11
Jude vaguely remembered the last time that he was this genuinely very happy.
It was maybe the time when the school offered him a full scholarship way back in seventh grade.
Just after that day, his life turned back to its usual gloomy days.
This day would surely be one of the best days of his life.
He was like a walking tomato, wearing a blush all over his face.
It got redder every time Jasper cracked jokes and cheesy lines, and he realized how easily Jasper made him laugh.
It may sound cliché, but he was in love with him more deeply.
The first place they went to was the arcade, and they immediately went straight to the roller coaster ride because they both agreed to shout all of their burdens from school and their homes first before trying the other games.
Thereafter, when Jude reached for his wallet to pay for the other tickets, Jasper immediately stopped him again and insisted on paying for everything instead.
Jude kept trying to at least split the cost in half, but Jasper threatened that he would stop talking to him if he insisted any further.
Because of that, Jude reluctantly gave in.
Just the thought of Jasper ignoring him was enough to stir anxiety inside him.
Jasper was the only person who could brighten the darkness surrounding his world, and without him, Jude felt like he would be completely consumed by it.
Air hockey, electronic dartboards, basketball, minions’ whacker, and laser maze were a few of the games that slowly closed the spaces between them.
The awkwardness had almost faded, and they both enjoyed the rest of the games with utmost sincerity, being in their natural selves.
They spent time on the kiddie rides too, particularly the tiny cars, which they individually steered around the track.
Jude could not help letting out a series of squeaks whenever their vehicles collided, whether during sharp turns or when they deliberately bumped into each other.
Jasper was laughing very hard as the world seemed to turn in slow motion again, and the number of people in the station seemed to vanish.
His lips stretched from ear to ear as the wind brushed against his face and pushed his hair back.
His smile was the most beautiful thing in the world.
It shone with warmth, lust, and positivity.
Jude was only snapped out of his thoughts when someone bumped into the back of his car, causing him to squeak once again and sending Jasper into another fit of laughter.
“Stop daydreaming, dude! I know you like me. But focus, come on!” Jasper shouted as he teased.
For a few seconds, Jude’s mind went completely blank as the information slowly sank in. His heart skipped a beat, and heat instantly rushed to his face at the realization.
So, Jasper had known about my feelings all along?
Then again, it probably was not hard to figure out. Jude had always been too obvious. He was far too expressive, to the point that even his eyes gave away everything.
“You’re so cute every time you blush,” Jasper muttered, and Jude had not realized he was already beside him before driving off right after saying it.
Jude wished the ground would open and hide him there forever.
Jude let out another abrupt squeak when a kid intentionally bumped into the side of his car.
That was when he finally came to his senses.
Somehow, he felt relieved, as if a huge thorn that had been lodged in his chest for so long had finally been pulled out, because even after Jasper knew about his feelings all this time, he still treated him the same way.
“Come on!” Jasper cheered.
Jude, with a blush refusing to leave his face, tried to keep up the speed so he could get revenge by crashing into his car.
As competitive and skillful as Jasper was, he did not let Jude hit his car, and they went spiraling round and round all over the place until Jude was about to cry.
Jasper noticed it, so he finally slowed down and allowed Jude to bump into his car.
After the ride, they decided to play more arcade games. Jude was honestly terrible at them, while Jasper, on the other hand, kept winning every versus battle they played. Even so, Jude still became excited every time the machine released tickets after his turn.
Jasper smirked proudly when his machine spat out a huge pile of tickets, while Jude’s only managed to release two sad little strips.
Pouting, Jude idly picked them up, knowing even a five-year-old could probably win more than what he had.
Jasper then walked over proudly and slung an arm around his shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up.
Once again, Jude felt like he was about to melt from how close they were, and Jasper’s scent alone was enough to make his head spin.
They also had fun playing Dance Revolution, a game where players stand on a platform and step on colored arrows arranged in a cross pattern, following musical and visual cues with their feet.
