Chapter 22
22
As I drove, it suddenly hit me that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so fully present in the moment with someone.
In Zara’s presence, my mind didn’t wander; I wasn’t thinking about The Exes, Mr Ex, or any of the scandals circulating about me online.
Everything with Zara felt alarmingly real and rooted. She hadn’t attempted to record anything, hadn’t even glanced at her phone once. Somehow, I had known that meeting her would be like this; something in my gut had told me she was exactly who I’d been searching for.
‘I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet for helping my family get the catering deal,’ Zara said after a short, comfortable silence. ‘It’s a life-changing opportunity for my brother’s company. It means more than I could tell you in words.’
I looked over at her. When her dark eyes met mine, my stomach lurched as though I’d missed a step.
‘That’s OK,’ I replied. ‘They serve incredible food and got the job through pure talent. So, where are we going?’
‘Just keep driving to my instructions,’ she said coyly. ‘You’ll see soon enough.’
When we arrived, I parked in the spot she suggested and noted that the area did look quite rough. Then I asked, ‘What now?’
She grinned. ‘We’re going to the arcade. And when we’re hungry, we’ll go and savour my local fish and chips because it’s the best in the world.’
Her excitement was contagious. I couldn’t recall when I’d last visited an arcade. It must have been years . We’d stopped going to busy places like that to avoid being bombarded by fans; for a long time now, we’d chilled only in the most exclusive places around London.
‘Just remember what you said about not being an arrogant prick,’ she said, jumping out before I could get her door.
‘I don’t actually remember making any promises of the sort,’ I replied with a smirk. ‘Just give me a second.’
I went around to the boot, rummaged in my gym bag for a bit, then donned a cap and hoodie.
‘Just in case the paparazzi come for you, right?’ she teased.
‘I’d really prefer not to talk about that … stuff,’ I replied quietly.
‘OK, I see. Anyway, I’d rather talk about how I’m going to beat you at air hockey.’
As easy as that my smile returned, and my heart felt lighter too.
‘So, you’re competitive then?’
‘I can be.’ She threw me a sly look.
As we walked, I noticed that on the opposite side of the street a group of boys were hanging around the off-licence. They were eyeing us closely, then turned their gaze towards my car. I pulled out my phone, texted my live location to security and sent them a picture of where I’d parked my car.
Zara eyed the boys. ‘Maybe we should just go somewhere else?’
I scoffed. ‘What happened to not being a snob about parking with the common folk? Don’t worry, it’s taken care of.’
‘Those guys just scream trouble,’ she whispered anxiously.
I felt the urge to reach for her hand, but I didn’t. It felt too soon for that.
When we entered the arcade, its loud music, dim lights and blitz of colourful gaming machines made the outside world fade away. The interior was a little time-worn and grimy, but I liked it.
Zara grabbed some spare change from her pocket and began to insert it into the air-hockey game.
‘Wait, I’ve got it,’ I said quickly, ever the chivalrous guy who paid for everything at dates.
I pulled out my Gucci cardholder and removed one of my bank cards.
‘There’s no cashpoint around here,’ she said with a shrug. ‘It’s cool, I’ve got it.’
She inserted the coins, went round to the other side, and we started to play.
Zara was so sharp and fast with her disk that she didn’t miss a single hit, and I was barely hitting the puck in time as it zipped around the slippery surface of the table. She scored goal after goal and won the first game easily.
I pretended to wipe sweat off my forehead. ‘I see you aren’t going easy on me.’
‘You’ll get there,’ she replied smugly. ‘Round two?’
I nodded, bracing myself as she inserted more coins. I poured my entire being into the next game; nothing else in the world existed right then. I stretched my stance, arms moving wildly across the table. I got my first goal in. I wasn’t modest about it and punched the air hard while whooping loudly. She gave me a look but there was a smile tugging at her lips.
After that, I really got the hang of it.
When I won the second game, I looked right at her and, with satisfaction, said, ‘You’ll get there.’
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. ‘Oh, it’s so on .’
I didn’t feel the time pass as we worked our way through the arcade, throwing ourselves into one game after another. I loved her playful competitiveness. I lost games gracefully, but when she did, she made cute grumpy faces and said we had to play again.
When I finally got round to checking my watch, I remembered I didn’t have long left with her. I didn’t want the evening to end. I didn’t want to leave her world so soon.