"You're giving all of this to the frat?" Ian said again. "For free?"
Ian stared out at the carnival equipment in the lot. He had a stunned expression on his face as he struggled to process Seth's offer.
Seth nodded. "The concession stands and food trucks are fully stocked. You might want to eat it before it goes bad."
"Okay," Ian's voice rose an octave as he accepted the bizarre circumstance. He pointed at one of the trucks. "What's that?"
"It looks like some kind of Farris Wheel," Leah answered.
"Do you know how to use it?" Ian asked.
"I'm sure we can figure it out," Seth shrugged.
"I'm going to have to make a few phone calls," Ian said. He stepped aside as he dialed a number. The day before Nessie's birthday, the Cullens canceled their planned festivities. They asked Seth to get rid of the supplies they had purchased. Evidently, the Cullen's had been planning a full carnival for themselves. They had purchased all of the equipment and had it delivered to an empty lot outside of town. Seth's first idea was to gift it to the sorority. They declined the offer, afraid it would, at best, cause jealousy amongst the sororities and at worst, get somebody hurt and their sorority shut down.
The KENs did not share the same reservations. After Ian's phone call, several members of the fraternity came out to the lot to examine the acquisition.
"What do we do with this?" Liam asked.
"Maybe we could throw a carnival for a philanthropy event?" suggested a man named Andy.
"That's way too much liability," Kyle shook his head. "We can't risk a kid getting hurt."
"Recruitment?" Seth suggested.
"No way," Ian said. "We don't have a place for it on campus and the other frats would turn against us if we did something that over the top.
In the end, they decided they would host a social event immediately while the permits to operate the equipment were valid and before the university got a chance to shut it down. The one thing the carnival was missing was alcohol. The KENs called in favors from Lambda and Theta to ensure they'd have both the booze and the manpower to run the event. Lambda was more than enough help to run things, but Theta had a knack for spreading the word quickly without the wrong parties catching wind. They advertised by word of mouth, promising the party of the century without giving away too many details.
The guys got to work setting up the carnival, which was no easy feat. They learned the value of reading instruments after an incident involving a rogue carousel horse led to the loss of the inflatable obstacle course.
They assembled the Ferris Wheel together and listened as Ian called out instructions. Seth scrutinized the manual, ensuring that all safety precautions were being followed.
When it was finished, they stared at the structure in awe.
"Alright," Ian said, "Who wants to go first?"
The boys stared in silence. After the carousel mishap, they were all wary.
"I'll go up," Leah volunteered. She was slightly more durable than most of the frat boys. Plus, it'd been her suggestion to offer the carnival to KEN so she felt a twinge of responsibility.
"I'll go with you," Ian said.
Leah didn't bother to argue, she knew it would only strengthen his resolve.
They climbed into one of the seats and Kyle lowered the lap bar. There was no seatbelt beyond the loose bar.
Ian grasped her hand tightly as they rose into the air.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Leah asked.
"Not usually," Ian said in a high voice.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, though she was uneasy, too. About halfway up, the Farris Wheel made a groaning noise.
If anything went wrong, she fully intended on holding it over her brother for the next several decades. As they reached the top, Leah started to relax.
"It seems pretty stable," she assessed. "I think they did a decent job this time."
"Uh, huh," Ian replied as they descended. From their vantage point, they had a good view of the punctured inflatable.
She expected the guys to let them off when they reached the bottom, but the wheel didn't slow. Kyle was standing cluelessly by the control while Seth flipped through the manual.
They rose back into the sky again… and again. And again.
"You can let us off now," Leah called out to them after the fourth lap.
"We don't know how," Seth responded.
Leah rolled her eyes. How could they figure out how to turn it on, but not off?
The Farris wheel went around, and around and around.
In hindsight, she realized they obviously should have tested the ride without passengers before boarding, but for some reason, that genuinely hadn't occurred to any of them.
"Jump off," Liam yelled. The lap bar was loose enough, they could shimmy out if they wanted to.
Ian pointed at his bad foot and shook his head. He was no longer using crutches, but he didn't want to risk aggravating his wound.
Someone on the ground had the bright idea to cut the power. They were careful to time it so the ride was unplugged right as the occupied car reached the ground.
The frat boys collectively remembered the existence of inertia as Leah and Ian sailed past.
The Farris Wheel came to a complete stop right as Leah and Ian's cart reached the apex.
"Idiots," Leah grumbled.
"I think they blew a fuse," Ian said as he watched the commotion on the ground.
"Of course, they did," Leah rolled her eyes. "We're probably going to be here a while."
"Probably," Ian said.
Leah glanced at her watch and frowned. "Looks like I'll be missing a sorority event."
"Oh yeah, Holly mentioned you might be joining," Ian said.
"You sound surprised," Leah observed.
Ian shrugged. "I never pegged you as the sorority type."
Leah snorted. "Honestly, me either."
"What changed your mind?" Ian asked.
