Everybody's After Love Read Online Free Page B

jerks to a start continuing upward. I let out a loud scream, catching both Bri and Kevin’s attention who stop their chatting and stare at me like I have a second head.
    With total fear, I scream, “Is no one else concerned that we’re in the world’s smallest tram riding to our death at six hundred and thirty feet to walk around some steel thing built before any of us were born?!”
    And with that, my full-blown anxiety kicks in. I’m gasping for air and gripping Kevin’s leg all while trying to fight off the dizziness which I know will only end in me passing out. My vision is getting blurry, but I can still hear that mousy voice in front of me.
    “Julianna, it’s okay. We’re not going to die,” Bri says calmly, taking my hand and rubbing my palms. It doesn’t help much, but hearing her say my full name, which is only reserved for a select few, distracts me enough from my fear and my asshole boyfriend who is laughing hysterically at me. If I weren’t hyperventilating, I would go off on her about the name she just called me.
    Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the tram doors open. Jumping up quickly, I escape from Bri’s grasp and into the walkway which is only slightly larger than our ride up. Kevin traps me under his arm, making me feel even more claustrophobic as he guides us to the viewing area with teeny windows that you can look out and see exactly how far you will fall to your death.
    “Don’t worry, babe, this thing can only sway up to eighteen inches. If you stand real still, you can probably feel it moving,” he says, still unable to stop laughing at my episode in the tram.
    I suddenly feel as though I might lose my breakfast. Ducking out of his grasp, I spin around the area looking for a trash can, making my dizziness worse. Kevin saunters off as I feel Bri pull me away from the windows— thank God . Throwing the trash can lid off just in time, I am reminded of everything I have eaten until this point in the day. With that done, I start to feel slightly better. Bri guides me over to a chair where I lean forward and place my head between my legs. The blood rushes to my brain as she lifts my long brown hair off my neck and fans me with a brochure.
    “I’m so sorry, Jules. I had no idea you were afraid of heights. When J.P. and I came to book the church, we rode up here and he mentioned that you’d never been in the Arch. He never said why. I’m so sorry,” Bri apologizes and I can actually hear tears in her voice which makes me feel slightly bad for her. Bad as in, if I hadn’t just thrown up in front of two-hundred people, six-hundred and thirty feet in the air, I might shrug my shoulders and say it’s alright. As it is, if I shrug my shoulders, I might need the trash can again.
    Of course, my amazing boyfriend takes his time checking out the top of the Arch as I try to remind myself to keep breathing and not throw up again. An hour later and my feet are finally on solid ground, which makes me beyond happy. So happy in fact, I actually hug Bri in a lapse of judgment, which she takes as a sign that we’re bonding. I, however, am blaming it on the change in altitude.
    When we walk into the upscale Mexican restaurant on Washington Street, I practically run into the arms of my brother, still traumatized by being in a swaying structure way too high off the ground. Paulie runs his finger down my nose with a tap and then rubs my back. I feel Bri’s hand on top of his and my aftershock fear turns into anger.
    The couple share a quick kiss and she mumbles, “You never told me she was scared of heights.”
    Kevin laughs behind us. “It was great! I’ve never seen someone freak out like she did, she even ralphed when we got to the top.”
    I don’t have to look to know that my brother is giving Kevin the death glare, his body language exudes disapproval. Paulie moves so that he has one arm around Bri and the other around me as he guides us to our table. Kevin follows behind, still