The sunlight had shifted noticeably by the time they left the roller coaster area, bathing the amusement 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 caramelized sugar lingered around every corner.

Amelia 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." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A smile tugged at her lips.

"The next thing I know, you’ll be telling me you were relaxed the whole time."

"I was."

Amelia stared at him for a few seconds.

"You’re impossible."

Luca merely shrugged.

They continued down the winding pathway. Crowds moved around them in every direction, creating a lively sea of motion. Every now and then, Amelia would point out something that caught her attention, whether it was a strange-looking food stand or a game booth with an absurdly oversized prize hanging above it.

Eventually, one particular stall made her stop.

A bottle toss game.

Bright lights framed the booth while colorful prizes lined the shelves behind it. Rows of glass bottles sat neatly arranged on a platform, waiting to rob unsuspecting customers of their money.

Amelia immediately smiled.

"Oh."

Luca followed her gaze.

"You know this one?"

"I’ve seen it a hundred times."

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."

Amelia turned toward him.

"Excuse me?"

He nodded toward the game.

"You heard me."

A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Hmmm..."

She studied him for a moment.

"You look like someone 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?"

Amelia crossed her arms.

"You just look like you suck at carnival games."

Luca laughed.

"That’s rich coming from someone 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 someone who had watched countless customers lose.

Amelia 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 somehow made it worse.

Amelia 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."

Amelia slowly turned her head.

"What part?"

"The consistency."

She narrowed her eyes.

The fourth throw missed too.

A long silence followed.

Then Amelia puffed out her cheeks and looked down at the remaining balls.

"This game 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."

Amelia 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 me."

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."

Amelia stepped aside with a victorious smile.

The attendant handed Luca a ball.

He casually weighed it in his hand before looking at the arrangement.

One glance.

One throw.

Crash.

The entire stack collapsed.

The bottles scattered across the platform.

For a moment, even the attendant looked surprised.

Amelia 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 Amelia.

"Still want the prize?"

"Obviously."

The moment he handed it over, Amelia 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 me you’re getting attached already," Luca said.

Amelia immediately hugged the rabbit against her chest.

"Maybe I am."

"It’s a carnival toy."

"It’s my carnival toy."

Luca laughed.

Amelia 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."

Amelia 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 me."

"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.

Amelia occasionally glanced down at the plush rabbit in her hands.

Every time 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 time."

He listened quietly.

"More chances to meet 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 me."

Luca slid his hands into his pockets.

"They usually don’t."

"No."

Amelia 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 seemed 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 come from Luca.

It had come 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 moment.

"I didn’t."

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"No."

His expression remained calm.

"I just learned them early enough to stop being surprised."

Something 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 compliment."

"You should."

They passed another row of game stalls, but this time Amelia 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 memories neither of them had expected to make that day.