"I love you," he whispered.
Fatima beamed. Devin loved her. Devin Rountree, her partner, loved her. The man she'd stayed awake at night for months thinking about loved her. She supposed she should have figured it out by now. Between the way he kissed her, the way he woke her up, and the way he comforted her after her nightmare, she should have known that he cared about her. But still, she was surprised to hear it, even though he'd said it already. Maybe it hadn't settled in.
"I love you too," she whispered. Devin smiled as they started to swing a little. Fatima smiled as she grabbed onto the metal bar. Devin put his hand on hers, and their fingers tangled together. Fatima blushed even harder.
"You shy?" he asked, a hint of gentle teasing in his voice. Fatima smiled shyly.
"I don't blush," she lied.
"Wow, starting a relationship with lies, good to know" he teased. Fatima turned bright red and gasped.
"No! No, I'm sorry, I-" she whimpered, tearing up.
"Woah, Fatima, I'm just playing with you. Honey," he whispered. He squeezed her hand tighter. "I love you. I'm sorry, it wasn't funny. You do blush, and it's absolutely adorable. I promise," he whispered. Fatima smiled a little.
"Sorry I lied," she whispered.
"It's all good. Hey, it's about to actually start," he said. Fatima pulled him into a kiss and smiled.
"I won't lie anymore," she whispered.
"I won't mess with you either, Fatima. I don't want to hurt you, mentally or physically," he whispered. They shared a soft smile as the ride began. Fatima was laughing and squealing as the ride flew around in circles. She opened her eyes and looked to the ground. She gasped and cried out in fear. Without thinking, Devin tightened his grasp around her hand. "You're fine, you're fine, don't look down," he whispered, using one hand to hold her hand and one hand to caress her arm.
"I'm definitely never doing that again," she breathed out, trying not to appear as terrified as she was. Heights had never been her thing, but this felt different. This felt worse. Devin ran his thumb over the top of her hand.
"You're fine, we're almost done, close your eyes," he whispered. Fatima grabbed his hand with both of hers. The ride was slowing down and the swings were lowering again, much to her relief. They got off and met at the gate. Fatima was clinging to him, desperate to control her emotions.
"Are you okay?" Jordan asked. Fatima nodded.
"Yeah. I'm good," she replied as they walked around. They rode a few more rides, then started looking around for food.
"Is pizza okay for you guys?" Devin asked. Fatima nodded a little, as did Jordan. They walked into a smaller restaurant and ordered a pizza to share. They settled into a booth and immediately began chatting.
"Is there anything else you want to do?" Devin asked. Fatima looked away shyly. "Hey. Don't be nervous. You're here with us. If you want to do something, you say so. Do you really think we'd be upset with you? What's going on with you?" he said, lowering his voice. Fatima shrugged.
"I don't know! It just feels like, I'm a guest, so I have to do what you guys want," she said, slinking into the booth.
"Hey. Get that thought out of your head. We're here together. If you want us to do something or go somewhere, say so. Don't be shy," he said softly. Fatima blushed a little.
"It's just not how I was raised," she said quietly. Devin offered a soft smile.
"It's fine, sweetheart. Just, if you want to do something, say so. We'll do it," he said softly. Fatima smiled a little.
"Um, I've also kinda been wanting to go on the Revenge of the Mummy ride, but I was always scared to go by myself," she said shyly. Devin smiled.
"We'll absolutely do that," he said sweetly. Fatima grinned and nodded. Just then, a waitress came over with the pizza. They dug in quickly, excited to eat after an exhausting but fun day. They'd ordered a simple pepperoni pizza. Fatima was amazed at how perfectly it was cooked, with a perfect ratio of sauce to cheese and pepperoni.
Once they were done eating, they paid the bill and walked out. "Let's do something easy for a bit, that way our food can settle," Rountree suggested.
"Like bumper cars?" Fatima asked, motioning to the bumper cars nearby.
"Of course we can! Let's go!" he replied. They walked over, and after a few minutes of waiting in line, they were allowed in. They each got in their own individual cars, then waited for it to start. Once it did, Devin immediately moved his car and slammed into Fatima's. She squealed and rammed into his car, laughing as Jordan rammed into Devin. They were laughing and hitting each other for a good five minutes, then it shut off. They walked off together, and Fatima and Devin unconsciously tangled their fingers together. The group stopped at a lemonade stand. Devin ordered a large drink to share with Fatima, and Jordan ordered a small drink for herself. They walked around for a bit, conversation flowing easily between the trio. They came across the Revenge of the Mummy ride, which was a huge roller coaster.
"That looks terrifying," Jordan said quietly.
"You okay to go on?" he asked.
"Um, I think so," she said quietly.
"Sweetie, you do not have to. You can go do something else if you want to, while we do this," Devin offered.
"No!" Fatima protested. "I don't want you to be left out. We can do something else," she quickly added.
"No, it's fine. Honestly. I'll go to the one next to this. You guys have fun!" she said. She turned to leave, then turned back to face them. "Not too much fun, though," she said in a warning tone. Fatima turned bright red and looked at the ground. Devin chuckled and gently pushed his sister to the next ride.