Both he and Jasper worked surprisingly well together during the game.
One of the game’s mechanics was that players were judged based on how accurately they matched their steps to the patterns on the screen, and passing a round allowed them to unlock and choose more songs from different genres.
At first, Jude was very hesitant to play because he was not comfortable dancing in open spaces, especially not with Jasper watching him. But Jasper pulled him along and encouraged him to loosen up and, with a cliché infinitive phrase, to enjoy life.
In the beginning, he kept missing steps, but little by little, he eventually found the rhythm.
Both of them were panting for air afterward, their clothes were soaked with sweat, and before long, they had lost count of the number of passing scores they earned and the countless upbeat songs they danced through.
After the game, probably almost half an hour later, the machine finally released a large pile of tickets, and Jude jumped in excitement and pure joy.
It was a lot. That was also when he noticed the crowd around them, watching in amusement and awe.
Some were even taking their phones out for photos or videos.
His cheeks immediately turned bright red, and he quickly ducked his head in embarrassment, attempting to hide behind Jasper.
“Chin up, Jude,” Jasper said when he noticed. “Look, you did great. Good things come if we don’t get shy. Just like these tickets as rewards,” he said encouragingly and winked at him with a smile.
Jude could feel his cheeks burn even more.
Jasper was right. If he had been aware earlier that people were watching them, he probably would have already gotten distracted and committed multiple errors, and they could not have all these exchange tickets.
“Just don’t mind them.”
“T-hanks…you did great too, Jasper. Very very well,” he replied as he forced a smile.
“Yeah, I know,” he proudly responded as he wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
This time, Jude genuinely smiled under their contact, wishing that he could stay there forever in his touch.
“Wait here for a while. I will just go get something.” Jasper said when he spotted a bench.
Jude sat there and watched him go into a small store. When he came back, he already had a bag of white cellophane in his hand. He also noticed that Jasper changed his black shirt into a grey sweater with a Miami Heat logo.
“Here,” he said as he handed him the same sweatshirt. “These were the only ones left that would fit both of us. It has low quality and is cheap, but it is better than getting us sick.”
Jude gave him a sincere smile. His mind instantly went to another dimension, thinking how thoughtful Jasper really was, and imagining they were really a couple wearing couple clothes. His smile refused to leave even after he changed his sweater into a new one.
The last game they played was the claw machine, though only Jasper actually played it. Jude only stood beside him, watching as Jasper tried to grab the cute Doraemon plushies, cheering him on and even squealing every time the claw made contact with the toys.
Doraemon had always been his favorite cartoon character, so seeing those small, backpack-hanging plushies made his heart soften. They were just too tiny and adorable to resist.
“I really want it, Jasper,” Jude begged desperately while clasping his hands together in a plea.
Jude was practically jumping as his feet could not stay on the ground, stomping like a spoiled child.
“Hold on, I can get it for you,” he said as he positioned himself and started to navigate the machine again.
“Just one, Jasper, please.” Jude almost cried.
“Okay, hold on, here we go.”
The claw started to move.
“Just a piece of cake to a mighty Jasper,” Jasper bragged, although he was clawing at the toys for five attempts already.
Clasping his hands under his chin while his mouth kept silently saying, “Please, please, please,” Jude gasped as the claw slowly moved and landed on the one that he had been staring at. Jumping, screaming, and turning around like a kid was all he did when Jasper finally got the toy.
Jude was so happy.
“Thank you, Jasper!” he exclaimed in gratitude as Jasper proudly handed him the cute stuff.
Unable to hold himself back, he immediately threw his arms around Jasper and hugged him tightly.
Jude could not take his eyes off the toy.
It was a small Doraemon plush, dressed in a cute red racing shirt with black and white stripes, with a tiny, round yellow bell tied around its neck.
It also had a red-and-white lace on its head and a little golden hanging tie.
He was so cute, and Jude was completely obsessed.