Free Char by Mercy Amare Page B

Mr. Columbia is my friend. Get over it. I’m hanging up now.”
    “Wait!” He says. “Just promise you won’t fall in love with him.”
    “I don’t feel like I should promise you anything. You do know I just caught my boyfriend of one year cheating on me like five days ago, right? I’m not falling in love with anybody right now. I’m hanging out. With a friend. And I’m being rude. So I’m hanging up.”
    I end the call, and look up at Tristan. He looks amused.
    “Sorry. Aaron is… overprotective.” Overprotective. Crazy. And extremely annoying sometimes. “But he’s my best friend. So yeah, I deal with it. Maybe you can meet him on Labor Day. He’s coming to visit. I was thinking about going to my dad’s house in Hamptons.”
    “My dad has a house there too. Actually, it’s right next to your dad’s house on the beach.”
    I’ve been to my dad’s house a few times. It’s a nice house, and it’s big. But the house next to it is like enormous. Bigger than a lot of hotels I’ve stayed at. “Um… You live in that museum?”
    “My dad likes to show off,” he says.
    “Your dad must be loaded.”
    Tristan looks uncomfortable, so he changes the subject. “So since you wanted to go to Jersey Shore, I was thinking we could go to Coney Island instead. It was affected by the storm, but they’ve cleaned it up, and repaired most of it.”
    “Sure. Coney Island sounds fun.” I haven’t been to Coney Island before. Dad promised to take us when I was a kid, but then he ditched us… as always.
    As we eat breakfast, the topic definitely goes to a lighter subject and my mind goes to Aaron. I don’t know what is up with him, but I really hope he stops acting so crazy. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I really hope he doesn’t have more than just friendly feelings for me. I don’t want to throw away our friendship. Ever.
    And mostly, I hope he doesn’t have those feelings for me, because I don’t feel the same way. I mean, I’m attracted to him. He’s extremely cute. But I’m not in love with him the way a girl should love a guy she’s dating.
    I push the thoughts to the back of my head and decide to just enjoy the rest of my day with Tristan.

    8pm
    Coney Island

    We spend the whole day at Coney Island riding roller coasters, eating junk food, and playing carnival games. The sun is going to set soon, so we are about to leave for Times Square.
    “There is one more thing I want to do before we leave,” Tristan tells me. “We have to ride the ferris wheel. The sun is about to set, and it’s the perfect time.”
    My eyes get big. “I’m scared of heights.”
    He laughs. “You rode the roller coaster, and you definitely didn’t look scared then.”
    “That’s because on a roller coaster you’re only high for a second, and there are all those straps that secure you. On a ferris wheel there really isn’t much keeping you from falling out.” I bite my lip.
    “Oh, come on Char. I’ll be there, and I promise you won’t fall.”
    “No way.” Absolutely not happening.
    I can tell from the look on his face that he’s definitely not going to take NOfor an answer. “You’re Charlotte York, and you’re not scared of anything… Besides, the best way to conquer your fears is by facing them.”
    “Maybe…” I really should face my fear. I’ve always wanted to ride the ferris wheel.
    He grabs my hand. “Come on. We’ll just do it, and you’ll be glad you did.”
    I nod. “Fine. I’ll do it. But if I fall off, it will be on your conscience for the rest of your life. And be warned that my ghost will haunt you.”
    He grins. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”
    We get in line, and he holds my hand. Maybe I should pull away, but I don’t. I like it there. His hand is bigger than Landon’s. For some reason, when I hold his hand I feel less nervous.
    “So tell me about your ex-boyfriend.”
    Oh wow. I didn’t expect Tristan to ask that. “Well, his name is Landon. His brother