"Hey, thanks for the ride on such short notice," Elena said.

"No problem. How's Stacy by the way, she doing alright?" Jonah asked.

"It sounded pretty bad when she called me. Been throwing up all day. Hopefully she gets better with some rest. Anywho, where should I toss my stuff?"

"Let's throw 'em in the back." Jonah popped open the trunk before grabbing the grill off of her hands.

"Hmm, might be a tight squeeze, do you mind moving my toolboxes to the backseat?"

Opening the back door, Elena deposited the toolboxes, on the floor, but not before something caught her eye. "Yo, what's with the car seat?"

"Oops, yeah I must've forgotten to take it out. It's my sister's."

"Isn't she like thirteen?"

"Oh you don't know?" When Elena didn't respond, he continued, "the new car seat law. For most people it's just the harnesses, but they actually changed the regulations around car seats. Age doesn't matter anymore, as long as you're below the height or weight requirements, you have to use one."

"Really? Even adults? I didn't know that." Elena imagined a businessperson strapped into a child's seat, and almost burst out laughing.

"Yup. I'm surprised you didn't know because you're probably just over the limits yourself."

"There's no way I'd fit into one of those."

"I'm not so sure about that, they have new designs to accommodate the new regulations. Honestly, you'd probably fit in Emma's if you really tried." Seeing her doubt, he continued, "if you want we could give it a try now."

"Haha, very funny. Anyways, let's get going."

The two hopped onto the car, strapping themselves into the car harnesses, and started driving toward the lake. With the music rocking on what was looking to be a nice sunny day, Elena smiled. She'd almost passed on the event after Stacy canceled last minute, but now she was glad she'd pushed herself to get out of the house. It would be good to catch up with everyone again.

Her eyes and thoughts drifted to the seat in the back. Elena thought back to her childhood, strapped in the back seat as the family went out on a trip. Looking out the road, legs dangling as trees and houses whizzed by.

She remembered practically screaming with excitement as their car pulled into that dinky old amusement park, straining against the straps until her parents unbuckled her.

Those fond memories felt like a distant past. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been to an amusement park. Where had that carefree era gone?

"Elena?" The question shook her from her thoughts.

"Sorry, was zoned out, whatsup."

"Oh, was just asking how's life."

"Uhh, good, you?"

"Oh that's good. Yeah I've been good too."

Elena cringed internally as her brain raced to break the silence. What did she know about Jonah? Despite being in the same friend circle, the two of them hadn't hung out much back in school.

"So... How's work been? Construction, right?"

"I guess the tools were a dead giveaway. The work's been alright, although with the summer rolling around work always gets tougher, and sweatier."

Elena imagined Jonah working under the hot summer heat, forehead glistening as he carried wooden planks around on those broad shoulders of his.

She blinked, looking away. "Must be tough, I can't imagine working all day in the sun."

"Too bad not all of us are as smart as you, Ms. Engineer."

Elena blushed. "I'm not that smart," she said quietly.

"Didn't you get the school medal for those math contests back in the day?"

"You're right, but how did you remember that? That was ages ago."

"Eh, I guess I got a good memory. By the way, I promised to pick up Mitch too. He's a little ways out though, is that alright?"

"You're the driver, I got no complaints. And yeah, I can swap to the back when we pick him up."

Another awkward pause followed.

"Really random question, but are you used to these harnesses yet?" Elena blurted randomly, tugging on one of the straps for emphasis.

Jonah thought for a bit before answering. "At first they were quite annoying, but nowadays I hardly notice them."

"Really? I still find them super cumbersome. I guess it's worse for us girls though. It's just impossible to wear a dress or skirt with these, which means we now have to bring them with us and change into them after the ride."

"Huh, I never thought of that. But that does sound super annoying."

"Yeah I get it's for safety and all that, and I just heard from the news the other day that since last month there's been a notable reduction in automotive injuries and deaths, but still..."

"I feel ya. We recently had a hot topic in the construction industry actually. They were proposing a new law which would make so workers couldn't take helmets off during their shifts."

"What? Like they lock on?" Elena giggled at the insanity.

"You laugh, but that's exactly what they proposed. The idea was that you would put on your helmet before you were allowed on the site, and to take it off you would need to go to the site office where they'd have the key."

"No way! That's ridiculous! Why would anyone take it off?"

"Well, sometimes people do just when they're taking a break and stuff. Especially since there's an influx of teenagers working over the summer. I think the law was meant to target them too, since it would apply to those under a certain number of years in the industry. But I mean yeah it's unsafe and accidents happen, but it's rare."

"So you put warnings and fine or fire people who do it. But making it lock on though, that's just ridiculous!"

"Yup, they already do all that. But the group pushing for it used all this data around how it's safer. They even tried to make an argument that it would help worker rights since they couldn't be fired if they weren't even tempted to take off their helmet in the first place.

"I heard that they tried piloting it in a few sites, but they quickly got the data that it was a miserable experience for everyone involved, and it's not like hard hat injuries are really the biggest problem in the industry. So thank god for now that crazy proposal has been stifled.

"Even the car seat law sounds a little crazy honestly knowing that even adults might have to use a seat."

"There is an exception process. And I was skeptical about it too at first. We were also worried for my sister, especially because you know she's..."

"A bit wild?"

