The sunlight had shifted noticeably by the ti they left the roller coaster area, bathing the amusent park in a warm golden glow. The earlier rush of adrenaline had faded, replaced by a relaxed afternoon atmosphere. Laughter drifted through the air from nearby attractions while cheerful music played from hidden speakers. Children ran past carrying oversized plush toys, and the scent of popcorn, fried dough, and caralized sugar lingered around every corner.
Alia walked beside Luca, matching his pace effortlessly.
"So," she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "are you always this calm after almost getting your organs rearranged on a roller coaster?"
Luca looked at her.
"It wasn’t that bad."
"That’s what they all say."
A smile tugged at her lips.
"The next thing I know, you’ll be telling you were relaxed the whole ti."
"I was."
Alia stared at him for a few seconds.
"You’re impossible."
Luca rely shrugged.
They continued down the winding pathway. Crowds moved around them in every direction, creating a lively sea of motion. Every now and then, Alia would point out sothing that caught her attention, whether it was a strange-looking food stand or a ga booth with an absurdly oversized prize hanging above it.
Eventually, one particular stall made her stop.
A bottle toss ga.
Bright lights frad the booth while colorful prizes lined the shelves behind it. Rows of glass bottles sat neatly arranged on a platform, waiting to rob unsuspecting custors of their money.
Alia imdiately smiled.
"Oh."
Luca followed her gaze.
"You know this one?"
"I’ve seen it a hundred tis."
Her eyes lingered on the setup.
"College trips. Festivals. Carnivals."
A brief pause.
"I never actually won anything though."
Luca looked at the bottles.
"Sounds like a skill issue."
Alia turned toward him.
"Excuse ?"
He nodded toward the ga.
"You heard ."
A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Hmmm..."
She studied him for a mont.
"You look like soone who’d be terrible at this."
Luca raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds completely random."
"It’s not random."
"What is it then?"
"A professional observation."
"Based on what?"
Alia crossed her arms.
"You just look like you suck at carnival gas."
Luca laughed.
"That’s rich coming from soone who’s never won."
"Umm... yes, I have."
"You literally just said you haven’t."
"Details."
Luca shook his head.
"Go on then. Prove it."
"Maybe I will."
She stepped toward the booth before he could say anything else.
The attendant handed her several balls with the practiced smile of soone who had watched countless custors lose.
Alia rolled her shoulders dramatically before stepping into position.
Her first throw missed completely.
The ball sailed past the bottles without touching a single one.
Luca said nothing.
That sohow made it worse.
Alia grabbed the second ball.
This one clipped the edge of a bottle and bounced harmlessly away.
The third throw flew wide enough that the attendant instinctively leaned aside.
Luca finally spoke.
"Impressive."
Alia slowly turned her head.
"What part?"
"The consistency."
She narrowed her eyes.
The fourth throw missed too.
A long silence followed.
Then Alia puffed out her cheeks and looked down at the remaining balls.
"This ga is rigged."
Luca leaned slightly closer to inspect the bottles.
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
"Couldn’t possibly be user error?"
"Definitely not."
Luca nodded thoughtfully.
"Interesting theory."
Alia gave him a flat look.
"You’re enjoying this way too much."
"I’m observing."
"That’s worse."
She sighed dramatically before turning fully toward him.
"Help ."
The request wasn’t pleading.
If anything, it sounded like she had already decided he was going to do it.
Luca looked at the booth.
Then at her.
"Why should I?"
"Because I want the prize."
A brief pause followed.
Then her voice softened just slightly.
"And because I know you’re better at this than you’re pretending to be."
Luca rolled his eyes.
"Move over."
Alia stepped aside with a victorious smile.
The attendant handed Luca a ball.
He casually weighed it in his hand before looking at the arrangent.
One glance.
One throw.
Crash.
The entire stack collapsed.
The bottles scattered across the platform.
For a mont, even the attendant looked surprised.
Alia slowly turned toward Luca.
"...Okay."
She pointed at him.
"That was annoying."
Luca smirked.
"Skill issue."
"Don’t start."
The attendant quickly recovered and reached behind the counter.
"Congratulations, sir. Pick any prize."
Luca’s gaze swept across the shelves before selecting a small plush rabbit.
He accepted it before turning toward Alia.
"Still want the prize?"
"Obviously."
The mont he handed it over, Alia took it with both hands.
The rabbit wasn’t particularly special. It was small, soft, and probably cost only a few dollars to manufacture.
Yet she found herself smiling anyway.
Her fingers absentmindedly brushed across the plush fabric.
"Don’t tell you’re getting attached already," Luca said.
Alia imdiately hugged the rabbit against her chest.
"Maybe I am."
"It’s a carnival toy."
"It’s my carnival toy."
Luca laughed.
Alia looked away before he could notice the smile lingering on her lips.
The toy itself wasn’t important.
The fact that Luca had won it for her was.
"Not even a thank you?" Luca asked.
"Hmph."
Alia puffed out her cheeks and deliberately turned her head away.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper:
"Thank you."
Luca cupped a hand behind his ear.
"Sorry, what was that?"
Her eyes widened.
"You heard ."
"I don’t think I did."
"You should get your ears checked."
"I’m concerned now."
"Good."
Luca chuckled.
The playful exchange continued as they left the stall and wandered deeper into the park.
For a while, neither of them said much.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
If anything, it felt comfortable.
Alia occasionally glanced down at the plush rabbit in her hands.
Every ti she did, the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Eventually, she spoke again.
"You know..."
Luca looked over.
"Back then, I thought there’d always be more ti."
He listened quietly.
"More chances to et people. More chances to have conversations."
Her gaze drifted toward the crowd moving around them.
"More chances to figure out what actually mattered."
A faint laugh escaped her.
"I think I got a little too comfortable believing opportunities would wait for ."
Luca slid his hands into his pockets.
"They usually don’t."
"No."
Alia nodded.
"They really don’t."
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Her eyes briefly moved toward him.
Back in college, Luca had always seed distant.
Not unfriendly.
Not cold.
Just... difficult to reach.
At least that was what she had told herself.
Looking back now, she realized that wasn’t entirely true.
The distance had never co from Luca.
It had co from hesitation.
From waiting.
From assuming there would always be another opportunity later.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Fortunately, she wasn’t planning to make that mistake twice.
"You always sound like you’ve already learned these lessons."
Luca thought for a mont.
"I didn’t."
Alia raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"No."
His expression remained calm.
"I just learned them early enough to stop being surprised."
Sothing about that answer made her pause.
Not because it was profound.
Because it sounded real.
Like experience speaking rather than philosophy.
She found herself smiling again.
"Still unfair."
Luca glanced at her.
"What’s unfair?"
"You."
He laughed.
"I’ll take that as a complint."
"You should."
They passed another row of ga stalls, but this ti Alia didn’t stop.
Instead, she walked a little closer beside him.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
Not enough for Luca to think anything of it.
Just enough that the space between them felt smaller than before.
The afternoon sun continued to sink slowly across the sky as the two of them disappeared deeper into the colorful maze of attractions, carrying with them a simple plush rabbit, an easy conversation, and a few mories neither of them had expected to make that day.
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