Catching Lucas Riley (15 page)

“I really haven’t thought much about it,” Alex lied. “And, anyway, it’s not like my worrying about it will keep her from coming home. I just need to make the most of the time I have left. Maybe if I can make Lucas fall hard for me in this last month before Olivia comes home, I won’t have anything to worry about when she finally arrives.”

“Okay,” Meredith capitulated, but she didn’t look convinced.

Neither was Alex, really. But she didn’t know what else to do, except to keep accepting Lucas’s invitations to go out. Their next date was to Lagoon, the only real amusement park of which Utah could boast. And to tell the truth, there wasn’t much to boast about. But since they were now in the first week of October, Lagoon was hosting their annual “Frightmares,” for which the amusement park became a Halloweentown of sorts. Nothing overwhelming, but it afforded a bit more interest than usual. And, of course, Alex was looking forward to simply spending time with Lucas, regardless of where he wanted to go.

It was a crisp and cool October afternoon when they walked through Lagoon’s parking lot toward the park entrance. Alex couldn’t help but think of one of her favorite quotes from L. M. Montgomery’s
Anne of Green Gables
as she walked. “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” With her hand warm inside Lucas’s and her lungs full of the smell of October, she didn’t think life could be more perfect.

The park entrance was haunted by various ghouls and zombies, mulling through the crowd with shuffling steps. The gruesome specters stopped for pictures with people, grimacing as their photo compatriots grinned with excitement. Alex dodged a particularly miserable-looking zombie as she and Lucas made for the ticket counter. Within five minutes, hands stamped, they were in the park.

“So, where to?” Lucas asked, rubbing his hands together with relish. “I haven’t been here in forever. I want to ride
everything
.”

Alex laughed. “Hey, I’m up for anything. I haven’t been here for years myself.”

“Okay, let’s go . . . this way,” Lucas said, leading them off to the right. “Let’s start with something fast.”

They were off. They focused on the most intense attractions in the park, Lucas’s hair getting more and more disheveled as they exited each ride. They wandered through the Halloween attractions and got their pictures taken with various bloodied and battered characters. Alex was having the time of her life. They took a break from rides around dinnertime and stopped at a sandwich place inside the park for a bite to eat. They talked and laughed animatedly through the entire meal, anxious to get out on the midway again.

“So . . . you up for something
really
scary?” Alex asked, poking Lucas in the arm.

“Scarier than we’ve already done?” Lucas asked, eyebrows raised. “We’ve ridden all the fastest rides in the park, haven’t we?”

“Not yet, we haven’t.”

Lucas looked slightly apprehensive at the adventurous look in Alex’s eye. “Which one did we miss?”

“The Sky Coaster,” Alex said with increased drama. “You know, it’s that one that’s like a giant swing, where they stick you in a harness, strap you to a cable, take you up a hundred and fifty feet, and then . . . they just drop you and you swing back and forth. It’s spectacular.”

Lucas looked faintly ill.

“It costs some extra money to ride, but it’s my treat,” Alex claimed. She nudged him again. “Come on, Riley. You can’t possibly be scared. A big, tough football player like you.”

“I’m . . . not scared,” he protested weakly. “I just . . . don’t love heights.”

“You’ve been riding roller coasters all day!” Alex laughed. “That’s kind of a key component of a roller coaster, you know.”

“Right, but I’ve had a track and a seat beneath me for all of that,” Lucas reminded her. “On the Sky Coaster, you’re just kind of, you know,
hanging
there, face down.”

“I swear to you, you won’t regret it,” Alex promised.

Finally, Lucas nodded weakly. “Okay,” he said. “But if I scream like a little girl or throw up or something like that, you’re sworn to secrecy.”

Alex crossed her heart.

“Oh, and if I die, I’m not leaving you anything in my will,” he tacked on for good measure.

“Well, if you die, chances are I’ll be in the same situation, so I agree to that condition as well,” Alex said, rolling her eyes and pushing him out the door of the little deli toward the attraction.

Given the intensity of the ride, there were very few people in line. After paying the extra charge and getting their tickets, they waited for ten minutes or so in the shelter of the ride shack. In which time Lucas had the chance to turn slightly green. When it was finally their turn,
he was oddly silent as the park employee strapped him into his flight suit and led them to the launchpad.

“You okay, there?” Alex asked, trying not to laugh.

“No comment,” Lucas muttered, barely opening his mouth.

Once they were attached to the cables, the bottom dropped suddenly out of the launchpad booth and Lucas gasped as they flew forward, suddenly parallel with the ground. They hung, suspended six feet in the air, Alex laughing as Lucas attempted to catch his breath. And then, they began to rise. Alex thought Lucas might begin whimpering as the ground sank further and further away. Once they reached the top, the tiny park employee below instructed them through the speaker to “Fly!” Alex paused, her hand on the ripcord, to look at Lucas. His eyes were tightly closed.

“Lucas Riley, I am not pulling this cord until you open your eyes,” she said sternly. “You won’t get the full effect otherwise.”

“I don’t want the full effect,” he gasped, squeezing his eyes even more tightly shut. “I’m really okay missing that part of this experience.”

“Luke,” she said, making her voice soft and soothing. It was the first time she had ever used his nickname and her honeyed tone of voice made him look at her. “Trust me,” she said softly as his eyes stared into hers. And she pulled the cord.

