"Britta, I'm so happy!"
Under the heat of the California sun, Annie Edison smiled ecstatically. She finally found someone willing to accompany her to Disneyland during spring break, even though that someone turned out to be one of the least likely people to do so. Britta Perry sighed and adjusted her sunglasses, trying hard not to smile as she watched Annie's face light up.
"I'm glad you're happy, Annie, but can we please keep walking? We've been staring at this castle forever."
Annie looked over at Britta with a frown. "It's not just any castle, Britta!" she scolded. "It's Sleeping Beauty Castle, one of the most recognizable structures at Disneyland! Sure, the Cinderella Castle at Disney World might be a tad more famous, but I prefer this one." Annie stared longingly at the castle for a while longer before Britta spoke up.
"Okay, okay… well, if I buy you a postcard of it, can we move on? We're going to be here all week, so we can stare at it as much as you want tomorrow, and the next day, I guess…"
"Really? Okay!" Annie clapped her hands together, then turned back to look at their surroundings. "Oookay… where to next… Oh! Let's go souvenir shopping!"
"So I can buy you that postcard?" Britta asked with a laugh.
"Exactly," Annie smiled. She reached for Britta's hand shyly, and Britta laced their fingers together.
"Don't let go, okay? I mean… uh, there're a lot of people here and I don't want us to get separated." Britta cursed herself internally for even saying anything, but Annie just smiled and nodded.
"You got it!" Annie gently squeezed Britta's hand and started walking, almost skipping along among the other park visitors.
"I can't believe the others didn't want to come…" Annie mused aloud as they continued on past gleeful children, smiling princesses, and bored looking parents waiting in line for the sake of their children's happiness.
"Oh, I know," Britta said with a touch of sarcasm. "Who wouldn't want to miss all the noise and heat?"
"Britta!"
"Sorry…"
Annie paused for a second, a puzzled expression forming on her face. "Wait… if that's why they declined, then why did you agree to come with me? You obviously aren't a fan of that stuff either, and I never pegged you as the type who would enjoy Disney anything."
Britta froze. She couldn't possibly tell Annie that she was into her, that she enjoyed spending time with her more than anyone else in the study group and that a week alone with her was like a dream come true. It would be… weird if she confessed to that, wouldn't it? "Out of character" is what Abed would probably call it. She had to play it cool, even though each time Annie squeezed her hand she felt like her heart might jump into her throat.
"I… I was just worried about you being here alone, that's all! I know this is Disneyland and all, but there are still plenty of creeps around. I'm sure you're capable of taking care of yourself, but it's always good to have an extra pair of eyes around, don't you think?"
Britta's nervous laughter in the end didn't seem to register with Annie, who seemed more touched by the blonde's words than anything else. "Aww, Britta, I'm so glad we're friends!" She pulled Britta close, hugging her tightly in the middle of the crowd. Britta hugged Annie back, enjoying the feeling of the shorter girl's body pressed against hers. She could have hugged Annie all day, but there were lots of places to explore and not enough time.
"Thanks, Britta. I mean it." Annie sighed and looked dreamily at the sky. "I never thought this fantasy of mine would come true…"
"What fantasy?"
"That I'd be able to hold someone's hand at Disneyland!"
"Oh, right," Britta blushed, scratching the back of her head with her free hand. "Well this is the place 'where dreams come true', isn't it?"
Annie nodded excitedly. "Or so they say. Now let's get going, the day will be over sooner than we think!"
With their hands still clasped together, Annie led Britta onward, passing through endless crowds of people. On occasion, Britta found herself glancing at passersby, hoping that no one could hear the sound of her heart beating wildly against her ribcage.
When they arrived at the nearest row of little shops, the pair rushed over, standing amongst rows of children fawning over souvenirs and adults handing over cash and cards to the tired looking workers. Britta scoured the area for the gift she'd promised Annie just moments ago, and quickly her eyes spotted it.
The postcard rack was mostly unattended, and Britta skulked over to it with Annie in tow, staring at each postcard in search of one with the all important castle displayed on it. Annie was "ooh"ing and "ahh"ing over some of the more expensive items at that particular kiosk and Britta had to pull her back towards the postcards in order to get her attention.
