They'd found a bench where they could sit and eat their ice cream, but there was only one small space on the end that wasn't occupied. Lucas had solved that by taking the seat himself, sitting next to a man wearing knee shorts in an unfortunate shade of green and a safari hat, and pulling Riley down to sit on his lap. Which was clothed in a much more traditional pair of khaki board shorts.
They were on one of the main pathways between attractions, after having gone to look for a place that sold ice cream when they'd found that the vending cart at the roller coaster hadn't had any. With a constant stream of families, couples, and kids passing in front of them, they people-watched while they contentedly swiped at their frozen treats. Riley swung her dangling foot indolently as they exchanged an occasional remark and pointed out things of amusement to one another. At one point, Lucas couldn't resist pressing his cold lips against the curve of her neck since it was right there in front of his face. Riley giggled, her shoulder rising and head tilting towards it to curtail the ticklish contact.
"Mm, just as sweet as the ice cream," he declared, his lips at her ear.
Smiling, Riley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You goof," she said affectionately.
"So, what do you want to do next?" she asked a minute later, offering him a drink from the single bottle of water they'd bought.
"I don't know," Lucas replied, accepting the bottle from her. He glanced at the tall, spooky-looking hotel across the way. "What about Tower of Terror?" He watched for her reaction with amusement as he took a long swallow of water.
As expected, Riley's eyes rounded, and she rejected the idea with a jerky shake of her head.
"Still no?" he teased. "Riles, you just rode a roller coaster that went upside down at Mach 10. How can you still be too scared to ride Tower of Terror?"
"It didn't go up to Mach 10, you said so," she reminded him childishly, catching a drip of mint chocolate chip with her tongue before it escaped down the side of her cone. "And a roller coaster is totally different from free-falling over a hundred feet and being jerked up and down like a yo-yo."
Lucas tilted his cone to lick around the bottom of the rapidly-melting scoop of strawberry. "Different maybe, but still fun," he contended.
"Why don't you ask them if that's true," Riley said challengingly, pointing at the ride a short distance away. There were elevator doors up and down the side of the ramshackle tower that were opening and closing randomly, and the screams of terror from the people inside filled the air. "Ask my dad if it's true," she added.
Lucas chuckled. "I think most of that was just put on for Auggie and Ava's benefit," he told her.
When they'd visited the park earlier in the week with the rest of the group, the two kids had been the only ones willing to go on the ride with Lucas and Cory. Lucas recalled when they'd come back from the ride to rejoin Riley and her mom...
"Oh, man, Riles, you missed it," he'd laughed. "You should've seen your dad up there. He was making sounds I've never heard before. Some of them didn't even sound human."
Everyone had laughed, and Cory turned his head away for a moment as though to say he didn't have to listen to this before pointing out defensively, "You were screaming too, you know."
"Oh, I admit it, I was screaming my head off," Lucas had agreed with a nod. "But at least I wasn't crying out for my mommy. Even Auggie and Ava weren't screaming that bad," he razzed.
"Why don't ya zip your lips, Mr. Tattletale," Cory shot back, and Lucas had just grinned unrepentantly. "And I did not cry for my mommy," he added in muttered denial.
"You did! Didn't he, Auggie?"
The truth was, he'd actually started out yelling, "Ohhh, Momma!" And as the car had risen up a short distance then dropped them jerkily several times it had become, "Oh, Mom- momm- mommaaaa!" When the drops became longer it had devolved into a higher-pitched, "Mommm-eeeeee!" And it was all mommy, mommy, mommy from there.
At Lucas's question, Auggie had looked up at his father, somehow managing to smirk and look sympathetic at the same time. "I don't want to shame you, Dad, so I'm not gonna answer that."
"Thank you, Auggie," Cory said primly. "So now it's just your word against mine," he'd told Lucas smugly. To his wife and daughter, he posed the question, "Who ya gonna believe?"
"What about Ava?" Riley pointed out with amusement. "Wasn't she there?"
Cory sent an apprehensive look at the little blond, and she'd smiled and fluttered her lashes at him, the message clear that she would sell him out in a heartbeat.
Cory's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Wasn't there some Olaf thing you were wanting at that gift shop earlier?"
Ava's eyes lit up avariciously. "Sorry, Hunkalicious," she'd told Lucas, "I'm gonna have to go with Phil here. I didn't hear a thing."
"Okay," Lucas had given up with an expansive shrug, knowing when he was beat. "What happens in the Tower stays in the Tower, I guess. I know someone was crying Mommy though."
He'd looked at Cory then and the twinkle in the elder Matthews eyes as he looked back at him pretty much confirmed what he'd suspected. Half-way through the ride he'd started wondering if Cory hadn't just been putting on an exaggerated show to distract Auggie and Ava from their fear. The first drop of the elevator had sent them plunging to the ground at a disconcerting rate of speed , and the two of them had looked genuinely terrified. But then they'd gotten to laughing at Cory's hysterical reactions and had seemed to be having more fun after that.
"I think he was just trying to make them laugh with the whole mommy thing," he told Riley now, "To keep them from being so scared."
"Sounds like my dad," Riley agreed, remembering him doing something similar with her on The Cyclone when she was little. "That doesn't mean he wasn't really scared out of his mind though."
"Maybe," he allowed. "But even if he was, that doesn't mean you would be." He pointed what was left of his cone at her in emphasis.
"I guess we'll never know," she replied blithely, licking the green sticky residue from her thumb with unconcern.
On a silent note of laughter, Lucas conceded wryly, "No, I guess we won't." With an amused shake of his head, he finished off his cone, then took another drink of water.
Handing the bottle back to her so she could have the rest, he laid his arm across her legs and watched as she tipped her head back to drain the last few swallows. "So Star Tours next then?" he asked.
Her mouth full, Riley nodded. Swallowing, she said, "Yeah, we probably should, don't you think?" Pulling out her phone to check the time, she said, "We just have a little over three and a half hours before we're supposed to meet up with the others."
"Yeah, we should get going," he agreed.
They headed across the park, and though the sky had grown cloudy, a sticky heat filled the air, and they were surrounded by masses of people, Riley wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. There was just something magical about Disney World. You felt it no matter what age you were. Kids were laughing, music was playing all around them- courtesy of the outdoor speakers placed all over the park- and people were smiling everywhere she looked. The joy of it all just lifted Riley's heart, and she swung her and Lucas's joined hands between them as they walked.
"Happy?" Lucas smiled, glad to see her looking more carefree than she had in the gift shop.
