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“Joe,” David said slowly as he turned to look at Joe, who was now smirking cockily, “where are we going?”
“I told you before I’m not telling,” he grinned.
“Are we going to an amusement park?” David asked cautiously while some odd feeling, a mixture of anxiety and excitement, bubbled up inside of him.
“Not just any amusement park, Web. We’re going to the boardwalk,” Joe corrected. “Have you ever ridden a rollercoaster before?”
“No,” David answered; right now it felt as if his anxiety was winning over the excitement.
“Well I promise I’ll let you hold my hand if you get scared. Just don’t throw up on me, alright?”
Ten minutes later, Joe pulled into a parking space in the crowded parking lot that surrounded the sprawling, nosy boardwalk. Even just by the parking lot David could tell the place would be packed but that was unsurprising; it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, who wouldn’t want to be here on a day like today?
“Good afternoon,” greeted the chipper young woman at the ticket booth. “How can I help you today?”
“I’d like two all-day ride passes,” Joe answered as he pulled out his wallet.
“Joe, I can pay for my own ticket,” Web said quietly.
“Yeah well the whole point of a date is that you don’t have to pay for it,” Joe explained before he handed the lady his debit card. “If you’re really that bothered by it, feel free to buy me one of those big-ass lemonades later.”
Once on the boardwalk, David let Joe lead him around for a bit while he pointed out some of the better attractions and food places and which ones were a rip off and not worth their time. David was so mesmerized by everything that he didn’t realize that Joe was leading him somewhere specific until they stopped at the end of a long line. Web blinked, looked up, and found that large rollercoaster he had seen from the road standing in front of him.
“Joe.”
“What? Are you scared, Web?” Joe asked with a shit-eating grin. “I told you that I’d let you hold my hand.”
“I’m not scared,” David said firmly, although he wasn’t quite sure if he believed himself.
“Well then what’s the problem?”
“It’s just… shouldn’t we build up to it or something? Maybe not start out with the biggest ride?”
“Nah, Web, we’re jumping right into the deep end. You’ll be fine.”
Fifteen minutes later David was sitting down in one of the metal carts next to Joe. It felt like his heart had lodged itself somewhere in his throat and whenever he looked at the beginning of the large hill in front of him he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably.
“Still time to chicken out, Web,” Joe reminded him.
“I’m not going to chicken out, Joe,” Webster said firmly.
He wasn’t going to chicken out. He couldn’t chicken out. If he did, Joe would never let him live it down. David closed his eyes once the announcer began listing off all the rules and safety regulations and took in a deep breath when he felt the cart begin to shake before it lurched forwards.
Here goes nothing, David thought as he opened his eyes and let out the breath he had been holding.
Everyone on the ride was almost deathly quiet as they slowly crept up the first hill. David tightly gripped the metal bar in front of him and silently wished that the damn suspense would end already.
His wish was granted soon enough. Once the rollercoaster went over the first large hill, David felt as if he had dropped out of the sky. Everything around him was a blur of colors and his ears were filled with wind and the screams of his fellow riders; he wasn’t sure if he himself was one of the people screaming. David felt himself being jerked one way and then another, too quickly for him to really register what was happening. Halfway through the ride, they slowed down as they rounded a turn and Web turned to look at Joe, who looked like he was having the time on his life.
“Are you okay?” Joe yelled through his laughter.
Webster could only nod; his ability to form words seemed to have flown away after he went down that first hill.
There were a few more drops and climbs and sharp turns before the coaster slowed down and eventually pulled into the entranceway. When David climbed out of the cart it was on shaky legs while his heart beat a mile a minute.
“Are you okay?” Joe asked again as they exited the area.
“Yeah,” David answered honestly before he felt himself smile. “Yeah, I feel great. That was pretty amazing.”
“Ah, I knew you’d love it. Maybe we’ll go on it again later,” Joe said before he steered him towards more of the rides. “What do you wanna do next? Your pick.”
With his body still full of adrenaline, Web decided on a large, intimidating looking ride that spun its riders as it hurled them through the air. The adrenaline filled rides continued for a while until Joe suggested they try something else.
“Damn, I wouldn’t have pegged you as an adrenaline junkie, Web,” Joe said as they walked away from the large rides and moved towards the line of cheesy boardwalk games. “I should take you skydiving or something.”
“Have you been skydiving?” David asked; honestly he wouldn’t be surprised if Joe said that he had.
“No but it’s on my bucket list,” Joe answered. “Seems fun.”
The two of them walked for a bit before they settled on the only unoccupied booth.
“Bet’cha I can knock down more bottles than you,” Joe said as he handed the worker a few dollar bills in exchange for three baseballs.
“These games are always rigged, Joe, I’m not gonna spend my money on this.”
“Hmm, if you ask me I think you’re just afraid I’ll beat you.”
“No, I’m not rising to your bait, Lieb,” Web said firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest for emphasis.
“Fine. But I’m gonna win the biggest stuffed animal here and I’m not gonna give it to you.”
Joe set himself in position in front of the target, stretched himself out a bit like a pro in the middle of a game, before he pitched the ball. Webster couldn’t help but be slightly surprised when the ball found its mark and knocked all the bottles to the ground.