"Annie, is this one okay?" Britta held up the postcard she had chosen, a simple one with the Sleeping Beauty castle as the focal point. The sky behind it was sunny and bright blue, and as Annie looked at it, her eyes lit up.
"It's perfect!" She exclaimed. Britta smiled and led the way to the register, paying for it after waiting in line for a little while. After squeezing through throngs of parents and children to escape the shop, Britta formally presented the postcard to Annie, allowing herself to be a bit dramatic as she bowed, because hell, they were at Disneyland.
"For you, princess: a wondrous gift from a humble… uh, peasant."
Annie's hands flew up to her face for a second before they descended and reached for the postcard. "Britta! You're not a peasant! You're more like… a knight."
"…I am?" Britta straightened up, looking bewildered. Annie nodded, holding the postcard close to her lips.
"Yeah."
"A knight and a princess… we're a good match then, huh?"
Annie grinned as she held out her hand. "That we are."
Britta reached for Annie's hand and just as she got a solid grip, Annie pulled her close. Eyes wide, it took Britta a moment to process Annie's lips on her cheek. It was a quick kiss, Annie's way of saying thank you, but it was enough to make Britta's face turn beet red.
"L-let's go! We should, uh, get something to eat and then we can, um, do some more exploring…!" Britta stepped forward, holding Annie's hand gently yet firmly. Annie slipped the postcard into her bag and quickly matched Britta's walking pace, watching the blonde with bright eyes. She glanced down at their linked hands for a second as they went, and the longer they walked the more it dawned on her that holding hands with Britta Perry felt like the easiest, most natural thing in the world.
I wonder if she feels that way, too...?
The sun continued its afternoon descent, and the girls found themselves wandering through a slowly thinning crowd. They managed to visit some of the rides and locations in the park that Annie had researched prior to their arrival, and now day one of their trip seemed just about complete.
Britta basked in the sunlight and the equally warm feeling in her chest as they wandered through the park. Her hand was still linked with Annie's, and by now both of their hands were sweaty from the heat, but that didn't bother them. Britta was so overwhelmed by her infatuation—the same feeling she used to mock others for having—that it took her a moment to realize that Annie had led them to a bench to sit down.
"I think we should sit down for a minute," Annie said, separating their hands and patting the empty seat next to her. Britta sat down and watched as Annie pulled a water bottle from out of her bag, taking a few gulps of water before passing the bottle to her.
"Have to stay hydrated," she added, shaking the bottle lightly as Britta reached for it.
"I'd hate to be 'that person' who passed out at Disneyland because they were having too much fun and forgot to drink water."
"Britta…"
"Hey, I'm serious! That happens all the time… probably, and I don't want to be remembered that way." Britta downed a good portion of the water and passed the bottle back to Annie. They sat quietly together for a while, watching as families passed by. Children smiled broadly, grasping souvenirs, parents escorted their kids this way and that, and once in a while a pair of lovers would walk by, pointing out things and talking excitedly to each other. Annie sighed and reached for Britta's hand again, looking down as she did so and noticing that Britta was reaching for her too. They didn't say anything as their fingers intertwined, but they were both happy.
"I didn't think we'd ever get out of that one line…"
Annie shrugged, recalling their wait at Space Mountain. "It was worth it in the end though, right?"
"Eh…" Britta shrugged and Annie looked hurt, leading the blonde to quickly correct herself, waving her hands frantically. "Yeah, totally!" I almost threw up…
"Maybe we'll find an attraction with less of a line next time," Annie mused as they walked along.
"Line or not, if there's something you want to do or see, we'll go there!" Britta made a fist with her free hand, determined to make Annie's Disneyland experience a good one. Annie laughed in response and leaned against Britta's side for a second.
"Thanks, Britta."
The two of them wandered through the still crowded park for a while with no real destination in mind, just enjoying each other's company. At a not so crowded section of the park, Annie stopped as something caught her eye. Britta walked on for a second before being tugged back. She looked down at their hands then back up at Annie.