"Yeah." Riley returned his smile. "I'm sorry for that- meltdown or whatever it was back there. Having you here with us this week has been amazing, Lucas, and the last thing I want to do is ruin our last day here."
Lucas squeezed her hand, reassuring her, "You haven't ruined it. I get it, Riley. When you get to thinking about it- the different schools, our future, and all that- it sort of becomes this big, scary, unknown thing. But we'll make it through it. We mean too much to each other not to. And when it's over we'll be even stronger."
Riley looked up at him with admiration shining in her eyes. "I love you, Lucas Friar. You're pretty incredible, you know."
He looked down in a self-effacing manner, a pleased expression on his face when he tilted his gaze over at her. "And I love you, Riley Matthews. So much that I know it'll see us through anything."
Their eyes held for a long moment, and then they were kissing while walking again. But this time they drifted to a standstill, their free hands coming up to cradle each other's neck and face respectively. Their lips moved softly on one another's, parted, then came back together again, sweet kisses that felt like promises passed back and forth between them.
When their lips finally drew apart, their faces lingered close together. Riley's eyes were slow to open and she sighed in pleasure. She felt connected, as if something had just been reaffirmed between them, and wasn't in any particular hurry to leave his embrace.
Lucas was feeling the same sense of closeness, and he pressed a long kiss on her forehead as she bowed her head slightly towards his.
It was the bump of a passerby that finally parted them when Lucas was knocked slightly off balance.
"Watch where you're going, Braden," a young woman scolded, taking her son by the hand. "Sorry about that," she apologized, directing the little boy around them.
Lucas acknowledged her politely, and the family moved on.
Riley and Lucas looked back at each other. "We forgot about all those little eyes," she said wryly.
"And apparently we need to watch out for little bodies too. Kid's gonna be a linebacker," he joked, and she laughed.
Moment over, the two of them turned to continue on to their destination, hands still linked between them.
They were headed to the opposite side of the park, the Star Wars attraction being at one of the outer corners, nearly at the park's edge. On the way, they passed Hollywood Boulevard, the street that ran from the entrance of the park up its center. It was lined on both sides with a series of inter-connected gift shops and eateries that gave the impression of old Hollywood with their architectural facades in pastels and neon. A row of palm trees on either side of the street furthered the illusion that it was the California town.
As they were walking past one of the shops at the end of the street, Riley started tugging Lucas in that direction, saying, "Oh, wait, can we run in here for just a minute? Please? They had those movie charms in there, remember? And it was the only place I've come across them."
Even though they were pressed for time if they were going to make it to the other parks, Lucas indulgently followed along behind her as she pulled him by the hand.
They entered the shop with the mint green exterior, and the air conditioned coolness inside was a welcome relief from the heat. True to her word, Riley went straight to the jewelry section of the store, and started sifting through the small bins filled with movie-themed charms featuring Disney characters dressed as the key roles from the films. She, Maya, and Smackle had all gotten matching bracelets a few years ago, and had been collecting charms to go on them ever since.
Lucas stood by patiently as she picked through them, occasionally holding one up for his inspection and approval.
"Look, it's Cap's shield with ears," she enthused, showing him the tiny Captain America shield with black Mickey Mouse ears sitting atop it. "Isn't it cute?"
"Uh-huh," he agreed for the third time.
Head tilting empathetically, Riley told him, "You know, you don't have to stand here with me. You can go look around if you want."
"I'm fine," he assured her with a smile, content to watch her delight in the number of charms that were on offer. Besides, this particular shop mostly held stuffed animals, food items, and children's toys, so there wasn't much there to hold his interest anyway.
Riley continued to look for a few minutes, and while they were occupied in the store, the overcast sky opened up outside and it started pouring rain. People began running in noisily, exclaiming over the sudden downpour, and soon the shop was full of people in varying states of wetness, all taking refuge from the inclement weather.
It wasn't overly concerning. It was a common occurrence for a rain shower to blow in for a brief time in the afternoons there. And when it was over, the sun usually came back out, shining as brightly as if it had never been hidden away at all. They'd seen it happen at least twice during the week they'd been there, so Riley just continued on with her shopping, planning to pass the time there until it was over.
But even after lingering over the task of choosing several bracelet charms, and doing what little bit of browsing they could manage with the extra influx of people loitering around in the store, the rain still hadn't abated.
Riley had paid for her purchases, and she and Lucas were standing near the open doorway, watching it continue to pour from the sky.
"It's really coming down," Lucas remarked, looking out at the now-deserted street in front of the shop. A few people occasionally went running by, the flimsy yellow rain ponchos that were sold in all the gift shops partially covering them.
"Yeah, stopping here was a mistake," Riley said regretfully. "We'd probably be at the ride right now if we hadn't. I'm sorry, Lucas."
Lucas shrugged easily. "It's no big deal. The rain will probably stop soon."
Two kids went running by, laughing and calling to each other boisterously, the slap of their shoes on the pavement sending water splashing against their shins.
"I bet there's no line over there at all right now," Riley said, hating that they weren't there to take advantage of the possible no-waiting time, when otherwise they'd be waiting for an hour or more for that ride.
After she'd made the comment, the two of them looked at each other speculatively, silently consulting with one another.
"You want to make a run for it?" Lucas spoke aloud what they were both thinking, brows lifted and a small grin curving his lips.
Riley looked out at the rain and then back at him. Matching his grin, she nodded.
Without giving themselves any more time to think about it, they plunged out the doorway together.
They were drenched within seconds as they went running hand-in-hand, Riley straggling slightly behind. Laughing at the craziness of what they were doing, they rounded the gift shop and cut left on an intersecting pathway. There was a landscaped area with densely leafed trees and benches behind the gift shops, so they were protected for a small part of the way. But once they came out from underneath those there was no shelter at all, so for the last three hundred yards or so, all they could do was run.
Water was rolling down the pavement like shallow streams, and each footfall sent it spattering against their lower legs, the same as it had done with the two kids earlier. When they went around the corner of the Indiana Jones amphitheater to turn down another street, Riley's foot skidded on the wet sidewalk, making her falter.
"Whoah! Careful!" Lucas called, his hand tightening around hers convulsively as he turned to put his other arm out in a steadying manner. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she gasped mirthfully, "Keep going," she urged.
They went on, but now that her forward momentum had been broken, it wasn't long before she was stumbling on the wet surface again. This time she very nearly went down, but even as her breath caught sharply, Lucas was turning and stooping to grab for her with an outstretched arm and pulling her up safely against him.