"Yeah, that's one way to put it. At first we practically had to forcibly strap her in, but believe it or not, she loves her seat now. Told us not to even bother with the exception process."

"What why?"

"In her own words, it's 'like resting on fluffy clouds'. And I believe her, just look at how thick the padding on the seat. Every time she's strapped up, she practically melts in. On long car rides she falls asleep within minutes, honestly I get a tad jealous sometimes. You can go feel it out later, it's some super soft foam."

"Interesting."

The conversation shifted, the two settled on chatting about their friends and random news. But Elena found herself glancing back every so often at the empty seat, wondering what it would feel like to be strapped in.

Sleeping on clouds was a dreamy prospect, but something else pulled her. A yearning for something that she had back as a kid when they were out on those long car rides, something she couldn't quite put a finger on.

"Did you want to stop for some drinks? I haven't had my coffee yet and just realized it's gonna be at least another two hours and we still gotta pick up Mitch."

"Yeah sure, why'd we have to choose such a far place anyways."

"I don't know man, Janet planned everything. Something about the closer places being too busy and packed, and Mitch is a bit out of the way but his car just broke down, so it's whatever."

"Aren't you a Good Samaritan. Rescuing everyone in their time of need. Thanks again by the way."

Jonah chuckled, "appreciate it, but it's no problem."

The two stopped at a local store, each grabbing their favorite caffeinated beverage before heading back toward the vehicle.

"Oh yeah did you want to feel the foam?"

"Sure, why not."

Up close, she noticed the dark magenta seat was highlighted with red and pink accents. She pressed a palm into the foam and it sank in with ease.

"Wow, that's incredible."

"Right? I actually searched whether or not you can get mattresses made of this foam."

"It's like so soft yet feels supportive somehow." Elena thought back to her materials courses, wondering what they could've done to achieve these properties.

"It's some new proprietary material developed here in Langston apparently."

"Wow, I can see how your sister could fall asleep, I almost want to nap in it on the ride over."

"Why don't you?"

"What? No, I'm joking."

"C'mon, don't lie to me. I saw you constantly glancing back at it on the ride here."

"I..." Elena paused. Did she want this? A grown woman strapped to a baby seat for a car ride, it sounded ridiculous. Yet the seat looked so enticing, so warm and comfortable. "Just until Mitch's then, okay?"

"Yeah, of course, hop right in." Jonah moved all of the straps out of the way before allowing her to step in.

He moved to help with the straps, but Elena stopped him. "I got it."

The design was similar to any other five point harness, and Elena began pulling them over her shoulders. However, the straps were too short, leaving the connecting points a few centimeters from the buckle.

Elena looked around, looking for the strap usually at the bottom of the seat that would let her lengthen them, but found nothing.

"Lemme help." Jonah said, one hand moving somewhere by the bottom of the seat and the other pulling on the straps to lengthen them. He then watched as Elena buckled herself in.

After she secured the chest clip, Jonah fiddled underneath her again.

"Hey, that's too tight," Elena complained as the straps sank in around her.

"Hmm, you should be fine, these new seats have an auto-tensioning mechanism, so the tightness is calibrated to a standard. Is it painful anywhere?"

Elena closed her mouth, shifting a bit in her seat as she felt the straps. While they snugly held her firmly to her seat, they weren't actually uncomfortable.

Well, other than the strap between her legs rubbing against her, but she wasn't about to bring that up.

"It's fine I guess, thanks," she finally said.

"Alright then, back onto the road!"

"So... How does it feel?" Jonah asked a few minutes later.

Elena thought for a bit while shifting around in her seat, feeling the straps pinning her down. But rather than feel restrictive, they felt reassuring, as if letting her know she was safe.

"It's tight, but like you said it's super comfy. The straps themselves are padded too right? I don't think they used to make them like that." Elena brought fingers around the straps, pinching and feeling them compress ever so slightly.

"Yup, they really prioritized comfort with these, I guess that's why Emma loves it. You should see all the fancy accessories they have for these now too."

"Oh?"

"Yup, padded headrests, tables, cup and food holders, heck they even had this tiny movie theatre setup with a tablet screen, speakers and a tiny popcorn holder! I swear, it's going to be one of those luxury fashion statements in a few years."

"They really thought of everything, didn't they."

The conversation soon tapered off, but Elena didn't mind, as it gave her a moment to investigate the seat.

The seat had a slight incline, which caused her to lean back. Her engineering brain realized this allowed them to fit slightly larger people without bumping into the roof, but this had the inadvertent effect of leaving her legs dangling.

The effect felt adorably childish, and sent her back to the long car trips as a kid. She kicked her legs lightly, feeling the lightness as they swayed back and forth, casual and carefree. A small smile sneaking onto her face as she did so.

Focusing on the seating portion itself. It might've been a bit too small for her, given how snug it was, but the padding compensated for it. Rather than suffocating her, it felt like a lovely hug. It was so comfy in fact, that Elena could almost drift off to sleep...

"So, how are you and James?" Jonah asked.

"Oh," Elena blinked. "You don't know? We broke up a few months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Eh, don't worry about it."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Just didn't work out, I guess."

"Okay, but why?" Elena caught a glance of Jonah eyeing her in the rear-view mirror.

