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“Look, I’ll pay for two tickets! I just need to get up into the air ASAP. It’s a matter of life and death.”
The Ferris wheel operator was unmoved. “It’s a matter of park policy. No single riders.” He pointed to a nearby sign as if Wei Ying hadn’t noticed, which honestly, what?
“But I got separated from my sister, and I have to find her! C’mon, I’ll be off and on as soon as I spot her, it’ll be so easy. You don’t want me to be lost and alone, do you?”
The man crossed his seriously tattooed arms. “You’re a teenager, not a child. If you want to find her, just text her.”
Wei Ying avoided his eyes. “Well, uh, she may not know I’m here? Because she’s on a date. With a terrible person. So I came by the park just to make sure he’s treating her right - because he wouldn’t, you don’t even know this guy but he’s such a jerk – and they were right in front of me, and then I lost them! So I can’t text her, but I do need to find her. In case he made her cry again and I need to kick his ass.”
“Look, kid, I don’t care why you want to ride, you can’t ride alone! Find a friend and stop messing up the line, or I’ll call security.”
“A friend! Of course I have a friend. I have . . . “ Wei Ying looked around, spotted a familiar face, and brightened. “Lan Zhan! My good friend from class who doesn’t find me annoying at all and will totally ride with me.” He dashed over to Lan Zhan, who was walking by with what’s-her-name from calc - Mianmian? He was pretty sure her name was Mianmian. Wei Ying wrapped an arm around Lan Zhan’s shoulders, pulled him close, and murmured in his ear. “Lan Zhan, please go on the Ferris wheel with me! For a really good reason. I know you hate me, but I’ll owe you one!”
Lan Zhan blinked at him. “I don’t hate you.”
“Sure, Lan Zhan, of course you don’t! Which is why you’re coming on this ride with me.” Wei Ying triumphantly slapped some bills into the operator’s hand and dragged Lan Zhan into a seat. “Here we go!”
***
Sitting in the Ferris wheel booth, Lan Zhan tried to figure out when he’d lost control of his life. Was it when he’d agreed to go to the carnival with Mianmian? Her logic had been unassailable at the time, but that didn’t mean much now. She’d cornered Lan Zhan after orchestra rehearsal last week.
“Jin Zixuan miraculously got himself another date with Jiang Yanli.”
“Yes, I have ears.” It was all Jin Zixuan had talked about for the past hour.
Mianmian narrowed her eyes. “You remember how the last one went, right?”
Lan Zhan despairingly thought back to weeks of being the Designated Male to go comfort Jin Zixuan at whatever toilet stall he’d found to cry in. It had been rough. “You know I do.”
Mianmian nodded. “We have to save him from himself. Jin Zixuan is our friend, and I cannot go through another post-date slump like the last one. Come to the carnival with me as catastrophe insurance. If it looks like he’s crashing and burning, we’ll go third wheel the unhappy couple.
Jiang Yanli will end up annoyed with us and not him, and our idiot friend won’t have space to put his foot in his mouth.”
“He’s not my friend.”
Mianmian gave him a look. “He’s your standmate. The entire cello section will suffer if we don’t do something, and you know it.”
Lan Zhan thought about a crowded carnival on a hot sticky day, the hours he wouldn’t spend reading, and the likelihood somebody would spill soda on his clothes. Then he thought about watching Jin Zixuan’s lower lip wobble as he mournfully rhapsodized about Jiang Yanli’s hair. Again. Day after day.
“I’m in.”
***
Wei Ying beamed at Lan Zhan in the booth. “Thank you so much for coming with me! I’ll owe you such a huge favor, you have no idea.” He peered over the side of the booth as the Ferris Wheel began to move. “Do you see my sister anywhere?”
Lan Zhan blinked. “Jiang Yanli?”
“Yeah, she’s on a date with that freaking peacock. I’m here to make sure he doesn’t make her cry again.”
“What a coincidence,” Lan Zhan said bleakly. Wei Ying blinked.
“Oh no, were you here on a date with that Mianmian girl? I’m so sorry! I know I’d seen you two around before, but I didn’t realize you were dating.”
“We’re not,” Lan Zhan said.
“This is a first date? That’s even worse! What if she thinks you’ve cruelly abandoned her to ride the Ferris wheel with me? This is the most romantic ride, you know.”
“It is?”
