As Cosmopolitan’s resident theme park expert, it was no surprise to me that dating rumors were flying when Michael B. Jordan and Raye were spotted together at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Nothing is more intimate than going over 80 mph and dropping 230 feet on a roller coaster named Goliath. The endorphins, the feeling of the butterflies in your stomach, possibly some hand-holding, and, yes, even the screaming, make it similar to achieving a different kind of closeness together.
A commonly stressful relationship milestone is the first sleepover: showing yourself barefaced, waking up with possible bedhead, and morning breath. Theme parks give you the same effect, but without the sleep. Especially in the summer, hair unruly from all the rides, sweat all over my skin from the humidity, legs hurting from the thousands of steps we’ve walked while holding on to the overpriced drinks and pretzels, I end up looking like a troll doll. But that’s just the physical. That’s not where the real relationship test begins, which is why I think this is a lowkey genius date idea.
The bigger dating-related questions become: Can you carry a conversation for nearly 45 minutes as we wait in line for the next ride? Are you comfortable in the moments of silence when we’re catching our breath afterward? How do you handle disappointment when a ride goes down? Do you get angry when an obviously rigged game does not go your way? Can you let your inner child free as we take a small break spinning on the teacups? Are you willing to encourage me to go for it when I’m second-guessing a ride that I’ve done countless times before? Can you just let everything go even for one day just to enjoy it all, no matter what happens?
At the end of the day, I’m looking for a partner who can be there for it all. The thrill of the ascent, the fear of the fall, and all the inversions that come with being in a relationship. It’s all about letting go and allowing gravity, friction, physics, and kinetic energy to do their thing. The ride might not always be smooth. There can be rollbacks that can make you question why you’re on it in the first place. But if I can also see you accepting the joy of going through it all as we safely return to the platform, then life is another ride we can take on together. Even if Michael B. and Raye did not have this exact idea, at least they know the truth about their compatibility now more than they did before.