Crisis averted, she looked at him with dancing eyes and shook her head. "This is pretty crazy, Mad Dog," she said as he held her against his chest, her voice raised to speak over the sound of the pounding rain.
"Just don't expect me to start twirling you around like Zac Effron or something," he said humorously, referring to the scene in that High School Musical movie, where Troy and Gabriella danced on the rooftop.
Riley laughed, letting her arms fall open at her sides and dropping her head back to let the rain wash her face, thinking they might as well embrace the situation since they couldn't possibly get any wetter than they already were.
Apparently, Lucas had come to the same conclusion, because after he put her down and they resumed running, they went on a more meandering course, splashing through puddles, and letting their arms stretch out full length between them from the link of their hands and towing each other around lackadaisically. Riley held on to his hand with both of hers, and he ran backwards a short way to tug her along in his wake.
Then he swung her in a half-circle around him when he turned to face forward again until she was the one running in front of him ...and the whole time they were both giggling like crazy. If anyone saw them they probably thought they'd lost their minds.
By the time they made it to Star Tours they were soaked from head to toe. The good thing was, Riley had been right, there was no line outside the building at all. There was a small replication of the tree village in Endor built around the waiting area, but it didn't offer solid protection overhead, so the people that had been in line there had taken shelter elsewhere.
Taking advantage of the emptiness, Lucas and Riley chased each other around the winding queue of strategically-placed railings and fake trees trunks, feeling lighthearted from their run in the rain. The ride attendant standing at the door shook her head at them, smiling, as they burst inside laughing breathlessly.
"I hope the short line was worth the trade-off of being dry," she joked.
"Yeah, me too," Lucas joked back somewhat ironically, running a hand through his wet hair and sending it spiking.
Smile still lingering on her face, Riley pulled the front of her sopping shirt away from her body and fanned it a little to help it air dry as they continued to wind around the queue inside.
They'd entered what appeared to be an airport, or more accurately, a spaceport, with metal walls, colored lights, and ductwork all around. A large screen high up on one wall listed departure times and showed travel advertisements for the otherworldly destinations that 'Star Tours' could take them to, while the PA system filtered in a constant stream of flight announcements, sometimes in the indecipherable language of another world.
Against the far wall, there was a docked space ship with replicas of R2-D2 and C-3P0 carrying on a conversation around it. It was set up to entertain the guests as they waited in line, with 3P0 making humorous comments and R2 answering him back in his language of blips and bleeps, but since this part of the waiting area was empty as well, Riley and Lucas passed it by with only a brief look.
Their feet made squishing sounds inside their wet shoes as they rounded a corner into a darker part of the building. This section had been made to look like some kind of robot construction and repair area, with electronics and robot parts strewn around at the side of the queue. A small talking robot, who was the one doing the repairs, interacted with the onlookers. It was here that they finally ran into the line of people who were waiting to get on the ride.
As they took their place at the end of the line and settled in to wait, they were finally able to deal with their uncomfortable state of wetness. Both began briskly rubbing at their arms and legs in an effort to wick away some of the water and encourage it to evaporate.
"Ugh, it's freezing in here." Riley shivered as the air conditioning made goosebumps spring up all over her skin.
Lucas nodded in agreement. "Probably just because we're wet. Here," thought occurring to him, he reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out the t-shirt he'd bought earlier. "We can dry off with this."
She didn't immediately reach to take it from him, instead asking, "Didn't you get that for Zay?" When he indicated that he had, she made a small sound of amused objection. "You can't give him a shirt we've both used as a towel."
"Why not? He won't ever know," he said humorously, his eyes twinkling devilishly.
"Lucas," she laughed in protest.
"I'm kidding," he said with a smile. "I'll just keep it and find him another one later."
Objections satisfied, she took it from him and wiped off her arms and legs. When she was finished, she handed it back so he could do the same.
Hands now free, she brought them up to try and smooth back her hair where it was gathered into the ponytail. "I must look like a drowned rat," she said self-consciously.
Lucas looked at her as he was drying off his forearm. "Nope. Still beautiful," he assured her lightly.
Head tilting, her face melted into a smile that was both flattered and loving.
After bending over to dry off his legs, he straightened to find Riley huddled in on herself with her arms crossed over her chest. Finished with the shirt, he reached behind her to wrap it around her shoulders like a blanket and pulled the two ends together tightly at her front.
"Better?" he asked, rubbing her upper arms through the fabric of the shirt.
"Yeah," she said gratefully, holding the shirt closed within her own fists. It was damp, but it did help stave off the air-conditioned chill. "But what about you?"
"I'm fine now that I'm dry," he said dismissively.
The line moved forward a good bit, and it continued to move steadily. The ride took place in what was essentially a small theater, and there were several of them running simultaneously. So each time one got finished, a number of people were ushered forward from the line to fill the theater for the next run. And since there was a smaller number of people in line to begin with, it wasn't long before Riley and Lucas found themselves at the head of the line.
There were no nervous butterflies while waiting this time, only eager anticipation. The flight simulation ride was another favorite for both of them. It was made even better because they'd both seen all the Star Wars movies. Farkle was a huge Star Wars fan, and he'd seen to it that the rest of them had seen the movies by bringing them whenever it was his choice on movie night. Maya and Isadora were the only ones who weren't really into them. Riley wasn't crazy about all of them, but she liked the early years of Padme and Anakin. And Lucas loved Han and Chewey.
None of those characters were actually featured on the ride, but it made things more fun to be able get all the references made to the movies in the themed area all around them and on the movie that was the main feature of the ride.
Once they reached the front of the line, they were given 3D glasses, and then they had only to wait for the ride in progress to get finished. They were standing outside a row of doors, and there were small screens set into the wall above them showing a countdown of the minutes they had left to wait.
When the countdown reached 0:00 the doors popped open and a small group was allowed to board. Riley and Lucas shuffled in amidst them, holding hands so they didn't get separated. Inside, it looked like the interior of a small passenger ship, with seats laid out like a movie theater. The young couple picked a row near the center and filed in behind several others who'd also chosen to sit in that row.
Once everyone was seated, a flight attendant instructed them to fasten their seatbelts and stow everything they were carrying in the catch-all beneath their seats. Riley gave Lucas his t-shirt back and they both bent to stow their gift bags. When they were back upright, they shared a smile of anticipation before putting on their glasses for the show.
The lights dimmed to near-darkness, and a retractable door at the front of the room slid open to reveal a screen spanning the width of the wall. There, in a projected image, was the view out of the front of their ship. It showed that they were inside a hangar bay, with other ships coming and going, and bustling activity taking place on the floor.
