13. Drew: Agree to Disagree

Chapter thirteen

Drew – Agree to Disagree

I open my mouth to answer but then stop myself.

"What's wrong?" Meg asks.

"This is going to sound so stupid, but I don't know the answer to that right now," I admit, and I feel almost embarrassed by my answer. "I guess I haven't really thought much about it. You'd think I would by now, but I'm coming up blank."

"It's okay to not know. Now you have something to think about that you didn't have before," Meg says, trying to lighten his mood.

"It seems so," I nod. "Okay, here's another one for you. What's an unpopular opinion you have?" I ask.

"Work isn't everything," she replies almost immediately. "People take their jobs too seriously."

"Or they're just passionate about what they do," I defend.

"Is it passion or is it because they feel the pressure to work like they're passionate about it?" Meg counters.

"I can see someone not ending the work day at their contracted time being problematic, but when you're getting a bunch of stuff done and you're jamming, you don't realize how long you've worked," I explain. "If you're in the groove, you might as well just keep going."

"But doesn't that lead people to burn out?" she asks. "Employees have a hard time setting those boundaries for themselves and they end up being grumpy people."

"Hmm…agree to disagree?" I suggest.

She nods as we tap our cups together in a truce. I take a cold sip of my now-melted slushy and start to scan the rides to see which ones have the shortest lines. We get quiet again until Meg notices me looking at her.

"What's going on up there?" I ask, nodding towards her head.

"Pure chaos," she replies, with a grin.

"Oh, if only I was a mind reader," I laugh.

"Your head would probably explode," she counters.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a mind reader," I reply, looking around. "Let's go on the ferris wheel," I suggest, getting to my feet. I reach for her hand but when she gets up, she protests, informing me that she does not do heights.

"The idea of being so far up in the air and the possibility of the ride breaking down completely turns me away from the idea that it could be fun. I don't even ride roller coasters," she admits.

"What a sad, mundane existence you must live," I tease, crossing my arms over my chest and rolling my eyes. "Life without taking risks isn't living, it's just existing. And since I've never had the chance to ride a ferris wheel myself, I think tonight is the night."

Taking a moment, Meg must have realized that there was some truth in what I said. She shares with me that while taking in the sight of the massive red and orange ferris wheel, fear is the only thing she feels and it fills her entire body.

"My brain is screaming at me to not step foot on the ride. But then I remember I won't be alone, and that you are no doubt brave enough for both of us."

I know I've now won the debate by her words and demeanor.

"Just so you know, I'm not going to look down," she informs me, and I tell her that I won't tell anyone.

I grin and take her hand as we step in line which is surprisingly short considering the number of people at the festival. The operator puts us in one of the orange seats, guiding Meg to be seated first.

The seat responds to her movement with a loud creak and immediately tilts the second she steps up to get on it. She turns towards me with a look of panic on her face. Little does she know I'm feeling the same on the inside. I just hope she doesn't see my real level of trepidation.

As I step on, I make the seat move even more. Meg grips the railing in fear that the seat may just fall off now or, worse yet, later when we are at the very top.

I put my arm around her as the ride begins to slowly lift us up, up, up, above the earth. I feel the breeze run through my hair as we rise over the town. After one cycle of the wheel, we stop at the very top where we take in the view.

Stars shine brightly as the cool wind kisses our faces and the trees below whisper their secrets to each other. It's a gorgeous sight and I'm overcome with the experience.

I rest my arm around the back of the seat as I gaze out at the horizon. When I look over to meet Meg's eyes, she immediately has me under her spell. I shiver from the breeze as she slides towards me and I say nothing to discourage her, knowing that I want her to be even closer.

Our mouths are like the north and south of a magnet and we are drawn to each other in a kiss.

As our ride continues, I realize that I do have a grumpy exterior at times, but once someone close breaks past it, there's a softer, gentler side that I can share. I believe that Meg is realizing that I am able to unlock this part of me for her, and that, in turn, is helping her share her true feelings with me.

"Most of the time when I speak about my life philosophies, like how much the little moments matter most, I'm met with people who disagree in impolite ways," she shares.

"Drew, you are one of the few people who genuinely considers what I say and doesn't completely disregard it because it's different from your own opinions. So here is a deep and abiding truth I want to share. Truly deep and abiding."

I'm fully braced awaiting this important truth.

"I don't like being this high!" Her voice sounds as shaky as her legs look, but the one-hundred-eighty-degree twist in what she shares as her ‘deep and abiding truth' absolutely cracks me up.

"I do," I reply, with my best grin, as the ride holds its position.