Suddenly, she was no longer a child in the backseat of a car ride, but a prisoner being interrogated, unable to escape from answering.

"I don't want to talk about it." She squirmed slightly, shaking the image out of her mind.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

She looked at Jonah. The look on his face told her he was sincere.

"It's... He was just a dick sometimes honestly. Cared about himself more than us."

"What a fool. He didn't know how lucky he was."

"Hm?" Elena gave him a look.

"I mean, you're smart, pretty, and kind. Any dude with half a braincell would know to treat you well."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were hitting on me, Jonah."

The boy blushed, ruffling his hand through his hair.

"I'm just kidding bro. Thanks though, really." It'd been a while since anyone had openly complimented her.

And a decent-looking one at that. She found herself hiding a smile.

A phone call interrupted the moment.

"Yo, Mitch whatsup."

"Hey... Sorry bro, I don't think I can make it today."

"Man, you for real bro? I'm practically outside your house."

"Ah, sorry... My mom's bitching about the fence, decided it's gotta be done today. Y'know how she is."

"Aight man, good luck with that. We're gonna miss you."

"Yeah we'll miss you!" Elena called out from the back seat.

"Hey Elena. Yeah, sorry I'm missing out. You guys have fun though."

"Take care," Jonah said, hanging up. "Well, I guess it's just you and me. You can get comfy then, it'll be like an hour and half til we get to the park."

"Aight. Wait, if we're not picking up Mitch, when am I getting out of the seat?"

"I guess you're stuck there til we arrive," Jonah joked.

Elena laughed back, she considered asking him to pull over now and let her out, but between the soft padding and not wanting to be a bother, she decided she could stay in it for a little while longer.

The two chatted for a bit, but eventually ran out of interesting topics. And so Elena decided to take a quick nap.

She leaned her head to the side, submerging herself into the well-padded pillow. She closed her eyes, ready to embrace dreamworld.

But after a few minutes of twisting and turning - or at least attempting to do so against the straps that pulled tightly around her - she found it all but impossible to fall asleep with the bright sun on her face and the caffeine roaring through her system.

So with not much better to do, her focus drifted back to the seats. She squirmed, something she'd caught herself doing unconsciously several times already.

As she did, the straps dug into her. The two main straps ran from over her shoulders, joining together over her chest and continuing down in between her legs, where they were secured back to the seat with a buckle. The straps looped back around over her legs, securing her thighs down and preventing her from lifting up from the seat.

All of this was very much like the car harnesses they had all grown accustomed to by this point, albeit tighter. Since the seat curved in along the sides, lateral movement was even further restricted. The back-tilt of the seat meant that trying to get up from the seat was all the more difficult as well.

These elements all served to reduce the ability for the seated child - or in this case, adult - to move around, naturally pacifying its occupant. And Elena wondered whether or not that'd been intentional.

In addition to these straps, there were two additional ones that Elena hadn't noticed earlier. They ran from the clip on her chest to underneath her armpits. She wondered what real purpose these served, but they were subtle enough that they didn't bother her.

She shifted around again, twisting and feeling the straps pull tight against her, the sensations causing a shiver to ripple through her body.

What was this feeling?

At first, she'd thought it was purely sexual. The crotch strap, as it were, had been rubbing against her for the past hour. And despite the padding, she'd be lying to herself if it hadn't elicited a small fire within her.

But she'd told herself it wasn't, after all, feeling such things on a device designed for children was just... wrong... right?

Besides, their normal car harnesses already had this crotch strap, and this felt different.

There was another warmth. One that couldn't be explained. Unlike the passionate flares that shot through her, this was a gentler, more soothing sensation.

It made her feel...

She didn't know.

But why? It was a feeling she should've been familiar with. But like a memory just slightly too hazy to recall, she couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Was she gaslighting herself?

The thought suddenly struck her. Was this just her trying to rationalize the discomfort of being turned on by something so weird?

The car hit a bump in the road, causing her to inadvertently jerk against the straps, a series of sparks lighting throughout her body in the process.

Elena blushed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable by the straps tightly wrapped around her body.

"Hey Jonah, can we pull over? I want to get out of the seat now."

"Do you mind waiting a few more minutes? We just got on the freeway, I can get off on the next stop and we can take a bathroom break too."

"Okay," Elena resigned. Not about to expose her feelings, she had little other choice in the matter. She felt the tingling sensation again and blushed. She tried sitting as still as possible and focused on taking deeper breaths to calm herself down.

But it was too late, with her focus drawn, she could feel every bump in the road, how the shock traveled through the seat and padding resulting in vibrations in all the wrong places.

Wait, I can just take it off myself.

Elena mentally facepalmed. Why hadn't she thought of this earlier? All she had to do was take it off and slip quickly to the seat on the side. Sure, she shouldn't take off her seatbelt while the car was in motion, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Her hands shot to the buckle between her legs, hands pushing against the button that...

Wasn't there?

Where there should've been a big red button she found only a smooth surface.

Was this some sort of child-safety lock? Her fingers explored around the buckle, trying to find some mechanism. A tiny hole, slit, anything.

But there was nothing, the buckle itself was as smooth as marble.

Frowning now, she tried to glance down, but the straps across her chest kept her pinned back, and she could hardly see it.

Her hands went to the clip at her chest, unfastening it would give her a better look and maybe she'd be able to figure out the buckle.

