---- Chapter 17 Jody POV: When | met Evander outside my apartment that evening, he was holding a small, whimsical hair clip shaped like a pink bunny. "| saw this and thought of you," he said, his cheeks tinged with a slight blush. "For our adventure." | took it, my fingers brushing his. A tiny spark, a jolt of unexpected electricity, shot up my arm. My own cheeks grew warm as | clipped the bunny into my hair. The amusement park was a kaleidoscope of light and sound. Evander, seeing my slight hesitation, asked, "What first?" "The bumper cars," | said, a sudden, childish impulse taking over. He grinned. "An excellent choice." We were laughing like children, ramming our cars into each other with reckless abandon, when my eyes caught sight of it, looming over the park like a giant, glittering skeleton: the Ferris wheel. The laughter died in my throat. The memory of Claudia' s taunting video, of Arthur kissing her at the very top, was a ---- sudden, bitter taste in my mouth. A dream |' d once had, twisted into a new source of pain. Evander must have seen the change in my expression. "Do you want to ride it?" he asked gently. | shook my head, unable to speak. He didn' t press. But a few minutes later, he took my hand, his grip warm and steady. "Come on," he said, his voice soft but firm. "Let's make a new memory." | didn' t pull away. | let him lead me to the towering wheel. As our car began its slow ascent, a knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. But Evander pointed out the window, distracting me with observations about the city lights, explaining the physics of the structure with a gentle, reassuring calm. When we reached the top, the city was a breathtaking carpet of twinkling lights below us. The painful memory didn't vanish, but it lost its power. It was just a thing that had happened. Here, now, with Evander, | was creating something new. The sunlight of this moment was chasing away the old shadows. We spent the rest of the evening in a happy blur of cotton candy, silly games, and easy laughter. Evander was attentive and kind, always letting me choose the next ride, always making sure | was having fun. It was the simplest, most perfect date | had ever been on. He drove me home, the comfortable silence in the car filled with an unspoken energy. As | reached to unbuckle my ---- seatbelt, my hand brushed against his again. That same jolt, stronger this time. | pulled my hand back as if ' d been burned, my face flushing a deep crimson. "Thank you for tonight," | mumbled, practically falling out of the car in my haste. "I had a great time." "Jody," he called out softly. | turned back. He was smiling, a gentle, knowing look in his eyes. "Drive safe," was all he said. | practically ran up the stairs to my apartment, my heart doing a chaotic, unfamiliar dance in my chest. | leaned against my front door, a dizzying, happy smile spreading across my face. | hadn't felt this light, this hopeful, in a very, very long time.