"I am so excited!" Kelsey said, bouncing up and down in the passenger seat of Jack's little car.

"I know, you've said that about a hundred times since we left home," Jack replied, smiling over at her.

It was six thirty in the morning, and they were headed south on the 10, in sparse weekend traffic. They could already see the blue-brown haze that sat over the City of Angels. It was going to be a blazing hot day.

"I can't believe that you've never been to Disneyland," Jack said again, shaking his head. "You've lived here how long?"

"Five years," she replied.  "I moved here when I was eighteen."

"Same as me," Jack said. "But I'm two years younger than you, and I've been to Disneyland too many times to count."

"I was busy," Kelsey replied, laughing and shrugging. "Building a career, being on forty-seven magazine covers, making eight blockbuster movies? You may have heard of some of them?" she teased.

"Yeah, right, whereas I was merely swimming, working, and being a full-time student," Jack said. "I've been a real slacker."

Kelsey unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to put her arms around his neck so she could snuggle into him and kiss his neck. "Shh, don't even joke like that," she chided. "It's not funny." She sat back and buckled herself in once more.

"So it's Zach's birthday?" Kelsey asked.

Jack nodded. "He loves Disneyland. He used to go with his family every year when he was younger, and now we take him. This is our third time." Jack grinned. "It's so fun, but man, we get so tired. I mean, the end of June is frying hot, so we get cooked, and you know we want to get there when it opens, and stay until it closes, so we're just dead, you know?"

Kelsey nodded happily. "And who's going to be there, again?"

"Well, it's always us guys, so that's me, Toby, Jeff, and Zach, you've met all of them," Jack listed. "Then there's whomever Toby's dating at the time, so I believe this year it's someone named Brooke? I've met her a couple of times, she seems nice. I think she's a psych major at school." Jack looked over his shoulder and changed lanes. "Then there's Troy Goodman, he's Jeff's boyfriend. They've been going out for a couple years. He's a really good guy, I think you'll like him. He's a music major, one of those super dreamy looking guys that girls always go for?" Jack shook his head. "You can hear female hearts breaking all over campus when they find out he's gay, you know the type?"

Kelsey nodded. She'd come across a few of them in her line of work.

"Then there's Vivian, Zach's girlfriend. They've been together for awhile, too. Her last name's Conway. I know her pretty well, because she's on the team, she's a swimmer too, a veterinary science major, I think.

"And then there's you," Jack said, putting a hand on her knee.

"And do I look okay?" Kelsey asked nervously. "I mean, do I look like everyone else?"

"Aww Kels," Jack said, his voice getting soft, "sorry to tell you this, but there's no way on earth you'll ever look like everyone else, okay?"

And because Jack didn't acknowledge what he said, Kelsey didn't either. She just looked out the window for a second, blinking really hard as she squeezed his hand. He turned his hand over so he could squeeze back. When she knew she could talk and not have her voice be all quavery, she spoke again.

"I mean, will I blend in? Will I not look like a super famous celebrity actress or whatever?" she asked in a light voice.

He looked over at her briefly before looking back at the road. "Yeah, you look just fine," was all he said. And she did. She was wearing  one of Jack's UCSM swim team tank tops, along with denim Capri pants and tennis shoes. Her hair was in a ponytail braid, she was wearing a pink bucket hat.

Jack picked up her hand and kissed the knuckles before returning it to her.

They arrived just before the park opened, and joined their friends in line. Jack made the introductions.

"Kelsey, this is Vivian," Jack said, gesturing to a pretty blonde girl who stood next to Zach. Zach was extra large, of course, but Vivian was very petite, especially for a swimmer, Kelsey thought, and she was left with the impression of Goldilocks next to one of the redheaded Three Bears. Kelsey wondered in passing if Vivian was a breast stroker, because she knew from Jack that it wasn't a power stroke, and breast strokers were frequently smaller than other swimmers.

"Brooke," he continued, pointing at a girl with long brown hair who was holding hands with Toby. She waved and smiled.

"And Troy, Jeff's better looking half," Jack concluded, patting the shoulder of an extremely handsome guy with dark hair and brown eyes who looked like his name should be Enrico or Felipe or something. Wow.

"Hi," he said, obviously embarrassed, holding out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you." He stepped back and put an arm around Jeff, who had his hair in a ponytail as well, in anticipation of the heat.

No one seemed particularly freaked out by her presence, and no one asked for a selfie with her or anything, for which Kelsey was very grateful. She was really looking forward to spending the day with people her own age who weren't associated with show business in any way.

"So, Jack says you've never been here before?" Zach asked as the line moved toward the entrance.

"Yup. I'm a Magic Kingdom virgin," Kelsey replied cheerfully.

"Well, you're in for a real treat, then," Zach said, eyes twinkling. "Because this is the most incredible place--"

"The happiest place on earth, I've heard," Kelsey replied with a straight face.

"Yes! Exactly!" Zach answered, delighted.

The group entered and decided to take the open car train around the whole park to begin, so they could see everything. They all found their seats, and Jack put an arm around Kelsey, pulling her closer as the train pulled into a dark tunnel to begin the ride.

Kelsey took the opportunity to turn his head toward her and kiss him. "I love you, Jack, and thank you for today, okay? Just thank you, so much."

"My pleasure, little miss," he replied close to her ear, and she didn't need to be able to see his face to know he was smiling.

"You know," he continued. "We established that we were going to run with this whole thing, but we never did lay down any ground rules for how we were going to behave in public? I don't mind being just friendly and professional around other people. as long as it's a standard we both follow, you know?"

