Free Accidental Love (Accidental Crush #2) by Adrienne Torrisi Page B

onto the boat deck. The air is cool with a tinge of spring, and you know warmth is right around the corner.
    " Turn around , " h e whispers to me, and when I do , I see all of lower Manhattan. Seeing the city from the train is one thing , but seeing it from the water is magical. It seems unbelievably massive, and yet , almost like I could reach out and touch it, as if it's a toy.
    " Wow , I've never seen the city from here before."
    " Incredible, right?"
    " Exactly the word I was thinking."
    His arms are wrapped around me from behind as we both stare in awe and she er amazement of the city. I love feeling his warmth envelop me. He leans in and kisses my cheek , send ing chills through my body.
    " Happy birthday , " h e says as he continues to kiss my neck. I can't help giggl ing at his feather-like breath.
    The Statue of Liberty is just as majestic as I thought she 'd be, and there is something incredible about seeing her from the water as we pull up to the dock . I can't help thinking this is exactly how our ancestors saw her for the first time. She is so much more imposing than I've ever imagined ; you don't realize it until you are standing right under her.
    I can 't believe how high up we are as we stand on her narrow platform. The wind is whipping around us, causing my hair to blow everywhere. Everything is amazing except I'm extremely afraid of heights, and all I really want to do is go back down to the ground level where my feet can safely touch the grass. My hands are sweating and my heart feels like it's now beating in my stomach.
    When I look up at Todd, I realize my hair is smacking him in the face and some may have just blown into his mouth — how humiliating — but he seems extremely comfortable, like he doesn't have a care in the world. When he looks down at me and smiles, the look on his face changes as soon as he registers how uncomfortable I am .
    " What's wrong, Ash? Are you ok ay ?"
    I give him a nervous smile and laugh . "I'm just a little, tiny bit afraid of heights." I pull my hand away from his, but he reaches back for it and feels the sweat on my palms.
    " Wow, you are? Y ou better get ready then because we're going all the way to the top."
    " What?"
    " Yeah , I bought tickets for the crown."
    " You what?"
    " Nothing but the best for your birthday . B esides , you have to see the view from up there. I told you it's a day of firsts." He cradles my face in his hands and turns me toward him so our gazes lock. "Trust me , Ash ; you can do it . I'll be right there with you." He strokes my cheek with the pad of his thumb . "Wow, you're really scared , aren't you?"
    I squeeze my eyes shut, mostly out of embarrassment, and shake my head yes.
    "Listen, we don't have to go up if you don't want to . I just think you'll really love it once you're up there. But, if you don't want to go, we won't."
    Something about Todd understanding, really unde rstanding, and that he's giving me the option not to go makes it all ok ay . His wanting to share this with me makes me want to do it. That is , until we get to the tinniest steps I've ever seen in my life. They are so small my entire foot doesn't even fit on them, and I'm wearing my stupid heels, which I'm not very good with on regular, flat ground , never mind going up a million microscopic steps!
    We have to walk single file because the space is so tight there is no way another human could fit next to me. Todd is in front of me , and I'm holding onto the waist of his pants for dear life. I am going to kill him. KILL him. My heart is pounding like a hammer inside my chest while I can't bear to look anywhere except at Todd's butt right in front of me, consequently I guess there is one positive. Even that doesn't seem worth it, though; I can look at his butt anytime I want.
    If I glance to the right or left, I can see down the entire length of the statue straight to the bottom. I am so nervous I don't even know what I'm saying. I just keep talking because, if I don't, I