"Chaotic fun," he said teasingly.
"Well, I can describe you in one word too. Mysteriously playful."
I shot back.
We both took a second to process what we had just said.
Then we burst out laughing.
"Alright, I think we've had enough fun for today. Come on, let's head home," he said.
"There is no such thing as enough fun. That's something only a fun sponge would say," I replied, raising an eyebrow with a grin.
"You're calling me a fun sponge? I only suggested going home because I'm scared that if we get on another ride, you'll barf on me this time," he teased.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That was a one-time thing. In fact, I'll prove it to you right now."
I pointed dramatically toward the Ferris wheel.
"You. Me. Ferris wheel."
"Aubrey, that's not proving anything. That's just volunteering to throw up at a higher altitude."
"Wow. The lack of faith is honestly disturbing."
"Okay, okay, fine. Let's take the ride."
A victorious smile spread across my face.
"That's what I like to hear. Why don't we get cotton candy and popcorn first?"
"Sure come on, we gotta hurry."
We grabbed popcorn and cotton candy first. Luckily, there were only two people ahead of us, so it didn't take long.
Soon, we joined the short line leading to the Ferris wheel.
Up close, it looked even bigger than it had from a distance.
One by one, people stepped into the cabins as the wheel slowed to a stop.
When it was finally our turn, the operator opened the door and motioned for us to get in.
I stepped inside first and slid over to make room.
Daven sat beside me and the operator locked the door behind us.
Slowly, the cabin lifted off the ground.
I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed.
One minute it was bright afternoon.
The next, the sky was turning orange and the lights around the fair were beginning to come alive.
But I barely noticed any of that.
My entire attention was on the view.
The higher we climbed, the wider the world seemed to become.
It felt like I was a bird slowly taking flight.
A smile found its way onto my face as the cabin rose higher and higher.
The people below gradually shrank until they looked no bigger than ants.
I turned to Daven.
"What?" he asked. "Wanna throw up? Go on, tell me now so I can scooch away."
Such a silly question to ask with such a concerned face.
"No, I don't," I said. "Honestly, I thought you were the one who wanted to throw up. That was the exact face I was making before I got nauseous."
"Why don't you hand me your bag so I can let it all out?" he joked.
"No way in hell's name," I said, laughing.
Then I took a bite of my cotton candy.
"So, what do you do for a living?"
"Gamble."
The popcorn in my hand slipped out and disappeared into the sky.
"What?!" I asked, stunned.
"Why so shocked? Didn't you see me and my friends at the casino? You joined them, right?"
"I know, but if that's your full-time job, why did you guys act like you didn't care about losing?"
"We still had plenty of cash, so when you left we played another round and won." he explained. "Trust me, we care about winning. But sometimes when you lose, you just accept it and move on. Besides, we win more often than not. In that casino, we're known as the winning table."
"Ohhh. So that's what you meant when you said you're the king of games?"
"Exactly."
He grabbed a handful of popcorn.
"Now your turn."
He pointed at me.
"Why did you choose writing?"