She looked over at him, shifting her gaze from the numerous oleander bushes that the train was passing. "Yeah, I've been giving that a lot of thought," she admitted.

"Oh yeah? And?" Jack was looking at her intently.

"I don't want to worry about all that crap anymore," she said. Her gaze shifted beyond him, and Jack turned to see what she was looking at. Vivian was picking something out of Zach's beard, and Jeff was kissing Troy's temple. Two innocent and intimate moments.

"I want to be able to do that," Kelsey admitted, nodding her head in the two couples' direction. "I never have, without first considering who might be watching, or how it might hurt or benefit me."

She looked back at Jack. They were passing through Tomorrowland now, and the music changed. "So let's do that, okay? Let's be a couple."

"Okay." Jack nodded. "It'll be new for me, too, you know? But yeah, let's be a couple." He smiled and kissed her.

So they rode the train and looked around, pointing and taking pictures and snapchats. The others asked Kelsey if they could post photographs that included her to their social media, and she said it was fine, though she did ask that they not tag her.

They got off the train after it arrived back at Main Street, and everyone got off and began walking up the wide thoroughfare, stopping to go into the different stores, marking where they wanted to return on their way out to shop.

Kelsey looked around, wide-eyed, at everything. At first it felt strange that people weren't looking at her, or asking for photographs or autographs, but it was nice. The park was filling up quickly, and she heard at least five different languages being spoken around her in a ten minute span.

They stopped to listen to a barbershop quartet, and joined a line to get pictures taken with some characters.

The truth was that the guys in their groups were the most noticeable, because of their physiques, their golden hair, their tans. Kelsey noticed that the young women around them stared at Jeff, Jack and Zach a lot.

By midday the park was blazing, and to Kelsey the day became a blur of sunscreen and water, and touching and being touched by Jack. For the first time in as long as she could remember she didn't think about how she looked, or how sweaty she was. Every time Jack looked at her she felt beautiful, every time he touched her she felt desired.

Once, while they were walking, he just stepped in front of her and picked her up so he could hug her, and the smell of him, his sunscreen, deodorant, shampoo, the heat of him, everything, made her feel faint.

Then, "I love you, Kelsey."

He whispered those words in her ear, in the middle of Disneyland, and Kelsey felt like she was going to simultaneously burst into tears and flames, or just simply float away. She couldn't even say it back, she could only stand there, in the middle of thousands of people, and hug him as if her life depended on it.

He tried to let her go, but she wouldn't release him, so he just continued to hug her, the people parting and walking around them, balloons bobbing, shouting and laughing to each other as if the most incredible thing hadn't just happened to her, Kelsey Carlisle, right then.

She was finally able to unclench her hands and lower them to her sides, and they just clasped hands and walked on, as if nothing had happened.

"Having fun?" Jeff asked as they waited in line for the Matterhorn. Jack, Zach, Vivian and Troy had made a pitstop at the Tiki Juice bar to get Dole Pineapple Whips for everyone.

"I'm having a great time," Kelsey replied, nodding for emphasis. "I've never done anything like this, you know? And I think the last time I was on a roller coaster was at the Iowa State Fair when I was twelve or something."

"Wonderful!" he said, smiling at her. "You know, I'm glad we have a few minutes alone. I wanted to tell you that I've never seen Jackie boy so happy, and I know that's because of you, so thanks."

Kelsey wasn't sure what to say.

"I know it sounds weird," Jeff continued. "But he's the baby of the bunch, and he's a quiet one, you know? So shy and everything? We used to joke when he wasn't around that he was going to end up like J.D. Salinger or something, locked away in a cabin in the woods somewhere, all alone. So we're all so glad you've helped him rejoin the human race, that's all. You're really good for him."

"Well, I love Jack, so I'm not really making any sacrifices or anything," Kelsey told him. "I'm usually a pretty selfish person, though I'm not proud to admit it, so he's really good for me too, I think."

"What are you guys talking about all serious?" Toby asked, stepping between them and slinging an arm around each of them. "This is Disneyland, no deep speaking allowed!"

So the others finally appeared with the drinks, and they rode the Matterhorn, and Kelsey laughed and screamed until she thought she might throw up.

They walked away from the ride, with her hanging on to Jack for support. "Oh god, Jack, that was so fun!" she gasped.

He laughed and swung her around, giving her a noisy kiss on her cheek. "It was, it was," he agreed.

They got matching Micky Mouse ear hats and took selfies in them, bought churros and fed them to each other, and waited in another long line to ride Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Oh, Jack, look how beautiful," Kelsey said quietly. "It looks just like the Louisiana Bayou, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't know, I've never been," he replied.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, looking up at the dark ceiling. "Wow, they made it look like things are flying up there!" she gasped. "How did they do that?"

"I don't know," he answered, tickled at her response.

The ride sailed smoothly by the dimly lit Blue Bayou restaurant, and they decided they had to eat dinner there, since Kelsey was so enamored of the ride.

"Thanks, you guys," Kelsey said, touched. "We don't have to, really."

They came blinking out of the ride into the bright daylight of New Orleans Square and walked around some more, looking in the shops and riding some more rides until dinner.

They did indeed return to the Blue Bayou for dinner at a candle lit table, where they could hear people on the ride shrieking with delight.

Finally, hours later, feet aching, shoulders red, they wandered out to the parking lot, said good night, and climbed wearily into their cars.

Jack got them on the road, figured out the right way home, adjusted the music, and turned to Kelsey at the first red light.

"Have a good time?" he asked. He kept his voice gentle, but he needn't have bothered.

She was already asleep.