"Where are we going?" I asked, climbing into the front seat.

"One of my favorite places, baby," he said, putting the jeep in reverse.

"Seriously?" I asked, knowing exactly where we were headed.

"It's time to broaden your horizons," he grinned at me.

I returned his grin. Smiling still felt awkward, but I was slowly getting used to it. The hour-and-a-half drive passed quickly as we talked about the movies from the night before. I wound up coming clean about zoning out during the action movie, so he spent the majority of the drive going over the plot. I sat back with my head against the seat listening to him. His warm radio voice washed over me as he walked me through the entire plot in his typical animated way. He was a born commentator.

I actually began to feel butterflies in my stomach from the excitement as he pulled off the highway, following the signs leading us to our destination.

"Here, my ticket's in there," he said, handing me a worn leather wallet. "We get free parking with the preferred tickets my parents buy," he explained as I handed over his ticket while he pulled up to the parking booth.

"Would you like preferred parking?" the attendant asked.

"Sure," Dean said, handing over a five and waiting for his change.

"Turn your hazards on and follow the signs for the preferred parking," the attendant said, handing over a ticket. "Have a nice day."

"You too," Dean said, switching on his hazards as he followed the signs leading us to the preferred parking.

"I thought you just said you get free parking?" I questioned.

"We do, but you can pay the three dollar difference for preferred parking and get even closer."

Trying to act cool, I tried to control my gawking as he drove up the ramp leading into the parking garage. Signs from different movies designated the parking areas. Keeping his hazards on, Dean followed the parking attendants who were directing traffic into the Spider-Man section.

"Ready?" he asked, switching off his hazard lights and placing the parking slip on the dashboard.

"Absolutely," I said, opening my door.

We walked hand in hand, following the crowds of people as they boarded the escalator-style moving walkways. I tried to pull us in the direction of the nonmoving sidewalk that ran parallel with the moving walkway.

"Whoa," Dean said like I'd grown an extra head. "Trust me, you take the free ride when it's offered," he said pointedly, hopping onto the moving walkway. I shook my head and walked on the sidewalk beside him. I'd grown accustomed to walking.

Several moving walkways later, we entered City Walk, which was the hub connecting the two theme parks together, the original Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

The place was enormous. We stopped for a moment so I could take in the spectacle of it all. There was a giant two-story movie theater, a crazy-looking alien-themed miniature golf course and stores and restaurants everywhere. I could see Margaritaville, Bubba Gump's and The Hard Rock Orlando. Music blasted out of speakers, making it feel like we were in one big party."Come on," Dean laughed, dragging me along by the hand. "We're going to get you a hopper pass, so we'll be doing both parks, but first, we're going to hit Islands," Dean explained as we strolled along.

I nodded, overwhelmed by the crowds and jostling bodies as everyone hurried to their destinations. Two weeks ago, I would have freaked at the constant bumps and accidental touches as the large crowd bottlenecked near the entrance to Islands of Adventure.

Dean stepped up to the will-call booth and pulled out a credit card from his wallet.

"Hey, you don't have to buy my ticket," I protested, pulling out my small change purse.

"I didn't, although I would have. When my parents heard you'd never been to a theme park, they all but demanded I take you, claiming it was a travesty or something. It's their treat."

"What?" I asked, shocked at their generosity.

"They said to consider it an early birthday present."

"My birthday is in May," I squeaked out.

"Well then, consider it an early Christmas present, although I'm quite confident they'll get you something then too."

"That's ridiculous. They don't even know me."

"They do know you. They know you through me. Plus, they met you last night," he chastised me as we had our tickets and thumbs scanned to get in.

Tags: Tiffany King Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net