Chance Encounters

“Sorry hun, no singles allowed,” the lady working the ferris wheel said while handing me back my tickets.

“Wait, what?” I asked, my voice jumping about an octave. How could she have possibly known I was single? Did I have it stamped across my face or something? It was only two weeks ago that I was dumped by my no good cheating ass of an ex. Wouldn’t the stamp have worn off by then?

“No single riders?” The lady repeated. “You know, in the baskets?” I think she thought I was stupid. “It’s the park policy, it causes the basket to tip and we can't risk you falling out.” My mind clicked and I clutched my tickets. I had some here with my friend Sarah, we rode almost every ride in that park, or at least I did. Sarah couldn’t ride anything that went higher than fifty feet in the air. I clutched the bag that was at my side and frowned. I anted to take pictures. The fair only came to San Diego once a year. And the Ferris wheel looked over the ocean and the bay, it was the closest i would get to the bay, not to mention you could see the rest of the fair from the top as well.

“Oh,” I muttered slightly disheartened. “Are you sure I can't?” I asked the lady.

“Sorry hun, if you fall and I’m the one who let you on by yourself I would be in a whole mess of trouble.” Sighing I stepped back and was met with a set of hands on my shoulder.

“I’ll go with her,” a male voice said. I looked behind me and took a breath in. I don’t know what it was about him but he was gorgeous. His sandy brown hair was only a few shades darker than mine and his eyes were an amazing blue. They looked like they could pierce your soul one second and be so deep you could drown in them the next. Across his face were a spattering of freckles and the smile he was giving me was dazzling. I peered over his cheeks and noticed two soft dimples, making him look even cuter. I opened my mouth trying desperately to find words.

“Uhmm…” Was the only thing that came out right away. Hoping not to sound like an idiot I snapped out of it and quickly added on, “Are you sure? I mean won't your friends want to… Go on with you?” I looked at him and he smiled.

“Nah, they’ll be fine,” He gestured behind him towards two guys trying to hit up another two girls. I don’t know they could have come with them for all I knew. I looked and I saw the girls laughing. I still hadn’t decided whether or not to go on the ride with him when I heard Sarah calling my name.

“Ellie! Ellie!!” I looked over to where she was standing outside the line and she was waving her arms. I half wanted to turn around and pretend I didn’t see her. I mean she was bouncing around like a lunatic. WHAT? I mouth at her and she started pointing at me, no not at me at the boy next to me. What was his name? I pointed to him subtly and she nodded. She gave me a thumbs up sign and made a shooing motion. I wanted to hide my face in my hands, but then I would probably look like a weirdo. I had just became single two weeks ago and she was already pushing me into other, admittedly really attractive, guys.

I shook my head at her. No, I mouthed, She shot me a glare right back. She pointed at him, then me, the ferris wheel and then slid her finger across her throat. Which I took to mean you get on the ferris wheel with him or else. Sarah, was impossible to reason with even if I wasn’t twenty feet away from her. I rolled my eyes and made a Fine fine Motion. I turned around and looked at the guy.

“Yeah, okay thank you,” I said giving him a kind of grateful, kind of I’m sorry you had to swoop in and save my ass, smile. “So uh,” I tried not to make things akward, and I think I was failing, “Do you always decide to help out random strangers?” I asked mostly joking. He smiled at me.

“Yeah, kind of, it doesn’t hurt much if it’s a damsel in distress too.” He joked back. The line started moving again. As they let on passengers. We were in front of his friends and we got seated only one basket away from them. I don’t think they had noticed untill them and their lady friends were all snug in their basket.
“Hey Luke!” On of the other boys called out waving at us. He shrugged, probably asking, what’s the deal with you ditching us, or who’s the chick? Either way I felt slightly uncomfortable taking him away from them once again.

“Brandon I’ll meet you guys after the ride okay?” the boy called out. So his name was Luke?

“Don’t rush dude!” The other boy said and the two of them in the other car high fived and hooted. I blushed and tried to use my bangs as a curtain. It didn’t really work. The girls laughed alongside them and I took out my Camera, I pretended to be preoccupied with fixing the knobs as the carts moved so they could load some more passengers. Yes the Zoom function is veeeeeeeery interesting. I thought to myself. Trying not to meet his eyes.

“That’s a cool Camera.” I heard his voice and I looked up from the buttons. And met his eyes. His really cool blue eyes.

“Ah.” My voice caught again. “Thanks.” I smiled. “I’ve had it for a while.”

“You like taking pictures?” He asked then laughed, I looked up shocked and then he was smiling at me, “Sorry stupid question. Why else would you have a Camera?” I laughed a bit too.

“No it wasn’t a stupid question,” I tried to assure him “yeah I do like to take pictures. My friend says I basically live behind my camera lenses.” I bit my tongue. The friend that had actually said that was no longer my friend. She had been the reason my boyfriend cheated. Trying not to dwelll I held up my Camera and smiled. “You want me to take your picture?”

“I don’t know are you going to charge me twenty bucks for it before I leave the park?” He asked smirking. I laughed and he laughed and I shook my head.

“No but I will accept the payment of your email address,” I said the realized it was almost like asking for someone’s number. Actually nowadays I wasn’t sure if an email adress was more private then a cell number. “You know so I can email the pictures to you later?”

“Well, If you are going to get my email, couldn’t I at least get a name?” My mouth made and O shape. He didn’t know my name. I knew his because his friends shouted it but I guess he wasn’t paying attention to my psycho best friend.

“Oh yeah, I’m Ellie,” I said, holding out my hand.