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Gears and machineries noisily spin within metal casing, huffing and wheezing like an old locomotive scaling a sheer hillside. A ferris wheel stands majestically above all other attractions in the no-name amusement park. Chris had won two tickets in a contest and since Elise was on a long business trip, he automatically invited Dan to go with him. He dragged his bristly friend out of his uninviting apartment at early daybreak to spend the whole day (much to Dan’s chagrin) at the park.
Dan can’t understand why anybody with an iota of brain cells would willingly enjoy being at an amusement park. They’re death traps! Vendors are like loan sharks, jumping at any passerby. The carnival games are unwinnable. And more importantly, it’s an endless barrage of noise. Dan follows behind his taller bumbling friend, downing migraine pills as they went.
God, the noise! Machines buzzing and dinging, the rides playing tunes on loop, and the earsplitting crying of children are the worst. Dan even kicked a clown in the shins, and sputtering apologies, Chris grabbed Dan’s arm and they escaped further into the park before security was called to kick them out. The dark-haired man would welcome it at this point; it’d be a quick exit from this hell, and a lot more peaceful too.
Most sane people would rage at Dan’s ungratefulness (he complained every step of the way). He has a talent for ruining the most benign things. But Chris is used to it. The tall man is a strongly optimistic type, an extreme opposite of Dan. “What’s sunshine without a little rain?” Chris would say. Even in the most dire situations (many which he suffered from thanks to Dan), Chris is able to see the bright side. And he wanted Dan to have fun because he needs it in his life.
Dan’s life consisted of drifting from job to job; plotting revenge schemes, living in a shitty apartment with the shades drawn close. That’s a miserable and depressing life. So Chris practically begged Dan to join him on an adventure –an adventure lacking deadly stunts, destroying things, or setting fires.
After some rides the two end up at a row of stalls to eat. Chris is scarfing down a mountain of food while Dan snacks on a bag of salted peanuts. The funnel cake and freshly baked pretzel look mouth-watering but Chris would probably bite Dan’s hand off it he asked for a piece.
He narrowed his eyes at Chris. “God, why do you have to eat so much? You’ll cause the next famine.”
Ignoring Dan’s jab he said, “We went the whole day without food.”
“Yeah, because I didn’t want you to puke on the roller coasters.” Dan sighed. The air smells foul, the seats are sticky, and there’s garbage everywhere. They might as well dine at a junkyard. “I should’ve just stayed home. This place sucks.”
Chris rolled his eyes –and if not for the feast in front of him he’d be angrier. But the tone of sarcasm isn’t overlooked by Dan. “Sorry for wanting to hang out with my best friend and wanting to do other things besides getting revenge –which never works out might I add.”
“Hey! Revenge is a productive and relaxing hobby, my shortsighted friend.”
Chris checked the time and smiled. Besides the food he’s been waiting all day for this moment. At night is when the real beauty of amusement parks can be appreciated. He stands up and like an excited schoolgirl on a date with her crush, pulls Dan towards the rides again. “C’mon. One last ride and then we can go home.”
Dan sighed and tossed the empty bag carelessly. “Fine.”
The park-goers start to thin out the further the pair walk. Ahead is a giant ferris wheel, a beautiful flower of changing lights. “Really? We’re going up there?”
“Afraid of heights?” Chris gives Dan a playful smile, one that Dan loves, an equivalent to a warm fire on frosty nights. He even loves it more than sulking or revenge.
“No, ferris wheels are dumb. Dumb melodramatic couples go on those. And I’d like my life to not be a romantic comedy.”
“Why not? It’d be better than a sad story, Dan. C’mon. Pleeeaaase?” Oh God. Dan can’t help but drown in Chris’ gusto. He looks so excited. With that dumb smile and his hands balled up into shaking fists, like it’d be the best thing ever.
“Okay, okay! Why are you so pathetic?”
Slowly, the line gets shorter and shorter. Chris and Dan climb onto an available seat and pull the safety bar down. The inner mechanisms rattle industriously, taking a long time before moving again, like a bodybuilder deadlifting. Up, up, up they go. Dan nervously watches the world below shrinking. His heart drums against his ribs and he instinctively clasps a hand over Chris’ forearm which is lying across the bar.
“Dan, look!”
The dark-haired man turns his fearful gaze from the ground to see –an extraordinarily beautiful scene. A neon world. It’s a stirring feeling, one that makes you think all your wishes could come true. The sky is dark purple and mottled by fluffy blue-orange clouds. From this height, you can see the costal beach and mighty waves crashing onto shore, white crests crashing onto pale shore.
Choking on tears and emotion, Dan huffs and crosses his arms. “I’ve seen abstract paintings with more beauty.”
Chris falls back into his seat, numbed by anger, every ounce of cheeriness flying out of his body in an instant. Rage stings his voice. And so does sadness.
“Can’t you be happy for a day, Dan? In our sad and meaningless existence, you only get a few fleeting moments to be happy. This moment was supposed to be perfect! Look where we are!”
Dan’s anger quickly faded, but only slightly. “Why do you care? Every day is fun for you.”
“Because!”
He flinched. Dan messed up, and he knew it. Felt it in Chris’ wounded voice. Chris rarely ever shouts or gets mad. You’d have an easier time moving mountains or breathing under water.
“I just wanted to make you happy. I know life is shitty, how the universe has some war against you, how things always blow up in your face. So I thought I could try and give you a day to look back on. Everybody deserves one day where things don’t go wrong. A day where life isn’t so sad.”