Leah knew she couldn't tell him the truth about Seth's connection to Kat. She chose her words carefully.
"I spend a lot of time with the guys, I've never had a group of female friends. It's nice to have a little girl time," Leah answered.
As she said the words, she realized there was some truth behind them. When she wasn't worrying about Kat, she found herself genuinely enjoying getting to know the other girls.
"How about you?" Leah asked. "You don't seem like the typical frat guy."
"Honestly? They remind me of my siblings. I come from a big family," Ian explained. He answered the question without looking at her. He couldn't look in her direction without the sinking sun blaring into his eyes. He rested his arm over her shoulder. "I miss having that support system. Nobody ever tells you how hard it is being away from home."
"I get that," Leah said. Her hand rested on his knee. "When I first moved away, it was a big change. Everybody just exists in their own little bubble. I felt like I was invisible at first."
"I'd hate that," Ian said. He caressed her shoulder mindlessly as he talked.
"I love it," Leah said, "now that I'm used to it. You could have just suffered the most embarrassing moment of your life the day before but no one around you is the wiser."
"And no one to check in on you when you're at your lowest," Ian countered. He started talking with his hands, abandoning the pattern he was tracing on her arm. "That's what I struggled with. I didn't know how to reach out and ask for help."
"I'll take it. I'd rather deal with my own problems than have a bunch of gossiping aunties telling me what I should do," she said. She sat up straight, away from Ian. Leaning was starting to get uncomfortable.
"Do you know what you want to do after you graduate?" Ian asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Leah admitted. "I've started looking for internships. It seems like most of the jobs that interest me are so far away. What about you?"
"I'm moving back home," Ian said definitively. "Hopefully for good."
"I thought you were from a small town," Leah said in surprise. "Do you have a job lined up?"
"I'll see what I can find," Ian grimaced. "There's always going to be greener grass, but surface appeal has nothing on the roots. I can't imagine a life where I can't just drop my kid off at their grandparents' house for a few hours when I need a night out. What are you supposed to do? Hire a complete stranger? Absolutely not. I'd be too busy worrying to relax."
"I hadn't thought about that," Leah admitted. "Though I really don't see myself having kids anyway."
"Really?" Ian said in surprise. "Sorry, I don't mean anything by that. That just wasn't what I expected."
Leah shrugged. "I don't have anything against kids, that's just not where I see my life headed. Besides, I don't think I'd be able to have them if I wanted."
"Hmm," Ian responded. He clearly had no idea how to respond to that. She realized that was probably too much information. Her infertility was something she'd long since accepted about herself and she didn't consider it to be a big deal. She sometimes forgot that that was one of those subjects that could be sensitive.
"I take it you do?" Leah said.
"Oh, absolutely," Ian said. "At least four: one to screw up, one to break my heart, one to take care of me in my old age, and then a spare–just in care."
Leah laughed. "That's very specific."
"And two dogs," Ian added. "I really want a Saint Bernard."
Leah shuddered. "I'm not a dog person." The past week, she had spent countless hours cleaning her own fur out of her house, the thought of living with a Saint Bernard sounded like her personal hell.
"You don't know what you're missing," Ian said.
"I'm sure I'll survive," Leah said.
Beneath the words they said, Leah could hear the silent questions they were asking each other. She was sure Ian could feel it too. They both knew they liked one another, but what next?
After this conversation, one thing was abundantly clear: whatever chemistry they had wasn't going to be enough to make this relationship last. She hoped it would be clear to Ian that she couldn't be his forever.
"You said you're a junior, right?" Leah asked. "You graduate in two years?"
"Two and a half," Ian admitted. "Assuming everything goes according to plan. I was gonna go straight into grad school, but I don't know… I miss home. I'm ready to be done. How about you?"
"Just two," she answered. "I'm sticking with a bachelor's for now."
Ian nodded. He put his hands together and leaned forward, looking down at the guys struggling with the controls.
Leah already knew that this relationship wasn't going to work out, at least not in the long run. She was hesitant to commit without knowing where things were going, but now, she had her answer: two years. That was how long she was offering him. It was up to him to decide if he was willing to accept that. She'd handed Ian an hourglass.
Sure, if they really wanted to, they could work through their differences. They could adopt a couple of children and keep the dogs outside, but it was far too soon to be planning their entire lives around each other. They have only known each other for less than three weeks. Maybe now he would see she wasn't his dream girl.
The time limit was liberating for Leah. She wouldn't need to worry about building a life together, only for it to be destroyed by imprinting. She'd gone six years without imprinting, another two seemed more than reasonable at this point. Surely the odds would be in her favor.
The expiration date had her eager to make every moment count. She wanted to savor the experience while it lasted. Not everything was built to last, but temporary doesn't mean pointless.
The sun finally sunk low enough for him to look at her without squinting. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before his eyes slid past her.