However, to her dismay, she couldn't figure out how to unclip that either.

She had found the clip, and pressing down on it would release it, but when it refused to budge as she pinched down on it.

Not willing to give up, she tried slipping out of the harness. It was something she recalled doing once as a child when her mom had forgotten the keys in the car and locked herself out.

But the straps were pulled too tight around her body. She tried to remember where Jonah had adjusted to loosen them earlier, but realized in dismay that even if she knew, she was far from being able to reach the bottom of the seat.

"Ugh!" a small grunt escaped her lips as she tried pulling down on the chest clip, hoping to get it down so she could slip out from the top. But, as if jammed on the straps, it didn't budge.

Next, she tried to slip her arms out, hoping she could somehow crawl out the top. But the inconspicuous straps that ran from underneath her armpits to the chest clip foiled those plans as well.

She now struggled in earnest. Slowly coming to the realization that somehow this child restraint had outsmarted her. Her hands clawed desperately at the clip and the buckle, hoping to find some sort of mechanism she hadn't noticed earlier.

How could this be? She was an engineer with a masters degree for fucks sake!

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jonah glancing back toward her in the rear-view mirror. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

"You okay back there?"

"Yeah..." Elena started. But the heat was now making her sweat uncomfortably in the seat. "I... Can't unlock the seat."

She could feel the steam escaping up from the base of her neck as she looked down in shame.

She was ready for the ridicule, the embarrassment that an adult like her could be fooled by a simple child-lock.

"Well, you're not supposed to." Jonah's response came as a shock. "It's designed so that the wearer can't unbuckle themselves."

"So you purposely lied to trick me into it!" she exclaimed.

"Well... I didn't lie about the seat. It is as comfortable as they say. And my sister does love it, even if she does need help getting unbuckled. I just may have left out some minor details," Jonah said, failing to hold back a chuckle.

"Minor my ass." Elena let out a laugh. "So what, you wanted to see me squirming in the seat? Well, I hope you enjoyed your show, but you've had your fun, now pull over and let me out."

"Aww, are you sure? But you look so cute in it."

"I'm flattered. But I mean it Jonah, don't make me..."

"Make you what?" Jonah asked teasingly, but pulled over. Hopping over beside her, he opened the door.

But instead of moving directly to release her, he paused, his eyes moving up and down along her body.

"What?"

"Sorry." Jonah blinked, shaking his head slightly. "Let me find the key."

"How does it work anyways? I couldn't figure it out," Elena admitted.

"Oh, it's just a special type of magnet. Although I'm not quite sure how they do it because I tried with other magnets before and they don't work."

"You could've given me the key before leaving me y'know."

"And miss seeing a full-grown adult with a masters degree struggling to escape?"

Elena rolled her eyes before turning away, hoping he couldn't see her blushing.

"Alright, I'm sorry. Lemme get you out."

He began fiddling around the side of her seat, but between the large headrest and snug straps, Elena couldn't get a good look.

"Hmm," Jonah said. He swapped over to the other side of the car, checking underneath his toolbox.

"What is it?"

"You didn't happen to see a black magnet rolling around the back seat, did you?"

"Haha, very funny. Bro seriously this was fun and all but it's starting to get a bit old."

"Umm... I'm serious."

"What?" Elena asked, unconvinced.

She turned around and their eyes met for a brief moment, with Jonah quickly tearing his gaze away.

"I... I guess someone must've moved it since last time."

"You can't be serious right now." But by how red he was becoming, Elena knew he wasn't kidding.

"Lemme check the back. Maybe I just stuffed it into the wrong bag or something."

However, several minutes later and the key was nowhere to be found. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Jonah pulled out his phone and dialed home.

"What do you mean you thought I wouldn't need it? You have your own key for the other seat! Why would you... Nevermind, I'll call you later." Jonah sighed before hanging up.

"I'm so so sorry." Jonah turned to her, apologizing for what must've been the tenth time. "Turns out my mom couldn't find the key to the other seat yesterday, and she decided to take the one from my car without mentioning anything. I swear this never happens. I'm so sorry, Elena."

Elena stared at him and just shook her head. She had every right to be angry, and by all means, she should've been. But watching the boy scurry about, frantically searching for the missing key, she couldn't find it within her to be angry at him.

"So, what do we do now? I don't really want to destroy your seat, but do you have scissors or something?"

"I thought of that too, but unfortunately no. Funny right? I have a hacksaw, angle grinder, and three drills, but no damn scissors..." He sighed, before quickly adding, "I'm sorry."

"How about we go to the barbecue? Surely someone brought some scissors. I don't think I can make it all the way back to your house." Elena squirmed slightly in her seat. The pressure in her bladder had been steadily growing, and was beginning to be more than a nuisance.

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"Um, it's okay. I'd prefer it if we just get on the road as soon as possible."

"Alright, I'll get us there asap," Jonah said, stumbling to his seat.

"Don't get pulled over, I really don't want to have to explain this to an officer," Elena said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood for both their sakes.

The remainder of the trip to the park wasn't too long, but between the urge to go and the tight straps surrounding her body, she felt this constant itch that she couldn't scratch.

Now, knowing she couldn't do anything about it all only heightened this sensation.

