Page 82 of Escape

“I’m going to have so much fun with you today.”

Huck pretended to wipe the non-existent sweat off his brow. “You had me worried there for a second. I thought this place held some good memories for the both of us, and it seemed like the perfect place for us to let loose and have some fun.”

“I agree.”

He jerked his head to the side. “Are you ready?”

I inhaled deeply, blinked back the tears that hadn’t fallen, and countered playfully, “I think the better question is, are you?”

Huck laughed, the sound of it making my heart, which was already full to bursting, explode in my chest. He exited the truck, and I watched him round it, feeling more of that same happiness I’d been feeling around him for weeks now.

He helped me out of the truck, took me by the hand, and led me across the parking lot. The next thing I knew, Huck and I stepped inside the arcade and were assaulted by the sounds of games all around us.

I felt like a kid again as my eyes scanned the room. It was just as I remembered it—I couldn’t believe I hadn’t come back here since Huck brought me. Then again, I was glad I hadn’t, because it wouldn’t have been the same. It would have taken away from how special this felt.

“Where do you want to go first?” he asked.

My eyes met his, and I beamed. “Pinball.”

Before I knew it, Huck and I were in the thick of it. We played pinball for a while before heading over to play some Skee-ball. Unfortunately, with the way I had to move my body for that, I couldn’t handle more than one round. But I cheered Huck on as he won us a boatload of tickets over several additional rounds.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t thrilled with being the only one who was playing, so we moved away from that and onto some video games. At first, we challenged one another to some racing games. Whether it was because I hadn’t driven in so long or just that I hadn’t ever really been great at that style of game before, Huck crushed me. I was lucky to keep my vehicle on the track in every round.

Then an idea popped into my head. “Hey, can we do something else?”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

I pressed my lips together in a vain attempt to stifle a smile. “Care to join me in leveling up while avoiding a few ghosts?

Huck’s eyes danced. “I’d love nothing more.”

It was the one game we’d played back in high school that I consistently did well at, and at the thought of playing it again with him, I was ecstatic.

Huck took me by the hand and led me through the arcade to where the game dubbed “World’s Largest Pac-Man” was located. It donned a two-player option, which would allow us to play together to beat each level.

We didn’t hesitate to get started. Even though I hadn’t played in years, it was like riding a bike. I fell right back into it, doing it effortlessly and working well with Huck to conquer the ghosts on each level.

One level after another, Huck and I continued to advance through the game. It had started off easy, but it soon grew more challenging. The higher the level, the faster the ghosts moved. We had to be quick, and there were a few instances where we just barely managed to eat the last dot in order to advance.

With each completed level, things got more intense. Huck and I were so focused, barely celebrating with each other in between rounds.

And then it happened.

Sadly, we’d gotten so far, tried our best, and lost all our lives. But we’d managed to go the farthest we’d ever gone in the game, so I still considered it a win.

When our lives were all lost and the game had ended, I turned to face Huck and said, “We did awesome.”

He threw his arm around my back and rested it on top of my shoulders, his hand settling on the one farthest from him and curling me in slightly toward his body. “Yeah, honey, we did. We make a really great team.”

It was at that moment, with those words, when it happened for me.

He thought we were a great team. I liked the idea of us simply being on the same one.

For weeks, I’d been avoiding it, but I couldn’t do it any longer.

The feelings I had for Huck turned into something more than what they’d been. I could no longer tell myself I didn’t want or couldn’t risk having more with him.

Huck had given me the very best of everything I had in my life, most of it being the memories from our shared past and the tenderness, compassion, and laughter in our present.