laugh, warm relief flooding through her at finally being back on the ground. She turned her head and gave Rory a swift kiss on the cheek, despite her thoughts on public displays of affection. "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. That's what you get for dragging me on that thing in the first place!"
"Drag?" he chuckled back, skimming the back of his hand up and down her bare arm. "You went willingly, beautiful."
"Only because you lied to me!
You should try it, the fear is half the fun!
" she parroted his earlier words back to him. "It's not half the fun! Fear is just that, fear! It's your mind being completely and entirely logical about
not
walking on to a death trap! There's a reason why I had never been on a roller coaster before today!"
"Are you telling me you didn't enjoy yourself?" Rory prompted after her rant.
The question actually pulled Jill up short, making her pause to think for a moment. "I don't know; I was too busy being terrified."
His responding laugh seemed to echo around them. Jill couldn't help but smile a little. Maybe she would try it again sometime. But definitely not today.
Rory watched her while he continued to hold her close. After several seconds he sighed and planted a quick kiss on the top of her head, his own thoughts seemingly echoing hers. "Okay, no more roller coasters today. There's more to Elitch Gardens than that, you know." And at those words, he pulled her off the bench to follow him.
Now that she had survived the trial by roller coaster, Jill found that she could actually enjoy the rest of the amusement park. Before, it seemed that her vision would do nothing but zoom in on the torturous rides and the poor trapped passengers plummeting to what should have been their deaths. Now she could appreciate the arcades, the old-time fair games and the rides not requiring every drop of her adrenaline.
Rory stopped and bought her some cotton candy, insisting that sugar would be good for her system after the shock of the coaster. She failed to see the logic, but still took it gratefully.
The couple walked the park as they shared the sweet, talking and laughing as they went. The invisible conversation barrier between them had broken, probably because they knew how little time they had left together.
Jill talked about growing up a tomboy in Indianapolis and shared some of her more harmless Army tales, while Rory shared stories of his own childhood in British Columbia. The two seemed to avoid discussing anything current, like Jill's plans once she "left" or what Rory even did for a living. But they still found plenty of common ground, discussing favorite movies, music, and books, pet peeves and their surprisingly mutual dislike of Wilfred Brimley.
"It's diabet
es
, not diabetus!" Jill laughed out loud as they left the arcade.
"You'd think that if he has the disease, he'd at least know how to pronounce it," Rory agreed with a smile as he reached out and took her hand in his.
"And in the newer commercials, it's almost like he
knows
that he's saying wrong, so he tries to put even more emphasis on it!"
He nodded and smiled, suddenly quiet. Jill left him to it. She learned long ago from her brother that when men were ready to talk, they would. Prodding didn't do anything to help them along. So they walked on in silence, their fingers intertwined as twilight descended around them.
After a few minutes, Rory pulled her to a stop and looked her up and down with a smirk. "So how about it, stranger?" He looked up pointedly, and Jill's gaze followed to the top of the giant Ferris wheel, standing at least 100-feet high. "I know you're not wild about roller coasters ..."
"That's a fucking understatement," Jill cut in with an apologetic smile.
"But are you afraid of heights?"
"Not really," she answered with a shrug.
"Then come on." He tugged at her hand and they made their way to the end of the short line to board.
A short, quiet wait later and they were escorted into their own little carriage. Rory helped her in first before joining her. Jill gasped a little as the basket swayed with his weight, but she calmed fairly quickly as Rory pulled her into his arms.
The two didn't talk much as the ride moved up in intervals as other riders took their respective places. They finally reached the very top as the neon of the wheel blazed into life, taking her breath away. Between the glow of the lights and the bird's eye view of downtown Denver, Jill was speechless. The scene was indescribably beautiful.
"It's just stunning, isn't it?" Rory whispered, voicing her own thoughts again. "When I'm homesick and the park is open, I come here. Something about the view reminds me why I love Denver so much."
"Thank you, for bringing me here, for sharing this with me." He nodded, and Jill snuggled closer into him as a breeze picked up. Now full, the wheel started its slow rotation and they rode in comfortable silence. There was something so intimate about it; it was as if they were alone.
So she didn't mind much when Rory pulled her face to his for a long kiss. There was no urgency behind the touch, rather a tenderness. It was almost as if he were afraid to break her. His hands were warm against her neck and face, a stark contrast to the cool breeze that continued to swirl around them. The shiver that ran down her spine had nothing to do with the cold, and everything to do with him.
An abrupt stop broke the spell and reminded them of exactly where they were. Not alone, but surrounded by other park guests in the middle of downtown Denver.
Once back in the loading area, they made their way off the ride and headed towards the exit in silence. No more words were necessary.
-----
Three a.m., again. Rory normally wasn't one to wake in the middle of the night, usually exhausted from the previous day. Since he had met Jill, that had changed.
It was as if his brain was so overloaded when they were together that it kept waking him to process it all. And as the days passed, it seemed that he needed more and more time to do it.
Rory was ashamed that he had jumped her as soon as he entered her room. But she looked so fucking
beautiful
in that white dress; it reinforced his opinion that she was an angel. He couldn't help himself.
As they walked through Elitch Gardens that night, he realized he had been right in his previous thinking; the more he got to know Jill, the more perfect she seemed. She was smart, brave, funny, and insightful. And as they were talking about Wilfred fucking Brimley of all people, he realized that he was falling head over heels in love with her. She hadn't pressed him to talk, like every other woman he had ever known would have. Instead they shared that beautiful ride on the Ferris wheel, where they barely spoke. They hadn't needed to.
And when they had finally made it back to the hotel, after what felt like the longest twenty minute drive of his life, they made love. He didn't question his use of the term anymore.
They undressed each other so slowly, so patiently, as if each was a present to the other. There was absolutely no rush. He took his time to kiss and stroke every bare inch of her, and she had reciprocated in the same maddeningly slow pace he had used.
By the time he finally pushed into her, holding her as close as he could, his chest was aching with unspoken emotion. He wondered in that moment, as they gazed at each other, if she could possibly feel the same. But he couldn't find the answer in her eyes. It still took every ounce of self-control that he possessed not to tell her he loved her as they came together.
He let out a low sigh and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. One day left. Rory had wondered, when all of this started, what he had done to deserve her. And now he knew.
He was being punished for every heart he broke, every woman he ever used, every promised call he never made. The universe was giving him the perfect woman for only a few days, just long enough for him to love her and then lose her. And he deserved every agonizing minute of it.