Dan’s body and soul crumples up like discarded trash. The air between them is dense and serrated like needles. I’m a jerk. He hurt the one person in the world that cared about him. If Chris wasn’t around Dan is sure he’d be dead already, or falling in an irrecoverable tailspin. Dan didn’t give a shit about anything else, even revenge is worthless compared to losing Chris. Chris is the one who makes those forgettable adventures memorable. And Dan would give up everything just to have Chris in his life, to see him smile again.
“I’m sorry.” It comes out a strangled cough. Chris blinks. Slowly turning his head to look at Dan he says, “What?”
A sad smile appears on Dan’s face. “I actually had a good day today. And the view is beautiful. But, all I need to be happy for a day is for you to be with me.”
Chris’ heart melts like chocolates left out in the sun. His face shines brighter than the lights under them. “Really, Dan?” Chris tackles him in a hug, his face buried into Dan, the man is like one bulky blanket. The warmth thaws Dan’s icy, cynical heart.
A violent and earsplitting crunch startles Dan and Chris. They hang onto the bar for dear life as the ferris wheel lurches. Would they be thrown across the park? Smoke sputters and spews out from the machine box on the ground and the whole place is cast into complete darkness. “Are we stuck up here?!”
Dan shares the same intense pangs of dread and says, “Stop moving so much, Chris. If we even breathe wrong this thing will flop. And I can’t pay for another round of hospital bills.”
“You’re right. Sorry.” The ferris wheel groans in protest, slightly tilting to the side, and Chris squeals. “I have to stay calm. Stay calm. Stay…calm.”
Dan leans over the bar a little to squint at the immense darkness. “An attendant is running to get help.”
“But who knows how long we’ll be up here?” Taking deep, pained breathes, Chris slowly lets go of the bar. Not like it’d do much if the seat fell off, but it was the superficial sense of safety that weakened Chris’ panic. “It isn’t all that bad I guess. We’re still alive. For now.”
Dan laughed. “But we’ve got nothing to do.”
A few heartbeats later Dan asked, “Think we could climb down?”
“No?”
“But your body is insulated and meaty enough to withstand a fall.”
Chris glared at him but there’s a flicker of humor in his sky-blue eyes. “And you have invincibility thanks to surviving all your failed revenge schemes.”
“Hah-hah, I’m dying of laughter.” Dan throws his arms behind him and shuts his eyes. “Guess we’re stuck up here until they fix the ferris wheel.”
Neither talk for a while, both men lost in their own thoughts. Dan feels at peace and merely watches landscape, discovering new details he loved engraved in the distance. The world doesn’t look so shitty up this high. Maybe he’ll leave his apartment and find some high-rise to live in.
“Hey Dan?”
“Yeah?”
“Do I make you happy?”
He raised an eyebrow, denoting curiosity.
“I mean, I was thinking I know of a way to pass the time.” Chris drummed the bar and chewed his lip, clearly thinking hard about something. “Dan. I like you. A lot.”
Several emotions cross Dan’s face. Shock and bafflement are the most visible.
Wasn’t Chris seeing Elise? The two are a perfect couple. Normal. Loving. Happy. Why would Chris want something different? Elise is stunning, to put it shortly. She’s beautiful, smart, and kicks ass. She’s got everything while Dan…yeah, absolutely nothing valuable. Chris must be out of his mind.
“Aren’t you dating Elise?”
Chris shook his head. “Elise is gorgeous –and smart, and kind. But she isn’t you, Dan. You’re fun. Even when our lives are in danger I always look back on our adventures with a smile. Elise has a normal, perfect life. But I don’t want that. I’d die of boredom. Sure, housework is fun and all but it’s the same day every day when I’m with her. I’m a temporary placeholder until she finds someone her parents like.”
Chris did love Elise, they’ve dated a while, but she sought marriage and Chris just wanted to be friends. His whole life he felt like everyone around him was going on awesome adventures, experiencing grander things while he simply floated in the background. Participating but yet not living.
“If you don’t feel the same just promise you won’t strangle me or throw me off the ferris wheel.”
Dan blushed and finally, let his gushy emotions trickle out from his heart. “I sort of have warm feelings for you too.”
Chris smiled.
“Life would be depressing without you, Chris. I’d be alone and angry. With you I’m a little less angry, and less alone. I can endure how insufferable humanity is because I feel stronger when I’m with you.”
Chris moved closer, waiting a brief moment to give Dan time to back out if he wanted to. But Dan doesn’t. They both lean in and their lips hover over each other’s. Dan squeezes his eye shut, feeling his heart racing not out of fear of falling this time, but for contentment.
Dan’s lips are sealed in a passionately sweet kiss. It has an electrifying effect all over his body. He felt strong enough to take on any opponent or obstacle. The rest of the world vanishes around him. And then it’s gone in an instant. When he feels Chris’ lips part from his, Dan chases it and aggressively locks on.
“What kind of kiss is that?” Dan muttered.
Chris is surprised at how loving Dan is being, but it isn’t unwelcomed. “Sorry. I didn’t know if I-”
Dan hardly let him talk. The other man just laughed and asked after finally being able to get some air, “Why so affectionate?”
“Shut up, Chris. I need to show you how much I like you too, jerk.”
The amusement park hummed as light once again flooded the area. Deafening clanging sound signaled that the ferris wheel was working again, too. Below, the attendants waved at the passengers. In a few minutes they’d be on the ground.
Dan rests his head on Chris’ arm, absent-mindedly kicking his feet. He wishes that they could be stuck up here for a little longer. His eyes trace Chris’ handsome features, from his lean muscles to his long nose and lopsided smile. “Thanks for always being there.”
“You too, Dan. I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.”
“Not even Elise?”
Chris shook his head.
And like floating on a dreamy cloud, the ferris wheel slowly descended back to earth.