“Of course! Just think about it. We’re up here all alone, the ride is slow and stops all the time, nobody can see us that well - it’s perfect for makeouts! You can always point out something the other person just has to see, like this-” Wei Ying slid around the booth to wrap an arm around Lan Zhan’s shoulders. He angled his head closer to Lan Zhan’s and pointed at the ground, murmuring “look, what beautiful flowers.” Wei Ying leaned back, waggling his eyebrows. “Pretty smooth, right?”
Lan Zhan was frozen. “What flowers?”
Wei Ying sighed. “There are no flowers, Lan Zhan! It was just an example. Ferris wheels make flirting easy. You can even say you’re afraid of heights and cuddle up close!” He paused. “Wait, you’re not afraid of heights, right?”
Lan Zhan paused for a second. “ . . . I could be.”
Wei Ying laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit, Lan Zhan! Anytime a couple gets on a Ferris wheel, there’ll be kissing. I bet half the people in these cars are making out right now!” The car jolted to a stop, halfway up the wheel. Wei Ying turned around and started scanning the crowds below. “Dangit, this angle is terrible. I can’t see half the park! Yanli could be anywhere.”
“You’re looking for your sister . . . because she’s on a date.”
“Exactly, Lan Zhan. The peacock is going to make her cry again. Or insult her! Or try to hold her hand! I was following them to keep an eye on that asshole, but somehow I lost track of them by the carousel. Once I spot them, I can go stick close and step in if he opens his stupid mouth too much.”
“Does your sister know you’re here?”
“Well, no, but it’s fine. I’m looking out for her! And Jiang Cheng had to work, so it’s up to me to keep the peacock in line.”
Lan Zhan frowned. “Didn’t you punch Jin Zixuan the last time you were around each other?”
“It was just one punch! I’ll only punch him this time if he deserves it. Like if he looks at Yanli. Or doesn’t compliment her. Or acts creepy.”
Lan Zhan closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the Ferris wheel started back up. He had amazingly long lashes, Wei Ying noted absently. “That seems complicated.”
“It’s really not,” Wei Ying waved. “It might be for the peacock, but that’s just because he doesn’t remotely deserve to spend time with my sister.” He turned away, eyes scanning the crowd below. “Do you see them? She’s wearing a pink sundress, he probably has on aviators.”
***
Jin Zixuan had definitely worn aviators on his date, but that was besides the point. Lan Zhan’s phone buzzed.
Luo Qingyang: What the heck are you doing?
Luo Qingyang: You know what, doesn’t matter.
Luo Qingyang: This is great, Wei Ying will only make things worse on the ground. Keep him distracted. I think the date’s going well???
Lan Zhan shoved the phone deeper into his pocket. Distraction, right. “How often have you taken dates on this Ferris wheel?”
The ride stopped. Wei Ying was leaning over the side of the booth, kneeling on the bench and scanning the crowd below them. His ass was . . . very present. “Huh? Never. Why?”
“You kept talking about how romantic it is and suggesting ways to flirt. Was that an academic exercise?”
“Well, no, of course not. I would definitely take a date here to make out! If I had one. Never hurts to be prepared for romance, y’know?”
“No,” said Lan Zhan. Wei Ying had seemed like the kind of person to spend time talking about his past dates. Now he was back at square one. “Why do you sleep in calculus?”
Wei Ying actually turned around and focused on Lan Zhan. The ride started again. “Who says I fall asleep in calculus?”
“I sit right behind you. You never sleep in any other class, not even first period or after lunch. Just calculus.”
“Oops,” Wei Ying said. “I didn’t know you noticed.”
We have four classes together and your nose wrinkles infuriatingly when you laugh, Lan Zhan thought. Of course I notice you. Having a drowsy Wei Ying directly in his line of sight had not helped with calculus.
Do you hate math that much?”
“No, it’s just not anything new. We’ve been working on the same proofs for weeks now.”
“Without a solid foundation, the rest of the class will be impossible.”
Wei Ying rolled his eyes. “The foundation’s been laid since our first week! There’s nothing different or tricky about doing the same types of equations over and over.”
Lan Zhan frowned. “Most of the class has been failing the same equations over and over. You don’t find them hard?”
“What, like you do?”
He had a point. “If the class is so easy for you, you might want to help your classmates. Most of the group has been struggling while you’ve been sleeping. And sometimes snoring.” Loudly, Lan Zhan doesn’t say, even though it’s true.
