Everybody must've decided what we were doing after the concert without telling me, because when we left the venue and got in the van, I realized I didn't know where we were going. I leaned over to Dana, more like turned my head, since we were pretty close as it was.
"Do you know where we're going?" He shook his head no, and I sighed. I hoped it was a movie or something basic that they decided on, because I just wanted to stay with Dana.
We drove on for a little longer, until we pulled up to a building with a neon sign. When we parked, I could see that it said 'arcade'. It seemed really big on the outside to be a normal arcade, but then again, everything was bigger in California.
"Alright, so I think it's in the far back, past all the kids and stuff." Gabe said. I looked at Dana but he shrugged, took my hand, and we followed the others.
When we got to our destination, there was a sign that read 'laser tag - ages 13 and up.' We were the only ones there, but the person working spoke. "There's one group in there but they're almost done, so it'll just be a few minutes." We all nodded in response, and Gabe paid. Soon enough, the other group exited the room, laying their vests and guns down in front of the employee. He turned to us and gestured to the equipment in front of him. "Pick your teams."
I looked at Dana, slightly bemused, before he picked up two vests with yellow stripes. I grabbed it but before I could put it on, Dana did it for me, causing my face to burn with a slight blush because everyone was staring at us. Then he put his vest on, turning to the others, who shuffled to go back to what they were doing to make it seem that they weren't staring.
"Sorry, but you guys got Will." Gabe told Dana and I, smirking. "That's not fair that there's only three of us and four of you. One of you has to play both sides." Dana said, crossing his arms. Dalton rolled his eyes and stepped in the middle. "I'll be the common ground. Can we go now? I'm ready to end lives." He smirked playfully, before heading inside. We all followed and I held onto Dana's hand, getting nervous.
"I've never played laser tag before, Dana. I'm gonna make us lose." I whispered in despair. He chuckled, leaning down to my ear. "You'll do fine, baby. Besides, if anybody makes us lose, it'll be Will." He kissed my cheek, and let go of my hand. "We can't be too close though, the two of us together will be easy targets." Dana said, walking backwards into the black mass of the room. Still standing dumbstruck due to him calling me baby yet again and kissing my cheek in this very public place, everyone else passed me inside, and the employee closed the door, hitting my backside. I turned around and glared at him, as he gave me a cheeky fake smile, rolling his eyes and turning around. I faced forward and sighed.
Let's do this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We were still playing laser tag, it had been almost an hour. I'd had my fair share of close encounters, and I almost hit someone too; I couldn't tell exactly who it was though because of how dark it was but I know it was an opponent, so at least I'm shooting for the right team.
I was almost hit and ducked down to dodge the blow, turning to face whoever tried to get me out, but they were gone. I sat down and sighed, taking a break in the middle of the game. This was tiring, and so far only one person was out. Dana managed to get Gabe some thirty minutes into the game, so I was still somewhat safe because I knew he'd be coming for me first.
As I'm catching my breath, someone comes beside me, making me flinch, and I'm almost jumping up until they grab me and pull me back down.
"It's just me," Dana whispered. I looked up at him, seeing a soft smile on his face, causing me to smile as well. "Sorry. Hi." I said quietly, looking away. "Sach." He gently grabbed my chin, turning my face to look at him and staring hard at me, all traces of a smile gone. Slowly, he starts leaning into me, me doing the same. My eyes just fluttered closed, when we heard a series of footsteps behind us.
Dana and I both turned our bodies inwardly, so as to hide the reflective stripes on the front of our vests and try our best to stay unnoticed. The footsteps ceased, as the bodies that they held ducked down, in the same position as Dana and I.
"Don't. Move." Dana barely whispered to me. I nodded, before realizing he couldn't see me. "Wait." I said, noticing something.
Straining my eyes in the dark, I see Cole and Chalyiaa, who sounded out of breath and as if they were trying to contain their laughs. They're leaning towards each other in the same manner as Dana and I were just a few seconds before. Next thing I know, Cole is reaching up and holding Chalyiaa's neck, and Chalyiaa rushes forward and makes it happen. She kissed him.
I nudge Dana and gesture my head in their direction, and slowly get up. I raised my gun as quietly as I could, Dana following my lead, and at the same time, we shot Cole and Chalyiaa, their vests lighting up and signaling they were out of the game. They pull away from each other in shock, before busting out in laughter. "I can't even be mad," Cole said, chuckling still, pulling Chalyiaa back to him and kissing her once more.
"Alright, okay, you've had your fun." Dana said, and I could tell he was rolling his eyes.
"We aren't finished yet, Dalton's still in the game." He says to me, and I nod. "So is Will." I point out. He chuckles softly. "Yeah, so is Will."
We start walking further towards the back of the room, which seems to be stretching further and further, and my heart starts racing. This was a game, but it suddenly felt so real, and I was scared out of my mind. I lean a little closer to Dana, who snickered quietly in my ear, and I rolled my eyes. I got the feeling that we were being watched, but I was too scared to turn and look around. Before I could say anything to Dana, I heard a noise go off, signaling somebody just got hit. I didn't feel anything, and my vest didn't make a noise, and looking at Dana I knew it wasn't his. We stared confused for a few seconds, before turning around and seeing Dalton, in a position to shoot, his head hanging down. Then we see Will standing behind him, his gun aimed at him.
"Haha! Guys, I got him out!" Will yelled to us excitedly from across the room. "We win!" I say back, high fiving Dana and running towards Will and Dalton as the lights started coming back on. "Nice job, William." I said, giving him a high five as well, as he nodded and grinned. "And to think, they thought I'd make us lose." He said proudly. "Nicely done, bro. And now, we get popsicles and bragging rights." Dana said, doing a boy handshake with Will. He nodded in agreement as Gabe, Cole, Chalyiaa, and Dalton circled around the door. "Well if you're done, it's almost eleven o'clock, so..." Gabe said, exasperated.
"Aww, someone's mad they didn't win." I teased to him. He just rolled his eyes and huffed, leaving the room, Dalton following behind.
"If you guys hadn't been trying to have a rom com moment, you probably could've won." I said to Cole and Chalyiaa, who blushed and looked down. I looked down and saw their hands intertwined and smirked. "So this is a thing now?"
Cole nodded, looking at Chalyiaa. "I mean, only if you want it to be." He rushed out nervously. "Of course." She said, leaning up to kiss him again. I pulled out my phone and took a picture, before snickering at their faces. "We've got to go." Dana said smiling, grabbing my hand and leading me out, followed by the others.
A/N: okay uhm I'm done.
Baby, the sound of you
Better than a harmony
I want you off my mind
And on me
Holding me closer than we've ever been before
This ain't a dream
You're here with me
Boy, it don't get no better than you
For you, I wanna take my time
All night
Reese's Peaces
