Trapped (egobang trans)

Chapter 62 - Afternoon Date

< Danny's POV >

It was a little later that afternoon, around 3 maybe? Danny drew in a slow breath of the summer air, knowing that autumn wasn't far off and that it would soon be colder. He and Arin were walking hand in hand down the street. Instead of getting picked up from Havve's house, they'd decided to go for a wander together - something more private than being cooped up in Havve's basement with everyone else.

Danny had proposed the idea, but he wasn't sure where they were headed. Maybe they'd go for some food? Though he was still feeling quite full from the pizza. He smiled over at Arin and linked their arms more, feeling her body brush against his.

"Anything you want to do?" he asked casually.

They'd by now left the richer part of town that Havve lived in and were emerging into the main town centre.

"Um, I'm not sure. I-I don't do this very often," Arin admitted, looking around the town at all her options.

"Me neither, Ar, it's a learning experience for both of us. How bout this? Wanna go somewhere quiet like the park, or do something more exciting, like an arcade or whatever?"

Danny watched Arin's eyes train on the pavement thoughtfully, tucking her hair behind her ear as she so often did. He smiled, finding her habits cute.

"The arcade sounds fun," she decided, which surprised Danny.

He moved his arm from linking with Arin's and snaked it around her shoulders, pulling her in to kiss her temple before rubbing her arm affectionately.

"Arcade it is then! We could try the park after if you want, maybe even find an ice-cream truck," he suggested with a wink.

Arin giggled, gazing up at him for a moment with her chocolate brown eyes. Danny grinned uncontrollably seeing that face and grabbed her hand again, pulling her eagerly along to make the most of their afternoon.

Luckily Danny had money on him, and despite Arin's protesting paid for them both at the arcade. Memories of his early childhood flooded in as he remembered coming to a similar place with his parents, and with an excited bounce he lead Arin down the lines of games. He pointed out all the games eagerly to Arin, letting out his nerd that he usually kept buried.

"Wow, there's a lot of games," mused Arin.

"Yeah! What do you wanna try first?"

Danny saw Arin's face fall a little as she looked around, seeming out of her element in the unfamiliar place. She played with her sweater sleeve slightly and bit her lip. Danny knew she didn't do well in new environments or under pressure so he decided to step in.

"Actually, there's this one I saw coming in that I wanna try. Come on."

Arin looked relieved as he held out his hand. She took it with a smile and Danny wasted no time in guiding her through the maze of blaring consoles to the game in question.

"You ever played pinball before, Arin?" he asked when they stopped.

"I-I don't think so..."

"Okay, no worries! This is a weird version anyways. It's Mario themed, but basically you have to use these knobs to flick these little guys, and keep the ball from falling in the hole," Danny explained, demonstrating with the controls, "As for points, you have to go up here and shit, then you try hit these blocks to get rid of them. When they're gone you move onto the next level, but let's be fair we'll probably suck."

Arin blinked as she took all that in, and Danny wondered if he'd explained it okay.

"I think I've got it... H-Have you played this before?" she said.