Wei Ying grinned sheepishly, looking up at Lan Zhan from his casual sprawl on the bench. “Well, if you’re going to ask so nicely, I should probably help out.” He stretched his legs,ankles bumping against Lan Zhan’s. Lan Zhan’s mouth went dry. “Does it feel like we’ve been sitting for a while?”
“This is a slow ride. I thought that was part of the romance.”
Wei Ying laughed delightedly. “Lan Zhan! Was that a joke? It was definitely a joke.” He slid over and nudged Lan Zhan with a shoulder. “And here I thought you hated me. Did you think you’d end up sharing a romantic Ferris wheel ride with me today?”
Not in a million years, Lan Zhan thought. “I told you, I don’t hate you.”
“Then why are you always glaring at me?” Wei Ying shrugged, looking down. “C’mon, be honest. I know I can be annoying, and you were totally cool about getting me up here to look for my sister. You don’t have to make something up to be nice.” He turned back to scan the crowd. Lan Zhan grabbed his arm for a dizzying second, leaning closer.
“I am not nice. You are annoying. But you are also intelligent and speak up when someone is wrong in class.” The two stared at each other for a long second. Feeling exposed, Lan Zhan let go of his arm and leaned back. “And I don’t glare.”
Wei Ying turned his entire body toward Lan Zhan like a flower toward the sun, laughing. “Yes, you do! You glare at everything, all the time! What, like you just have resting bitch face?” His eyes widened. “Oh no, you do! You might be a big ‘ol softie under that chiseled stare, and nobody would ever guess. Poor Lan Zhan.”
“Chiseled?”
“Yeah, you look like one of those extra-scary catwalk models, most of the time. I figured you were doing it on purpose.”
Lan Zhan blinked. “I am not.”
Wei Ying beamed. The Ferris wheel started again. “Well. Now I know. Now c’mon, help me look. You know what my sister looks like, right? Of course you do, she plays viola.”
Unfortunately, Lan Zhan didn’t even need to recognize Jiang Yanli. She was wrapped around Jin Zixuan’s side, clearly in view by the corn dog stand. By the gobsmacked look on Jin Zixuan’s face, the date was going better than anyone had expected. She leaned in for a kiss. Lan Zhan resolutely turned around, resting his elbows on the booth’s sides in the hopes of blocking the view.
The Ferris Wheel was nearing the ground. He had to distract Wei Ying. His peace of mind in rehearsal depended on it.
“Your brother plays violin, right?”
If anything, Wei Ying started looking at the ground more fervently. Fantastic. “Yep, he’s first chair. I used to play, but stopped lessons a while back. It was getting awkward to have the same instrument as him, y’know?”
Lan Zhan did not. “My brother and I both play cello. My uncle thought we could save money on instruments, until ge started buying electric cellos.”
Wei Ying turned around. Aha. “Multiple electric cellos?”
“He says they have different personalities.”
Wei Ying grinned, and Lan Zhan had a breathless second. “I bet they do.”
“You should come over sometime,” Lan Zhan blurted out. “See them.”
Wei Ying raised his eyebrows. “Your brother’s electric cellos?”
“Yes.” Lan Zhan cursed himself. What?
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think the Ferris Wheel had gotten to you and you were flirting with me to get makeouts.” Wei Ying flung his head back and laughed as if the idea was ridiculous. As he looked down absently, he froze. “Wait a second, is that-”
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Lan Zhan lunged forward, grabbing Wei Ying’s face in his hands, and kissed him.
****
The ride stopped.
The ride started again.
***
The Ferris wheel finished its rotation, and the operator banged on the booth’s door. “Hey, you two! Knock it off and get out of there, your time is up.”
Without looking, Lan Zhan pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and waved it behind him. He and Wei Ying stayed wrapped around each other, kissing with great enthusiasm and little finesse.
The operator grumbled, took the money, and started the ride up again.
“They don’t pay me enough for this.”
***
A while later, Mianmian stood at the Ferris wheel’s exit. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan stumbled off, murmuring to each other.
“Dinner tomorrow? I know a great food stand, you’ll love it.”
“Tomorrow,” Lan Zhan promised. Wei Ying beamed, bouncing on his toes.
“It’s a date.”
As he walked away, Mianmian elbowed Lan Zhan.
“Wow, that was some distraction. I didn’t know you liked Jin Zixuan that much.”
Lan Zhan blinked, gaze locked on Wei Ying’s rapidly departing form. “Who?”