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still covered by hers, my right hand once again gripping the rail tightly. “Carter,” I start. My gaze drops to her lips and I’m waiting for her to give me the go ahead.
    She starts leaning in closer, and I take this as a confirmation. My left hand turns over to hold hers. I move my right hand to the back of her head. I can hear her light breathing growing more rapid. I’m leaning in, pulling her head toward mine, and my lips are just about to brush hers when the ride jerks and we start moving again. The sudden motion startles us both and makes us smack into each other’s heads.
    “Ow,” she says.
    “Shit!” I yell louder than I intend. “I’m sorry about that,” I tell her.
    “Geez,” Carter says, rubbing her head. “I think your huge noggin is going to make me bruise.”
    “I’m pretty sure this is somehow your fault,” I joke.
    “I say we sue the carnival for injuring us,” she suggests.
    “Agreed.”
    We share an awkward laugh. I still want to kiss her but the moment is gone. Dammit. I might actually sue Hill County for cockblocking me.
    “You still scared?” She asks me.
    “No,” I say. And I mean it. I’m not exactly comfortable this high up but I no longer feel like I’m going to faint. I sigh and lean my head against the back of the seat. The stars look even more mesmerizing from this angle and I let a relaxed smile come onto my face.
    “Where would you go?” She asks me.
    “What do you mean?”
    “If you could go anywhere, where would you go?” She clarifies.
    “Greece,” I answer.
    “That’s not what I expected you to say at all,” Carter says.
    “Why not?” I turn toward her. She’s also looking up at the sky.
    “I just figured you’d want to go somewhere with a lot of art, like France, to the Louvre.”
    “Why would I waste time seeing the art that’s already been made?” I ask, not really expecting an answer. “Anyone can look  at the Mona Lisa. Not everyone can create  it. Greece is the most beautiful country in the world, and I want to paint it.”
    We’re approaching the end of the ride, and are now once again roughly fifty feet from the ground.
    “Ashton,” Carter begins hesitantly.
    “Yeah?”
    “You’re kind of weird.”
    “Says the Lord of the Rings  loving, cotton candy junkie.”
    Carter laughs again and it’s soft and light, like a hummingbird’s wings.
    I wish I could put its sound on a canvas.

----

Chapter Eight: Carter

             I wake up and can just feel  that something is different about me.
        My date with Ashton was amazing, and so worth everything I’ll have to deal with when my mother inevitably finds out about it.
        When he’d bumped into me and asked me out, I’d been ready to say no. I’d been ready to tell him everything about my parents and their plans for me, but as I’d looked at him, I’d realized I couldn’t let the possibility go.
        So I took the chance.
        And I don’t  regret a thing.
        As I make my way to the bathroom, I glance at the giant teddy bear taking residence in the center of my bed and can’t help but smile, remembering the shock in Ashton’s face as I made every shot during the ring-toss.
         Bet he hadn’t expected that.         The denim jacket I’d worn is hanging on a hook on the back of my bedroom door, and my eyes widen slightly when I realize I never actually took the price tag off of it. Jackson had encourage me to buy the outfit, commenting that my wardrobe was entirely too business-professional for something that was definitely casual.
         Guess I was too caught up in being with him to even think about it.         I go through my morning routine, and I’m in the process of brushing my hair when I get an idea. It’s a crazy idea, one that my parents would probably question for hours, but I can’t help myself.
        I have to force myself to calm down, take a