Chapter 8
Elias knocked on Eri’s door at seven on the dot. When she opened it, he couldn’t help but look her over. He vaguely wondered if there would come a time when he didn’t find this woman attractive in everything she wore.
“Hey,” she greeted.
“Hey, Amate. You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” Eri responded, and Elias watched a blush bloom on cinnamon cheeks. “Should we go?”
He refrained from smirking as he nodded. She closed and locked her front door, and he opened the passenger door for her a minute later. Once they were in the car, the first couple of minutes were quiet between them.
“Avi told me you all decided to host a competition this year.”
Elias nodded as he switched lanes. “Yeah. We all thought it would be a good idea, and I can’t remember the last time the city had a tattoo competition. It should be a pretty good turnout once Marco chooses a place, and we advertise it.”
“Avian researched a few when we were together this week. A place might get nailed down sooner than later. I told her I’d help with media and advertising when it was. You’ll let me know what aesthetic works best when I send you drafts?”
Elias knew she could send the drafts to Avian for her to show Marco or directly to his cousin, but he understood what she was saying.
He had learned that while she liked to pretend and deflect with him, it never took away from her honesty in a situation.
She wanted to send them to him and talk to him about them.
He was sure it was a way for her to have a reason to text and call him.
As it stood now, when they spoke to one another, he was reaching out.
He didn’t mind, but if she needed an excuse to do so, which made her feel more comfortable, he wouldn’t call her on it.
“I will, but I’m sure whatever you create will work perfectly,” he responded.
They spent the rest of the drive making small talk and soon pulled into the parking lot of Electric Playhouse. He turned to find her looking at the building through the windshield.
“Isn’t this a place for kids?”
Elias laughed. “No. It’s a place for everyone, and twice a month there are no kids allowed. Tonight is one of those nights.” He paused. “Have you never been before?”
Eri shook her head. “No. I’ve been here for almost four years and thought it was some entertainment center for children by the name.”
“Then you’re about to be surprised.”
He exited the car and opened her door, leading her to the entrance.
While the establishment might have appeared to be for kids, Elias knew more adults frequented it.
They had an immersive dinner menu and some of the best drinks he’d ever had.
The atmosphere and light shows on any night weren’t over the top, and they were even more chill when no kids were around.
They also incorporated different games depending on the night.
When they were seated at their table in the dining area, he watched Eri look around. The surrounding walls were a soft, illuminated blue; the table a warm glow of mint.
“How big is this place?” she asked.
“About twenty thousand square feet,” he responded. He didn’t know for sure but knew that was close.
“Really?” she asked.
“The other side houses all the fun rooms, a light maze, and interactive games.”
Their server approached the table, taking their drink orders before leaving them to look at their menus. Elias had been a few times, so he knew what he wanted, and when Eri put her menu down a few minutes later, her eyes came to his.
“Are we playing games after dinner?”
“A few,” he responded.
“Which ones?”
“Whichever ones you want to play.”
She nodded as she turned her attention to the table and tapped it with her finger, resulting in ripples.
She briefly placed her hand on the table, picked it up, and watched the ripples start outward in the shape of her hand before it was distorted.
Elias couldn’t help but smile at the amusement she seemed to find in it.
Their server returned with their drinks, and they placed their orders. Once alone again, Eri asked, “What drink did you order?”
“An ocean breeze.”
She took a sip of her drink. “It looks pretty.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t order it because it was pretty, but I guess so.” In all honesty, he never thought about how it looked, even less so when the one she’d ordered was far…prettier, as she’d put it. “Do you want to taste it?” he asked.
She bit her lip before nodding. “Sure.”
Elias passed her the glass, and she took a sip. When she passed it back to him, he deliberately turned the glass to where she’d drunk and took one of his own, her eyes on him the entire time.
“Did you like it?” he asked.
“Um,” she cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s good.” She glanced down at her drink before her eyes returned to him. “Do you…want to try mine?”
“Do you want me to?”
“It’s only fair,” she responded.
Again, it wasn’t a yes or a no, and he realized she was good at giving him those types of answers.
This time, she’d placed the ball in his court.
If he had to guess, it was because if he said no, then she hadn’t truly offered, and it wasn’t a rejection, and if he said yes, then it didn’t matter that she hadn’t asked.
Elias took the glass from her. It was sweeter than what he’d ordered, but he assumed it would be. He handed it back to her, and she tilted her head at him.
“Well?” she inquired.
“It’s pretty good. Not better than mine,” he teased. “But good.” She glared at him playfully before taking another drink. “Valentine’s Day is around the corner,” Elias shifted the subject. “Big plans?”
He watched as something flashed across her face before she shook her head. “No. Valentine’s Day is a useless holiday.”
“Useless because you don’t like it or because you end up disappointed?”
She was silent for a second before responding, “What about you? Any big plans?”
Elias got the sense that whatever the reason she found it useless was, it wasn’t pleasant, and he wouldn’t push. “No,” he replied. “Not yet.” But he would soon.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
“I swear you’re cheating,” Eri said as they played Ricochet in one of the immersive rooms.
“How am I cheating when you’re winning? Maybe you’re cheating,” Elias countered.
“I am not, and because there’s no way your score should be that close to mine if you weren’t.”