The pressure was building, and she felt like she was ready to explode. She desperately wanted to let loose, to scream and jerk against the restraints that pinned her down.

But she couldn't. Not in front of Jonah. So instead, she resigned to squirming lightly in her seat - wishing she'd asked him to loosen the straps before they'd gotten back onto the road - which only served to perpetuate the urge.

Despite her efforts to stay subtle, she was sure Jonah had noticed. But, whether it was out of embarrassment or sympathy, he hadn't brought it up. Instead, keeping to his word, he focused on getting them to the park safely.

"I'll be right back," Jonah said as he hopped off the car, rushing off.

Elena sighed, glad she'd finally be getting out of the seat soon.

Click. The car doors locked. And Elena realized she was now trapped, alone.

If she opened the door, it would probably sound the alarm. Not that she needed to anyway, it wasn't like she was going anywhere.

But, realizing she was now alone, the pent-up pressure overwhelmed her.

She jerked as hard as she could against the straps, feeling their soft, yet unyielding grasp around her. Even her strongest tugs were futile against the straps that held her down.

A simple web of fabric forcibly holding her secure and safe.

It was a surreal feeling.

She was safe. Whether or not she wanted to be.

The struggle, the restraint, the sensations, it all felt...

Wrong.

Elena surprised herself with her own conclusion, pausing mid struggle.

Why? Why was it wrong? The question echoed in her head.

She thought she'd understood everything, that the feeling of being forced to stay seated and well-behaved like a little child who didn't know any better was what had sparked the fire within her.

Yes it did feel sorta good. But it wasn't the feeling she'd felt earlier.

She blinked. What was she missing?

"Oh my god!" Elena jerked her head just in time to see Janet pushed Jonah out of the way, running up to the car.

"You weren't joking!" Janet exclaimed as she cupped her hands at the window to get a better look.

Elena immediately felt herself blush. Behind her, the rest of the crew soon joined, all crowding in to get a look.

The car door was unlocked, and suddenly everyone got to see her in all her car seat glory.

Reactions were a mix of suppressed giggles and adoring stares. Elena turned and glared at Jonah, who for some reason was incredibly red as well.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed at her, before holding his hands up in prayer and giving her an apologetic bow.

"So how does it feel?"

"Are the straps tight?"

"How long have you been in it?"

The questions came bombarding in.

"C'mon suck on your thumb and give us a goo goo gah gah," Gordon, ever the jokester, said. The comment elicited an uproar in the group, with several people egging her on.

"Stop it!" Elena said, covering her face with her hands.

"Aww, but you look soooooo cute."

"Seriously guys, I need to pee."

"Aww, baby didn't wear a diaper?" The group erupted into another round of laughter.

"Wait, so you're actually stuck?"

"Yes! Thanks to someone casually forgetting to mention that their car seat locks and then also forgetting to bring the key!"

"That still doesn't explain why you're in the seat in the first place. Unless you're about to say Jonah forced you into it."

"Okay, yes! I was curious so I tried it out, sue me! Now please, you can ask me all about my wonderful experience afterwards. One of you jerks must have some scissors right?"

"Woah woah, sounds like someone needs a timeout," Gordon said. "Maybe we should leave you-"

"Bro, stop it," Jonah said, casually pushing the much smaller dude out of the way to get to her, before holding out a pair of scissors.

"Wait, lemme take a look," a girl Elena wasn't that close to suddenly butted her way to the front. Her hands shot directly towards Elena's crotch.

Elena instinctively closed her legs and jerked away. Both actions were quickly halted by the straps, much to her dismay.

"Oh, sorry. But before you cut it, I think my younger brother has the same seat. I should have the key in my car."

She ran to her car and came back after a few minutes, holding out a small black object.

Before Elena could reach for it, Jonah grabbed it and quickly unlocked her.

"Thanks," she said. Thankfully there was a restroom nearby, and she relieved herself with a sigh, happy the ordeal was behind her.

They walked down the dirt path, surrounded by the tall grass. She had to push some strands away, and began to doubt if it'd really been worth coming out all this way.

After the final bend, the path opened, and Elena's jaw dropped.

A large, beautiful lake appeared before her. The sunlight glistened off its pristine waters, and off to the side, Elena even saw a deer sipping.

Past the far end of the lake was a large mountain range, snow still covering the tips despite it being well into summer.

Several children were playing and screaming on the white sandy beach. The rest of the clearing had lush green grass, with trees interspersed to provide shade.

"Not bad, right?" Janet asked with a smile. And Elena simply nodded, still taking in the breathtaking view.

They continued down the path. Several picnic tables were laid about, and plenty were still empty.

They eventually reached their tables at the end, rejoining the two boys who'd stayed back to man the fort. The smell of grilled meat was fresh in the air, and her stomach grumbled.

"Grab a plate, we just started cooking the good stuff," one of them said.

"So, what was it like?" Someone asked as soon as she sat down.

"Well," Elena said, pausing to finish chewing her mouthful of steak. "Before I knew I was stuck in it, it was actually surprisingly comfortable. The construction is quite top notch."

"I know a couple of people that work there. Definitely some of the smartest folks I know. Sorta weirdos too though."

"I mean if you're spending all day designing a car seat, I could see why."

"I'm genuinely curious what material they use for the padding. I'll have to look it up later," Elena said.