"What is it?"
"Hey, Britta," there was a hint of mischievousness in her voice, "Do you want a hat?"
Britta made a face and looked at what Annie had been staring at. There was a little shop nearby selling Mickey Mouse ear hats and other character related goods. "Um… no, I'm good, thanks."
"Awww, c'mon! Are you sure?" She stared at Britta with her sad puppy dog eyes and the blonde conceded after a few seconds of desperately fighting to stay above their influence.
"Gah, fine, as long as you get yourself one too." Annie gave Britta's hand a gentle squeeze and rushed over to the kiosk. A few minutes later she returned with two identical mouse-eared hats.
"I swear if the others find out I have a Mickey Mouse hat I'll never hear the end of it," she mumbled as Annie placed one of the hats on the blonde's head before putting the other on her own.
"But it looks great on you!"
"Ha ha, that's hilarious, Annie. Even if it's true, it doesn't mean I want them to know."
Annie fished her phone out of her bag and proceeded to hold it up. "Picture?"
"Hey, I just said I don't want anyone to know about this!"
"It'll just be for me, I promise. I won't show anyone else." Annie pleaded with her again and Britta sighed.
"Okay…"
Britta smiled and Annie snapped a few pictures before moving to stand next to her. She wrapped her free arm around Britta's shoulder and took a picture of the two of them together. Satisfied with the shot, Annie placed her phone in her bag and grinned, still standing close to Britta. They turned at the same time to look at each other and bumped noses, apologizing between small bouts of laughter. Both Britta and Annie froze then, their noses just barely touching as they looked into each other's eyes. They hadn't been this close before, and amidst the distant laughter and chatter from the other park guests, they could hear their own heartbeats. Annie's hand slid from Britta's shoulder to her back and Britta pressed her body even closer to Annie's as their lips finally met. Eyelids fluttered shut as time froze for them.
Britta was the first to pull away, eyes opening in a flash of panic. "I… um, uh…"
"Can we do that again?" Annie looked up at Britta, still close, her eyes wide and full of wonder. Upon seeing Annie's reaction, Britta felt a rush of relief. She smiled widely as her heart threatened to beat even faster and she nodded as Annie leaned in.
"Yes."
They kissed again quickly this time, remembering where they were. Taking a look around, Annie and Britta had to laugh at themselves. People were leaving the park and no one seemed to notice them.
"Guess it's getting late," Annie said, glancing in the direction of the sunset.
"Looks that way," Britta responded, watching a few remaining groups of parents and children on their way to exit the park. "I didn't think I'd say this but I had a really good time, Annie. And just think: we have the whole rest of the week to stay here and do whatever we want."
"That's right!" Annie hugged Britta close, reaching for her hand. "Sorry…"
"Don't be. You can hold my hand all you want, you know that."
"Right… I guess I'm kinda…"
"Nervous?"
Annie frowned. "You aren't?"
"I don't know… maybe a little bit. But I'm… with you, so I know things will be fine." They walked leisurely towards the park exit, watching as families passed by them. Occasionally they stole little glances at each other, wondering how to talk about what just happened or whether they should talk about it at all.
"I'm glad it was you."
"Hm?"
Annie looked up and smiled shyly. "I'm glad it was you who could come here with me."
Britta adjusted Annie's hat with her free hand and smiled back just as they reached the exit. "I'm glad you asked me. I… um… I like whatever this is."
"Are we… more than friends?" Annie blushed as she watched Britta's face turn an equally deep shade of red. Britta didn't want to jump to conclusions, but if they both felt that way, if they both wanted to try it on, what was there to lose? They were at Disneyland, they were young…ish, they were supposed to go out and live and maybe even fall in love, right?
With a confident nod, Britta finally said, "If you're okay with that, I'm okay with it. I've… thought about that for a while actually..."
Annie's eyes widened for a second before her expression softened and turned to one of joy. "I guess you were right then, dreams do come true here!"
The pair's laughter subsequently echoed through the main gates where they walked as their first eventful day at Disneyland drew to a close.