And then canceled my plans just in case you'd called...

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed as we dropped to the ground. At the last second, the ride stopped at the bottom before lifting us up again.

"You scared?" Miles teased.

"Not as scared as you," James chimed in. "We heard you screaming."

"That was Augustine," Miles said quickly.

"Shush, you two," I said. "Look, there's Aurora!"

Looking down, we could see Aurora waving at us, standing in front of Mom. We stopped at the top of the ride again.

"Here we go," Miles said.

We were dropped for a second time. I was prepared this time, so it wasn't as scary, but Miles squealed and gripped onto the overhead seatbelt strapping him in.

I laughed as we reached the bottom. "You are scared!" I laughed.

"Please," Miles said. "I'm not scared."

I shook my head. I couldn't see James or Miles from the way we were strapped in, but I knew James was rolling his eyes.

The ride threw us up and down a few more times before slowly bringing us to the ground. We got out of our seats and headed towards Aurora and our moms.

"That looked so cool!" Aurora exclaimed. She raised her arms for Miles to pick her up, which he did.

"I was scared you'd fall out of your seat," she continued, giving Miles a hug. "That would be sad."

"Way to be concerned for our safety, too," James muttered.

"Looks like someone has a bit of a crush," my mom said.

"You have no idea," I laughed.

She wrapped me in a hug, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "Thank you for giving me a chance," she whispered.

"Of course," I said, before turning to James. "What ride next?" I asked.

*

We spent the rest of the afternoon going on different rides. We went on the roller coaster, tried out what were basically bumper cars but in the water, and drove the go-karts. I didn't even realize when it started to get dark.

"We have time for one more ride," Leah told us.

"Ferris wheel!" Aurora exclaimed. She had been the best all day, patiently waiting for us when we went on rides she wasn't old enough for. I didn't give her enough credit.

"Let's do it," I told her, picking her up. "You've been a great sister today."

Her brown eyes widened as she stared at me. "Thanks, Auggie," she said. "You're the best big sister." She gave me a hug and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Let's go to the ferris wheel," I told her.

The six of us walked across the lit-up park. Night was coming fast, but luckily it was still warm. The rides shone with florescent lights that illuminated the entire place. I couldn't wait to see what everything looked from the top of the ferris wheel.

"Here we are," Leah said. "They take two per seat. Francine and I will go for a walk while you guys go on the ride. Aurora, who do you want to ride the ferris wheel with?"

"Miles!" Aurora squealed, her entire face lighting up. She slid out of my arms and ran towards him.

"I've been there her whole life, and she ditches me for the first guy she meets," I joked.

"Aww," James said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Don't be sad. I'll sit next to you."

I swatted his chest with my hand. "I'm the only person left! It's either sit with me or a stranger."

"Don't lash out," he said in a mocking tone. "I think someone needs a hug."

"You're such a weirdo," I retorted, rolling my eyes as he wrapped his arms around me.

The person in charge ushered us forward. Looking at her, I realized she must've been Miles's age. She was gorgeous with long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She wore glasses and had sparkling emerald earrings. I nudged James as she gestured for the people ahead of us to get on the ride.

"We'll get you on in a minute or so," she said, smiling at Miles and Aurora, who were standing next to us.

Miles turned completely red as she looked at him. "Oh, yeah, um, take your time," he stammered.

If she noticed he was nervous, she didn't show it. "Aren't you adorable! What's your name?" she asked Aurora.

"I'm Rory," my sister announced, without any sign of shyness. "What's yours?"

"I'm Gracie," the girl replied.

"I'm Miles," Miles burst out.

James and I glanced at each other, holding back a laugh. "I'm James," he said, intertwining my hand with his. "And this is my girl, Augustine."

I turned to him, not expecting him to call me his girl. James just smiled and winked at me, causing me to blush.

"You two are cute," Gracie smiled. "Who's getting on first?"

"Me!" Aurora yelled.

"Alright," Gracie laughed. "Jump on." She halted the ride and gestured for Miles and Aurora to get in the cart.

"I'll stop it in a minute and you two can get on," she told us.

As the ferris wheel began to spin, I heard Aurora giggling with delight. James squeezed my hand, and I smiled at him.

"I know it's kind of lame, but I'm excited for this," he whispered.

"Me too."

As promised, Gracie stopped the ride a minute later to let us on. We stepped through the gate and sat down in the cart. After buckling our seatbelts, Gracie shut the door of the cart, and pressed the button to make us go.

The ride lurched us backwards, and we glided to the top. James held my had the entire time, and I rested my head on his shoulder. We got to the top, taking in the view.

"Woah," I breathed, lifting my head off James's shoulder.

From the top of the ferris wheel, we could not only see lots of the park, but the ocean beyond the trees. The last of the sunset stretched for miles across the sky, shining softly over the water. I could not put words to the beauty of the scene in front of me.

"It's breathtaking," James whispered.

As quickly as the ride lifted us up, it lowered, and we floated to the bottom. Gracie waved to us as we passed by.

"She's cute," I told James.

"Miles certainly thinks so," he laughed.

We floated back up, the breeze making my shirt flutter. Miles and Aurora sat in a cart on the other side. My sister was pointing at something far away, while Miles laughed. I couldn't hear them, but they both radiated with happiness.

The ferris wheel halted when we reached the top. I glanced at James, hoping we weren't stuck.

"We're not stuck I don't think," James said, reading my mind.

"Are you sure?" I asked, starting to panic. I looked below us to figure out what was going on.

"Oh my gosh, James, we're fine," I laughed. At the bottom of the ride, Gracie was helping an older couple into a cart.

James looked down with me and laughed. "Huh, I was almost scared for a second," he said.

"Guess we're not in a cliché movie," I grinned, meeting his hazel eyes.

