Dark Places | S. Tendou

I KNOW YOU'RE JUST LIKE ME

Time passed in slow motion.

Or maybe it was faster than it ever went before.

It was suddenly late. The sole window in the place responsible for all traces of natural light was now pitch black. If not for the arcade games letting off a faint glow in shades of purple, pink, and blue, Maeko would be hunched over an air hockey table with Tendou in total and utter darkness.

That was a frightening thought if ever there was one; or, at least, the Maeko she had been up until now would've ordinarily felt afraid.

Right then and there, in that perfectly calm and fun moment, surrounded by the dimmest and yet most beautiful colours she had ever seen, with a boy she'd never really seen until now, she felt like a different person.

A person who did not stutter over every other word when she was standing too close to anyone but Ayume.

A person who did not leap out of her skin at the accidental brush of a shoulder against hers while walking down the hallway to class.

Her shoulder brushed against Tendou's just then as he leaned onto the air hockey table to intercept a puck she sent bouncing against both walls. He glanced to the side to look at her, smiling with his eyes and mouth, and the two of them laughed loudly and purely because they weren't even playing this game properly.

Tendou had explained how they were supposed to stand at either end and defend their goals, but Maeko thought it'd be more entertaining to see who could score the most goals by accident from the sides of the table.

Tendou agreed wholeheartedly which was how they ended up side-by-side-a-little-too-close sending pucks into the sides of the table with no real purpose in mind.

Maeko ricocheted the last puck on the table into the far right corner and, by happenstance, it somehow ended up in the goal on the opposite end.

Tendou turned to her, eyes wide. "You're a natural. A true champion of air hockey."

She snickered into the palm of her hand, eyes closed. "It's thanks to you I've been able to discover where my true talent lies."

Maeko missed the fleeting moment when Tendou's cheeks flushed a pale shade of pink, glancing sheepishly to the side in a show of embarrassment far more befitting Maeko's character than his own.

By the time she opened her eyes again the moment was already gone. "What's next?"

Tendou did a sweep of the arcade. "We've played every single game this arcade has to offer."

Maeko did a sweep, as well, in disbelief. "Already? What time is it even?"

"Late." Tendou answered simply, gesturing to the window.

She stared at him in disapproving silence for the brief and useless answer, earning a mischievous half-smirk.

"I had no idea how much time was going by. I have to get home. My parents are probably going to kill me." Maeko absentmindedly patted her pockets and glanced around the room, making sure all her things were in check.

Maeko ran over to the spaceship game, grabbing her backpack out of the seat. "Does this place ever close?"

"Not for me." Tendou said, going around the room to turn off the games. "I know a guy."

"You know a guy?" Maeko repeated stiffly.

Tendou shrugged.

"That sounds a little sketchy." Maeko commented, cautiously eyeing his side profile as he ambled around the room.