The Write Match // Bill Hader

Twenty-Two

I stand in the moving subway, listening to music, watching people go about their lives, realizing how wonderful it is to be out. I usually never take the subway, I don't like taking the subway, but Bill insisted that we had to or we would be walking for hours. The subway stops and Bill pulls me behind him quickly.

"What the hell are we doing?" I ask and see the sign in front of me.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun." He mumbles, laughing.

"Coney Island?" I ask and cross my arms.

"Are you really upset with me because I brought you to Coney Island?" He asks, scoffing as he turns to me and I stay quite.

"No, I'm not upset. I just wasn't expecting it." I tell him and shrug my shoulders, just trying to go with it.

We walk out of the station and this just feels odd. I haven't been to Coney Island since I was a teenager, and I know this is going to bring back a lot of memories. I stand at the boardwalk entrance, waiting for him to join me and he does

"Come on." He says and takes my hand. We walk, feeling the warm spring air and though we're not talking much, we're comfortable and I like the way this feels. "Have you been here before?" He asks.

"I've only been here once and it was on one of my first trips to New York." I smile and we continue walking. "We rode the ferris wheel and ate lunch, then we left. That was it." I tell him, motioning to the ferris wheel from where we are.

"Ive been living here for about three years and I've never been here, but I wanted to see it." He tells me and I shake my head.

"I'm hungry." I say.

"Pizza?" He asks and I smile.

"New York cuisine at its finest." I laugh and he shakes his head.

We walk to a pizza place and order. We sit outside of the restaurant, with a perfect view of the beach and boardwalk, and I can't help but smile.

Our food comes and we both get quite, eating and drinking, enjoying the pizza. The sun is starting to set, and it's starting to get crowded.

We finished eating and I'm full, knowing I'll probably regret later. "Alright, what now?" I ask and he smiles, looking up at me.

"Are you ready to lose?" He asks and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"I never lose." I tell him and he laughs.

"I lose all the time, I'm bad at a lot of things." He tells me as we stand. "Arcade?" He asks.

"Arcade." I reply.

We walk to the arcade and there's this weird feeling around us, we stay quite but it's not in an awkward way. We've never been quite around each other, but I think a part of it is my fault, but the other part is his. It's like we both have something to say go each other, but neither of us want to say it. We make it to the arcade and he goes straight for the claw machine.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he puts coins in.

"Playing the claw machine." He tells me and I furrow my eyebrows.

"You're going to go straight for the claw machine when skee-ball exists?" I ask and he nods his head.

"Uh, yeah." He mumbles and I shake my head, but brush it off, watching him. He plays, winning a stuffed bear, handing it to me as he puts more coins in.

"Is there anything you want?" He asks and I look at the prizes, a gold ring, with a blue gem catching my eye.

"The ring." I say, pointing to it and he starts playing again. He moves over it, dropping the claw, but misses it as the claw moves back up.

"Shit." He mumbles. "Let me try again." He says.

"No, there's no need. Let's do something else." I tell him and he sighs. It's a cheap arcade ring, there's no need to waste his money.

"What do you want to do?" He asks and I look at him.

"Skee-ball." I say and walk away from him.

"Skee-ball isn't fun though." He tells me and I shoot my head to him.

"Excuse you, skee-ball is the best arcade game." I defend and he laughs to himself.

"Of course your favorite arcade game would be the most boring one." He pushes my buttons and I scoff at him.

"It is not boring! When was the last time you played skee-ball?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips, and he furrows his eyebrows.

"I don't know, maybe fifteen years ago." He tells me and I roll my eyes.

"See, you can't even speak on this matter." I say and start playing skee-ball. I stand in front of the machine and I can hear his laughter and my own as we play, enjoying every second of this.

I wasn't expecting this, I didn't expect to actually enjoy a day at Coney Island, but I accept it because I'm having fun. We finish playing, taking his hand as we walk out of the arcade, letting my hand fall to my side, not letting it linger.

"Desert?" He asks me and I nod.

"What are you in the mood for?" I ask and he waves me on, walking to an ice cream parlor.

It's dark now, the only light coming from the street lamps and the bright signs that surround us.

"Coney Island is so much prettier at night." I tell him as we walk to a bench with our ice cream.

"You are, Meredith." He mumbles and I shoot a look at him, he smirks.

"I agreed to Coney Island, I never agreed to your compliments." I point at him and sit deeper into the bench. I take my phone out of my pocket, checking emails and answering texts, but his hand covers my screen and I look up to Bill, his hands on top of mine. I move them away, leaving my phone in his hands.

"Just let me have tonight, a good night. How does that sound?" He asks and I shrug.

"Fine, not because you asked, because it's what I want." I tell him and he scoffs.

"Stubborn." He mumbles.

"And I assume you hate it?" I ask, raising my eyebrows and he gives me a smile.

"I don't hate it. It's actually one of my favorite things about you." He leans closer to me and I roll my eyes.

Today was spontaneous, I didn't even know where we were going until we got off the subway and I feel like that's how my life is going to be from now on. For some odd reason, I'm coming to terms with it and I know Adam would be proud of me for that.

"Sorry for not winning you an arcade ring." He mumbles as we walk back to the subway station. "Where to now?" He asks and I smile.

"Home." I tell him and he smiles.

"Your apartment?" He asks and I shrug.

I don't say anything, I just remember that home is where the heart is, but I've never had a place that truly feels like home. I never understood people when they said they found people that felt like home, but I understand now, especially when I see him standing in my apartment. He is my home, he is the only constant right now, but I know I'll never be home to him, because I will never let myself.