"Beautiful," he said, looking at the horizon. Leah turned to watch the sunset with him. The sun filled the sky with vibrant orange and pink colors. The thin clouds added to the view rather than obscuring it, adding shades of purple to the scene. He wrapped his arm back around her and scooted closer so they were touching again. Leah hadn't realized they'd drifted apart. She leaned into him and he pressed his lips against her head.
They enjoyed the moment together while it lasted. The temperature dropped as the sun dipped. The top of the Ferris wheel was vulnerable to the full force of the frigid winds that were normally subdued by nearby trees and buildings. Ian would've been shivering if he'd been alone, but Leah's presence kept him warm. She was barely cognizant of the cold.
Beneath them, the guys had gone to work assembling the other rides. The carnival looked ready to go. She briefly wondered if she and Ian had been forgotten.
For a moment, Leah didn't mind as she and Ian started making out under the cover of darkness.
Finally, the Farris wheel let out a metallic groan and began moving again. The frat boys congregated to watch as the cart lowered to the ground and came to a complete stop. Everyone cheered as Ian and Leah deboarded the ride. Ian took a dramatic bow, then flopped to the ground and attempted to hug the pavement.
"Are you good?" asked Kyle.
"I'll be fine. I'm going to lay here a minute," Ian answered.
Kyle nodded and moved on.
After a few minutes, Ian rose back to his feet.
There wasn't much left to do before the party. Several sorority girls arrived early to see what was going on, including Kat and her friends.
"Hey Kat," Leah greeted. "I'm sorry I missed the sorority event."
"It's fine," Kat said. "There's another one tomorrow."
"This is insane," Sabrina said to Ian.
He agreed. "Let's go to the dance floor."
He led the girls to the back of the lot. The area was strategically placed behind several food trucks so it was not immediately visible from the road. The party floor could hardly be considered hidden given the gigantic speakers blasting music across the lot.
Seth joined the group carrying several cans of beer and the group hit the dance floor. As the night progressed, more and more people joined them. Word had spread quickly, far beyond their little university. When they realized word had spread to the local high school, the Thetas began carding students. They chased away anyone without a college ID, though they did permit students from the local community college to join the fun.
The crowded lot reminded Leah of their first date. Their bodies pressed against each other as they danced together. Ian did not seem to have learned his lesson, though this time, Leah minded her alcohol consumption as Ian matched her shot for shot. Leah hadn't realized how focused she'd been on getting Seth and Kat together during their previous date. This time, Kat had an entire sorority of friends to keep an eye on her. Now that Ian had her undivided attention, she was actually able to enjoy herself. They made out in the middle of the crowd, not caring who was watching.
"Let's find someplace more private," Ian said. He was practically shouting in her ear over the loud music. Leah nodded in agreement.
They broke away from the crowd. Leah had a good look at the party for the first time now that it was in full swing. Several of the Carnival rides were being used in creative ways contrary to their design. Ian pulled her in the direction of the Fun House which had been roped off in the front corner of the event. It appeared the attraction had been forgotten in favor of the larger rides.
Ian and Leah entered the funhouse. Ian tried to stop to kiss, but the floor rocked beneath their feet. Ian stepped backward and the floor tipped back in the other direction. They continued further into the funhouse, pushing past several punching bags hanging from the ceiling. They made their way to the back of the fun house and into the mirror maze.
Leah was confident that the maze wasn't actually that complicated given it was designed for children, but Ian became hopelessly lost. She could've helped him, but he seemed determined to lead her through the maze and she was having a little too much fun watching him repeatedly smack his face into the glass.
He gave up and decided they were as secluded as they were going to get. He pushed her against a sheet of glass that he had just walked into and pushed his lips against hers. His kisses were more fervent in private, though she wouldn't have let him get her alone if she was content with just kisses.
She pressed her body against his and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. She could see his expression reflected in the mirrors. She watched the fire ignite in his eyes as she detailed exactly what she had in mind. She let a mischievous grin spread across her face, knowing he was watching her face in the mirrors too. She ran her fingers through his hair, caressing his scalp.
He pulled back to throw his shirt before placing his hands back on her body. Leah followed his lead, removing inconvenient clothing. His hand grasped her thigh as he pulled her into him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled her into an embrace. With the mirrors surrounding them, every angle of their bodies was on display. She could see every muscle in his back and arms as they flexed. The hard glass acted as an echo chamber, sending every sound reverberating back at them. The mirror reflected back the image of his face buried in her hair as he kissed her neck. She could tell he was watching her face in the mirror as well. She searched the reflections until she found the one that allowed her to meet his eye. She gave him a smile and bit her lip enticingly. He let out a deep breath that fogged up the glass behind her. He moved his lips back to hers.
His movements were hurried. Maybe he was worried someone would discover them, or maybe he thought she was going to run away again. She wasn't going anywhere, at least not tonight. This moment was theirs. Nothing was going to get in between them.
Chapter Playlist: (haven't found the right songs yet. More to come)
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas - Leah
Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae - Ian