"What, you liked it that much you're gonna build your own at home?"

"Make sure to make yourself a key this time," Gordon added.

"Haha, very funny. But I was thinking it could be a good mattress topper."

"Is it really that comfortable?" Janet asked.

"Well, why don't you try it yourself and find out?"

"No way I would fit in it, right?"

"Well, I fit in it and you're not much taller than I am. I think if we loosen the straps a bit more you'd fit."

With that, Jonah was tasked with bringing over the seat. And everyone small enough took turns trying out it out. The seat was surprisingly accommodating, and even some of the boys with smaller builds were buckled in.

Of course, after they were securely fastened the group would tease the secured occupant. Either rocking them around or simply running off with the key.

A few overconfident folks thought they could escape. So naturally, they were left to struggle for a few minutes, before being teased when they eventually gave up.

It was funny seeing the look of realization as the victims inevitably discovered how truly inescapable the seat was. Elena could only wonder if the thoughts running through their heads were the same as hers had been.

However, after everyone had taken turns, the group returned to normal activities.

With the barbecue paused until dinnertime, they went off to enjoy the park. Some went to toss a football, others went to play by the water.

Elena enjoyed the afternoon in the sun, something she didn't get enough of sitting all day in front of a desk.

When the sun got to be too much, they played cards under the shade or went hiking into the forest.

***

"Wait, Megan, didn't you say you have a seat too?" Gordon asked just as Elena's group returned from hiking.

"You're still talking about that?" Elena rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's in my car. Why?"

"Why don't we play a game. Two people get buckled in and race for the key. Loser stays in the seat."

"If you grab it from my car, sure." Megan tossed her keys to Gordon. "But dibs on not it."

"So, any volunteers?" Gordon asked when he returned, setting the seat on the grass.

"Elena should, she's the only one who didn't try it earlier."

"I was already stuck in it for hours!" Elena called out, but it was too late. The group was already murmuring in agreement.

Elena sighed. "Fine, if I'm going to be buckled in, then..." She scanned the crowd, looking for who she'd have the best chance at outrunning. "Janet, I challenge you."

"What? No, I-"

"Too late! She already chose you."

And like it or not, the two girls were soon buckled into their seats, sitting on the grass. With her luck, Elena had ended back in her magenta one.

Jonah's magenta one. She mentally corrected herself.

"Alright, the rules are simple. The key is hanging from the tree branch over there. First one to unlock themselves and get out wins. Loser stays buckled for an hour!"

"An hour?!" Elena wailed, but her complaints fell on deaf ears as everyone began chanting the countdown.

"3... 2... 1... Go!"

Elena rocked forward with all her might, flipping over so her feet were underneath her.

She then forced herself to stand, but quickly fell back down to her knees, realizing the angle of the seat forced her body to bend too far forward to maintain a balanced center of gravity.

"Oh, and we're off to a rough start, both contestants have fallen soon after trying to stand! How will they make it to the end?"

Elena grunted, the straps pulling firmly against her body.

"Yes, as you can see Gordon, it's not exactly easy to run when you're seated down!"

She opened her mouth, ready to claim it was impossible and call off the game.

But years of problem-solving as an engineer suddenly kicked in, and her body began to move as if it had a mind of its own. She planted her palms, moving on hands and knees toward the tree.

"Oh, but what is this? Contestant Elena has gone back her childhood, using a technique known as crawling to get to the tree!"

"Who knew? The best way to win the baby seat challenge is to act like a baby!"

She rolled her eyes at the commentary, but reminded herself to focus on the target: the key hanging mere meters in front of her.

Glancing behind her, Janet had slowly come to the same conclusion, and was frantically crawling after her.

But she'd was far behind, the victory was hers.

"Contestant Elena is the first to the tree, now the next challenge is reaching the key!"

Elena tried to stand up, a task that quickly proved much more difficult than she'd anticipated.

Getting onto her legs without falling over was challenging enough, but bent over, she couldn't reach the key that hung mere centimeters from her fingertips.

She leaned back as much as she could against the seat, reaching up with all her might. After a few tries, her fingers finally wrapped around the key, and she yanked, but it didn't budge!

"Contestant Elena has gotten the key, but it seems like it's stuck! Could one of the boys have purposely tied it with a complex knot? Surely they wouldn't have done such a thing to our poor contestants!"

"Assholes," Elena muttered under her breath. But tugged harder, and harder, until on the third yank, she succeeded, pulling the key free!

"And she's done it! She's gotten the key!"

But her success was short lived, as the sudden motion caused her to lose balance, and she fell backwards onto her back.

The key got knocked out of her hands, and she watched in slow motion as it sailed through the air, landing squarely in between her and a panting Janet.

Elena reached out for it, but Janet was quicker, snatching it up out of the grass, before crawling backwards out of reach.

Elena scrambled for it, but having landed on her back, she was stuck upside-down because of the bulky seat. By the time she righted herself, it was too late. Janet had already unlocked the buckle.

"Wow and what a turn of events! With Contestant Elena fumbling the key at the most critical moment, she opened the path for her opponent. The winner of this year's car seat race is Contestant Janet!"

The crowd roared with fake applause and cheers. Janet got up, smoothing her hair before taking a bow, leaving Elena panting in the grass.

"So, Contestant Elena, how does it feel to be so close to winning? Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?"