“I ever tell you I played baseball in high school?” Joe asked, shit-eating grin on full display. “And in middle school. Played T-ball in elementary school too-”
“Okay, okay, I got it, just throw your baseballs,” David said with a roll of his eyes.
By the end of Joe’s game he had accrued enough points to win a decently-sized plush toy. After a long moment of deliberation he settled on a cartoonish shark stuffed animal. As they walked away from the booth, Joe shoved the plush toy into Webster’s arms.
“Here. Now don’t say I never got you anything,” Joe said while he forced his voice to stay aloof and casual.
“Joe,” David said quietly as he stopped and stared down at the cheaply made stuffed animal.
“Oh, come on, you’re not gonna cry over this, are you?” Liebgott asked in exasperation.
“No,” David frowned before he secured his grip on the stuffed shark and began walking again. “It just means that I have to win you something now.”
“Good luck,” Joe said as he picked up his pace to catch up to David. “I’m not gonna settle for any of the cheap toys. I want a good prize.”
“You are such an ass,” Webster declared as he purposely bumped his shoulder against Joe’s.
“Yeah but you keep coming back to me so who’s the idiot?”
After fumbling through a couple of booths, which David blamed on Joe’s heckling, Webster managed to strike gold and won a generic looking superhero plush toy, which he shoved into Joe’s face to cover the knowing grin Joe wore.
“I could go for a funnel cake,” Joe said as they walked away from the line of games. “What about you? Are you opposed to eating gross carnival food?”
“I think I’ll live, Joe.”
“Good. Besides, you still owe me that lemonade.”
After they consumed a number of different fried, overly sweetened and salted carnival foods, Webster and Liebgott decided to play a round of mini-gulf. Joe ended up being dismal at it, especially compared to David who played as if mini-gulf was his God-given talent. Several times Webster had to remind Joe to keep his voice down whenever he started swearing loudly in frustration for they were surrounded by families with young children. After Joe begrudgingly declared David the winner they headed over to the bumper cars where Joe was able to get out some of his pent-up frustrations by ramming his car into anyone who had the misfortune of coming close to him. By the time they finished inside the found the sun setting outside.
“You wanna hit the rollercoaster again?” Joe asked.
“Sounds good.”
The rollercoaster was just as good, if not better the second time around. Joe and David rode their favorite rides from the day until the night sky turned a deep, dark blue. By this hour it was considerably easier to move through the crowds since a number of the families who had occupied the area earlier in the day left.
“You wanna hit anything else?” Joe asked as he munched on the oversized and overpriced cotton candy he bought. “We’ve already done all the best stuff.”
“How about that?” David asked before he pointed towards the large Ferris Wheel that spun lazily in front of them.
“Isn’t the kinda cheesy?”
“It’ll be fun. Come on.”
Only grumbling slightly, Joe resigned and together they got in line and five minutes later they were sitting down in one of the brightly colored seats. David marveled at the view of the park and the nearby ocean while Joe sat quietly next to him.
“Hey,” Joe spoke up as they neared maximum height.
“Hmm?”
“So… did you have a good time today?” Joe asked while he focused on picking at the chipping paint of the handrail instead of looking at Web.
“Joe, this has been one of the best days… ever,” David realized as he thought about all the fun he had today. “Thank you. I mean it.”
“It’s no problem,” Joe said, still avoiding David’s eyes. “Figured everyone should get a chance to see this place at least once… rides were closed over winter break so I couldn’t take you then.”
“Well I’m glad I got a chance to come,” David said softly before he reached out and grabbed one of Joe’s hands; he was slightly surprised when Joe didn’t jerk his hand away from his. “We should come again someday.”
“Yeah,” Joe agreed before he finally turned to look at him.
There was a beat before Joe crossed the distance between them and softly pressed his lips to David’s. It was simple, much sweeter than Joe's usual kisses, but it was enough to make David’s heart beat faster than it had been when he stepped off the rollercoaster earlier today. When they broke apart, Joe let his head fall so that his forehead rested on Webster’s shoulder; David shifted slightly so that his head rested against Joe.
“I’m really glad you came home for break,” Joe said quietly with his face downturned and hidden from Webster so that he couldn’t see the pink that colored his face.
“Me too.”
There was something hanging in the air between them, David could feel it, words unsaid, but David didn’t want to force them out and ruin the calm moment with Joe, so he stayed silent and enjoyed the view of the boardwalk with Joe’s head on his shoulder and his hand in his.
After the Ferris Wheel they both decided to call it a day and headed for the parking lot. Once in the car, David felt the exhaustion that came with the excitement of the day hit him and before Joe hit the highway he was fast asleep. Once Webster began to snore softly, Joe glanced at him and couldn’t help but smile. David was passed out against the door, face smashed ungracefully against the window as he snored, and in his arms he loosely held the cheap plush toys they won earlier.
Joe doubted that he had ever seen anything more ridiculous.
You are so in love with him, said the voice in Joe’s head, the one that kinda sounded like his mother.
“Shut up,” Joe muttered to himself before he turned down the volume on the radio, so as not to wake up the man next to him, and drove quickly down the quiet beach-side road.