They immediately went into a free fall, the ground racing toward them at eighty miles per hour. To his credit, Lucas did not scream, but it might have been because he looked too horrified to manage it. By the time the cable caught them, six feet from the ground, and they began to soar back and forth, Lucas’s face had broken into an exhilarated smile. He whooped and spread out his arms, enjoying the sensation of flying. Alex laughed, watching his face.

Once back on the ground and free of their flight suits, Lucas watched the pair after them plummet toward the ground, howling and laughing.

“Wow, is that what we looked like?” he cried, his voice full of excitement. “Man, oh man, what a
rush
!” Alex laughed again, and he looked down at her, his eyes bright with energy. “Thanks for making me do that,” he said, his voice softening a little. “I never would have dared do something like that on my own.”

“No problem,” she said, staring up into his sea-foamy eyes. “I told you you wouldn’t regret it.”

She leaned into him, meaning to nudge him playfully, but he used her momentum against her, grasping her arms and pulling her tight against him. He studied her face, his expression mesmerized as they slipped over her features. He slid an arm around her, holding her firmly against his solid frame, and pushed her long, dark-red hair away from her face with his other hand.

And then he kissed her. Her breath stopped as his lips pressed warm and confident on hers. Her legs immediately went weak. She was grateful he was holding her up, because she was certain she would be shaking and tottering like an idiot otherwise. He slid his hand underneath her hair, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. Alex could have sworn her feet had left the ground.

When he finally pulled away, she was sure she would have to reteach herself to breathe. The air felt lodged in her chest and her head was light and fuzzy from either lack of oxygen or an excess of Lucas.

“I’ve wanted to do that all day,” Lucas said, his breathing slightly quickened. “Thanks for giving me the perfect opportunity.”

“Oh . . . well . . . sure,” she said stupidly, her head still buzzing.

The rest of the evening passed quickly and dreamily. Lucas stopped suddenly in his path on two separate occasions as they walked through the park, just to kiss Alex quickly. And he kept his arms looped comfortably around her as they waited in various lines throughout the night. As they drove back to Logan, their hands clasped between the seats of his car, Alex wondered if she would be able to find words to describe to Meredith how happy she was when she got home. It seemed unlikely.

“Given the, uh, events of tonight, I think I should probably tell you something,” Lucas said suddenly. He turned off I-15, heading toward Brigham City.

“Okay . . . what’s up?” said Alex, suddenly nervous but not sure why.

“I am . . . sort of . . . I’m kind of . . . well, I’m kind of attached to someone,” he said, his voice hesitant.

Uh-oh. Here it was. Olivia.

“I’m sorry, what?” Alex said, straining to keep her voice light and unassuming.

“Well, I’ve been writing this missionary. Her name is Olivia. I’ve
known her pretty much my whole life, and we dated, you know, kind of seriously before she left.”

Despite the fact that Alex already knew all this, she was curious to hear Lucas’s side of the story. She played along.

“So, are you supposed to be waiting for her or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” Lucas answered, shaking his head. “I never promised her anything, but given that I’ve written her regularly for nearly her entire mission, and that she’s coming home in a month, I think she’s probably expecting something to happen.”

“I see,” Alex said, and she could feel the shiny happiness inside her fading a little. Was she about to hear that this was her last night with Lucas? Was he feeling guilty about kissing her? Maybe so much so that he wouldn’t want to see her again?

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying anything by telling you this, I just . . . I don’t know, I . . . I just felt like you should know,” he finished somewhat lamely. In his discomfort, he began to rub his thumb over her palm absentmindedly. Shivers of pleasure reverberated through her. She quickly pulled her hand away, not wanting to be distracted. Lucas mistook her sudden movement as a sign that she was angry with him.

“I’m so sorry, Alex,” he apologized immediately. “I should have told you sooner. I promise I wasn’t trying to use you or mislead you or anything. And I don’t want to stop seeing you.”

“I appreciate the fact that you want to be honest with me,” she began, her tone uncertain. She needed to tread carefully here. “But I guess I’m not sure why you felt the need to tell me this. Are you regretting what happened tonight? Are you trying to tell me that we need to back off?”

“No,” he said, firmly and immediately. “I don’t want to back off. I’m not regretting anything that happened. Tonight was . . . incredible.” He reached over and squeezed her hand again. “I guess I just needed to tell you about Olivia because it’s likely that when she gets home there will be some potentially awkward moments. And I think it’s likely that they will involve both of us.” He gave Alex a meaningful look. The shivers returned, and she squeezed his hand back.

“Well, then,” she cleared her throat. “In that case, thanks for letting me know.”

“S
ERIOUSLY, FOAMER. I
never thought it would have taken me this long to say this, but I’m right on the brink of really regretting that I ever agreed to this,” Sealey complained to Alex as they sat on the grass at the park, enjoying the October sunshine.

“Oh, stop your whining,” Alex said, lying back on the grass and tucking her hands beneath her head. She closed her eyes, feeling the soft heat on her face. “Just keep focusing on the fact that in less than a month, Olivia will be attractively crying on your shoulder.” The words sounded more callous than Alex had meant them. But Sealey didn’t seem to notice.

“But until that happens, I get to hear over and over how amazing and perfect and beautiful you are,” Sealey griped. “It’s not that I don’t concur with those sentiments, but it’s getting to the point that the more he says it, the less I agree with him.”