Elena just rolled her eyes, declining to answer.

"Well, seems like we have a bit of a sore loser, but that's alright. What we all care about is the winner! Let's give it again for Contestant Janet!"

A mock interview soon followed, with Janet rambling for what seemed like ages on her victory.

Finally, the interview was over, and everyone began moving back toward their table.

"Um, hello?" Elena called out.

"Oh, oops." Two of the boys turned around, easily picking her up and bringing her over to the table.

"That's not what I meant, but thanks. Can you just give me the key now?"

"No, you're stuck in the seat for the next hour!"

"You've got to be joking."

"Hey, everyone agreed to the rules! You can't just back out 'cause you lost."

Elena sighed, coming to the conclusion she had no choice in the matter.

"Besides, you look cuter than me in it anyways, Ellie," Janet teased.

The group settled back down as they re-fired up the grills for dinner. With a few folks in charge of the food, the remainder sat down and started chatting.

It was nice to have the old gang back together. Many of them had graduated recently, and several had even gone out of town for work, it'd been months since Elena had talked to some of them.

They talked about how life was going, their current struggles and successes, and just random thoughts about the world. They laughed about the good ol' times of high-school, recalling some of their fondest memories.

Elena realized just how much she'd missed this. And despite having been tormented for most of the day, she was glad to have the opportunity to catch up with everyone.

In fact, she'd mostly forgotten about the fact that she was strapped in. Until it was time to eat.

"Okay, can you unlock me now?"

"Your hour's not up yet."

Elena swore it had been longer, but she had no way of confirming as her phone was in her purse a few meters away. Well out of reach as she wasn't about to crawl again.

"How am I supposed to eat? I'm hungry," she whined, deciding that getting some sympathy was her best chance at getting out.

"I can't even reach the food," she continued, stretching out her arms to emphasize her point.

"Now you look and sound like a baby," Gordon laughed.

"Here." Jonah handed her a plate with a few ribs and sausages.

"Ohh, I have a great idea. If you want out so bad, then let Jonah here feed you. Then we'll let you out once you're done eating."

"Fine," Elena sighed, realizing at this point she had nothing to lose.

"And no doing anything yourself! He must feed you every bite!"

"Alright, alright, I promise. But get me a damn beer at least," Elena said.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this."

"C'mon, you're the one who got her into this mess to begin with, you owe it to her."

With that, Jonah sat down beside her, and began feeding her.

With the group watched as she received her first bite with suppressed giggles. Elena could feel the blood rushing to her face. Here she was, out in public, being fed like a literal baby!

But thankfully, the beer soon kicked in, and she soon stopped caring.

In fact, she even began finding it a bit enjoyable. Watching Jonah carefully cut and skewer little pieces of meat, before gently feeding it to her.

It was clear the boy was still feeling apologetic for earlier, and every bit as embarrassed as she was about the entire ordeal. So Elena made the most out of it, making him grab her drinks, pick out her favorite foods, and even blow on pieces of meat that were 'too hot'.

As the others finished eating, they began heading down to the water to enjoy the last little bit of daylight.

Since they were effectively eating at half the pace, eventually, the two of them were the last ones still at their table.

As Jonah held up a fork with some broccoli, Elena closed her mouth, shaking her head.

"I hate broccoli," she explained while looking away.

"But you should eat your veggies, they're good for you."

"You're starting to sound like my mom," Elena rolled her eyes. Then, in a teasing mood, she added, "you're gonna have to do better than that."

Rather than seem annoyed, Jonah hardly missed a beat. "C'mon, here comes the airplane!"

"Nuh uh!" Elena hmphed through pursed lips, before turning away to stifle a giggle.

"Open wide or I'll make you!" Jonah continued playfully, once again holding up the broccoli.

"Oh no, I'm so scared," Elena quickly taunted, before shutting her mouth again.

"Alright, you asked for it."

Without warning, Jonah's fingers were on her stomach and began prodding her lightly.

Elena widened her eyes, but kept her mouth clamped shut. However, this didn't last long, as Jonah soon moved onto a full-on tickle assault. Restricted by the seat, she could do nothing to escape his wrath. So instead, she tried to push him away, but her punches hardly seemed to impact his well-toned body.

The tickling continued, tears began welling in her eyes, and before long, she burst out laughing.

"Alright, I'll eat it! I'll eat it!" Elena cried out between breaths.

She snatched the food with an overly dramatic pout, chewing on it slowly. But before long, Jonah held up another piece.

Elena shook her head. Two pieces was more than enough.

"C'mon Ellie, you have to eat your veggies, so you can grow up to be big and strong like daddy one day," Jonah said, barely holding a straight face.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before bursting out in laughter, with Elena spitting her half-chewed broccoli all over his lap.

"I guess I deserved that," Jonah said, grabbing some paper towels.

Elena watched as he made sure to wipe the little bits that had gotten over her and the seat first, despite the majority having landed onto his lap.

"You seem pretty good at it, you know?" Elena said as Jonah finished wiping himself down.

"What?"

"Taking care of someone."

"Yeah, sure."

She looked him in the eye. "I'm serious!"

"Oh." Jonah said, putting a hand behind his head. "Thanks. I guess I do have quite a bit of experience from back in the day. Our parents were workaholics, and being old enough, I took care of Emma more often than not."