C-3P0 was sitting at the side of the screen in the cockpit area, and he was arguing with a disembodied voice who was referring to him as the captain, saying that he had only been checking the systems, he wasn't really the pilot. R2-D2 could also be heard over a speaker, whistling and beeping from the unseen co-pilot's seat.
The argument was interrupted when a group of Storm Troupers came running up to the front windshield of the ship. They told them that they were looking for a rebel spy and demanded to know if she was on board. A small robot shined a light inside as if it were scanning them, and after a moment it made a wordless exclamation. One of the Storm Troupers cried that this was the speeder they were looking for and gave the order to blast them.
As the shots from their laser guns began to flash, 3P0 called out to R2 to get them out of there, and the image on the screen made it look as if they were moving towards the hangar bay door. The small 'theater' they were in was actually a simulator, so when the camera angle on the screen rose to emulate upward movement, hydraulics lifted the platform beneath their seats at the same time, creating the illusion that their ship had just risen off the ground.
They flew out the open door into the blackness of space, and immediately found themselves surrounded by a cluster of large ships. Their seats swayed and dipped as they maneuvered their way between them, then small fighters started flying straight at them. Their weapons discharged in staccato streaks of light and a high-pitched tchew-tchew-tchew of sound as one after another came at them firing. 3P0 was exclaiming anxiously over the situation the entire time, and he yelled at R2 that he better not dare jump them into light speed. But the little robot didn't listen.
In the next moment, the screen was filled with stars streaking past them in a duplication of the effect used in the movies when a ship shifted into light speed. The stars became blurry streaks of light flying at them in a sort of cone effect while they shot through the center of them. Then the blur flying towards them at the outer edges of the screen became streams of blue light with starbursts shot through it, and at its center, far ahead, was a bright pinprick of white. Their seats had pitched forward and were swaying up and down slightly, and Riley laughed at the giddy sensation of flying through a wormhole at warp speed.
When they finally shot through the center of the wormhole, they found themselves approaching a large planet. The surface of the planet flew past below them until they were low enough that they were flying in its atmosphere.
Some of the other ships had obviously come through with them because they were still engaged in a firefight. They flew low over a desert landscape, still swooping and tilting evasively as the small ships flying around shot at them. The hulking carcasses of downed ships littered the sands below, and they flew around, and sometimes through, them in their retreat.
Suddenly a small burst of fire exploded at the bottom of the screen and the simulator gave them a sharp jolt. They'd been hit, and now they were falling into the dark, open maw of a decaying ship. They were in a narrow shaft, and their seats moved bumpily and jarred them each time their ship collided with the walls close around them as they kept falling.
3P0 was crying out the entire way down, then they crashed to the bottom with a jerk.
In the abrupt cessation of sound, there were several laughs and remarks of appreciation from the audience. A small voice in the back piped up, asking, "Did we crash, Daddy?", drawing more laughs. Riley threw a smiling look over her shoulder towards the source of the remark and then she and Lucas shared a grin over the cuteness of it.
3P0 again demanded that R2 get them out of there, and when their systems rebooted he complied. They flew up out of the bowels of the ship until they were back in space.
Once again amongst the stars, they received a holographic transmission from BB-8, the droid in one of the more recent movies. He was on a mission with vital information to deliver and he said he needed their help. 3P0 was against the idea, but their little robotic co-pilot took matters into his own hands, and in the next moment they were shifting into light speed again.
When they emerged this time, they were surrounded by an even larger number of ships, and the firefight was on again. There was more firing and evading, their ship shuddering time and again as explosions rocked the screen, the small fighters hitting their targets on the much larger carrier ships they were flying over.
Then the flash of a weapon blasted apart a piece of the ship right in front of them, creating a huge fiery explosion. They ran right into the middle of it, flames covering the screen, and it sent their ship careening out of control.
They were falling again, this time nose first, their seats tilted far forward and jouncing as they rushed downward through the starry blackness towards something undecipherable far away.
There were armrests on the sides of their seats, and Lucas had his hands braced on his when the nose-diving sensation of falling overtook them. Instead of grabbing her own armrest, Riley gripped Lucas's arm, the same as she did when they watched a scary movie. He wasn't sure she realize she was doing it now any more than she did at those times. As he did when he was soothing her at the movies, he reached across with his other hand and covered the small fingers that were grasping his arm to give them a comforting squeeze.
The indistinct something they were falling towards turned out to be a dark city with lit skyscrapers all around. Lucas and Riley both recognized it as the same cityscape that was in the movie 'Attack of the Clones' when Anakin and Obi Wan had chased the assassin. When their ship leveled out, they were in the middle of fast-flowing traffic, but instead of cars it was small space ships and speeders.
Horns honked at them as they flew through the midst of the traffic in an out-of-control bob and weave pattern. They flew through a tunnel with ships flying towards them and 3P0 yelled at R2 that they were going the wrong way.
Finally he pointed out a platform where they could land and R2 brought them in to a stop. A voice on the coms welcomed them and thanked them for getting their colleague there safe, and 3P0 remarked to the audience that they were all part of the rebel alliance now.
The retractable door closed over the screen and the lights came back on, signaling the end of the ride. Riley and Lucas gathered their things and rose to file out with everyone else. Out in the passageway, they followed the crowd walking toward the exit.
Feeling slightly unsteady after the shifting ride, Riley wavered towards Lucas when they took their first steps on the solid concrete floor.
"Sorry," she apologized as they both laughed, "I guess I don't have my sea legs yet."
"Technically, I think it's that you don't have your land legs," Lucas corrected fondly. Taking her hand in his, he brought it up between them in a steadying clasp. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall off the earth," he promised with a grin.
"My hero," she returned impishly, leaning into his side.
The exit from this ride ended in a gift shop as well, with every Star Wars themed object imaginable on sale. They'd already picked up a can koozie shaped like R2-D2, and a t-shirt with a Jedi Training Academy logo on it for Farkle the last time they were there, so they didn't linger to shop.
They exited the store to find that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly again. Where the heat had been humid and a bit uncomfortable before, stepping out into the sunny warmth was welcome at that moment, with their clothes still sticking to them clammily.
"Ahh, that feels good!" Riley threw her arms out briefly and lifted her face to revel in the rays beating down on them, an ironic twist, since it was practically the same pose she'd welcomed the rain with earlier.
"Yeah, who knew 96 degrees could feel so great," Lucas replied humorously, walking at her side.
By mutual consent, they headed back to Hollywood Boulevard and the entry gate at its end. When they were mid-way down the street, Riley noticed the iconic Disney characters who were mingling in the crowd ahead of them.
