Free Tethered by M.L. Young

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    Tom chuckled nervously, as he had nothing to retort back . I wanted to apologize, but I was sure deep down he was glad Morgan said that. After all, he was a college guy, a good-looking one at that, and I knew he had to have a raging sex drive that needed to be quenched, even though he was chivalrous and polite.
    I shoved my keys in to my purse, shut the door, and smiled nervously as I tried to act as if Morgan hadn’t said a word.
    “So, where are we going?” I asked as we walked down my front steps and stood on the sidewalk.
    “I thought dinner and a movie would be too cliché and boring. There’s a carnival in town not too far from here. I’ve been to it in the past and it’s really fun, and not some hole-in-the-wall place. If you’d like, I’d like to take you there,” he said.
    “I would love that,” I said with a smile.
    “Great,” he replied before we left my apartment and walked to the carnival.
    •••
    “Welcome to Southern California’s most premier and beautiful carnival. See all of the magnificent artifacts from all over the world before you ride The Trizzle, an upside-down thrill ride that will rush all of the blood to your head!” the ticket master, a man in a red pinstripe suit and top hat, said with gusto as we approached the ticket booth.
    “This is great . Two tickets please,” Tom said with a smile.
    “Two tickets for the young couple coming right up .” The man tore off two tickets and slid them over the counter.
    Tom handed him ten dollars, which I thought was a good value for what I could actually see inside the gates . There were rides, exhibits, and those fun, yet impossible to win carnival games that the workers were really trying to sell to each person that passed by.
    Tom grabbed the tickets and we walked up to the turnstile, where a man took the tickets and stamped our hands with a red logo of their carnival. As we walked through, I could smell corn dogs, funnel cakes, and every deep-fried candy bar known to man. Turkey legs hung from metal hooks as little kids scarfed down foot-long hot dogs. I was beginning to think that this was the most American carnival in the country.
    “What do you want to do first?” Tom asked.
    “You said you’ve been here before, right? Is there anything you’d recommend?” I asked, as all of the flashing lights and loud noises caused me sensory overload.
    “Well, we could ride the Viking swing . It doesn’t go upside down or anything, but it’s pretty fun.”
    “ Sounds good to me,” I replied with a smile.
    Tom guided me through the crowd until we got near this Viking swing . It was big, and I was terrified. A huge Viking ship set on a pendulum swung back and forth, high in the air, with no real restraints of any kind in place. I took a big gulp, then a deep breath, and mustered up the courage to look brave and walk onto the ride with him.
    We had our own row to ourselves, as only about ten other people were on the ride with us. The operator waited for any last minute stragglers, and I kept wiping my clammy and sweaty palms on my pants so I could hold onto the railing in front of us better.
    “Hang on to your seats , ladies and gentlemen,” the operator said as he shut the gate and turned on the ride.
    It slowly began to move, as if swaying the ocean current, as it picked up speed and swung back and forth, higher and higher. The wind blew through my hair, each scent from corn dogs to funnel cakes tickling my senses as I tried to focus on the seats in front of me and not at the swinging landscape all around us.
    “Are you okay?” Tom asked as we hit full speed and swing.
    “I…I think so,” I said as my hands began to get red from squeezing the metal bar so tightly.
    “Give me your hand,” he said.
    I hesitantly let go with my right hand and Tom immediately grabbed it, making me feel even safer than when I was holding onto the bar. I smiled, butterflies filling my stomach, as I tried not to act like such a little