"Isn't this cliché though?" he asked.

"Is what?"

"Look at that!" James said, pointing past my head. I turned to my right to see nothing out of the ordinary, although the scenery around us was as beautiful as ever.

"James, what am I looking at —"

He grabbed my chin, tilting it towards him as his lips touched mine. I was startled but relaxed into his touch. I felt him smile against my lips. He knew he caught me off guard and loved it.

I placed my hand on his cheek, and he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. His other hand slid under my shirt and rested against the skin along my waist. My body tingled as I felt butterflies erupt throughout my stomach. I melted into his kiss, frowning as he broke it apart but smiled again as he planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

"You're cute," he smiled.

"Keep going," I told him.

"I would, but we're almost done the ride," he explained. "Or did you not notice because of a distraction?"

While my brain was melting, I had failed to notice we were moving again, slowing down as our cart neared the ground. It came to a stop as we reached the bottom.

"Time is up, lovebirds," said a grinning Gracie.

I blushed as I realized she may have seen us kiss.

"I would've let you guys stay on for longer since there's no one in line, but my shift is officially over, and I'm done for the day. It was nice to meet you all." She nodded to Miles, sending him a shy smile.

I looked at Miles, saying do something! with my eyes. I saw a flash of nervousness in his and quickly mouthed, you got this.

"You're a great, uh...ferris wheel manager," Miles stuttered.

I shook my head. Miles, who I thought was a huge flirt, couldn't even talk to a cute girl.

To my surprise, Gracie blushed. "Since my shift is over, we could go on the ferris wheel together?" she asked. "He's taking over now." She pointed at a middle-aged man with glasses and a beard.

Miles wouldn't have been able to hide his smile even if he wanted to. "I'd love to!" he said. "Aurora, I'll be right back, ok?"

My sister nodded and gave him a thumbs up like the little trooper she was. I tugged her close to me as Miles sat next to Gracie in a cart. The man who took over for Gracie pressed a button and they floated to the top of the ride.

"Auggie?" Rory said, reaching her arms so I'd pick her up.

"What's up, princess?" I asked.

"Does Miles love that girl?" Her face fell as she asked. I didn't want to tell her that her and Miles would never happen, or that her crush wasn't serious. Her little face was too cute to disappoint.

"C'mere," James said, taking Aurora into his arms. "Are you worried Miles will like a girl more than you?" he asked. He walked to a nearby bench and sat down, placing Aurora on his lap. I followed, curious of where this conversation would go.

"Yeah," Aurora answered. "I thought he liked Auggie more than me."

"What?" James said, immediately looking at me.

"It's nothing." I shook my head, like Aurora was making up nonsense. I couldn't believe she had noticed Miles's weirdness last night. Or maybe she was making it up.

"Look, Rory," James said. He softly smiled at my sister sitting on his lap. "Miles cares about you very much. Did you know he usually doesn't like little kids?"

Aurora shook her head slowly.

"Well, he didn't," James continued. "Until he met you. He loves spending time with you. He's always so happy around you. He was sad a lot this year, but you make him laugh all the time. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. Even if Miles finds a girl he wants to date, he will never stop caring about you, ok?"

Aurora nodded and gave James a hug. He looked at me front over her shoulder, sending me a soft smile. I felt my whole heart melt at his words.

Thank you, I mouthed.

Aurora lay her head on James's shoulder, closing her eyes softly. I smiled as James kissed the top of her head, standing up and walking next to me. We headed back to the ferris wheel to see Miles and Gracie exiting the cart they were in.

"I'll call you," I heard Miles say.

"You better," Gracie smiled, walking the opposite way as Miles. He waved to her, then quickly turned to face us, letting out a long, relieved breath.

"Wow," he sighed. "She. Is. Amazing."

"Looks like someone had fun," I teased.

"I totally did," Miles said. "She's the coolest girl I've ever met. No offence, Auggie."

"None taken," I told him.

"And...I got her number," he grinned.

"Awesome," James said quietly.

Miles walked over to him, looking at a now sleeping Aurora. "Guess she was pretty tired after today," he said. "Want me to take her?"

"That's okay, I got her," James said. "I don't want you dropping her while fantasizing things about you and Gracie."

"Shut up," Miles grumbled, but I saw the slight blush in his cheeks.

"Aww, Miles is in looove," I teased.

"God, you're both the worst," Miles said. "Let's just go home."

After meeting up with our moms, who had taken a walk around the park while we went on the ferris wheel, we headed back to the car. James put Aurora in her car seat, who remained asleep, and sat in the back with me.

I stared out the window, looking at the now dark landscape we passed by. The stars were beginning to show, while the sun had just disappeared. I loved the dark; everything was much more poetic once the moon and stars came out.

James placed his hand on my thigh, rubbing his thumb along my skin. I rested my head on his shoulder and placed my hand on his arm. Our moms talked softly, while Miles scrolled through his phone. I watched the rare stoplights flash by us, listening to the quite song playing on the radio.

"You know," James whispered. "If we weren't in public, I would've liked to take that kiss further."

I felt my cheeks heat up and lifted my head to face him. "That would be nice," I told him.

I saw his mouth twitch slightly in the dark as he tried to hold back a smile. He leaned forward, touching his forehead to mine.

"Stay over with me tonight," he whispered. "Let's finish what we started."

I felt the butterflies come back, only stronger this time. I had no idea where this bold version of James came from, but I loved it.

"Okay," I smiled.

James cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me softly on the forehead. I melted into his touch, resting my head back on his shoulder. I knew we had only eighteen days left of August, but my heart betrayed any sense of logic my brain could conjure. As my eyes closed, I began to wish I could stay with James forever.

It was only a fantasy.