"Awww! Minnie's wearing an evening gown," she exclaimed, her tone enchanted.
Instead of her usual red and white polka-dotted dress, this costumed Minnie Mouse was dressed in a long frothy gown with a matching purple bow cocked over her signature ears.
"And look! Mickey's in a matching tux," she pointed at the mouse, who was further away. "They look like they're ready for the red carpet or something," she said in delight, a smile wreathing her face.
The two characters were interacting with different parts of the crowd, shaking their hands, signing autographs, and posing for pictures.
"We have to get a picture with them," Riley determined, towing him towards the two mice by the hand.
"We've already had our pictures taken with them," Lucas protested mildly as he let himself be pulled. "Twice, as a matter of fact. At the Magic Kingdom and at the Animal Kingdom."
"Yeah, but now they're wearing evening wear," she pointed out, as if that was an obvious enough reason for a third picture with the two characters.
There was no line to determine who was next, the characters were just moving from person to person in the crowd around them as each moved forward to interact with them. Riley and Lucas made their way to the front of the gathering, making sure they didn't push ahead of anyone who had been there first. It took a little while, but they finally got to take their turn with them.
"Hi, Minnie, you look so pretty," Riley told her smilingly.
The person inside the costume wasn't allowed to speak, so she had to communicate with gestures. At Riley's compliment, Minnie's hands went up to her cheeks as if she were embarrassed or flattered, then she blew a two-handed kiss in thanks.
"Can we get a picture with both of you?" Riley asked, gesturing to Mickey, who was shaking someone's hand.
Minnie nodded exaggeratedly, then reached to get Mickey's attention by tapping on his arm. When he turned, she gestured him over and pointed at Riley, who held up her phone to indicate that she wanted a picture. He waved goodbye to the boy he'd been engaged with then came over to join his lady mouse.
He waved hello to Riley, and she smiled back. "Hi, Mickey. Love your tux." Both his hands went up to his heart and made a pulsing gesture out and in as if she'd made his heart pound, and Riley laughed delightedly.
"Hey, back off, man, she's taken," Lucas joked, stepping forward so he was closer to his girlfriend's side.
Mickey's hands went up in surrender, and Riley laughed again. Turning to a young woman standing next to them who looked to be in her twenties, Riley looked at her in appeal. "Would you mind taking one of both of us?" she asked, holding up her phone.
"Yeah, sure," the girl agreed, taking the phone from her and moving out in front of them.
Lucas and Riley put their arms around each other, and Mickey and Minnie got into place behind them, their arms going around each other in a matching pose, with their free hands on the young couple's shoulders.
"Ready?" The unknown girl held the phone up to frame them on the screen, and after a count of three, snapped the picture.
"Thank you so much," Riley told her, taking the phone the girl handed back to her. Turning back to the characters, she extended her thanks, saying, "Thank you, guys, that was perfect!"
Minnie patted her on the shoulder, and both mice waved to them, then turned to the next person clamoring for their attention.
As Riley and Lucas moved away, he had to guide her through the throng of people because she was too busy pulling the picture up on her phone's screen so she could see it. She gave a little bounce of glee at how cute it was and showed it to Lucas, smiling hugely.
"Look at those perfect couples," she bubbled.
"Perfect." Lucas smiled at her affectionately, tickled by her child-like enthusiasm, and loving her even more for it.
"You're not even looking at the picture," she scolded, lightly swatting his arm as they walked side-by-side. "And I'm not a kid, it's just cute," she added, knowing what he was thinking just by his expression.
Lucas laughed. "I know you're not a kid. A kid wouldn't flirt with The Mouse. The Head Honcho. The Big Cheese," he teased. "And right in front of Mrs. Mouse too."
"I wasn't flirting! I just told him he looked nice," she argued protestingly. "I would never do that to my girl, Minnie."
Nodding in acknowledgement, he conceded, "Guess I can't blame the guy for getting all flustered by your compliment. My girl's got a smile that can melt the heart of mice and men," he said with fond humor, pulling her to him with an arm around her neck and pressing a kiss into her hair.
Riley let herself be pulled into his side and braced her hand on his chest as they walked. At his words, she looked up at him and gave him one of those heart-melting smiles while they continued on with her tucked into the hollow of his shoulder.
When they got to the front gate, they caught one of the Disney transportation buses and took it over to Epcot. There was hardly any wait at the entrance there since it was nearing the middle of the day, and when they got through they headed towards the landmark that the park was known for, Spaceship Earth. Or the giant silver golf ball, as Ava referred to it.
They'd decided on the bus that they were only going to hit two rides there, since their time was somewhat limited. And to further save time, they were going to get Fast Passes for both of them, and while they were waiting for the time on the first Pass to arrive, they'd go have lunch.
Plan made, they had to go from one side of the park to the other to set up the two passes. Riley had picked up a map at the front gate to guide them because for some reason she got turned around really easily in this particular park. And since Lucas had only been there the once, he didn't exactly remember the way. So, with map in hand, they headed over to the Soarin' attraction first.
As they walked, Riley took a moment to appreciate how much less hectic things felt there. Epcot had a completely different ambiance from the other Disney parks. It leaned more towards the contemporary, and even futuristic, in the architectural design of its buildings, with none of the themed fantasy elements that were so prevalent in the other parks.
But it was beautiful in its own right, with its abundant landscaped areas around all the walkways, the interestingly shaped buildings housing the attractions, and of course, the different atmospheres created in each of the countries that were represented in the World Showcase. But the fact that the attractions were much more spread out there made it feel a little less congested, and somehow leisurely, as they made the relatively long walk from one to the other.
After they got through at the Fast Pass kiosk at Test Track, the other attraction they wanted to ride, they had an hour and ten minutes to kill before their Soarin' pass was valid.
"So... lunch in Paris?" Lucas suggested with a small grin, his brow quirked in question
"Yay," she smiled in delight at the idea. "Absolutely."
He offered her the crook of his arm, and, giggling, she looped her own through it, and they set off.
Getting to the France pavilion took another long walk. The World Showcase itself was a mile-long stretch, ringing a lagoon, and was divided into sections that represented eleven different countries. But even just getting to Showcase Plaza, the souvenir pavilion that was the starting point of the encircling countries, was a pretty good trek in itself.
The sun was back at full-strength, pounding down on them as they walked. And by the time they'd made it to Canada, the first country they had to pass through on their way to France, Riley was fanning herself with her folded-up map.
"Boy, it's hot."
