When we stepped through the back, I was still confused until we walked out of the backroom, and sound began to seep through.
“Bowling?” I asked, a smile lighting up my face as I bounced on the spot.
“I’ve never known a girl who wanted to bowl before so much,” Topher commented, but again, I ignored him.
Tugging Jude’s hand, I pulled him through the last door as we stepped out into a mega-fun zone. On one side were bowling lanes, the other an arcade full of games, and the back had a rock climbing wall and bumper cars. The place was massive, and I knew we could spend a couple of days here trying to do it all.
“What do you want to do first?” he asked.
“Bowling, definitely.”
Together we headed over to a lane. There were already balls set out for us and socks and shoes in our sizes. “Well, that’s thoughtful,” I commented dryly.
“One of the stipulations to decrease access.” Jude’s face blushed more as he shrugged, taking his shoe off.
“Hey, I’m not mad. I understand. It’s actually nice. It saves us time to do other things. That line is long.” I nodded toward the line, all the people glaring at us, and I realized how nice it was to have special privileges. I could be my own version of normal.
We started to play, and I realized how much easier the video game made it after my third gutter ball. “Okay, I thought I’d be better at this,” I pouted, sulking as I dropped down into the chair.
“Here, come on.” Jude pulled me back up and grabbed my ball, showing me how to hold it. When he moved behind me, I melted. Okay, I could get used to this. A cute guy showing me how to do something. Definitely on board with this plan. Peeking over my shoulder, I found him close, and he stopped, realizing it too. He leaned down when a throat cleared, ruining the moment.
Gee, thanks, Topher.
Swallowing, Jude went back through the steps and gave me some tips. His hand stayed on mine, helping me pull the ball back and pushed when it was time to release. It stayed a little straighter this time, and I hit two pins.
Jumping up, I spun around, throwing my arms around his neck. “Yes! Thank you.” I found myself wanting to lean in again when Topher nudged us out of the way so he could go.
Rolling my eyes, I started to make plans in my head to get him back.
I managed to get a little better as the game went on, scoring 50 points by the end. Jude won with 130. We decided not to count Topher’s since he was well in the 200s. Jerk.
“So, what next?” he asked, putting his shoes back on.
“You pick this time. Just maybe not the rock climbing.”
He smiled, and I couldn’t wait to see what he would choose. Walking over to the air hockey table, we played a few games, and I found myself much better at this one. In fact, I beat him in all three games.
“Okay, that’s a bust. How about some food and then arcades?”
“Sounds perfect.”
The next few hours flew by as we gorged ourselves on nachos, pretzels, and hot dogs in between games of Skee-ball, pinball, and car races. My feet were starting to kill me, so I wasn’t even upset when we had to leave.
“I had an amazing night,” I whispered, carrying the stuffed animal Jude and I had won with our tickets. I bumped his shoulder, and he smiled.
“I’ll give you guys a moment. Don’t make me regret it.” Topher stepped forward between us, giving us the eye. “I need to make sure it’s clear. Don’t come out until you see me, understand?”
We nodded, just happy to have a second to ourselves. Jude turned to me, and I suddenly felt shy. “I’m glad you enjoyed our first date. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to go on this with.”
“Not even Jill?” I asked for some stupid reason.
“Jill? From the youth center?” he asked, looking at me strangely. He stepped closer, his hands landing on my hip.
“Yeah, she was asking about you. Sorry, stupid girl moment where I felt insecure for a second.”
“Well, let me assure you that you’re the only woman for me.” I liked how he said woman, and when he stepped closer, I sucked in a breath. His lips met mine, and I leaned into him, pulling him closer. This was the kiss. The one I would remember from our date. It was passionate and sweet and full of everything I wasn’t ready to say yet. When he pulled back, we stared at one another for a second, our breathing heavy.
“Wow,” he said, brushing my hair aside.