A Sky Full of Stars

6. Bowling

Maisie's words rang true. Everyone thought that Logan and Emilia needed to get together fast. Everyone could see it and they all wanted it. The common consensus of the group allowed Emilia to become part of their group which Emilia was very proud of.

After the group dinner at Zizzi's, Logan decided to call it a "friends-only" date. A "friends-only" date was to get her accustomed to friends and Glasgow. He also hinted at maybe having date nights with only Emilia. Emilia couldn't wait.

The second "friends-only" date was bowling. Angelina found a bowling alley and game hall in Glasgow and wanted to spend Friday night playing games and drinking. Emilia couldn't resist. She loved bowling and it seemed perfect.

As Friday night approached, Emilia couldn't help but think of others wanting to hint at anything about Emilia and Logan's relationship. Their relationship was still blossoming, but everybody wanted the two of them to go further.

Angelina picked up Emilia from the base. Emilia thought it would be daunting for Angelina, but Angelina understood what to do. As Emilia approached Angelina's car, she also noticed Maisie sitting in the passenger seat.

"Hi love! You alright?" Maisie asked as Emilia got into the car.

"Alright. You alright yer'self," Emilia asked.

"We're doing good. Maisie, though, might explode at any moment," Angelia said.

"Why?" Emilia asked.

"We have a classroom hamster. Those little shits decided it would be a fun idea to completely trash the cage," Maisie said. "They got rid of everything and displaced the wee thing."

"And what else did they do?" Angelia asked. "Tell Emilia what you told me."

"They also think that hamster shit is amazing," Maisie said.

Emilia laughed. Children were an area that she never wanted to tread in. She had no idea how Logan and Maisie were able to do it.

"It fits them though," Maisie said. "Those bitches."

The rest of the car ride was full of stories from work and school. Angelina was also in college and studying to be a nurse. Her practical's were coming up, and she wanted to get everything ready before she headed to the hospital. Maisie continued telling stories about the children. Emilia talked about the James Webb telescope and its discoveries.

Angelina parked the car across from the bowling alley. A big neon sign illuminated the bowling alley and pointed to a set of stairs. The three of them walked down the stairs.

The bowling alley was small and had six lanes. The main lights were turned off, so neon strobe lights illuminated the alley in a club-like haze. Music from the 90's and early 2000's blasted through the speakers.

Angelina led them to the last lane. Logan and a few friends were taking turns bowling. Angelina snuck up behind Logan and jumped on his back. "Surprise!"

"Hey! Glad you can make it!" Logan yelled over the music.

Angelina winked and walked over to the other guys. Maisie waved at Logan and walked over to another girl. They kissed and the girl led Maisie to a booth. In the concealment of haze and the dark, the two shadows started going at it.

Logan turned his attention to Emilia. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm really glad you can make it," Logan said.

"Me too," Emilia said. "Thank you for inviting me again."

"You're welcome."

"Hey lovebirds!" Lachlan yelled. "Come on! Let's start a game!"

Emilia and Logan walked to the lane. Angelina sat behind a computer and was putting names into the system. Their names were displayed on the TV in front of the lane. Emilia saw the nicknames and smiled.

Logan pointed to the TV. One of the nicknames was 'The American.' "I imagine that's you then."

Emilia laughed and stuck her tongue out at Angelina. Angelina smiled and finished putting the nicknames into the system. "Do you know if Maisie and her girlfriend are playing?"

"They're stuck in each other," Emilia said. "I don't think they're gonna play."

In the dark, Emilia saw the faint outline of a finger in the air. She walked to the bowling lane since she was first and grabbed a ball. She threw the bowling ball and watched as it knocked all the pins over. The breath she was holding in left her body in relief.

"Damn girl! Leave some pins for the rest of us!" Lachlan said. "Whot the hell made you so angry?"

Emilia said nothing and walked back to the group. All that hidden anger and feelings decided to come out in an acceptable way, and it made her feel good. She gave them a thumbs-up and sat down.

Amelia stood up and bowled next. Eight pins were knocked down on the first attempt, and then knocked down on the second attempt. She did a little dance as she walked back to the group. Lachlan stood up and went to bowl.

As they took turns bowling, Emilia and Logan created a little bubble between them. The two of them shared a plate of loaded chips-just french fries with cheese sauce, bacon bits, and a small amount of green onions, and a pitcher of Blue Lagoon.

"How's uni going?" Logan yelled over the noise.

Emilia leaned in, so Logan could hear her. "Good. The professor strikes are a pain though."

"Yeah. I hear about them a lot. That stinks."

"Not as much as children eating hamster poop."

Logan laughed. "You heard the story, I presume?"

"I did. Maisie must be beside herself."

"That's half of it. It was a sight to behold."

Emilia smiled and leaned herself into Logan's side. She felt Logan's arm brush up against her back and wrap around her shoulder. Butterflies erupted in her stomach when Logan started brushing his finger against her arm. She felt safe and confident with him.

As the rest of the friends bowled, drank, and ate, Logan and Emilia were trapped in their own little world. The basket of loaded chips soon got smaller and the pitcher of Blue Lagoon started to cloud Emilia's mind with warm fuzzies. Emilia snuggled up to Logan and, feeling confident, kissed him on the cheek.

At that moment, Emilia knew that she truly loved Logan. She now wanted to tell him.