He laughed, and Eri pressed her lips together to keep from joining in as she evaded another enemy attack.
She needed to focus. She would not let him beat her this time.
Their first game had been some space run game, and he’d wiped the floor with her after she told him if he held back and let her win, she would beat him up.
After she’d lost, she sort of wished she’d kept her mouth shut.
However, Eri had never been a sore loser and always came harder the next time.
They were in the last minute of the game, and all she had to do was keep the strategy she’d been using, and she’d have it in the bag. Two other people were playing since the game could accommodate up to six at a time, but she wasn’t worried about them. As long as she beat him, she didn’t care.
When it ended and her player number popped up in first place, she did a little happy dance before cheering, which drew laughs from Elias and the other two people. They congratulated her before wandering off to another area.
“We’re one and one,” she told Elias with a smile. “What should I beat you at next?”
He ran his thumb along her cheek, and Eri did her damndest to make sure the butterflies that seemed to have taken up residency in her stomach did not react to something so menial.
“We can play whatever you want next, but whether you’ll beat me remains to be seen.”
She thought about it for a moment. “We could play that game with the balls.”
“We can, but it isn’t a competitive game, aside from trying to beat the previous fastest time frame.”
“I suppose I can work with you as long as we beat it,” she responded.
They headed to the room where the game was played, and there was a group playing.
It didn’t look like they had much more of it to finish.
Eri took that time to read the rules and how to play.
It was simple enough: throw the ball at the numbers to increase the value until they match one beside it, where they would merge and disappear.
She had played something similar on her phone before.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom before they finish,” Eri stated.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, keep our place. I’ll be right back.”
She headed towards the bathroom. There were only three stalls, and someone was in each of them. Another woman was in front of her, so she had to wait a bit.
When she returned to where she’d left Elias, she saw a woman talking to him. As she drew closer, she could make out the conversation.
“No, I’m good,” he stated.
“It’s just that I got stood up. I’m here by myself, and I thought, maybe—”
“How is that my problem?” he cut her off.
Eri stepped beside him and bumped him with her hip. “Is the other group finished yet?”
Elias draped an arm over her shoulders. “Not yet, Amate.”
“Hi,” the woman greeted with a smile.
“Hey,” Eri responded.
“This isn’t what it looks like. I asked if he wanted to play the game with me because I thought we were both here alone, and it’s easier with more people.”
Eri knew it was. The room could accommodate up to twenty people, and there were four boards across the walls. It made sense that multiple people would be on a team. She didn’t mind if the woman played on the same board with them, but it seemed Elias might, if his response was any indication.
“I’m sure you’ll find people to play with.” Eri looked around and found two women who seemed to be together. “Maybe try asking them. I wouldn’t mind your playing with us, but it’s our first date, so…” she trailed off, leaving it open.
“Oh! I am so sorry. Yeah, I’ll ask them. Thanks,” the other woman responded before heading in the direction Eri indicated.
“That is the second woman I’ve seen you be rude to for no reason.”
“I wasn’t rude. I just wasn’t friendly.” He stepped in front of her, tilting her chin up. “Do you want me to be friendly to them?”
Eri swallowed as an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach because, no, she didn’t want him to be, but how was she supposed to tell him that when she was still figuring out what she wanted? It would be unfair to him. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to reply because he answered the question for her.
“We both know the answer is no. As long as I’m not being blatantly disrespectful to them for no reason, then it doesn’t matter because they don’t matter.”
The sound of confetti caught Eri’s attention. She looked into the room to find that one game was finished, and the others were not too far behind. It was a welcome distraction from those intense eyes.
Eri unlocked her front door before turning to Elias. After their last game, they walked through and took in the effect walls and took a few pictures. She’d had fun and definitely planned to return sometime soon.
“Thank you for taking me out. I had fun,” she admitted.
“You don’t have to thank me, Amate, and I’m glad you had fun.”
Eri bit her lip as she paused, debating whether to invite him in. It was almost ten-thirty, so it wasn’t too late. She didn’t have time to decide before he was caressing her cheek.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Eri nodded, and her heart rate increased when his eyes dipped to her lips. “Good night, Amate.”
Is he not going to kiss me? she wondered. She tried to keep from furrowing her brow and showing the confusion on her face, but she knew she had failed.
“I want to, and you want me to,” he responded as if he’d read her mind. He leaned down and placed his lips next to her ear. “But you still need to ask me.” He kissed the shell of her ear, then opened her front door.
Eri stood there a moment because, sure, he’d told her he would wait until she asked him the last time he dropped her off, but she hadn’t thought he would stick to it.
They both knew how stubborn she was, and she’d thought he’d forget all about having said it.
She was wrong; it looked like he was sticking to his guns.
Damn him, she thought. She tried to push the words from her lips, and when they wouldn’t come, she released an inaudible sigh.
She stepped back into her doorway. A sense of déjà vu blanketed them.
“Text me when you make it home,” she requested.
“I will,” he agreed.
Eri closed and locked her door, looking through the peephole to see him walk off. She placed her back against the door and a hand over her stomach.
“Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. Pipe down.”
Pushing herself off the door, she went into her bedroom. She was happy that she had a session scheduled with her therapist in the coming week. She needed to figure out her feelings.