Crescendo

Chapter 20

I hurried down the stairs, careful not to slip on the wet concrete. The morning thunderstorm had been the wet blanket on my otherwise fantastic mood. After extinguishing Tess' major concerns and grievances, she joined team 'give the press something to gossip about'.

Despite attempting to throw buckets of cold water on the fire that was our fake love, she eventually saw the benefits of the lie, calling us mad genius by the end of the night. What better way to advertise for a book I hadn't written (yet) than to start a scandalous relationship with a celebrity?

Okay, she was being a touch too sarcastic for my taste, but the point remained.

Daniel parked in front of the Arts Building, stepping out of the car to escort me to the passenger seat. "How are you today, dear?"

I smiled, not bothering to hide my excitement. "Much better now." I had been a nervous wreck for hours, barely paying attention to my new music appreciation professor. Not that there was much to listen to.

Luckily, Daniel returned my enthusiasm, grinning as he walked around the car.

"Where to now?" I asked, on the edge of my seat. He had refused to tell me where he was taking me all night and the suspense was becoming unbearable.

"I can't tell you now," he said, pulling off campus and taking me somewhere "fun".

I frowned. "Can't or won't?"

"Won't," he chuckled. "Obviously."

I rolled my eyes. "Is this what you do to all your dates?"

"The real ones?" He stared at the highway, not bothering to turn and see my stunned expression.

I ignored the pang of disappointment lingering near my side. "Yes."

He laughed. "No, I rarely surprise them with dates."

"What do you do then?" I asked, morbidly curious. I already knew the answer. I had to, but I ignored it in favor of the conversation.

He paused, finally glancing at me before sighing and saying, "We don't get out of the house much."

Oh.

"Sounds boring," I said, trying to save face. Not that I would know. My resentment for Jay rose a few notches.

Daniel smiled, unbothered by my sudden frigidity. "Yeah, something along those lines."

Before I could respond, we pulled into a parking lot, revealing one of the many new buildings in the town next to my university. I glanced at him. "Arcade games?"

"Have something against fun?" he asked, shutting off the car.

"Not fun," I said, watching a family of seven skip inside. The youngest wiped his nose on the edge of the mother's sweater. "Just catching the flu."

Daniel looked at me like I had a few screws loose before exiting the car and opening my door. I worried that my neuroticism had gone too far, but then he said, "I'll protect you from the germs." ′

***

Daniel and I stepped inside the building and the sound of arcade games filled the room, creating a backdrop for my surprisingly silent better judgment. I couldn't help but smile as we made our way through the flashing chaos. "What's first?" I asked, eyeballing Dance Dance Revolution and wondering if his musical abilities translated to dancing.

But Daniel chuckled, leading me through the crowd and to the back wall where a row of Skee-Ball machines waited for us. I raised an eyebrow. "This?"

He shrugged, already swiping his card and starting the game. The balls rolled to the front, waiting for him. "Afraid you'll lose?"

I scoffed, glancing at him, and then at the targets a few feet away. "I didn't know we were competing." A sticky kid ran between us, screaming for his brother to give back his cotton candy. I snickered.

Daniel crossed his arms, showing off the muscles he wouldn't have if the universe was merciful. "Well, why not make it interesting?"

Strip Skee-Ball? I doubted the arcade owners would support it. Regardless, I smiled. "What's the prize?" If I was going to beat him, I had to know what I was playing for.

"How about you get to choose the next date?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Where and when?"

He nodded. "What we eat, what we do, anything you want." He took a step forward and caused my cheeks to warm. Before I could back down or form dirty thoughts, I held out my hand. Daniel took it without hesitation, pulling me in slightly as I said, "Deal."

***

The clinking of the rolling balls and the electronic dings echoed in our ears as we took turns. I grinned as I outscored Daniel, my competitiveness getting the best of me.

"Looks like I've got this in the bag," I teased, nudging him. It felt good to relax, and not constantly be looking over my shoulder for cameras. After informing Tessa of my location, for safety reasons, Daniel was the only person to focus on. And whenever he glanced at me, I fought the urge to continue what I started in the parking lot.

He chuckled, admiration in his eyes. The arcade lights danced over him, sealing the night into my memory one moment at a time. "Beginner's luck. Let's see how you do in the next round."

Determined to keep my winning streak alive, I insisted we move on to other games. We spent the next hour playing Whack-a-Mole, air hockey, and a round of racing games that almost made Daniel fall off his plastic motorcycle. As we explored the arcade, the bright lights and vibrancy of the building blurred my sense of reality. How long had it been since I had fun, real fun? With Mom.

Maybe.

I pushed away the image of her and continued down the path with Daniel by my side, pointing out our next target. In the corner, tucked away from the chaos running rampant through the building, was a photo booth. The red curtain draped over the door and Daniel smiled. "How about a souvenir?"

I laughed, but continued forward, sliding into the cozy booth and waving him inside. Daniel dipped his head in, taking his place beside me while tugging the red curtain shut. When the curtain closed, I realized how close we were. The dim light inside the booth barely lit our faces. I giggled, nervously.

Stupidly.

Daniel went to work programming the booth and swiping his card for two copies of our photos. Thoughtful.

"We have six tries," he said, leaning back, draping his arm over my shoulders.

I was stunned, and before I could recover, the camera flashed, capturing my awkwardness. My eyes widened. The camera flashed again. Crap. I had to do something, anything, but stare at him. So, before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed his face, leaned forward, and kissed him. It wasn't the first time, but after, his hand moved against the base of my spine, pulling me in further.

There was another flash, but Daniel's grip didn't loosen. Soon, we were making out. He dragged my legs onto his lap, practically guiding me on top of him. I throbbed, overcome with the desire I hadn't given in to in all the years Jay and I dated. But look where that got me. I was entangled with my teenage crush, adult nemesis (briefly), and potentially something else, something much more satisfying than the roles he held in my life before.

The whirring sound of the printing photos didn't stop my hands from wandering to places they shouldn't have. But he could have stopped me. Instead of putting an end to our fun, Daniel wrapped his hand in mine and placed it where he wanted it most.

I was glad I won, ecstatic even, because I wanted our next date, real or not, to be in his bed. I was certain of it. I opened my mouth to tell him, to invite him somewhere more private, but I was cut off when I heard the cameras.