"Yeah, 96 degrees isn't feeling so great anymore," he replied dryly.
Widening her strokes of the map so that she was fanning him too, she joked, "I thought Canada was supposed to be cooler than this."
Lucas snorted a silent laugh. "Not Disney World Canada apparently."
"Well, at least our clothes are dry now," she said optimistically.
"Yeah, there is that," he agreed.
They made their way through Canada, with its rocky waterfall, timber structures, and trading post. Then came the castle-like structure and quaint village shops of Great Britain, most prominently featuring a pub, a food vendor selling fish and chips, and several of the red glass-paned telephone booths that are so often associated with the British country.
France was next, and Riley was just as enamored with the Disney representation of the country as she felt like she would be with the real thing. She'd always dreamed of going to Paris; outdoor cafes, French bistros, the Eiffel tower... she just wanted to experience the wonderful, romantic atmosphere of the place. Later, that had become a dream of hers and Lucas's both.
Paris had held a special meaning to them ever since Lucas had said something to her in French one day when they were in their middle school art class together. She hadn't understood what he said at the time, but in high school she'd started taking French herself. And it had become something of a game, while she was learning the language, to try and figure out what he'd said to her that day. Lucas had played along, repeating the phrase back to her with a secret smile every time she asked him to. But he'd substituted a different word or two in the phrase every time, so it had taken nearly the whole school year before she'd managed to translate it.
When she was finally able to tell him that he'd said, 'Maybe someday we'll go to Paris together,' he'd congratulated her with a smiling kiss. And then he'd added an even longer phrase to her repertoire when he said to her in French, "Now that you know the language, we have to go. Paris is the city of love after all. And I definitely qualify for that."
It had been his way of telling her that he loved her for the first time, and it had been made even more special because he'd said it in such a beautiful language. One of her biggest regrets was that she hadn't been able to say it back to him that day. They'd been going out on dates, and she knew that she did love him, but she'd still worried that they might somehow end up losing each other if they totally committed to a romantic relationship and it didn't work out.
It had taken her a little while, but she'd managed to work through her reservations, and when she'd finally been able to say that she loved him too, she'd told it to him in French.
Ever since then, they'd talked seriously about going to Paris together someday, maybe after they'd both graduated from college. But, for now, this was the next best thing
There was a giddy little bounce in her step that Lucas observed with affection as they crossed over a slightly arched bridge with wrought iron railings into a little version of Paris. Striped awnings and paned windows with tall shutters graced the Parisian shops that formed a small nook there. At its center, a narrow pool with low fountains was gurgling away, its multiple arcs and flumes of water sparkling in the midday sun. Clusters of flower pots and hanging baskets with their colorful blooms spilling over, were all around, adding quaintness to the overall picture it presented. And overlooking it all was a scaled-down replica of the Eiffel tower, its metal filigreed top peeking over the roofs of the buildings.
Riley tried to breathe it all in with the full range of her senses, the outdoor speakers emitting the sound of flowing accordion music lending an audible component that only added to the French flavor of the scene.
"I love it," she sighed happily. "Can we live here?"
Lucas chuckled softly and willingly played along. "Yeah, we can fix up a little apartment over one of the shops there." He gestured to the second story that was a feature of all the small shops and restaurants. They were probably just faux windows up there, decorated as they were with balconies and window boxes, and likely had nothing behind them, but their imaginations could fix that small detail.
And they did, Riley letting hers run wild as she said dreamily, "Can you imagine being able to look out your window and see the Eiffel tower all lit up at night?"
"Or waking up every morning and having coffee and croissants for breakfast-"
"-at the little outdoor cafe down the street," Riley finished his thought.
"Sunday strolls on the Champs-Elysees..."
"Having dinner on the tiny balcony of our apartment..."
"Pastries from the boulangerie for dessert..."
"Browsing through the Louvre on the weekends..." Riley sighed wistfully. "Doesn't it sound amazing, Lucas?"
His faraway look nearly matched hers, and when he came back to the present, his lips quirked in a smile. "We'll get there one day," he promised, lifting her clasped hand to his lips and pressing a small kiss of compensation to her knuckles.
They had lunch at Les Chefs de France, which boasted some of the best French chefs in the world. But even before they tasted the food they were impressed. The restaurant was beautiful. It's lightly golden interior complemented the darker burnt gold that was on the outside of the building. There were white linen cloths on the tables and matching napkins, folded into peaks, at every place setting. And the many-globed light fixtures added a warm golden glow as they reflected off the buttery cream of the walls. The elegance was further enhanced by arched mirrors, doors, and square columns that sectioned off the room.
Lucas and Riley were ushered across an amber patterned carpet to their table in the sunroom. They'd requested one there in front of the row of arched windows lining the outer wall of the restaurant, and luckily, a couple had just vacated one right before they got there. Sunlight spilled in through the bank of green-trimmed windows. Outside, they could see passersby coming and going, and further out, the sparkling water of the lagoon.
Their waiter was originally from France, which wasn't that unusual, as Disney employed a number of people that were native to the countries represented in the World Showcase. His name was Bastien, and he was very friendly and personable. Best of all, he was willing, and even eager, to answer all the questions Riley and Lucas peppered him with about his home when they found out where he was from. When he found out they knew the language, he switched back and forth randomly between English and French as he talked to them and gestured animatedly with his hands. They occasionally answered him back in his language, and when he complimented Riley on her accent she blushed, but her smile could have lit up the room.
He gave them recommendations on the food, and Riley ended up ordering the 'Croque monsieur et sa salade verte', which was a French toasted ham and goat cheese sandwich with a green salad, and Lucas asked for the 'Steack hache Angus, champignons et Bearnaise, salade ou frites', an Angus onion and mushroom burger with bearnaise on a brioche bun, served with fries in a newspaper cone.
"I can't believe you ordered a burger and fries in a French restaurant," she teased after Bastien had served them with their food.
"Hey, it came with French fries," Lucas argued back good-naturedly, holding one aloft as if she needed visual proof. "Besides, you got a ham and cheese sandwich. That's not exactly French cuisine you got going there, tiger," he pointed his fry at the toasted bread with cheese melted over the top that was sitting on her plate.
Riley made a face at him and laughed, but her only answer was a rapturous, "Mmmmm," when she bit into the flavorful sandwich she held at her lips, and her eyes fell closed in bliss. After she'd chewed and swallowed, she said, "Say what you want, this is amazing."
"Well, mine's pretty awesome too," he told her after he'd tasted it. "I think it's the haute cuisine of burgers if that makes you feel any better."
