Chapter 42: He’ll Think It’s Cute
** Eli **
Eli didn't mean to laugh, and he hoped that Harper wouldn't interpret it as he was laughing at her. But he couldn't help it — she was simply too adorable like this, going between screaming "no no no no no no no" and wailing unintelligible gibberish and shrieking an ensemble of colorful expletives that he had never heard her use before.
But she was laughing too, in an adrenaline-filled and give-no-shit kind of way.
Eli turned to look at her. It was a little tricky to focus his vision, with the world going upside-down and sideways all around them, but he still managed to catch a good glimpse of her eyes squeezed tightly shut, mouth open in a wild shrill. His own grin stretched wider. Yep, that was totally Harper's terrified-but-totally-having-a-blast face, exactly the same one that he remembered from all those years ago, and he loved it.
"You should try to open your eyes!" he shouted as they shot up another high peak, rising above the seaport and the city skyline in front of them. "The view is great!"
He wondered if Harper could hear him through her screech. If she did, she was too occupied with exploding her lungs to reply. Her thrilled cries kept them company for a few more moments as they twisted and turned, before the ride finally started to slow down and the tracks smoothed out into a gentle slide at the end.
"... Wait, it's over?" Harper's shaky and hoarse voice croaked. She opened her eyes, gasping. "That was ... shorter than I remembered."
"Is that a request for another round?" Eli couldn't resist the tease, even though his ears were still ringing from her high-pitched work.
To his surprise, Harper considered it seriously. "Maybe we should at least take a break?" She nodded breathlessly at the couple waiting at the platform as their car pulled back in. "Let someone else take a turn ... And then we'll do it again? It was so much fun!"