AllFreeNovel
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“Well…it’s kind of like building a house. I write the HTML first to lay down the structure, then use CSS to stylize the pages, then add some JavaScript to make it more functional and dynamic…”
I have no idea what she’s talking about. Not a clue. But,man, do I love hearing her talk. I can tell how much she enjoys her work.
“…and, when I’m done, it looks like that.” She gestures at the screen of my phone.
I can’t stop smiling at her. “You’re incredible.”
Lindsey’s cheeks flush. “I’ve just spent a lot of time coding, that’s all.”
Our order number is called, and I jump up to grab our food from the counter. While I’m carrying the tray to our table, I notice something on the other side of the restaurant that I hadn’t noticed before.
“Want to play a round after we eat?” I ask Lindsey as I sit down, nodding toward the arcade game on the opposite wall. She glances over to see what I’m gesturing at.
“Sure,” she says, smiling as she turns back. “Sounds fun.”
I take a bite out of my burger and am shocked at how good it tastes. “Whoa. Whatisthis?”
“Do you like it or hate it?”
“It’s delicious.” I eat another bite. “Does all vegan food taste this good?”
Lindsey laughs. “Nope. Not all of it. But there’s a lot of good stuff out there, if you look for it.”
After we finish eating, I bring our tray to the bus tub and then meet Lindsey over by the arcade game. We each pick a character to play as, and then a bunch of fancy, colorful graphics flash across the pixellated screen. The round starts and we both start smashing the buttons and thrusting our joysticks back and forth. As our characters do crazy kicks and spins and punches and blocks, Lindsey gets super into it, yelping with joy and groaning with disappointment as our match goes on.
I’m fully distracted by her adorable enthusiasm when her character delivers the kick that knocks my character out for good.
AsPLAYER 1 WINSflashes on the screen, I shake my head. “Damn it. I was distracted.”
“By what?” asks Lindsey, laughing.
“How cute you are.”
Her cheeks flush. “Stop. I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Especially when you get really into the game.”
She presses her lips together, like she’s trying to prevent a smile. “Come on. Let’s keep playing. Best two out of three.”
She wins the next round, too. But I don’t even care. I’d lose a million rounds to her if it meant getting to spend time with her like this.
By the time we leave the restaurant, it’s a lot darker out. I offer to walk her back to her vacation rental, and she says that would be nice. I take her hand into mine as we’re walking, and she doesn’t pull it away.
“All right, this is me,” she says when we reach her rental. “Thank you for such a nice evening, Theo.”
“Can I see you again tomorrow?” I ask.
She thinks for a moment. “I’m not sure if Aimee has anything planned for us. But if she doesn’t, I’d like to see you again.”
I grin. “Great.”
“Goodnight, Theo.”
I’m still holding her hand. I give it a squeeze before letting go. “Goodnight, Lindsey.”
She starts to walk up the steps to the door. My heart is pounding harder than ever as I open my mouth to speak again.
“Wait,” I say. “Before you go inside…”