Riley huffed a gust of laughter but didn't argue with him any further, she was too busy savoring her sandwich.
For the rest of the meal they chatted about different incidents that had happened during their vacation, things they had planned to do over the summer, and they mused about what their friends at home were doing at that moment.
Bastien checked on them several times and they continued to chat with him as well. He'd led an interesting life, had seen a lot of the world, and he really wasn't that much older than them, only 27.
When they were finished and about to leave, he brought his hands together in front of his waist and tipped his head to them, saying charmingly, "Monsieur, mademoiselle, eet 'as been a delight. When you come to my country, I would consider eet an honor eef you would come to my 'ome in Montrouge while you are zere. Zen, you weel be among friends when you are een a foreign land."
"Merci beaucoup, Bastien," they both thanked him warmly.
"Nous sommes honores de vous avoir rencontre," Lucas told him, saying that they were honored to have met him.
"Vous avez ete merveilleux," Riley added, which translated to 'you have been wonderful', or more literally, 'marvelous'.
"Merci, merci," Bastien nodded his thanks. "Je l'espere vous revoir, mes amis." I hope to see you again, my friends.
"We hope so too," Riley answered. "Thank you for being so patient with us and answering all of our questions."
"No, no, eet was my pleasure," he replied quickly, pronouncing the last word plez-yur. "Eet ees most...'ow you say... exciting? To find someone 'ere wees such an interest een my country. 'Sank you for geeving me ze opportunity to speak of eet."
They left the restaurant with a feeling of pleasure in both the food and the company.
They didn't have a lot of time left before they needed to get back to the other side of the park in compliance with their Fast Pass, but they'd forgone dessert with their meal so they could stop in at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie and get one of the tantalizing pastries they created there.
But choosing what kind they wanted was no quick, easy task. There were so many to choose from, and they all looked incredibly delicious. There were small tarts garnished with strawberries and poufs of chocolate, and some of lemon topped with fat dollops of meringue, square parfait cups layered with a variety of mousses and whipped toppings, eclairs with vanilla and chocolate icing, flan topped with cherry jelly, puff pastries layered with fluffy creams, and everything was decorated and garnished with small flourishes that made the entire offering seem like a colorful display of art.
The selections were laid out in a buffet style that wasn't unsimilar to the lunch line in their school cafeteria. Riley and Lucas fell in behind the patrons who were perusing the tasty-looking treats in a line formation, and shuffled along at their pace while they did their own perusing.
"What are you going to get?" she asked after they'd been looking for several moments.
"Mm, I was thinking either the white chocolate mousse cake or the Napoleon."
Riley's face brightened with a pleased expression. "I was thinking about the chocolate mousse cake too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. You wanna share? That way, it'll be like we're both getting two."
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed smilingly.
When they'd purchased their treats, they took them outside to eat. The pastry shop was one of several eateries on the narrow street, and there were small bistro tables with chairs in front of most of the establishments there. The couple found an empty one and sat side-by-side, Lucas with his puffed pastry layered with cream, and Riley with the small chocolate glazed cake. They each ate a few bites from their own treat, then took turns feeding each other a forkful.
They were both mouth-wateringly delicious, and Riley savored the yummy flavors as much as the French atmosphere she was trying to soak up to carry with her. Pulling her eyes away from the turreted bakery, she found Lucas looking at her as she went to focus back on her cake.
Smiling, she said playfully, "Bonjour, Lucas."
Grinning, he tipped his head, replying, "Bonjour, Riley. J'ai apprecie notre sejour à Paris." Translated, it meant 'I've enjoyed our time in Paris'.
Riley giggled softly. "I have too," she replied as she fed him a bite of her cake. As he chewed, she wiped a small bit of chocolate icing off the corner of his lip with her thumb. "And I think the best part was that I was here with you."
Lucas's face softened with pleasure, touched by her proclamation.
"Because, you know," she continued before he could answer, "Paris is the city of love. And I definitely qualify for that." Smiling, she held his eyes meaningfully as she said the words he'd first given to her years ago. His first declaration of love.
Further touched that she remembered what he'd said all that time ago, and that now she was laying the sentiment at his feet, when before, she'd had trouble saying it back, Lucas looked at her with his heart in his eyes.
"Then I guess we both qualify," he told her, his voice husky with emotion.
Riley nodded slightly, still smiling softly. "I guess we do."
Lifting a hand to cup her cheek, he leaned over to kiss her. Warm breath mingled as she parted her lips and tipped her head to accommodate his. Their mouths brushed one another's lightly, then Lucas dipped in to make a firmer pass. Riley opened to him when his lips took possession fully, and they moved together with a tender heatedness, their tongues touching fleetingly.
His forehead came to rest gently against hers when the kiss went back to a soft brushing of mouths, their breath coming a little bit faster.
"You taste like chocolate," she murmured with a faint smile.
Lucas emitted a single note of low laughter. "So do you." He plucked another kiss from her lips.
"Now," they kissed again, "Paris will always remind me of chocolate kisses." They laughed together quietly, his thumb stroking her cheek.
With one last kiss, he raised his head and said regretfully, "As much as I hate this to end, we probably need to go if we're going to make that ride."
"Yeah," she sighed with equal reluctance. "But this has been perfect, Lucas. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon in Paris." Laying her hand on his jaw, she kissed him this time.
When it drew to a close, Lucas made a gruff little humming sound of pleasure, and replied, "Thank you."
They smiled into one another's eyes for a moment, then finished up what was left on their dishes.
Before getting up to gather their things and find somewhere to dump their trash, Riley said, "Wait, just one more thing." Pulling out her phone, she set it up for a picture, saying in explanation, "To remember it by."
Lucas smiled in compliance, and they leaned in close to one another, cheek to cheek, as she held the phone out in front of them at arm's length to take a selfie with the backdrop of Paris.
After they'd gotten their trash taken care of, they separated to take a quick bathroom break, then met back up to head over to Soarin'. They ended up having to hurry because they were really pushing it on the time, and for the last hundred yards or so they broke into a run.
"At least it's not raining!" Riley called out to him as they were running hand-in-hand once again.
Lucas laughed and continued to lead the way, dodging around people and apologizing as they went.
They made it with under a minute to spare, out of breath and perspiring in the heat.
"Cutting it close?" the ride attendant asked with a smile as they checked in the passes on their wristbands.
"Well, we came all the way from France on foot, so actually we made pretty good time," Riley told him jokingly.
He laughed at her quip, and Lucas ushered her in front of him with a grin of amusement.