"You're a kind person."

Jonah smiled, but didn't respond immediately, and the two sat there in silence, watching as the sun began to set in the distance.

"I'm sorry by the way." Jonah finally broke the silence.

"It's alright." Elena waved it off.

"No, I mean it. I shouldn't have pranked you like that, it was mean."

"Well, you didn't realize the key was gone. But I do have one question. Why did you do it?"

"I... I guess I just thought you would look cute in it." He turned away, his face growing red in the setting sun. "And you do look cute by the way."

"Thanks," Elena said, feeling the dying rays of sunlight warming her face as well.

The silence returned.

Was she really that cute in the seat? It'd been a comment she'd received several times that day, but mostly in a joking context. Yet Jonah's comment seemed sincere.

She pictured herself, a grown lady strapped in like a child. Like in the car, the straps pinned her down. Their grasp on her as unyielding as ever.

But unlike earlier, she no longer felt the urge to be released.

But why? What was different than when she was locked up, frustrated and alone in the car?

She turned to her side, Jonah's gentle eyes gazed off toward the distance. The dying sunlight bathed his normally dark brown hair with a bronze-like shimmer.

"Oh!" Jonah said. "Here I am talking about this and you're still in the seat. I'm sorry, lemme go grab the key."

Before she could say anything, Jonah leapt up and began sprinting down toward the beach.

Elena twisted, pushing against the padding and letting the straps dig into her skin as she could do nothing but wait for his return. A cool breeze blew by, and somehow, the straps suddenly felt more restrictive around her.

She grunted, pawing aimlessly at the buckle that locked everything in place, a million thoughts and sensations overwhelming her mind.

Then it all clicked.

What she'd been yearning, the feeling that she'd been missing since her childhood. It all made sense.

Jonah returned, running all the way up and kneeling in front of her. Upon seeing her up close, his lips parted slightly.

He blinked, shaking his head. Offering the key up to her, he said, "sorry, I should've unlocked you earlier. Did you want to-"

But he was interrupted as Elena grabbed his arm, and with a firm yank pulled him close, planting a kiss right on his lips.

Just as quickly, Elena pulled away, retreating back into her seat.

Jonah looked at her, silent.

"I'm sorry," she started, feeling the heat flooding to her face. She'd drawn her own conclusions, yet she hadn't paused to consider what Jonah felt at all. She began squirming in her seat, "I just-"

It was her turn to be cut off, as Jonah leaned in, cupping her face with his large, yet gentle hands. Bringing her close as their lips touched.

She closed her eyes as her lips parted, inviting him in further as the two of them kissed. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer while stretching up as far as the straps would allow her. He responded by brushing through her long hair, a hand cupping the base of her neck before kissing her deeply.

Elena quickly lost track of time as the two of them explored each other, yet it felt all too short when Jonah slowly pulled away.

"Don't pout." He raised a hand, brushing a loose strand of hair off of her face.

"I..." Elena looked away. What should she say? That she wanted him? That he made her feel happy and safe? That she...

"I like you too," Jonah offered with a smile.

"But I..."

"I know, there's more to it."

Elena looked up at him. How could he know?

"I can feel it, and I know you do too. I had this unexplainable feeling the entire day, watching you squirming so cutely in that seat. But I didn't fully understand it until just now.

"And I know there's a lot to figure it out. There's a lot that I know neither of us understands. But darn it, Elena, I like you.

"And so... if you're willing, I'd like to take care of you."

He looked at her, his keen eyes radiating a warmth that pushed away the chill of the oncoming night.

"I'd... I'd like that too," Elena replied, and the two embraced in a hug.

The two made out until the sun was gone from the sky.

"Should we umm, go join the others?"

Jonah nodded, and unlocked Elena from her seat. She stretched, before walking down the beach with him.

The group was seated around a fire when they arrived, and they joined in, chatting while enjoying beers and s'mores.

Eventually, their day came to an end, and after helping pack up, Elena and Jonah walked back to the car.

"Sure you don't want to ride in the seat on the way back too?" Jonah asked with a giggle.

"You know... I am quite tired, being able to sleep would be nice."

"Wait what? You know I'm joking, right? I gave Megan her key back, so I wouldn't be able to unlock it until we went to my place."

Could she trust him?

Elena looked at the man in front of her, one hand behind his head as he looked quizzically at her. Staring at her with that innocent, yet concerned look that she'd never seen from any man before.

And it was all she needed to see.

"You do have a spare key back at your own place, right?"

Jonah nodded. "But that means-"

"And?" Elena said with a sly smile. "I don't see the problem."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Well, you said you were gonna take care of me, were you serious about that?"

"Of course!"

"Then I'm sure." And before she could change her mind, she plopped herself into the seat. Rather than attempt to buckle herself in, she leaned back, stretching her arms up and out.

Jonah stared at her, with that look that she was quickly falling for.

"C'mon hurry up, or Imma start crying," she said with a smile.

The man rubbed his face with a hand, taking a deep breath, before smiling back.

Soon, the car was back on the road with Elena securely buckled in once again, locked in her seat for the next two hours. Yet, as she rested her head against the pillow, she didn't feel anxious at all.

Instead, she felt comfortable, she felt secure, and most importantly, she felt at peace.