It was a relief to enter the air-conditioned building, even if they did have to wait a bit. There were interactive games at the side of the queue to help pass the time in line, but Riley and Lucas spent most of their time chatting, standing face-to-face, with both hands linked with the other's. As they talked, their clasped hands playfully stretched each other's arms out to their sides, came up to play palm-to-palm near their shoulders, and swung the other's out and in idly.
When they got through the line, they were directed into the room where the ride took place. It was another theater, but this one was much larger than the simulator on Star Tours. It was more in keeping with an actual movie theater. There were rows of seats with high backs and canopies, one behind the other, and they were divided into three sections across the room. When everyone was seated and buckled in, the seats were lifted into the air by a crane of sorts. Each row had its own lift system, and when the lift was complete, they were 40 feet in the air, legs dangling, and had been pushed forward towards the screen so that it filled their line of vision.
Riley and Lucas swung their feet leisurely, along with most others in the audience, as they waited for the movie to begin. Each consecutive row of seats had been lifted higher than the one behind it so that the front row was the highest, and that was where they'd chosen their seat, so that no one's feet could be seen dangling above them. The screen in front of them was concave and it was huge, stretching from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. It was basically a very large IMAX screen.
When the lights went down and the movie came to life, they were flying. Clouds rushed by below them on the screen, nothing above them but blue sky, as they soared above cotton candy wisps of white. Wind blew in their faces via Disney magic, and they broke through the clouds to find The Golden Gate Bridge just ahead. Their seats tilted slightly along with the image on the screen as they made a slow banking maneuver to fly along the length of the well-known bridge, the cars traveling across it as small as toys from their great height.
The lift system swayed their seats gently, and that, combined with the breeze rushing at them, and the moving video from the perspective of the camera, really did give the breathless sensation that they were flying. Riley loved it. It wasn't a thrill ride by any means, but it was still spectacular, accompanied as it was, by a soundtrack of majestic music.
The scene on the screen changed, and they were flying above a creek in a narrow, green canyon. Kayaks and boats of different sizes were paddling down the stream. They swept down low over the water, so close it felt like they were skimming its surface, and as they passed by the boats they could hear the people in them calling out to each other and laughing.
At the next change of scene, there was a field full of some indeterminate crop flying past below them, and as they approached an upcoming treeline they swung up quickly so that they could pass over it. They barely seemed to clear them, brushing over them so closely that Riley almost expected her feet to drag through the tops of the branches. When they cleared the trees, they were in the middle of a large cluster of hot air balloons, their bright multi-colored patterns set off by the blue skies around them.
They soared above an ocean coastline, waves crashing and seagulls crying overhead, then their seats tilted back as they went rushing up the side of a snow-covered mountain. The wind in their faces became distinctly colder as they climbed up towards the peak, flying past aspen trees and fast-moving skiers, who were whooping their enjoyment while they zigzagged down the slopes on their skis.
There were several more consecutive scenes, a massive waterfall spilling down the side of a cliff, a green valley at the foot of surrounding mountains, and a manicured golf course, where the swing of a golfer sent his ball slicing through the air straight at them.
When they passed over the tops of a green grove of trees, the smell of oranges wafted tantalizingly through the air. There were rows and rows of orange trees, their bright-colored fruits barely discernible as they rushed past underneath their dangling feet.
The last scenes were Riley's favorite. The screen turned dark and they were flying through the night sky above the twinkling lights of a widespread city. A busy highway bustled with traffic, the headlights and red taillights streaming by rapidly, as they followed the curve of the freeway.
Then the night scene changed, and they were soaring above a brightly-lit Disneyland at Christmas. They flew down the length of Main Street, strung with glittering lights, towards the castle that rose up at the end of it. An animated Tinkerbell appeared in front of them, scattering pixie dust and flying off to light the way ahead of them to the castle. And then fireworks were exploding all around them, their bright bursts of color and light filling the screen in brilliant patterns until the screen went dark.
Everyone applauded as the movie concluded, and Riley looked at Lucas with a lingering expression of delight coloring her features.
"I wish we could go again," she said immediately.
He laughed, but said willingly, "We can, if you want. We can just skip Animal Kingdom today."
Riley considered it as their seats went back down to ground level and they unstrapped themselves to leave.
"You wanted to do Everest again though," she remembered. "So we should go to Animal Kingdom."
They continued to discuss it as they walked to the exit, with him insisting he didn't mind if they stayed in Epcot, and her equally adamant that they go to the other park. She thought he was sweet for being willing to give up something he wanted to do in order to make her happy, but it was his first trip to Disney, and she wanted to be sure that he got to do everything he wanted.
In the end, they decided not to change their plans. They went to use their other pass at Fast Track, which was an attraction that lets you design your own car, then uses those specifications as you ride through a real vehicle test track and see how your design scores in the different test environments.
Riley let Lucas design the car by way of a touch screen with a multitude of options, including the shape, color, and mechanical specs for their vehicle. She looked over his shoulder and made an occasional suggestion, and they decided on the paint scheme together, but he did the rest himself. When he was finished, the screen showed an image of a long, sleek car with slightly oversized tires and fancy rims. The body was painted a deep purple, and it had intricate detailing on the hood and down the sides.
"Can't you just see yourself driving down the road in something that looks like that?" he smirked, knowing the design wasn't practical in the least.
"Hey, don't make fun. You're looking at my dream car," Riley joked back. "I think I might ask for one for my birthday."
"And your dad will probably go out and have one made for you," he replied knowingly, his warm tone and teasing smile keeping the words from sounding harsh.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she said in mock affront. "You saying I'm a daddy's girl or something?"
"I didn't say that," he denied smoothly. "I just implied it really hard," he concluded with a grin.
The vehicles that actually took people through the ride were small identical cars, but a computer kept track of all of Lucas's input, and each test rated how his design would perform as they proceeded down the track. It was tested for capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power, the last test taking them to a part of the track that was outside the building, and accelerating their vehicle to 60 mph.
"Your dream car didn't do so well in the capability and responsiveness tests, and it was barely average in efficiency," Lucas told her when they were back at another touch screen, reading their results.
"That's okay," she said dismissively. "It looks cool, so I'd buy it anyway."
"I thought 'Daddy' was gonna be buying it for you," he reminded her teasingly.
"Probably not, if he found out it was failing all its tests. What kind of teacher would buy his daughter a car that didn't do well at car school?"
Lucas laughed at her mischievous response and answered her back in kind.
"Between your dad saying no to your purple dream car, and my mom putting an end to my rock star career before it gets started, this has been a really tough day for dreams."